Finnish potty etiquette

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:05 pm

An odd question but...

We have just spent the last 4 days potty training Sophie, and for the last three days she has been dry and very incontrol.

Having been housebound for the last 4 days we'd like to venture out. Whta is the potty etiquette here? e.g. if we are walking down Mannerheimintie and she suddenly needs to go, is it acceptable to whip out the potty in a quiet corner and let her go? Obviously I am not overly keen on letting her do this, but if needs must... She has about 1 minute from the time she announces she needs to go to going. I know that this will increase over time, but I am bored of being in the house and need to get out even if it is a trip to Iso Omena.

Any been there, done that advice for a newly trained potty user.

Hannah
PS We are so proud of her, she decided for herself and just went with it, before Sunday she had never 'performed' on the potty, so we are amazed.

**Sponsor:**

enk · Post by **enk** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 9:56 pm

I never carried a potty around with me, but I do have boys, then can use
bushes. Most places have one if she can wait that long, but take changes
of clothing with you just in case she doesn't make it. With one of the
kids, I made the deal with him that we'd stick a diaper on him when
we were going out, but that he needed to tell us when he had to go
instead of going in the diaper. It worked. Didn't have to do that with the
other two.

-enk

HP · Post by HP » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:26 pm

It is not a bad idea but it doesn't work in Finland...

raamv · Post by **raamv** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:52 pm

We carried one in the car and used the regular restrooms whenever our DD wanted to go..
Initially we did start with diaper and asking her to tell us when she has a need to go..

RA · Post by RA » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:11 am

We're potty training as well, but N refuses to sit on the potty and wants to sit on the toilet instead so we bought a children's toilet seat. It's worked really well so far, especially since it almost predictable when she needs to go so we just take her there and she's done. Lately she's also been telling us when she needs to go, she screams kakka kakka and makes for the loo

Even if she's only going to pee, it's all kakka to her

.

When we're out though she still wears a diaper, but she does let us know when she needs to go. Sometimes we make it in time, sometimes not. But when we're out, I let her sit on the toilet seat, it's a bit of a wobble and moe awkward than using her own seat but I haven't even considered carrying her seat around with us. Just didn't occur to me. Though I guess it would make potty training faster, wouldn't it?

catstale · Post by **catstale** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:10 pm

When I trained my girl (at 2yrs) I also used diaper for the first few times that we went out. Actually, we were never housebound. What I do is sit her on potty first before going out of the house then I know that she'll last the trip and then I make sure I always know where the restrooms are where we're at. She usually tells when she needs to go. Once I trusted that all is cool (a couple of days) then we got rid of diapers altogether outdoors too.

We never carried any potty around. Bushes worked well. Just make sure to carry tissues around.

enk · Post by **enk** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:36 am

Good point that about having them go to the bathroom before you leave;
we did that, too, just didn't remember to mention it

-enk

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:28 pm

Thank you for the help.
Having her go on the potty before we leave is a real time constraint as we catch the bus everywhere, we are limited to one bus every 40 mins so the timing has to be spot on.
Anyway, we've been out for the last few days without any problems. I haven't put a diaper on her as I feel that confuses the issue for her.

As for being housebound- she had the stomach flu, I wasn't taking her out the house with that and passing her germs to everyone. I am not the housebound type.

Hannah

alamu_rm · Post by **alamu_rm** » Wed May 02, 2007 2:27 pm

My boy is 18 months old.

He understands well if i put him in the toilet seat and he is done. But he is not telling if he wants to go.

How should we practice them to tell ? or is it too early for his age(he speaks only 3 or 4 words)?

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Wed May 02, 2007 3:33 pm

Hi

Sophie knew when she was about to go which made it so much easier. Wait until he is ready and can tell you he wants to go. If you start too early you risk still training in 6 months time- best to get it out of the way in a few days rather than prolong the training.
Wait until he tells you he is ready, that way you can be sure he knows what to do.
I'm very child led though in my parenting so others may not agree with my opinions. My neighbour has been sitting her child on the potty since she was 6 months old, the child (2 years later) is still not trained, despite having spent 2 years practising. The first time Sophie ever sat on a potty was the Sunday, by Tuesday she was dry in the days...short and sweet potty training!

My only complaint now is that when we are out there is always a group of 8 year olds using the mums and baby rooms or a queue in the main loos in which no one lets you jump even if you have a toddler shouting 'I need a wee now'!

Hannah

Hannah

alamu_rm · Post by **alamu_rm** » Thu May 03, 2007 1:22 pm

Thanks for your replies.

enk · Post by **enk** » Thu May 03, 2007 2:11 pm

Cory wrote:My son was no where near ready to climb out of diapers at 2. Tried a couple of times to encourage him to pee, standing up or otherwise, but nope...wasn't interested.

This is so true

They can't be coerced into doing anything when
it comes to potty training. We didn't realize that our firstborn was
unusual in that he decided he wanted to use the potty shortly after he
turned 1, so when the second one came around and still wasn't
interested in it by the same age, we had no idea what to do about it

The third one decided he wanted to wear "big-boy underwear" and
quit using a diaper because of that.

-enk

RA · Post by RA » Thu May 03, 2007 8:54 pm

Exactly what I've been telling some people around me. She'll give up the diapers when she's ready, but nooooo, 'you must make her sit on the potty, read to her when she's sitting on it, how come her cousin was dry at 1 already?' Those are the remarks I've got.

I haven't paid much heed to them though and as I said before she wanted to sit on the loo herself so I got her the potty seat.

At her daycare they make all the kids sit on a potty right after every meal and after they get up. Apparently she sits on it there but she never or rarely does anything in it. At home she refused to sit on the potty completely. The potty seat ontop of the loo works great, I don't have her in diapers at all when we're at home and she most of the time lets us know when she wants to go.

It's going slow and perhaps the difference in practice at daycare and at home has an effect and also that when we go out she's in diapers as well. I'm waiting for the summer to come before I let her just be 'coz I think it might be easier then.

scoobymcdoo · Post by **scoobymcdoo** » Thu May 03, 2007 8:59 pm

RA- N still isn't two, she sounds like she is doing very well.

Wait for the summer and then give it a proper go, could be very easy if she is nearly there.

Hannah

Finland Forum

Find information about moving to, living in and life in Finland