The Kid Who Hates To Be Naked

When you first begin potty training, it’s vital to have your child bare bummed or naked. This is purely logistical. Those first pees must be caught mid-stream; then you gently haul ass to get your child to the potty. If your child has clothes on, by the time you see the wetness on his pants, he will have emptied his bladder and the learning opportunity is lost.  Occasionally, I have a parent buck up against this notion. In fact, I once had a reader claim I was BARBARIC for suggesting her child run around naked, “like an animal”.  Um…Oooookay. You can always TRY to just tell your fully clothed child that from now on they will be using the potty to pee in. Cause you know, usually you only have to tell toddlers a new concept once and they totally get it. Yeah.

MOST kids loooove to be naked but there’s a small percentage of kids who just hate it. I mean…Hate. It.

Here’s a few things you can do if your child fits that bill.

You can use kid leg warmers or high knee socks with just a shirt on; so really just bare bummed. I have noticed that the more coverage these kids have on the upper body, the cozier they feel, and are less likely to buck against the bare bum.  You can add a sweatshirt or fleece and just because, why not…a hat.  I kid you not. Toddlers are weird, man.

Be sure to tell your child this is for JUST A SMALL AMOUNT OF TIME. Let her know that once she can get to the potty and put her pee there, she can put pants on.

Let’s say that still doesn’t fly with your little modest one. You can offer to TRY underpants. JUST underpants. You probably know that I’m very adamant about going commando so this is definitely a special circumstance. The good thing about undies is that chances are, they are snug enough that you’ll see the wetness and be able catch the child before fully emptying her bladder. You can strike a deal with your child, letting them know that they can try the undies but if she wets in them, they must come off until she can recognize the feeling of having to go pee.  You can alternate this; undies on, if wet, off for one pee. Rinse, lather, repeat.  The longer you can keep the undies off, the better for practice.

This type of kid takes a little more dancing around but the great news is these kids tend to potty train faster. They are so motivated by getting pants back on that they really get on board pretty fast.

These blog posts (and my Youtube videos) are meant for your average bump in the road while potty training. If you find yourself really struggling, please contact one of our Certified Experts for a personalized plan.