The Cute Little Handicap Bathroom

Making the bathroom more accessible for Sadie was a great excuse for a fun little remodel. I knew Sadie wasn’t going to be independent over night but I wanted to give her the opportunity to be able to practice her basic daily living skills.  Sadie’s strength is never consistent, she has ups and downs depending on the day. On her “good” days I wanted her to feel safe and confident as she tries to accomplish these everyday tasks. Upon redesigning this bathroom here are the things I needed to keep in mind:

• Sadie needed to get in and out with her walker
• she needed a sturdy way to get herself on the potty
• we needed grab bars in and next to the bathtub so that I could hold her hand while she got in and out of the tub rather than having me lift her
• we needed a shorter sink so she didn’t have to stand on an unsteady stool to wash hands (the stool in the picture is more for Bro’s benefit)
• Everything needs to be pretty!

The first thing we had to do was take off the glass shower door off. That’s a must for any kids bathroom! After some paint and beadboard I found this super cute handicap grab bar. We placed it across from the toilet and next to the bathtub. We placed a handle grab bar at the edge of the tub. Another mom from Sadie’s preschool class showed me the potty stool. I have tried a few others but this one was by far the sturdiest. I got super lucky and found one off craigslist. The existing vanity was really pretty but it was so big you could barely close the door, let alone get a little walker in there. Finding a sink short enough was tricky. I ended up getting a nightstand from Ikea, cutting a hole and placing one of their basin sinks on top. I kind of sort of splurged on the faucet.It has no other special purpose except that I LOVED it! Plus the water doesn’t gush out super fast so there's no unnecessary water splatter everywhere after little ones wash hands.

So far, depending on what kind of day Sadie is having (or what outfit she’s wearing) she has been able to get up on the potty by herself. We are still working on pulling up pants and getting down. She can get in and out of the tub with a one hand assist and she can totally wash her hands independently. She is working on teeth brushing, which I just generally don’t trust either of my kiddos to do on their very own just yet. All in all I’ve been super happy with the functionality and the look of our little bathroom.

 Before:

 

After:

 

 

The Potty Party

image from google

I have been getting emails from readers asking me how I potty trained Sadie. The truth is this, I didn't do it alone. I had a whole potty team! It started when we moved to get Sadie into "the good school district" with the highly sought after special needs preschool program. On the first day of school the teacher asked me to start bringing Sadie in pull-ups instead of diapers. She explained that they have a routine which included every student sitting on the potty three times a day. Sadie was 4 at the time, walking in her walker and had very little pragmatic language. She never once in her whole life made us aware of a soiled diaper, and so I was just used to changing it routinely. For Sadie to climb up onto a toilet would be a major feat and we still weren't sure if she could understand that body function. I was a little doubtful but I appreciated the initiative unlike her previous preschool program where I had to put how many times she needed to be changed in her IEP so that she wouldn't come home in a soiled diaper.

At the end of each day the students would receive a "treasure" (oriental trading trinket) if they at least sat on the potty all three times and counted to 10. At first it was hard for Sadie, she would protest but that "treasure" was a huge reinforcer. After about 3 months her teacher happily informed me that she had gone pee in the potty!!! It was perfect timing because Christmas break was around the corner and I knew I could schedule time to stay home for a week to potty train. I had a meeting with Sadie's ABA team and they suggested a 3 day potty party (not to be mistaken for a 3 day pinch party). Here is how our Potty Party went:

• The Potty Party lasted from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm 3 days in a row.
• Sadie had to sit on the potty pretty much that whole time
• I had a "treasure box"filled with goodies for her to pick from ready for each time she would "go"
• Many juice boxes and snacks were served to promote...you know
• Between myself and the therapists we constantly had a fun activity going. (Art, shaving cream, beads, growing sponges, DVDs  ) everything under the sun to keep her entertained.
• Sadie got a break every time she went. First a 5 min break and then we added 3 min every time.

Was it tortuous? Yes. But it worked and it was so worth it. The days following we had to put Sadie on the potty every 15 minutes. It didn't take long for her to tell us when she had to go. That was really exciting for us because we didn't know if she would be able to recognize that "feeling" as some people with CP just can't. Since then she has never had one accident save for when mommy got herself stuck in a giant maze we called Ikea. After this joyous event it was time to remodel the bathroom so that Sadie could get in there with her walker and practice those self help skills. However the memory of "The Potty Party" has made me severely exhausted and so I will have to show you our cute little handicap restroom tomorrow:)