It's Summer! Time to Potty Train!

Ever heard the older generations talk about potty training in the spring or summer? There's a good reason for that! One of the best ways to potty train your child is to give them a little bit of freedom - from their diaper, that is. If your toddler has a fluid sucking bottom cover on all the time then it's not easy for them to realize when they're wet. Why? Because they're never wet! Diapers and those so-called training pants made by the diaper companies have 'advanced' so far that it's made it even more difficult for this generation's batch of parents to potty train their children.

Cloth diapers are making a comeback but in generations past it was the only way to diaper your child. Before the genesis of those funky little fluid sucking beads that are contained inside a standard disposable diaper the only thing that stood between your child's bottom and whatever came out of it was cotton. This meant diaper changes were more frequent to prevent rashes and to keep the baby comfortable. Babies of yore were simply used to being dry because their dutiful mothers changed them every time they peed. Nowadays a baby could pee a few times before a diaper change with no sign of wear or tear on the baby. They're used to being dry and comfortable because diapers are made to rapidly whisk moisture away and trap it in the diaper. A potty training toddler in cloth diapers knew when they peed because they could feel it. A potty training toddler in a disposable diaper generally can't feel a thing.

Now how does that make summer the best time to train your child, you ask. Well it's simple really. For one thing you can have your child dare to go bare. The weather is warm enough so no problem there. Let them go free and catch them in the act, so to speak. A child ready to train will realize they are peeing and stop what they're doing. If they just go and don't pause for reflection at all then it's probably time to consider that your little Einstein may just not be ready for this great step yet. Once you catch them take them to the potty and let them know where they're supposed to go next time.

So you're not up for cleaning the floor repeatedly? No problem. That's completely understandable. The next best thing is cloth training pants. They can be found at most baby supercenter stores and are a must have. Obviously even if you were using the method above there are standards at places like Burger King or church. Letting your toddler go commando when you're leaving the house is going to get you stares and more then a few comments. This is where cloth training pants come in.

Cloth training pants have multiple layers of absorbent cotton in the center but they pull on like regular underwear. The benefit of these versus disposable training pants is the child has the opportunity to feel that they have gone. They've got some new disposable training pants on the market now but all these have done for my 3 kids is give them a rash on their tush. They make covers for cloth training pants if you need to leave the house and don't want an accident to ruin your trip.

A final important feature of summer or warm weather potty training is clothes. Simply put - the cumbersome clothes we put on our little ones in the winter to keep them warm makes it difficult to quickly strip them for a potty emergency. In the summer little girls can wear light cotton dresses and little boys can go with a long t-shirt. The most important thing about potty training, however, is making sure your child is ready and willing to learn. Don't force it on him/her. Give them the tools to take on this challenge and then let them.....go with the flow!!