So your little one has reached the ripe old age of 2 and potty training is now the next huge step for you and your child to take!
The best piece of advice I can give anyone who is thinking about potty training or has started is make sure you are both ready. If you think your child is ready but you are not, then don’t start! You have to make sure you can give your child your full attention.
I would also suggest if you start and are having more accidents than wees on the potty then stop. If your child isn’t ready then persevering isn’t always the best thing to do – it can cause stress for both you and your child. When I first started with my little boy he wasn’t ready, I could put him on the potty ask him to wee, he would get off and then wee on the floor 10 seconds later! I tried like this for a few days and it didn’t get any better, so although he was showing all the signs that he was ready, when we tried he wasn’t. We stopped and tried again in about six weeks with the second time being more successful.
So what are the signs that your little one is ready to potty train?
Having a dry nappy for long periods at a time (about two hours)
They can pull their own pants up and down
They are happy to sit on the potty or toilet for short periods at a time
Give verbal signs that they are or have had bowel movements (whether that is squatting, grunting or telling you)
Is in a general co-operative stage, not a resistant one
Understands and has words for urine and stool
So if you think you and your little one is ready, where do you go from here? Well, I bought and read all of the books that were available at the time and nothing is going to prepare you fully.
Here are my top tips to potty training:
1. Make sure all parents/ carers for your child are a united front — all use the same words and do the same things so your little one isn’t getting confusing messages.
2. Make sure there have recently been or you have no significant events coming up (starting a new nursery, holiday, moving house, new sibling arriving etc).
3. Your first week has to be a quiet one — don’t leave the house for the first few days, as going out and leaving the house and not having a potty or toilet to hand is likely to ensure an accident occurring.
4. You ARE going to have accidents, there is no doubt about it. So make sure you have a bucket of water with disinfectant available and lots of clean underwear to hand.
5. Make sure when an accident happens not to make a big deal of it and try not to use negative words. As long as your child is ready to potty train it will eventually come naturally.
6. The potty or toilet (if you are going to use the toilet straight away) should always be free and available for them to use.
7. Once you are brave enough to adventure out of the house – always make sure they try before you leave and invest in a portable potty — you can buy them for under £10 and they are small enough to fit your in handbag and I can’t stress enough how useful they are! Most of them also double as a toilet seat that you can use on big toilets as well!
Finally, I’ll stress again, if you try and it doesn’t work out your child might just not be ready! This doesn’t mean you have failed — it just means try again in a few weeks or months.
Happy training!
Janie Pengilly is a Lincoln mum of two, both under the age of 4, that keep her busy. As well as being a stay-at-home mum, she is also the editor of the new online magazine, Lincoln Mums.
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A Spalding man who admitted perverting the course of justice and stalking his ex-partner was today (Monday) jailed for four months.
Timothy Hart, 46, of Alexandra Road, was also made the subject of a two year restraining order which prevents him from contacting his former girlfriend.
Lincoln Crown Court heard the offences occurred after the couple’s three and half year relationship came to an end.
Following the end of the relationship Hart’s ex-partner returned home on 16 April to find him lying on the floor next to her bed, the court was told.
Hart was asked to leave but took his ex-partner’s car keys and returned on April 30 when he banged on the front door.
On that occasion Hart’s ex-partner did not answer the door and he was later arrested by police.
Following his release Hart made a number of phone calls to his ex-partner.
During one of the calls Hart’s ex-partner answered and asked him: “I’m not going to get my car keys back?”
Hart replied: “No, not until you drop the charges,” the court was told.
Anna Soubry, mitigating, said Hart knew that he faced a jail sentence.
“It is just a question of length,” Miss Soubry acknowledged.
“The most serious matter is the perverting of public justice.
“He admitted that in interview and has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.”
Miss Soubry told the court Hart was a hard working mechanic who had the offer of a job once he is released from prison.
She added that Hart also faced the prospect of losing his Spalding home.
Hart admitted an offence of stalking and doing an act intended to pervert the course of public justice between May 5 and May 7 this year.
Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst told Hart: “Perverting the course of justice is a very serious offence because it strikes at the heart of the justice system.”
Hart was also made the subject of a restraining order for two years.
There is now less than one week to go until the Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay visits Lincoln as part of its final journey through England this summer.
Birmingham 2022 is hosting the 16th official Queen’s Baton Relay – a journey which brings together and celebrates communities across the Commonwealth during the build-up to the Games. In England, the Queen’s Baton Relay will provide the opportunity for communities to experience the excitement for Birmingham 2022, as the 11 days of showstopping sport nears ever closer.
The Queen’s Baton Relay will travel the length and breadth of England for a total of 29 days, before culminating at the Opening Ceremony for Birmingham 2022 on 28 July 2022.
After kicking off on Thursday 2 June, the Baton spent four days in London, coinciding with the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Weekend.
The Baton then resumed its international journey and returned to England today (Monday 4 July) to commence a 25-day tour of the regions.
On Sunday 10 July, Lincoln will officially welcome the Baton.
A busy schedule of activities and events are planned for the Queen’s Baton Relay’s visit to the city, with key locations being the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC), the LNER Stadium, Lincoln Stonebow, Lincoln High Street, Steep Hill and Lincoln Cathedral.
The schedule of activity for the Baton’s time in Lincoln includes:
Approx. 5.13pm*, International Bomber Command Centre – The IBCC is working with Active Lincolnshire to provide a free public event from 3pm – 6pm involving youth groups, encouraging people to sign up, get active, have adventures and make communities.
Approx. 5.34pm*, LNER Stadium – The baton will be taken onto the 3G community pitch at the LNER Stadium where there will be coaching sessions with the local walking football and Down Syndrome Active teams. Spectators can line along the pitch and stadium footprint to view.
Approx. 6.05pm*, Lincoln Stonebow to visit the Right Worshipful, The Mayor of Lincoln, Cllr Rosanne Kirk before relaying up Steep Hill up to Castle Square and then to Lincoln Cathedral, where residents and visitors to the city will gather for an ‘end of day’ celebration.
*Times subject to change.
The ‘end of day’ celebration will take place from 5pm – 6.30pm in Castle Square and will include street theatre performances including stilt walkers waving flags, a punting duo who will serenade crowds and ‘knights on horses’, as well as music from BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
Members of the public are encouraged bring their England flags, get involved with the celebrations and embrace the arrival of the Baton, taking the opportunity to experience the buzz of Birmingham 2022 in their community.
Cllr Bob Bushell, Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place at City of Lincoln Council said: “We look forward to hosting the Baton in Lincoln as part of the Queen’s Baton Relay on 10 July.
“This is a very exciting opportunity for us to showcase the city and what we have to offer and welcome residents and visitors to enjoy the evening’s celebrations.”
Martin Hickerton, Chief Executive of the Lincoln City Foundation, said: “Everyone at Lincoln City is looking forward to the Queen’s baton visiting us at the LNER Stadium. As a home to both a Football Club and a Sports-based charity, we recognise the power of the Commonwealth games and physical activity, in inspiring people to healthier lifestyles.
“We will have coaching sessions going on at the time, as we do most days, and it’ll be a great treat for all the participants in our walking football and DS Active teams to see the baton in person.”
Nicky van der Drift, Chief Executive of the International Bomber Command Centre, added: “The team at the IBCC are honoured and excited to be hosting the Queen’s Baton Relay.
“Bomber Command’s story is one that encompasses the Commonwealth. 59% of Commonwealth countries are represented on the Walls of Names at the IBCC, which record every life lost in the service of Bomber Command.
“This event, we hope, will inspire a new generation in the core ethos of the Command: service, community, collaboration and solidarity.”
To encourage the public to stay and enjoy the city’s evening economy, all City of Lincoln Council pay and display car parks (all car parks except Lincoln Central) will be free from 4pm until midnight on 10 July.
You must park within this period only to qualify (parking outside of these times will be charged as normal. Long term parking that abridges this period (starts before and/or ends after the period) will not be discounted.
Following its visit to Lincoln on 10 July, the Baton will then visit Skegness, Boston and Grantham on Monday 11 July.
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