Old Potty Training

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I don't remember a tray, but the belt was there.

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OmiOMy said:
There was something wrong with the nerves in that area, probably something to do with me being a preemie (2lbs 8oz). Mom had been trying to get me trained since 3, but it wasn't working, because I just couldn't notice it. After a while she tried putting me on a schedule — I would have to go potty at specific times whether I thought I needed to or not. This had limited success, and by the time kindergarten rolled around, I had to work on the class schedule — which was bad for me staying dry.

Don't feel bad I was 3 pounds two months premature. Very few of us lived in 1960.
As with you I have less feeling in the nerves of my body I have a high pain threshold also.
But as a kid I had lots of accidents and yes I was certainly spanked for it they thought I was lazy didn't know that nerves in my bladder
Had not developed right.
There are times I still have to rush to the bathroom .
I remember my dad coming to school to spank me for having an accident.
And on the way home I was threatened to be put back into diapers which I said no but wish I had said yes.
Of course back in those days all we had was cloth diapers and plastic pants.
 
woodenpotty said:
WBxx (or anyone else who would care to answer) I guess it is time to further test your memory. Did it have solid sides, tubing or was it a fold up? Or even something different yet?View attachment 31167View attachment 31169View attachment 31168


You’re looking for details on an item I was briefly exposed to in 1947 before my second birthday, that’s a rough assignment. Pretty much posted everything I’m reasonably sure of. The chair was wooden, had a red deflector upfront with a belt to hold me in place. Certain it had been used before me. Perhaps mom borrowed the chair from a neighbor or maybe purchased it for my only sibling, a sister eight years my senior making it a 1939/40 model. But the deflector wouldn’t make sense for a girl, so I guess that’s out.

Now I have a question or two for you. I’m not totally convinced my chair was a standalone item as shown in the pictures. Do you know, were there any back then that were temporarily set atop a toilet for potty training, maybe off white in color? If so, how were they secured to the toilet?
 
Participating in potty training was not an option for children in past years.

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blue toidy with base under side.jpgjiffy - Sears.jpgView attachment 31184blue chair good LH.jpgdootee wi arms front.jpg

Yes there were a number of potties that went on the adult toilet. And in a variety of colors, with white the most common. Most like the first photo had brackets that clipped the potty to the adult seat.
The second photo was of one that would have been my pick. It attached to the hinge bar of the adult seat. It didn't have to be taken on and off, it just swung up like the lid after you folded it down.
Number three shows one in use.
The third and fourth photos are of one I know my neighbors used. It had a base to put it on and when training progressed it went on to the adult toilet. The back of the duck's head was a pee deflector. Although most people had a potty chair and a different seat.
So it looks like you memory is really good.
 
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woodenpotty said:
Participating in potty training was not an option for children in past years.

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View attachment 31182View attachment 31183View attachment 31184View attachment 31185View attachment 31186

Yes there were a number of potties that went on the adult toilet. And in a variety of colors, with white the most common. Most like the first photo had brackets that clipped the potty to the adult seat.
The second photo was of one that would have been my pick. It attached to the hinge bar of the adult seat. It didn't have to be taken on and off, it just swung up like the lid after you folded it down.
Number three shows one in use.
The third and fourth photos are of one I know my neighbors used. It had a base to put it on and when training progressed it went on to the adult toilet. The back of the duck's head was a pee deflector. Although most people had a potty chair and a different seat.
So it looks like you memory is really good.


Potty chair in third picture is close! (For that matter, so is the bathroom.)

The gender thing, for a given model I have to believe there was only one version for both boys and girls. So the deflector, was it removed for a girl?
 
put on toilet seats

It certainly is a 1950s bathroom. Photos 2,4 &5 had pee deflectors that were not removable. The one you see in #3 is removable and the red one you remember would be also.

But while girls did not need a pee deflector it would not keep them from using a chair or seat. We had a daycare and the potty chairs all had deflectors because they were used by girls and boys. In a family situation it would be removed for a girl and then lost. But replacements were available.

This is the seat you saw in the photo. As you can see in the first there isn't a deflector and it has been added to the second.

fold-in-use1.jpgfold-in-use3.JPG
 
Wow...

This thread is triggering of my own childhood experiences.
Not all in a negative or bad way. It's more of a cathartic revelation for me.
I was born a few years after the end of baby boom generation.
But the discussion is relatable to me as well from personal experience.
Potty training seemed to be a competition among mothers of the 50's & 60's.
A child out of diapers early seemed to be bragging rights of being a good parent.
I too remember my wooden potty chair with a colorful graphic on the back.
I also remember the strap or belt to keep me from getting up.
It could take a few minutes or a few hours. It just didn't matter.
Now, it's an odd mixture of borderline childhood trauma and an erotic fantasy.
I'm overwhelmed at the moment after reading others with similar experiences.
I'm also very thankful to the OP, "woodenpotty" for posting this.
 
You're very welcome for the comment. As a Baby Boomer, I was struck by the similarities we had with potty training. It was something to done with, in a short time, at as early as possible. So just about any method was acceptable. And to be honest most of us survived it well (Not that I am insensitive to those who didn't. but we are talking about the average child)
 
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I was born in 2000 and was potty trained a week before my 2nd birthday. Apparently I just decided to wear knickers one day and never had any accidents, they were glad as they didn't need to put any effort in XD I was a smart kid
 
I didn't potty train until I was 4. Mostly because being wet and / or messy wasn't a good enough reason for me to stop whatever I was doing.
 
there were "cold" showers (warmer than a swimming pool but colder than a normal shower) if we wet during the daytime without telling our parents that we needed to go to the bathroom. night time came with no punishments, but it also came naturally with daytime training. pull-ups were still worn at night, but it was no big deal as we were/are heavy sleepers.
 
A friend used the cool shower method to convince her autistic son to get him toilet trained. She tried all the usual methods and failed. He didn't like the showers and was soon potty trained.
 
Both of my older two kids did this, both before 18 mos old. My son woke up one day and refused to put on a diaper. That was it. He was done with diapers. My second child and I were shopping at target for underwear for big brother. She wanted some. I told her the same thing your parents told you, and boom done. No idea when child number three potty trained as she just joined our family in Oct. She said nine today, and she is ten now. This is very possible as she has significant developmental delays, but I have no idea if its entirely true or not. She still wets the bed every night. Almost three year old has NO desire to potty train, and while we wish she would, we don't push it all.

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woodenpotty said:
You're very welcome for the comment. As a Baby Boomer, I was struck by the similarities we had with potty training. It was something to done with, in a short time, at as early as possible. So just about any method was acceptable. And to be honest most of us survived it well (Not that I am insensitive to those who didn't. but we are talking about the average child)

Do you wonder if this caused your love for diapers though? I am just curious. I seem to see a lot of potty training trauma that directly correlates with love for diapers. I know shaming was a big thing in my family. I don't remember being potty trained, but I do remember my uncle with his kids. It was rough.
 
No Shaming

ElvishWilderness, personally I am not a DL. I don't have any problem with those who are. I just want to say that for those who are sensitive.
As a result of being born in the late 1940s, I find that compared to generations of later times, I am very directive in regard to raising children. BUT I think the real key to this is not the method, but how the trainer behaves. Shaming is the really unacceptable component.
My parents, in general, avoided being derogatory. The friend who gave her son the showers was matter of fact in attitude. "You've made a mess and now you have to be cleaned up."
The other thing was that rigid potty training was so common at the time. When I was a little older, I saw a number of other children in other families being trained. And my experiences matched what I saw.
As an example, I remember a friend who related, when I she was a child, all summer (except for Sunday & church) she didn't wear shoes. But she didn't know of any other child in Alabama who did. And so she didn't have any bad feelings about that. Commonality of experience wears down the hurt and limits any "why me, is it because I am innately a bad person?".
 
I vaguely remember the "star chart", but that's about it.
 
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