POPSUGAR

Would You Outsource Potty Training to an Expert?

Jul 9 2014 - 11:47am

Here's a post from our partners at BabyCenter [1]! Every week, we bring you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post about outsourcing potty training [2].


Source: Flickr user Todd Morris [3]

[4]There are so many exciting moments in parenting. Seeing your baby's first smile, teaching him how to walk, and talk, and the first time she says, "I love you." It's hard for me to choose a favorite. But one thing that definitely won't be making my list is potty training.

Related: Should I be responsible for entertaining my kids? [5]

For many parents, potty training is one of the milestones they dread most. Choosing a method for potty training can be like picking your poison. Some people prefer to get it all done in a day, while others prefer to gradually introduce training. Some parents like to do it themselves while others, according to this ABC News feature, hire potty training professionals for help.

"While parents enjoy many milestones with their children, potty training is not among the favorites," said Rebecca Michals, Director of BabyCenter's Global Community. "But even so, 48 percent of our moms say that this is a job for them and their partner, and they do not plan to outsource this task to anyone, including grandparents, day care or a hired expert. As any moms will probably attest, at the end of the day, when it comes to potty training, it's about the destination, and not how you got there."

The choice to outsource potty training isn't groundbreaking today. Parents have been doing this for years, whether they're sending their kids to grandma's house for a weekend, or putting the brunt of the work on the daycare providers. I'll never forget how one of my friends told me she was specifically signing her son up for preschool so they could potty train him. I didn't have kids at the time so this immediately gave me something to be excited about (not).

When it came to potty training my daughter, I never considered hiring an expert, though 13 percent of BabyCenter moms say they would. Oh yes, experts exist, and promise to get your child out of diapers and into underwear in a day.

Usually the pro-training involves filling the kids up with salty snacks and sugary drinks that make the kid want to drink more liquid. The more they drink, they more they'll need to go to the bathroom, and every time they go, they are told to use the potty.

We took the training pants approach with my daughter, and empathy for Disney Princesses kept her from wanting to pee on them. It was easy enough then, but I have a feeling the situation will be totally different when it's my son's turn in about a year. No promises that I've ruled out hiring reinforcements.

More great reads from BabyCenter:
When to expect your post-baby period to return [6]
This puppy got his very own birthday smash cake [7]
Did you have any of these strange pregnancy symptoms? [8]
Halle Berry's daughter rocks 'Top 10' list of marriage advice [9]


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.com/family/Potty-Training-Experts-35192761