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Potty training: how to start & best age to potty train - ERIC

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Nap times

Once your child has stopped using nappies in the daytime, it's time to think about nap times.

Learning to sleep without a nappy on at naptime and use the potty when they wake up, will help prepare your child for being dry at night.

Tips for managing nappy-free nap times:

Just before nap time, help your child use the potty or toilet, so they are more likely to stay dry.

When you notice the nappy is staying dry at least some of the time, stop using a nappy at nap time.

Accidents are common during the first few months. Use a waterproof sheet or similar underneath your child, to protect their sleep area.

Lots of children need to use the potty when they wake so help them to do this.

Using praise and rewards to motivate your child

Research shows that rewards such as sweets or sticker charts may help your child initially, but they can stop working quickly.

For most children, encouraging and supporting them to be as independent as possible is the best way to motivate them.

Tips for keeping your child motivated:

Give your child plenty of encouragement and praise their efforts. When your child uses the potty or manages to stay dry, even if it's just for a short time, tell them how pleased you are.

Try to stay calm when accidents happen and do not make a big fuss.

Give your child the opportunity to do things for themselves as far as possible. This will help them to feel in control, positive and relaxed about the process.

Use favourite toys, books or songs to help them feel comfortable on the potty.

Try to avoid prompting or asking your child too often. Instead, wait until you think they need to go and then direct them gently, e.g. "it's toilet time" or "let's get that wee/poo in the potty!"

Be clear, confident and consistent so your child knows what you are asking them to do.

Managing potty training accidents

It is normal to have lots of accidents at the beginning and they are an important part of the learning process. This is a big step for your child, so be patient and encourage them.

Tips for managing accidents:

When your child has an accident, clean it up together and remind them to use the potty next time.

Do not shame or punish your child about accidents, as stress and upset can make it harder for you and your child to learn together.

It's important not to pretend an accident hasn't happened. Help them get clean and dry as soon as possible and involve your child in this process. Gently explain that you want them to use the potty next time.

Potty training out and about

When you first stop using nappies, choose a time when you can stay home with your child for a few days, so you can do some one to one learning with them.

Tips to make your first trips out easier to manage:

Don't forget your potty and spares of everything just in case!

Make trips out short to begin with.

Dress your child in clothes that are easy for them to push down and pull up again.

Avoid putting your child back in a pull up or nappy for outings. This will confuse them and undo all that learning.

A travel potty and washable car seat cover can come in handy.

Using the toilet away from home is a good thing for your child to get used to. Talk to them about things like how the flush at the supermarket is different from the one at home or nursery for example.

We have an excellent range of products to help with this stage including portable potties and car seat covers.

Potty training at nursery & pre-school

Many children spend part of their day being looked after by someone other than you and away from home.

For potty training to go well, your child needs a consistent approach to help them learn what they need to do whether they're at home or in childcare.

As soon as your child starts attending the setting, communicate about their bladder and bowel health. Ask the staff to tell you about the child's poos, so you can keep track and avoid constipation.

Find out what they are offered to drink to you can supplement appropriately at the beginning and end of the session. If the setting will only offer water, and your child is reluctant to consume enough water, talk to staff. Offer to supply juice or squash for them to dilute; it is vital for your child to stay well hydrated when they are away from home.

Start conversations about potty practice as soon as your child can sit up. Settings may regard potty training as something to attempt when the child is older; share this information so they too can see the benefits of potty practice.

When you are thinking about stopping using nappies, plan with the staff. Agree dates together with your child's caregivers so everyone is ready to support them. Time what you are doing at home to fit in with the setting.

Avoid starting to wear pants when the child is about to change rooms at nursery - that will be a big enough upheaval for them.

Tell the staff about the language you use at home for wee and poo.

Talk to the staff at the beginning and end of each session so everyone knows how things are going both at the setting and back at home. Use our potty training record so staff can keep track of their progress.

More information and free resources for childcare settings to support potty learning.
Getting dry at night

The age at which children become dry at night varies hugely. For some, it follows on quite quickly after achieving daytime dryness. For others, the wetting carries on after the age of 5 and treatment will be advised.

It is not your child's fault if they wet during sleep.

There are however lots of things you can do to gradually work towards night time dryness including:

Help your child get into the habit of using the potty or toilet at bedtime.

As well as making sure they are drinking plenty during the daytime, work on a good bedtime drinking routine as well. STOP drinks one hour before bedtime, every night, and no more after that till morning. Our Wee Checker has information on how much children should drink for their age.

Prepare your child for sleep. Unwind with a book or listen to music with the lights turned low. NO screens - so no TV, iPad, computer games in the hour before sleep, or the brain will get the wrong message!

Avoid lifting - in other words waking your child to take them to the toilet - if you want to work on stopping bedwetting. It might keep the bed dry, but it encourages the child to wee during sleep as they don't really wake up.

If your child is still wetting the bed when they are 5, see our Advice for Children with Night Time Wetting factsheet for more information and help.

Common potty training problems

Taking your time leading your child through the preparation and practice stages should help to avoid the most common potty training problems.

If you feel as though it's all gone wrong and they're just not getting it, it's ok to stop, go back to the preparation stage and start again.

Could they be constipated?

Constipation affects 1 in 3 children and is especially common in under 5s. Your child may be struggling because they have some underlying constipation that was there before you started potty training.

So stop, treat the constipation and then try stopping the nappies again once it is all under control. Carry on with potty practice - this in itself is an important part of constipation treatment.
Are they drinking enough?
Sometime the bladder misbehaves and we realise that our child is simply not drinking enough.

Once again, you don't have to go right back to the beginning, but go back to the potty practice stage while you increase your child's fluid intake.

Try not to panic if it seems as if they just aren't getting it. Some children take longer to learn, and just need more time.

Reassure your child that their wees and poos will learn to go in the potty, they just need more practice!

Get more information and help with common potty training problems.

FAQs

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Potty training: how to start & best age to potty train - ERIC

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We've broken down potty training into 3 easy steps: preparation, practice and perfecting those skills! Use our step by step guide to help your toddler become toilet trained.

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Certificate Employers - Morton Michel Childminder Policy from PIB Insurance Brokers

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Certificate - Morton Michel Childminder Policy from PIB Insurance Brokers

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EY Registration Certificate Jacqui Daniel

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Laura's Ofsted Certificate of registration

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Laura's Ofsted Certificate of registration

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Whether squeezing it in before the school run in the morning or before bed on busy midweek evenings, preparing your child's lunchbox can seem like just another thing on the list.

School meals are a great choice, but if you do make a packed lunch for your child then we've got you covered with our range of quick, easy, healthier lunchbox ideas and tips.

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Lunchbox ideas and recipes - Healthier Families

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Simple, tasty recipes and tips for hassle-free healthier packed lunches.

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The Poetry Basket - Helicopter Stories

http://helicopterstories.co.uk

The benefits of learning poetry (extract taken from above website):

• Learning poems together is an enjoyable way of experiencing the play

of language.

• Reciting poetry creates a close bond between the adult and the child.

• Saying poems out loud emphasises the sounds and rhythms of language

or the syllables contained in each word, a vital part of learning to read.

• When reciting a poem with actions, children discover and use new

words in an almost effortless way. It is as if the rhythm and the structure

of the verse give context to these unfamiliar phrases.

• Poetry develops the skill of prediction, where the rhyming structure of the

poems allows children to guess what word might come next.

• As children recite poetry, the neurons in their brain light up. By repeating

and learning new poems regularly, they strengthen their ability for

memorising in this way.

• The more poems children hear and recite, the more capable they

become of recognising and memorising patterns, a vital part of early

maths.

• Learning poetry together is FUN

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To be completed by parents/carers prior to bringing their child to our setting with a pre-existing injury. This form will be held confidentially, only accessible to ourselves and Social Services or Ofsted, should they wish to see it.

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Our Parent Feedback was gathered in October 2023. It is heartening to see the positive comments and know we are doing a good job. Taking into account parent feedback we are amending our reports to include further information on your child's development.

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To be completed by parents/carers should their child require medication while with us.

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To be completed by parents/carers should their child require medication while with us.

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You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).

If you get Tax-Free Childcare, you'll set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider.

You can get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as 15 or 30 hours free childcare if you're eligible for both.

What you can use Tax-Free Childcare for

You can use it to pay for approved childcare, for example:

childminders, nurseries and nannies

after school clubs and play schemes

Your childcare provider must be signed up to the scheme before you can pay them and benefit from Tax-Free Childcare.

Check with your provider to see if they're signed up.

If your child is disabled

You can use the extra Tax-Free Childcare money you get to help pay for extra hours of childcare. You can also use it to help pay your childcare provider so they can get specialist equipment for your child such as mobility aids. Talk to them about what equipment your child can get.

If your childcare provider is in an EEA country

You may be able to use Tax-Free Childcare to pay a provider based in a European Economic Area (EEA) country. Contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to check.

Eligibility

Your eligibility depends on:

whether you're working (employed, self-employed, or a director)

your income (and your partner's income, if you have one)

your child's age and circumstances

your immigration status

If you're working

You can usually get Tax-Free Childcare if you (and your partner, if you have one) are:

in work

on sick leave or annual leave

on shared parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave and you're going back to work within 31 days of the date you first applied

If you're not currently working

You may still be eligible if your partner is working and you get any of the following:

Incapacity Benefit

Severe Disablement Allowance

Carer's Allowance or (in Scotland only) Carer Support Payment

contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance

You can apply if you're starting or re-starting work within the next 31 days.

Your income

Over the next 3 months you and your partner (if you have one) must each expect to earn at least:

£2,379 if you're aged 21 or over

£1,788 if you're aged 18 to 20

£1,331 if you're under 18 or an apprentice

This is the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week on average.

You can use an average of how much you expect to earn over the current tax year if:

you work throughout the year but do not get paid regularly

you're self-employed and do not expect to earn enough in the next 3 months

Example

You're eligible if you're 21 or over and do not have a regular income but earn £9,518 a year. This is the same as earning £2,379 every 3 months on average.

If you're self-employed and started your business less than 12 months ago, you can earn less and still be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare.

If you have more than one job, you can use your total earnings to work out if you meet the threshold. This includes:

earnings from any employment

earnings from any self-employment

If you're both employed and self-employed, you can use just your self-employment income if this would make you eligible. For example, if you expect your average self-employed earnings over the tax year to be more than you'll get over the next 3 months as an employee.

Certain types of income will not count towards the minimum amount you must earn to be eligible.

These include:

dividends

interest

income from investing in property

pension payments

If you or your partner have an expected ' adjusted net income ' over £100,000 in the current tax year, you will not be eligible.

Your child

Your child must be 11 or under and usually live with you. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday.

Adopted children are eligible, but foster children are not.

If your child is disabled and usually lives with you, you may get up to £4,000 a year until 1 September after their 16th birthday. They're eligible for this if they:

get Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Child Disability Payment (Scotland only) or Adult Disability Payment (Scotland only)

are certified as blind or severely sight-impaired

Your immigration status

To be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare, you must have a National Insurance number and at least one of the following:

British or Irish citizenship

settled or pre-settled status, or you have applied and you're waiting for a decision

permission to access public funds - your UK residence card will tell you if you cannot do this

If you have a partner, they must have a National Insurance number too.

If you're living in an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you (or your partner if you have one) might still be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if:

your work is in the UK

the work started before 1 January 2021

you've worked in the UK at least once every 12 months since you started working here

This is known as being a 'frontier worker'. You must show your Frontier Worker permit to the Childcare Service when you apply for Tax-Free Childcare.

If you get tax credits, Universal Credit, a childcare bursary or grant, or childcare vouchers

You cannot get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as claiming Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.

Which scheme you're better off with depends on your situation. Use the childcare calculator to work out which type of support is best for you.

Tax credits

If you successfully apply for Tax-Free Childcare, your Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit will stop straight away. You cannot apply for them again.

Childcare vouchers

You must tell your employer within 90 days of applying for Tax-Free Childcare to stop your childcare vouchers or directly contracted childcare.

They'll then stop the vouchers or directly contracted childcare.

You may have to give HMRC evidence of leaving the childcare voucher scheme. For example, a copy of the letter telling your employer you're leaving the childcare voucher scheme.

If you have a partner who gets vouchers or directly contracted childcare, they'll need to tell their employer to stop this within 90 days too.

Universal Credit

Wait until you get a decision on your Tax-Free Childcare application before cancelling your Universal Credit claim.

Bursaries

If you or your partner get a childcare bursary or grant or expect to do so within the next 3 months, you cannot get Tax-Free Childcare.

Apply
Apply online for Tax-Free Childcare
If you apply for Tax-Free Childcare and someone else already gets free childcare for that child, their 15 or 30 hours will stop at the end of the next term. You will be eligible for 15 or 30 hours free childcare instead.

If you have a partner

You must include your partner in your application if you are:

married or in a civil partnership and live together

not married or in a civil partnership, but living together as though you are

Their employment and income will not affect your eligibility if they:

are or will be absent from your household for more than 6 months

are a prisoner

You and your partner cannot both have accounts for the same child.

If you are separated

You and your ex-partner need to decide who should apply if you are jointly responsible for your child.

If you cannot decide, both of you must apply separately and HMRC will decide who gets a childcare account.

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What Tax-Free Childcare is, eligibility and how to apply

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To be updated soon

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Parent Survey Results

Our Parent Survey was carried out in November 2021.  It’s terrific to see so many positive comments from parents regarding Bright Beginnings Montessori and the results give us much to celebrate.  We will be using the comments and suggestions to further improve the setting.  So thank you so much to everyone who took the time to complete it.

*Only including data from those on register during lockdown.

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Please read our reviews on Facebook and google.

http://fb.me/BrightBeginningsMontessoriSolihull

Bright Beginnings Montessori Childcare - Google Maps

If you haven't already, and you feel happy to do so, please leave us a review.  Many thanks.

Parent reviews from our survey in 2021:

“We really appreciated how above and beyond you went to help [our child] feel comfortable with you and the setting before he started.  I think it’s great the children are able to spend so much time outside (it must take ages to get them all dressed up in the winter!).  [Our child] loves his time at Bright Beginnings, it’s so lovely to see him run in excitedly in the mornings and come out with a huge grin on his face in the evenings.  Thank you!”

“We love that the staff seem to genuinely care about [our child] and her development and do everything they can to ensure she feels happy and comfortable.”

“[Our child] had the best start in socialising with others after being a lockdown baby.  We get that feeling that she is settled and comfortable in the setting and happy to walk in in the morning.  Thank you for all that you do, it puts as at ease to trust people so lovely to take care of our tiny girl.”

“Wonderful place for little ones to start their journey away from home! The care shown by staff towards my child is heartwarming.”

“Thank you Jacqui, Laura and team! We’re so glad to have found you and we that [our child] has gone from strength to strength in your care.  He’s independent, confident and has such a thirst for learn about everything around him.”

“We love you.”

Thank you so much for your comments.  We are overwhelmed and value our families so much in their trust in us.

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What does a typical day look like?

A typical day starts with catching up on each other’s news followed by selecting activities from shelf inside or outside activities. Singing nursery rhymes is one of our popular child-initiated activities.  The children love our rhyme board - taking it turn to choose which one to sing.

Snack is available mid-morning, where children are taught to peel or chop their own fruit and pour their own water.  Lunch is followed by quiet time which allows for reflection and rest. We encourage outdoor play, rain or shine.  The children can use the sand pit, mud kitchen, music stand, wheeled toys, climbing frames, paint easel.

During the week the children have the opportunity of Spanish lessons with Kidslingo, forest school session with us and library visits.  We occasionally visit local soft play venues and local parks.  For our over 3yo’s there’s also the opportunity of woodworking sessions.

Where will my child nap?

Depending on your child's preference, time of day and our activities, your child will nap on floor mats or in a pushchair.

Do you follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)?

Yes, we follow the EYFS and use Montessori Pedagogy and Birth to 5 Matters to support our curriculum.

What is Montessori?

Dr Maria Montessori developed a child-centred method of education which involves child-led activities, where children of different ages are assisted and encouraged in their independence by adults who are trained in observation, child development and Montessori Pedagogy. Children have choices within boundaries and their autonomy is respected as much as is possible.

What are Schemes?

All repeated behaviour in play is a scheme.  They are important in child development, particularly numeracy and literacy.  As educators and trained SchemaPlay trainers we can support the child's learning through play.  We put in place resources to support the learning further.

How many children do you look after?

We have a maximum of 12 children on any one day.

How many days must my child attend your setting for?

We require two consecutive days.  This enables your child to settle in well and get used to our routines.

What are your opening times?

We are open 8am to 5pm, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, term-time only.

What are your prices?

We currently charge £45 a day.

How do you communicate with parents/carers?

We update parents/carers on their child’s day through a WhatsApp group.

We will communicate your child's starting points once they have been with us for a couple of weeks. You will be given the opportunity to include your observations and knowledge of your child.  We will use this to plan activities to enhance your child's learning and development.

We will also share your child's detailed two-year development review with yourselves and encourage you to share this with your child's Health Visitor to complement their review.

On leaving our setting we will provide you with a report on your child's development and any artwork not already sent home, starting points, two-year review and photographs.

Do you hold Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) certificates?

Yes, we hold DBS certificates.  Everyone in our household over 16 years of age will hold one.  These are available to view on request.

Are you first aid qualified?

Yes, we are.  We keep our qualifications up to date.

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An Ofsted outstanding setting with two Ofsted registered childminders. We have an Ofsted registered assistant, Annabelle.  Three adults working together to provide a quality early years education in a nurturing, home from home environment with Montesssori pedagogy, forest school, Spanish lessons and woodwork for the over 3year olds.

We are a unique early years setting providing plenty of opportunities for children to play socially, mixing with children of various ages.

Bright Beginnings Montessori Childcare believe in following the child's interests and developing practical life skills which enable self esteem, independence and concentration.

Our children thrive and learn through play in a supportive setting, learning to care for themselves, each other and their environment.

Outdoor play is encouraged, rain or shine. Bright Beginnings Montessori Childcare have a garden with plenty of room for children to run and stretch their legs as well as outdoor toys and games for all ages.

Jacqui and Laura both have two children of their own.  Before childminding they both worked in schools and nurseries.

Who better to take care of your children than other mothers with years of experience and who are early years trained?

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Online safety tips and advice for parents of children 0-5yo

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Online safety tips and advice for parents of children 0-5yo

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supporting preschoolers online nought to

fives

more and more preschoolers now have

their own devices

and if they don't they're probably using

shared devices

here's what you can do to make sure they

have a great time online

and don't stumble across things you

wouldn't want them to see or hear

whilst it's always best to supervise

young children online

there are lots of free tools that you

can use to help you set

up devices safely parental controls on

your home broadband are free and easy to

set up

they allow you to control the websites

your child can access

most popular devices and apps also have

inbuilt controls to help you decide

what your child can access and set rules

around when they should be using them

and for how long make sure to use secure

passwords when setting up any parental

controls

and even if your child is not using them

turn on safe search on google and

restricted mode on youtube to filter out

inappropriate content

our setup safe guides walk you through

the steps

so you can get set up in just a few

minutes

not all screen time is created equal so

it's important to ensure your child has

a balanced diet of activities

both online and offline that can help

them develop key skills and have fun

it's very important that screens are not

displacing or disrupting sleep

face-to-face friendships or physical

exercise

where possible their screen time is best

spent together with you

choose a variety of safe and educational

online games and apps to play with your

child

so that you'll feel more comfortable

with them exploring

make use of websites and platforms

designed specifically for preschoolers

like cbb's youtube kids nick jr

and use age ratings and reviews in the

app store to check app suitability

it's never too early to start setting

boundaries as a family

set some rules around how and when

devices should be used at home

and while you're out and about this will

encourage your child to develop

good digital habits and give you the

opportunity to make sure they are using

devices positively and with purpose

it's important to talk with your

children about what they enjoy doing

online

take the time to have regular chats

about their safety helping them

understand what they should watch out

for online

reassure them if they see or hear

anything online that upsets them

they will not be in trouble and they

should come and talk to you about it

because safety on the internet matters

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Pre-school (0-5) online safety tips and advice | Internet Matters. Help pre-schoolers get the best out of the internet and understand staying safe online.

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Top tips

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Communication and language skills Top Tips

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Public health exclusions to reduce the risk of transmission during the infectious stages

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Public health exclusions to reduce the risk of transmission during the infectious stages

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Not sure if your child needs to stay home? Take a look at the exclusion table.

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Children and young people settings: tools and resources

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This guidance refers to public health exclusions to indicate the time period an individual should not attend a setting to reduce the risk of transmission during the infectious stage. This is different to ‘exclusion’ as used in an educational sense.