Melissa Joan Hart stars in potty training video

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts) May 30th 2008 3:00PM

Categories: Toddlers, Development, Celeb Kids, Celeb Parenting

Melissa Joan Hart's career is in the toilet. Literally. The Sabrina the Teenage Witch star will be featured in online video diary that details her two-year-old son Mason's potty training progress. The video will be put out by Kimberly-Clark, who manufactures Pull-Ups, and will offer tips to help parents through the (damp, desperate) throes of potty training. The video diary will start in June and run through July at Pull-Ups.com

Everyone has their own way of doing things, but after potty training dozens of kids in my former school program and my own two kids, I think pull up-type diapers are a waste of time. I always preferred the old school method with a nice, thick pair of cotton training pants and a very watchful eye. That, and waiting until the kids were truly ready to be trained as well.

Either way, watching a parent and toddler-in-training may help new parents get a feel for how the process works. For more tips on getting that kid out of diapers for good, see what's worked for other parents.

Melissa Joan Hart and family(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Source

Comments (21)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Melanie 6-02-2008 @ 8:37AM

Ms. Sanders,
Are you always so condecending? I have 3 children of my own, and 12 neices and nephews, plus countless other children I've babysat for or were around while they were in the potty training stage. The thick cotton underpants didn't work when I was a child and they don't work now. Oh well they work if you want twice or three times the laundry to do, but otherwise, they are the waste, not Pull ups. Pull ups give you the confidence to do the potty training and know that if there is an accident, your child's clothing won't also be soaked. Pull ups colorful look, easy up and down make potty training so much easier. Kids love seeing those looks and if you approach it in a positive way, when they are ready, most kids DON"T want them to be wet. I believe everyone is entitled to their opinion if expressed as an opinion. You however made the statement as if those who use Pull ups were lazy, uncaring parents. Time to step back and look at yourself, when were you nominated perfect parent?

Miss BrandyMae 6-01-2008 @ 11:19PM

Well I would never tell someone who is trying to potty train to buy pull ups. It shows the child that they could just go in there pants if they dont feel like running to the bathroom. Its the parents being lazy and not just stepping up and actually potty train. It was so incredibly easy to potty train my daughter. She was about 1 1/2 when she learned. It took her about 2 wks to actually get use to it and I didnt have to use pull ups. Its all about being creative with it and making it fun so they would want to learn. I made a calander and at the top it said i can do it and at the bottom it said I did it. I made it fun and bright and everytime she used the potty she got to put the sticker on the calender. We hung it in the bath room and it worked. She was so excited when she finished it because it showed her that she was a big girl now. Everyone that I seen that used pull ups on their child to potty train ended up wetting the bed constantly after the whole training. So you tell me does pull ups really work??? I think not.

Bethany Sanders 6-02-2008 @ 8:29AM

Melanie,

I keep checking the mail for that perfect parent nomination, but it hasn't come yet :).

Honestly, I'm sorry that you found my post condescending. I've read it over three times and I think it's pretty clear I'm expressing my opinion. If you like pull up type diapers and they work for you, that's fantastic. I was just sharing my own experience.

Bethany

Julia 6-02-2008 @ 1:18PM

Melanie - the article was not condescending, but you're comment was confrontational and angry. You stated that everyone is entitled to an opinion, yet seemed as though only yours could possibly be right.
Chill out.

steve 6-01-2008 @ 10:30PM

If that is a boy, then why is he holding what seems to be a little girl's baby doll. When you consider how she seems to be programing her child, you have to wonder about the wisdom of the video.

Jessica 6-02-2008 @ 1:06PM

What do his choices have to do with potty training, you idiot.

susan 6-01-2008 @ 10:34PM

i want to tellyou that my name is susan salavec i have 2 girls one is 4 year old gabrielle i have hard time to training her go to bathroom she was 2 and 3 year old use pull up often she has learn time go bathroom late age 3 year old.. she is doing good go bathroom but plm is she did not go bathroom she wet her pants all the time..

and 2 girl michelle is 1 year old.. not yet walking but she not yet go bathroom she is too small .. i thinking wait awhile i will buy potty small potty for michelle will learn 1 1/2 year old start soon

Me 6-01-2008 @ 10:57PM

Who is teaching these "potty training" stars? potty training?

Kristine 6-01-2008 @ 11:01PM

And what is so terrible about a little boy holding a baby doll?

Colleen 6-01-2008 @ 11:25PM

>>Steve said: "If that is a boy, then why is he holding what seems to be a little girl's baby doll. When you consider how she seems to be programing her child, you have to wonder about the wisdom of the video."

jessica 6-01-2008 @ 11:30PM

I currently work for a child care center for the last 12 years and there are pros and cons to having pull ups. I can go both ways on the pull ups- yes they are good for when you have to go out on errands with the child and when the child is in cloth undies and you have to put them down for nap. But the children will treat them like a diaper. At my center we tried being pull up free(no pull ups can be used at school) I can say that did not work very well so now I tell all my parents that the child has to be currently potty training to wear pull ups and what ever works for parent. I have had success with potty training with using pull ups and the thick undies. My last piece of advice is to be consistent and once you start potty training don't stop or you'll be at square one with your child not wanting to use the potty. Good luck to everyone.

KIM 6-02-2008 @ 12:21AM

DO NOT PUT THAT POOR KID THRU THAT MOST OF ALL DON'T DO A STUPID VIDEO OF HIM TAKING A LEAK OR ANYTHING ELSE FOR THAT MATTER HE'S ONLY A LITTLE CHILD HE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON AND BESIDES THAT WHY WOULD HE CARE ANYWAY? YOU PEOPLE ONLY WANT MONEY BUT, IF I HAD A KID AND THANK GOD I DON'T, I WOULD NOT PUT MY CHILD THRU THAT CRAP OF DOING A VIDEO OF HIM OR HER TAKING A CRAP LET ALONE ANTYHING ELSE IN THE BATHROOM. GROW UP PEOPLE THIS IS THE REAL WORLD THIS IS NOT PRETEND OR FANTACY LAND FOR THAT MATTER YOU ALL NEED TO GET YOUR LIVES TOGETHER AND STOP TRYING TO GET MONEY FOR YOUR OWN WELL BEING.

gamma 6-02-2008 @ 1:23AM

well i trained my girls using thick cotton pants, work great. now my girls use pull-up, first it started they pulling the tab on the diapers all the time. u put it on and they take it right back off. so i potty trained all 5 grandkids with pull-up. better???it didn't really matter, if u stay with it when they r ready. once they started going pretty good i put cotton pants on them. it not that hard really if they r ready, most was trained at 2 or shortly after except 1 took a little longer. but if u don't stay with it, and work with them it won't happen, to many young people put in pull-up when they start pull tab off diaper, and then think i don't have to get up, they have a pull-up on.

heidi 6-02-2008 @ 1:32AM

i have 5 children and they were all potty trained when they were a year old there is no reason a child should be in diapers after that.i have seen children that were 2,3,4 and 5 years old in diapers and some still drinking from bottles thats just disgusting. children need to learn early and get adjusted to life. not sucking on bottles and those useless pacifers treat your children right

gamma 6-02-2008 @ 1:35AM

oh and by the way, u that complain about the boy playing with a doll,my brother had a doll named tommy when was young, 50 years ago. and i brought doll for my twins nephews almost 40 years ago, her boyfriend ( later became her 2 husband) didn't want them to have them i said they wanted them, and it good for boys to have dolls to play with so he let them for a couple of years. and my grandson play with their sister barbie doll and g i joe together. it great for them to learn about baby dolls and playing with their sisters. grown up ladies, what u want them to be playing with GUNS?????

hd 6-02-2008 @ 2:27AM

I was trained at 11 months, it took 1 time. these plastic/paper diapers that have crammed the waterways and dumps are due to LAZY MOTHERS AND FATHERS.
ms. Hart probably drives a PRIUS but she pollutes the water and uses tons of oil due to the paper/plastic diapers or having to clean cloth ones cause she cant get her kids to use the toilet at or around 1 yr.

LAZY

Lucy 6-02-2008 @ 3:08AM

1 year olds are BABIES, not toddlers. Babies wear diapers. 1 year olds don't have the physical capablity to "hold it" or the verbal skills to express when they need to go.

"If that is a boy, then why is he holding what seems to be a little girl's baby doll. When you consider how she seems to be programing her child, you have to wonder about the wisdom of the video."

You're kidding, right? Yeah, God forbid the kid learn to take care of a baby, it might actually lead to him being a good father one day.

JUDY 6-02-2008 @ 3:58AM

All children are different. Some can be trained at 2 yrs old some cannot. Little boys are harder to train than girls. Pull ups are great. These kids are going to have accidents. Why ruin matresses?
I don't believe for one moment that anyone was perfectly potty trained at 11 months, someone is full of bs.
There is no problem with little boys holding or even having a doll. For cripes sake he is a small boy. I am sure they would rather have hik holding a gun or some such "macho" thing which is assinine. I had no problems with the kids using pull ups. If you make a fuss with these kids they will not want to be potty trained.
It takes patience and love and rewarding them for remembering to go to the bathroom. They are not little machines they are little people.

Colleen 6-25-2008 @ 5:19PM

It cut off my previous comment, so I'm posting it again.

Steve said: "If that is a boy, then why is he holding what seems to be a little girl's baby doll. When you consider how she seems to be programing her child, you have to wonder about the wisdom of the video."

Are you kidding me, Steve? Get with the current times. "Programming" your child would be teaching them that baby dolls are for girls only. Babies are no longer just "women's work" and Daddies enjoy raising children just as much as Mommies do. My son has THREE dolls, and he gently cares for them and cuddles them, plus pretends to feed and change them. He's going to be just an awesome Daddy just like his father is. I'd feel sorry for your children and your wife if I actually believed there was any way a chauvinistic jerk like yourself had somehow convinced a woman to give birth to your children.

shell 6-02-2008 @ 6:01AM

Some children have a fear of potty training. My son did and his doctor told my not to push the issue or it would make things worse. He would go all day without a pull-up but when it came time to have a bm he would beg for a diaper. Potty training is not easy and takes alot of patience. You need to follow you own instincts and not listen to others because each child is different. They all will eventually go when they are good and ready.

| 1 | 2 |