The daycare center or child care provider doesn't want to practice with my child (yet). What should I do?

Talk to the childminder or childcare staff about your desire for your child to become potty-trained. At daycare, you’re often only allowed to bring your child without a diaper once you’ve made some progress at home. For example, if your child can already go a few hours without a diaper (in Ready for Potty, step 3 or 4). This is to prevent your child from practicing without a diaper too early, which can lead to disappointment. Additionally, there are often 12 to 16 toddlers in a group, so constantly changing wet pants takes a lot of time.

Discuss what they can do if you’re in step 1, 2, or 3. Maybe they can read books with the group, take your child to the bathroom, ask every now and then if your child needs to go, or just let your child go without a diaper for an hour in the morning.

Tell them how you handle it at home and what works well for your child. Don’t turn it into a battle with the daycare center or childminder—that’s a waste of energy and unnecessary. If your child is potty-trained at home, they’ll often pick it up naturally at daycare. But it can also work the other way around: your child might get extra practice at daycare or learn by watching other children.