# "Naked Time" on carpets? Explain! (potty learning Q)



## Breathe (May 18, 2002)

My ds, 20 mos, is showing many readiness signs for potty learning (e.g. asking for privacy when he needs to poop in his diaper, telling us when he has pooped, asking for diaper changes, not wanting to "sit in da poop" and so on). I know that he is VERY young and believe me that we are not pushing the potty AT ALL, but I have read that many of you recommend "naked time" each day or night as a means of helping little ones learn about their elimination. And we absolutely see the benefit of this, bc ds is fascinated by watching himself pee!

But how on EARTH do you do this with wall-to-wall carpeting?







:

I mean, he is a little PEE MACHINE when he is naked, and he is basically marking our entire upstairs! (Pls don't Rx getting hardwood floors . . .We know ALL about the problems with carpet and it breaks our hearts that we couldn't afford a home without them!)

We follow him around and clean up the spots, but I have this fear that one day we're going to try to sell this house and a potential buyer will say,

[sniff, sniff] "Do they have CATS?!?"









We gently, gently, gently encourage that *maybe* he'd like to pee in the bathroom, or aim for a towel or cloth diaper on the floor -- we don't even mention the potty for fear of turning him off to it, altho it is sitting there in the bathroom, readily accessible to him -- but we're trying so hard not to make him anxious about it. He is still so little.

Advice from veteran Potty Learning Facilitators?


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## oceanbaby (Nov 19, 2001)

Well, my ds is not close to being potty trained yet at 24 months, but we have always given him plenty of naked time. We do have hardwood floors, but with area rugs, and he has peed on the area rugs too many times to count. I always just soak it up with a rag or prefold cloth diaper. His pee never stinks, and I've never noticed a stain or odor from any of the many times he's peed on the rug.

I will say though that he is a lot less likely to pee on the floor now than he used to be. He used to pee right when we took his diaper off, and many times thereafter, but now he doesn't unless he's been out of the diaper for a really long time, so I think he knows to try to hold it. I guess that's getting ready for potty training.


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## stayinghome (Jul 4, 2002)

I am not one of the naked time moms. I am far too much of a clean freak (aka anal retentive) to let my kids pee or poop on the floor. Not that it's a bad thing, just not my thing. My 21 m.o. is asking to pee, so when she says that, i take her diaper off, and she sits on the potty, and i stay with her. She'll usually sit there for about 5 minutes, (only once has something come out) and then I'll say "all done?" And we put her diaper and clothes on before we leave the room.

If it's not comfortable for you to do it, then don't. I've got friends whose kids are naked all day, and friends who wouldn't let their kids anywhere without something covering their bums. It's what works for you!


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## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

el, if you're worried about pee or poo stinking on your carpets you can squirt a little bac-out or nature's miracle enzyme pet odor eliminator on the spot. dd potty trained early, but still has the occasional accident. we do have hardwood floors, but have area rugs and they've received more than one sprinkling. 'course we have dogs, too, and they're much stinkier on the carpet than a little pee.

personally, i wouldn't worry about telling ds that the potty is where pee and poo go. you don't need to scold him about it (not that you ever would), but just like you might tell him that food goes in his mouth and not smeared on the couch or wherever you can teach him where to put his pee and poo. that's just my personal take, though.

bac-out for the trouble spots!

hth


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## longjon's_wife (Mar 29, 2002)

Enzymatic cleaner, enzymatic cleaner, and enzymatic cleaner. Did I mention enzymatic cleaner?

Seriously, DS became interested in using the potty around 20 mos. He went through a phase where he would let me know when he needed to go; and I'd get him to a potty pronto. He then losed interest somewhat. I greatly contribute that to us moving from cloth diapers to disposable pullups. I had done that to facilitate going potty. I just recently found some cloth pull-ups that are WONDERFUL! After a couple of days of wearing these, DS resumed interest in using the potty.

We have both carpet and solid surface flooring. I've been letting him run around naked as it's gotten warmer. He's had some accidents, but usually makes it to his potty (which I keep in the middle of the house). So far I haven't noticed any urine smells where he's "gone." I honestly feel that if I'd been able to locate these cloth pullups six months ago as well as let him go naked, he'd be "potty trained" now.


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## TinkleBelle (Feb 9, 2003)

I'm currently giving DS naked time while trying to pique interest in using the potty.

When he's naked, I'm in the room with him. If I notice him assuming "the stance" I'll remind him to pee on the towel. Usually he hits it straight on the first time--he's fascinated with watching the stream.

I have a Bissell SpotLifter and I try to keep it charged up at all times (although the documentation says the charge lasts 5 full minutes, I've found that to be an exaggeration.) so I can hit any big spot that comes up, but rarely need to use it.

Another thing I do is I wait til he poops before we have naked time. He's a once-a-day guy, and isn't really into telling me he's pooped.

I hope this helps you!


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## Breathe (May 18, 2002)

Thanks for the suggestions, Everyone. I have some thinking to do about this still . . . I'm thinking that maybe we need to wait until ds has a little more control before we go to a daily naked time.

beanma, I agree with you that it doesn't seem unreasonable to point out some parameters, but in ds's case, I don't think he's there yet, so I may be setting him up in an unfair situation by letting him be naked and then asking him to control his urges. Hmm. Not sure, though, so I'll watch him and see.

And yes, sounds like we need some enzymatic cleanser (!), altho I agree with you all that the pee spots don't have any smell . . . I guess I just have this paranoia that WE can't smell it, but others might!

Ah, so many things to THINK about as a mama. I'm so glad I have people like to bounce ideas off of!


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## RileysMom (Nov 30, 2001)

We do naked time in our backyard. Can't do it in the house....cream colored carpet!

Now, I'm not a neat freak, but pee and poop? Nope. Can't handle it.

DD loves to run around naked in our backyard and play in her pool, etc....

A friend of mine with a son taught her boy to pee on trees outside and it transitioned easily to the potty inside. LOL


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## I Believe in Fairies (Apr 17, 2002)

I'll second naked time outside. I also just made peace with the fact that my DD was going to pee and poop outside of the potty. The carpet can be cleaned, but little souls take criticism forever IMO. I didn't want Annabelle to get a complex about pee and poop.

If you keep your little one well hydrated and there won't be much smell or color to stain. I've found that kids tend to poop at two times - right after eating a good amount of food or after good physical exercise. I just looked for the pattern with DD and stuck her on the pot at what was the right times for her.


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## Shakti (Nov 20, 2001)

I whole heartedly agree with the naked time. I have heard that when you are first taking their diapers off, they *will* pee on the floor for a bit. They know what peeing in their diaper feels like, but they have to relate peeing to watching the pee come out of their bodies, and of course they can't do that with diapers on. My DD went through this stage, even though we did Elimination Communication. She has been on the potty since she was two weeks old, so she knew what 'peeing' was. Even so, when we took her diapers off for good, she still went through a peeing on the floor phase. It doesn't last long, and Bac-Out does wonders! I also highly recommend getting a potty that they can get on and of themselves, and leave it out all the time.

HTH!

Patti


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## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

Dd is 25 months and beginning to show signs of readiness. Asks to be changed. Announces each excretory acheivement, etc. Does that sit on the potty but nothing comes out thing too. Only now that we have let her out in the backyard naked in the warmer weather has she really asked for the potty BEFORE something happens. As it happens she asks as the stuff is pretty much almost coming out but...it's a process (I tell myself) as I hose down the patio yet again. Got a patio potty now too but mom can only move so fast.

Personally I think each child should be issued with along with a Little Green Clean Machine from Bissell. That thing saved my carpets upstairs from the run-away nakey girl and her amazing ability to pee while laughing AND running.

Denny


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## Breathe (May 18, 2002)

Yeah, this is a tough one for me . . . cream-colored carpets in every room inside, and extreme-mainstreamists breathing down our necks outside . . . they can't help it, since our yard is .18 of an acre and we're in a ticky-tacky development where everyone is on top of each other. It would be tribal living, if only we had ANYTHING in common with the neighbors!!!!

All of this is to say, I'm not sure the outdoor naked thing will work around here -- really and truly, someone might call DSS. And best case scenario: all the grade school kids would gather around to watch little naked (intact) ds like he's the main attraction.







:

Oy. The pitfalls of suburban living become clearer every day!


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## Serena (Nov 24, 2001)

oops, i just posted my own thread on this without looking at this one first!! lol! I'm having the same issue. Stopping naked time is not an option though; I'm a bit of a "clean freak" as well, but IMO it's akin to sensory deprivation to not let your child have plenty of time in their own skin, with access to their own bodies and time to feel what it's like to be naked. We keep them hostage in diapers the vast majority of the day, for goodness' sake, it's only ethical to let them have SOME time out of clothes.

Anyway, I figure this too shall pass, but in the meantime, my rug is looking dingier and dingier, blech...


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## mcimom (Jun 8, 2002)

bring that potty right out in the living room! i've heard kids that love to sit right on it and read books, watch tv (if you do that sort of thing), etc.

i don't think directing him toward it will be problematic down the road. my dd2 always watched her big sis and i go so she got it, invite him in w/you and say "see, this is where the big girls and boys put their pee, anytime you want to try, you just tell mommy and i can help you, ok?"

and of course, outside naked time!

i for one, don't worry about my carpet b/c i too haven't noticed a smell and it's already stained w/other things (dirt/grape juice/coffee/you name it!) but then i'm not a clean freak either. a neat freak yes, but just a little too lazy to be a clean freak.







:


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

Vinegar on the wet spots and a wet/dry vac to suck everything up.

Then summer time is a great time to be potty training, who cares what happens in the yard.

We let dd carry her potty all around the house and use it wherever she wanted till she got the hang of things.


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