How to Potty Train When You Work Full Time and Your Toddler Is In Childcare

One of the biggest worries working parents have about potty training is:

"How am I supposed to do this when my toddler is in childcare all week?"

A lot of potty training advice seems to assume you can clear your diary, stay at home for several days and dedicate all of your attention to watching for wees.

But for many families, that's simply not realistic.

If you work full-time and your toddler spends most of their week at nursery, at childcare or with another caregiver, you can still potty train successfully.

In fact, you don't necessarily need childcare to be involved from day one at all.

You Don't Need to Take a Week Off Work to Start Potty Training

Potty training doesn't have to begin with removing your toddler's nappy. This is particularly important for working parents.

Instead of choosing a weekend, taking the nappy off and hoping everything clicks before Monday morning, you can begin gradually while your toddler continues wearing nappies during the day.

This allows you to start building potty training skills around your normal routine rather than putting your life on hold for potty training.

Start With the Time You Already Have Together

If your toddler is at childcare all day, you might feel like there simply isn't enough time at home to make progress. But you don't need hours.

At the beginning, two consistent toilet sits a day can be enough to start building the routine.

For example:
• one toilet sit in the morning
• one toilet sit in the evening

Your toddler can continue wearing their nappy for the rest of the day, including while they're at childcare.

When it's time for a toilet sit, remove their nappy so they're sitting bare bottomed so they have the opportunity to do a wee or poo. The aim isn't to catch something every time. You're building familiarity, routine and confidence. Until eventually doing a wee on the toilet every day becomes a natural part of their routine.

Does Their Childcare Need to Do the Same Toilet Sits?

Not necessarily at first.

One of the advantages of starting gradually is that you can begin at home without asking their childcare to completely change your toddler's routine straight away.

If you're doing a toilet sit before childcare and another when you're home together, your toddler is already getting regular opportunities to practise.

As they progress, their childcare can become more involved. It's best to discuss your approach to potty training with your toddler's childcare. Explain you using a gradual method of potty training. Let them know this involves doing toilet sits while still wearing nappies the rest of the time. They maybe happy to help with this and will incorporate toilet sits with your child as part of their routine.

This can make the whole process feel much more manageable than trying to coordinate a sudden nappy free start across home and childcare.

But Won't Wearing Nappies at Childcare Confuse Them?

No.

Your toddler is capable of learning that different things happen at different points in their day. During the early stages, the goal isn't for your toddler to stay dry all day or for nappies to be removed straight away.

They're learning:

• what the toilet is for
• how it feels to sit on it
• what wees and poos are
• how toilet routines work
• how to release wees & poos in the toilet

They can develop those skills while still wearing nappies between toilet sits. Potty training doesn't have to be all or nothing.

What Happens When It's Time to Remove Nappies?

This is the point where communication with their childcare becomes particularly important.

Before removing nappies, talk to your child's nursery, childcare or caregiver about what you've been doing at home if you haven't already and how your toddler is progressing.

Ask about their potty training policy and how they usually support children who are transitioning out of nappies. Ideally, home and childcare should now be working towards the same expectations so your toddler gets a consistent message.

You may want to discuss:

• what potty training method you have been using
• what words you use for wee, poo and toilet
• how your toddler communicates that they need to go
• how often they're currently using the toilet
• what clothing they'll wear
• how accidents will be handled
• whether your toddler needs prompting

The more information you can share, the easier it is for their childcare to continue what you've already started.

What If My Toddler Is Doing Better at Home Than at Nursery?

This is very common. Using the toilet at home and using it at nursery are not exactly the same skill.

At nursery there may be:

• different toilets
• more noise
• other children around
• unfamiliar adults helping
• exciting activities your toddler doesn't want to leave

A toddler who confidently uses the toilet at home may therefore need additional time to transfer that skill to childcare.

That doesn't mean potty training has failed or that you need to put nappies back on. Give your toddler time to build confidence in the new environment.

What If Their Childcare Wants a Different Approach?

This can be one of the trickiest parts of potty training when you use childcare. Their childcare may have its own policies or usual way of approaching potty training.

For example, they may have expectations around clothing, spare clothes or how often children are offered the toilet. Make sure you have the conversation before you reach the nappy free stage rather than discovering differences on the first day.

Explain what your toddler has already been doing at home, what they're capable of and what support they currently need. You don't need every detail at home and their childcare to be identical. But consistency around the main expectations can make the transition much easier.

Weekends Don't Need to Become Potty Training Boot Camps

If you work full time, it can be tempting to feel that you need to "make up for lost time" at weekends.

You don't. Potty training is a learning process, not something you need to squeeze into the hours you're not at work. Consistency over time is far more useful than suddenly increasing pressure every Saturday and Sunday.

Keep building on the skills your toddler is already developing.

A Gradual Approach Can Work Particularly Well for Working Parents

One of the reasons I created Potty Pros Academy as a staged approach is because real families don't always have several uninterrupted days available for potty training.

In Stage 1, you can begin with just two daily toilet sits while your toddler continues wearing nappies between them.

That means a child who attends childcare five days a week can still begin potty training at home without you taking time off work or expecting their childcare to manage a completely nappy free toddler after only 2 days of potty training over a weekend.

As your toddler progresses through the stages, their childcare can gradually become more involved too.

Potty training becomes something that fits into family life rather than something family life has to stop for.

FAQs

Can I potty train if my toddler is at nursery five days a week?

Yes.

You can begin building toilet routines at home before and after childcare while your toddler continues wearing nappies during the day.

When they remove their nappies, you'll want their childcare to become more involved so your toddler is supported consistently across both environments.

Do I need to take time off work for potty training?

Not necessarily.

A gradual potty training approach can begin around your existing routine rather than requiring several consecutive days at home.

Should their childcare potty train my child for me?

Potty training works best as a partnership.

You can begin introducing the skills at home, while childcare supports and reinforces them as your toddler progresses.

But their childcare shouldn't have to take sole responsibility for potty training, but once your toddler is moving out of nappies, their support can make a big difference.

Will my toddler get confused if they're in nappies at their childcare and sometimes using the toilet at home?

No.

During the early stages, your toddler can continue wearing nappies while having planned opportunities to sit on the toilet at home. The aim at this point isn't full independence. It's building the skills that come before it.

What if their childcare says my toddler isn't ready?

Ask what they mean by "ready."

Your toddler doesn't need to show a long checklist of readiness signs before they can begin learning potty training skills. It can help to explain what you've already been practising at home and the progress your toddler has made rather than relying on a general idea of readiness.

If you are based in the UK you can also explain that the guidance for potty training has now been updated - more info here. And that you are following the recommend guidance of starting earlier (from 18 months) and waiting for readiness signs is now deemed to be outdated advice.

Does Potty Pros Academy work if I work full-time?

Yes.

Potty Pros Academy is designed around a gradual approach that can fit around work and childcare. You can begin with small, consistent steps at home rather than needing to clear several days for potty training.

If You Haven't Started Yet (Or Want It to Feel Easier)

You don't need to wait for annual leave or a completely empty weekend to begin preparing your toddler for potty training.

There are small things you can start doing around your existing family routine.

That's exactly why I created my free guide: 5 Things to Do Before Starting Potty Training

It walks you through five simple ways to begin building your toddler's awareness, confidence and toilet routines before nappies come off.