Potty training your children
Just in case peeing
Just in case peeing, AKA peeing when you think you should rather than because you have an urge, can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction in the future. Yes, this is even true for your children.
We are currently potty training our second child and it is a constant reminder of the importance of not doing just in case peeing. Now, let me tell you, that is all I want to do with her. I would rather force her to sit on the potty before leaving the house versus having to clean up an accident. However, I constantly have my pelvic floor physical therapist voice in my head saying, “Don’t do it! It will cause a lot of cleaning up later in life.”
If we train our kids to pee every time they get into the car or every time they are near a bathroom then it tells their bodies to listen to their brains and not the actual sensations their bladders are feeling. This is only true for children without any other health concerns or diagnoses.
Fun bladder knowledge
The bladder is a muscle that can expand and contract. It needs to expand to know that it can expand. The whole saying, "I have a small bladder", just means that that person has not "exercised" their bladder to expand enough. Now don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as over expanding your bladder. That is why it is important that if we are drinking half of our body weight in ounces of water, then we should be peeing every 2-4 hours. This is also true for our kids. If they drink half of their body weight in ounces of water, they should pee every 2ish hours. Yes, you might need to remind them and to ask them, however it is important that you don’t force them. It is important to allow them to develop the sensation of needing to use the restroom to avoid accidents. If they do have an accident, you can point out that they just peed and then have them sit on the potty so they understand the sensation they are looking for.
Water we give our kids matters
If your kids drink other liquids besides for water, they might need to pee more often then every 2 hours. Bodies are mostly made up of water and use water to function. Thus, drinking water hydrates our bodies so a lot of the water actually goes into our cells and we don’t pee out everything we drink. When we drink other liquids, our bodies cannot “use” the majority of the liquid so we end up peeing more liquid out, thus pee more often. If your child is having issues with accidents, one of the first things to try is to limit liquids that are not water.
What do you do when leaving the house?
If your child went to the bathroom 1 hour ago and you are about to get into a car, you can ask if they have to pee. If they do, great, let them pee (this is not necessarily the case for adults), if they don't, then everyone can get into the car without peeing first. Go where you are planning to go and if they say they have to pee while driving, ask them if they think they can hold it. If they can, continue to drive, if they can't pull the car over and let them pee on the side of the road (this can take some extra planning and extra time to get places). It is nice to have a spare potty in the back of your car to allow them familiarity with pottying.
The public bathroom myth
It is a myth that you can get a disease from a public toilet. Help your child develop healthy bathroom and body habits by allowing them to go to the bathroom in a public restroom if they need to go when you are out and about.
Supplies to have when potty training your child
Make sure to always have a change of clothes, a bag to put dirty clothes in, a small spare potty if possible, and PATIENCE. Patience is the hardest for me and I have to constantly remind myself that it is okay to be late and this is a process.
