Help Your Little One Overcome Their Fear of an Automatic Toilet
This is the stage that many toddlers go through, and who can blame them? These trendy newfangled toilets, with their automatic flushing (often multiple times in one sitting), doesn’t make potty training much easier for anyone. They’re loud and sound like they’re going to suck you and everyone else out of the way, and all the kid wants is to pee in peace.
One parent on our Offspring Facebook group recently asked for advice on how to help defeat their child’s fear of automatic toilets, and since this is something that many of you are (or have already dealt with) with, he received a lot. great offers. …
Close the sensor
This is the most widely suggested option (and therefore you’ve probably tried it already), but it’s a good place to start: cover up the sensor. We’ve advised you in the past to use this toilet paper and sensor trick , but several parents have also preached on the merits of carrying a stack of stickers with you just for this moment.
A sticky note is a good option because it will hold in place; a piece of toilet paper slipping off the sensor halfway through is not what you need right now. However, this will only work if your child truly and sincerely believes that it will prevent flushing the toilet, and “trust” is not always a toddler’s strong point.
Take baby steps
The fear of the automatic toilet is not a fear that they can overcome in a day. That’s why group member Sarah suggests trying to overcome your fear, step by step:
Can you start with very small steps to teach her how to use the scary big pot? Like maybe every time you go out in public, find one of those noisy pots and give her a couple of pins just to get her into the bathroom. And then, when she is willing to do so, train her to walk in a stall. Then do not go to the potty, just rinse, covering your ears. In the end, you can turn this into a game, every time you go outside, find noisy pots.
Give him a nickname
One participant helped her son overcome his fear of automatic toilets by giving them light. These are not big scary things that can drag you into a dark abyss! No, no, these are silly “robot pots”. Tracy says:
We call those that flush with an automatic flush “robot pots”. Giving the character a character made him less scary. This enabled my son to ask if the public bathroom is a robot pot or a regular pot. We talked about how silly the robot pots were and laughed at how loud they were.
Bring your own
If no amount of stickers, silly nicknames, or gentle pricks convinces your child that the automatic toilets weren’t sent to Earth by the devil himself, you have one last option. Bring your portable potty and set up shop in a family closet, large stall, or wherever you can find a secluded corner.
A couple of parents in the group specifically recommended the Potette Portable Potty because it is small, the legs fold down and you can get biodegradable disposable liners that you can use on the go.
Now wash your hands, shake them, and quickly run out before the automatic hand dryers roar.