Blog

Discovering the Best Time to Start Potty Training with Time Timer Products 

Toilet training is an important milestone in a child's development. Finding the best time to start greatly influences the training’s success.  

Using Time Timer products as a tool for toilet training also helps. Potty training timers allow parents to structure, establish routines, and maximize success during the day and even at night. 

Night Time Potty Training: The Importance of Timing 

Night time potty training presents its own set of challenges. One of the big hurdles is getting children comfortable using the bathroom alone, which they will have to do during the night when the parents are asleep.  

Understanding your child's readiness is crucial for identifying the best time for this important step in toilet training.  

A potty training timer, such as a Time Timer Mod visual timer set on the bathroom counter, can establish consistent routines during nighttime bathroom visits. By using a visual timer, children will feel as if the tool is there to help guide them through the process, so that they do not feel entirely alone.  

Best Time to Potty Train: Determining Readiness 

Determining the best time to potty train requires assessing the child's physical and emotional readiness.  

While there is no one-size-fits-all answer, certain signs indicate readiness, such as showing interest in the bathroom, going longer time-spans without filling a diaper, and demonstrating awareness of bodily functions. Also, resisting a parent’s help in the bathroom is a good sign of readiness.  

When your child wants to start potty training, the Time Timer WASH timer can be instrumental in ensuring that your child is sanitary and healthy through the process. 

Potty Training with a Timer: Enhancing Structure and Accountability 

Time Timer products provide a visual representation of time passing, helping children understand the duration of bathroom breaks, which can foster independence.  

Setting specific intervals with a timer can create a sense of predictability and consistency, making toilet training a more manageable and successful experience.  

A timer can be especially helpful for children that struggle against the process—setting even three minutes of “bathroom time” alone can be helpful for getting children comfortable with being on their own in the bathroom.  

Potty Training Timer: Reinforcing Learning and Success 

Using a dedicated potty training timer reinforces learning and success. The timer can be set for regular bathroom breaks and act as a reminder for the child to visit the toilet. As children see the timer ticking down, they become more aware of their bodily needs, encouraging them to take initiative and reinforcing the positive habit of using the toilet. 

Best Time to Start Potty Training: Individual Considerations 

While there may be general guidelines for the best time to start potty training, each child is unique.  

Some children will be ready earlier than others, and it is important to respect variations in individual readiness. Time Timer products assist in finding the best time to start by establishing routines and providing a visual representation of the child's progress. 

Time Timer Products to Help Parents Toilet Train 

In conclusion, using Time Timer products as a tool for toilet training can greatly enhance the process.  

Incorporating a potty training timer into the routine establishes structure, reinforces learning, and creates predictability for children.  

From night time potty training to determining the best time to start the process, Time Timer products will be a valuable visual aid that helps children understand the timing and expectations associated with using the toilet.  

Remember, each child is unique, and it is important to consider their individual readiness when embarking on the potty training journey. 

In a fast-paced business environment, time management is more crucial than ever to staying ahead of the competition.  

With numerous distractions and deadlines to meet, it can be challenging to stay on track and manage time effectively.  

Time Timer visual timers offer a unique and effective solution to help professionals better manage time in the office, specifically during meetings. To maximize the productivity of meetings, businesses can incorporate the use of Time Timer visual timers in a variety of useful ways. 

Our Time Timer products use a simple, easy-to-read display to track the passage of time. Unlike traditional timers that only use numbers to represent time, our Time Timer visual timers use a red disk that gradually disappears as time elapses. This unique approach makes it easier to understand and visualize the passage of time, making it a valuable tool for time management. 

Why Use Time Timer Visual Timers in Meetings? 

Using Time Timer in meetings can help to improve the effectiveness of the meeting in several ways: 

Best Time Timer Products for Meetings 

The following Time Timer products are best suited for meetings in the office: 

Tips for Using Time Timer in Meetings 

Here are some tips for using Time Timer effectively in meetings: 

Time Timer Products for Supporting Office Meetings 

Meetings are a crucial part of workplace collaboration, but they can be time-consuming and unproductive without the right time management strategies and tools in place.  

By incorporating Time Timer products into meetings, businesses can improve time management, increase engagement, and reduce stress. The Time Timer Plus 120 Minute visual timer, Time Timer MOD visual timer, and Time Timer Dry Erase Board accessory are all excellent options for meetings in the office. 

Eldercare, especially that including Alzheimer’s, is one of the most essential human services in the world.  

People who are in eldercare, have family in eldercare, or are themselves occupational therapists (OTs) are always on the lookout for better ways to improve the caretaking experience.  

This is certainly true for people with Alzheimer’s, where around-the-clock care is considered essential.  

Like with other conditions that limit or take away the independence of the person, Alzheimer’s requires the highest level of caretaking service. Caretakers need methods for ensuring that the older individual stays safe and healthy throughout the day.  

Including Time Timer in Eldercare Strategies 

Something that everyone can benefit from in eldercare is encouraging independence and supporting autonomy for the older individual. Doing this can keep the person strong and healthy, as well as happy. 

Some of the tools that can be used to achieve this are included in our Time Timer product line.  

These visual timers can be used by older individuals at all different levels of care.  

The Time Timer Watch: Portable and Versatile 

Our Time Timer Watch can be perfect for anyone who needs daily consistent reminders, whether it is for exercise or taking medication.  

These watches come with multiple time-telling options, such as having the patented red disk elapse on the digital interface, or having a traditional analog clock run down.  

Alarms, repeat reminders, and timed disk elapses can all be done with this watch, allowing for a portable solution to all of your needs.  

Larger Time Timer Products for Easy Visual Reminders 

For older individuals whose vision is not what it once was, the larger Time Timer Original 12” timer can be great to keep around the house.  

Keeping track of activities is made easy with the large red disk that serves as a constant, unambiguous reminder of just how much time is left in an activity.  

Time Timer WASH Keeps Older Individuals Healthy 

It is no secret that growing old makes you more vulnerable to a host of diseases.  

As a result, it becomes more important than ever to practice good hygiene.  

One of the best solutions to this is implementing the Time Timer WASH products in the senior’s living area.  

These products help ensure that an older individual is keeping up with good health practices, even in the absence of occupational therapists, family members, or other caretakers.  

Whether it is in the bathroom or at the kitchen sink, a Time Timer WASH + Soap Dispenser can be instrumental in ensuring that good handwashing practices are kept up.  

Too many people of all ages practice poor hand hygiene. For instance, they may squirt a dollop of soap on their palm and then splash their hands under water for just a few seconds.  

The reality is that proper handwashing technique includes at least twenty seconds of rinsing your hands—i.e., wetting your soaped up hands and rubbing them together without the water running.  

What the Time Timer WASH products do is ensure that the user is practicing good handwashing techniques, from making the most of the soap to washing for the prescribed twenty seconds.  

You can also check out the Time Timer WASH - Touchless Handwashing Timer if you do not want the soap dispenser.  

More Great Time Management Products from Time Timer  

We are proud to offer products that help older individuals get the most out of their care experience.  

Time Timer products have been essential for creating success in homes and classrooms around the world, with a variety of uses for Time Timer products for people with special needs.  

Check out the rest of the Time Timer products, which includes the Time Timer Wash, a great handwashing aid for creating a healthier school or home environment. 

The Time Timer Blog 

Want more information about time management, education, child-rearing, special needs, Time Timer products, and more? Follow our blog on the Time Timer site!  

See some of our selected blogs here:  

• Time Blindness and ADHD 
• The Creation of Time Timer (Jan’s Story) 
• Dyscalculia and Trouble with Time 
• Early Indicators of Dyslexia in Young Children  
• How to Use a Visual Schedule to Increase Productivity at Home and in the Classroom 

If you own an iPhone, then you are doubtlessly familiar with the feature called Screen Time.  

Even if you do not set limits and restrictions for yourself using Screen Time, which you can find in the settings, you have probably seen the weekly notification pop up that shows you the hard data about your phone usage.  

For the writer of this article, that weekly notification would often be over an hour long, sometimes several hours. And that was even after I deleted the “big three” social media platforms: Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. (I never downloaded TikTok, but I still do have a LinkedIn).  

What Made My Screen Time So High 

The main culprits were YouTube, which always has a just-short-enough video ready to recommend a user, and Google in general—being able to look up anything at any time, find any factoid or go down an information rabbit hole at any whim.  

Luckily, I had/have enough self-control to not be jumping onto YouTube or those information rabbit holes while working—this was mostly threatening my free time, which I do not like to waste.  

But still, an hour on YouTube or Wikipedia after work, spending a chunk of time just “unwinding” before getting around to reading, or exercising, or whatever I should have been doing, was not as relaxing as I wished.  

After enough of these troubling notifications, I decided to take a stand: I would do whatever it takes to spend less time on my phone, and more time doing things that I actually wanted to get done.  

Why I Wanted to Cut Down My Screen Time 

I think I share an intuition that many people hold, which is that screen time really does have a negative and measurable impact on one’s ability to focus, reason, and creativity. That’s not to mention being able to withstand boredom, a lack of stimulation, and living without immediate gratification, for extended periods of time.  

As it turns out, there is evidence that indeed supports these intuitions. The impact is even more negative for children. 

So, a Screen Time notification that places my screen time at 30 minutes or less is what I wanted.  

Of course, I am on a screen for much more than half an hour a day, but that is because I am on my computer screen. Most of the time there, I am writing blogs, answering emails, and reading articles and research materials that are relevant to my work.  

When I am on my phone, then, I am not really working, which is why spending only about half an hour a day on average, mostly just answering and sending texts and the occasional call, is just what I need.  

How the Time Timer Helps 

Things really began to change for me once I got the Time Timer MOD visual timer. At first, I wondered who would use such a product in the age of the smartphone alarm, but once I began to consistently use the visual timer, I became a believer.  

Having a visual rundown of the timer hits you on an immediate level, as it serves as a visual reminder that time is a precious commodity, and so one must spend it wisely.  

And, as it turns out, it has managed to further develop my focus during work. After implementing the Time Timer, I became much more productive in getting down the blogs I need on a tight timeframe, which is important to me because I write two blogs a day.  

I can say with confidence that becoming a daily user of the Time Timer MOD timer has made me a more all-around focused and productive individual.  

Limiting Access to Certain Time-Sink Websites 

In addition to using the Time Timer, the other big tip is to make good use of your devices’ screen time controls. I have blocked YouTube and many other time-sink sites on my phone, and I currently have a “work browser” on my laptop that has similar restrictions, so that I can really only access sites that are directly relevant to my work.  

Hopefully these tips can help you manage your screen time to your desire! See below for some more information about Time Timer products.  

More Great Time Management Products from Time Timer  

Time Timer products have been essential for creating success in homes and classrooms around the world, with a variety of uses for Time Timer products for people with special needs.  

Check out the rest of the Time Timer products, which includes the Time Timer Wash, a great handwashing aid for creating a healthier school or home environment. 

The Time Timer Blog 

Want more information about time management, education, child-rearing, special needs, Time Timer products, and more? Follow our blog on the Time Timer site!  

See some of our selected blogs here:  

• Time Blindness and ADHD 
• The Creation of Time Timer (Jan’s Story) 
• Dyscalculia and Trouble with Time 
• Early Indicators of Dyslexia in Young Children  
• How to Use a Visual Schedule to Increase Productivity at Home and in the Classroom 

Montessori education has gained significant recognition for its student-centered approach and emphasis on self-directed learning. In this unique curriculum, students are encouraged to pursue their own interests first, and let a broader education follow from there.

The adoption of Montessori as a curriculum in Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS), as highlighted in the article "Montessori for All: Cincinnati Public Schools Adopts Montessori as a Curriculum”, exemplifies the growing interest in this educational philosophy.

In Cincinnati, one in seven students attends a public Montessori school, evidence of the popularity that this curriculum has gained in communities where it is available.

Effective time management is crucial in Montessori classrooms. Independent exploration and concentration best thrives in a structured environment, which is where Time Timer products, specifically visual countdown timers, come in.

The Importance of Time Management in Montessori Education

Time management is essential in any classroom setting, but it holds particular significance in Montessori education. Our visual timers can play a vital role in assisting teachers with classroom management.

Concentration, self-discipline, and a sense of responsibility are essential in Montessori classrooms, and the ideal way to achieve these things is by providing clear and consistent time boundaries.

Time Timer products help students track their progress and become more accountable for their own tasks, fostering the independence their teachers help develop.

How Time Timer Products Facilitate Classroom Management

Time Timer offers a range of innovative visual countdown timers that can greatly benefit Montessori teachers. These tools provide a visual representation of time with a patented red elapsing disk, making it easier for students to comprehend and manage their activities effectively.

Benefits of Time Timer Products in Montessori Classrooms

The integration of Time Timer products into Montessori classrooms offers several notable benefits.

Time Timer and Montessori Education

Time Timer products serve as invaluable tools for Montessori teachers in managing their classrooms effectively. The visual countdown timers offer numerous benefits, including improved focus, enhanced student accountability, and more efficient transitions.

By incorporating these tools into the Montessori curriculum, teachers can better foster independence, self-discipline, and time management skills in students.

Embracing Time Timer products as part of the Montessori approach ensures that students develop skills necessary for navigating time responsibly, setting them up for success both inside and outside the classroom.

Sleeping in, full days that can be spent outside instead of in the classroom, and no pop quizzes, make summer fun for plenty of children. 

However, for other children, especially those with exceptional differences, the loss of dependable routine and lack of daily structure can make the transition from school to summer more difficult than fun.  

If you are a parent whose child struggles with the transition from school to summer, then you are not alone. This blog will share with you some of the best advice and practices for making the transition easier for both kids and parents alike.  

Suggest Daily, Dependable Activities for Your Child to Engage In 

As mentioned above, the total loss of routine and structure can make summer, with its wide-open days, a source of anxiety for kids who prefer predictability to spontaneity.  

School is highly routinized, with several inbuilt aspects, such as class changes, timed lunches and recesses, and other day-in-day-out guarantees.  

It would perhaps be wrong to design with your child a structure as strict as a school day—after all, everyone enjoys a little bit of freedom. But, adding something that your child can look forward to every day can help ease the transition.  

For instance, you may have a daily lunch or dinner with your kid at the same time. Or, you can have a nightly board game with your kid. Having a few guaranteed events throughout the day can allow kids to greatly appreciate, and take advantage of, the freedom that comes with spring break.  

Continue Any After-School Activities That You Can 

Whether your kid is a star athlete on the soccer field or the grandmaster of the chess club, it can be tough for a kid to lose the fun and social interaction of after-school activities.  

Your child may benefit from making an effort to keep the fun going. Reaching out to a few teammates for a weekend ball game at the park can add some excitement to the summer.  

Or, holding a chess tournament throughout the summer can ensure that your child gets to continue enjoying the parts of school that brought the most joy.  

Help Them Make the Most of Their Free Time with a Time Timer Product 

For some students, the unstructured nature of a summer break is not anxiety-inducing because of too little to do, but because there is too much to do.  

Some kids just want to do it all, from drawing in the morning to playing in the park during the afternoon.  

Having them structure their own schedules, and sticking to them so that they can get the most out of the summer, is made easy with our Time Timer products. 

Whether it is a Time Timer Original timer that you set up in the house for your child, or a Time Timer Watch that they can bring with them on the go, you are sure to find a time-tracking tool for the children who try to cram as much fun as possible into summer break!  

More Great Time Management Products from Time Timer  

Hopefully, you and your family have a great summer vacation!  

Time Timer products have been essential for creating success in homes and classrooms around the world, with a variety of uses for Time Timer products for people with special needs.  

Check out the rest of the Time Timer products, which includes the Time Timer Wash, a great handwashing aid for creating a healthier school or home environment. 

The Time Timer Blog 

Want more information about time management, education, child-rearing, special needs, Time Timer products, and more? Follow our blog on the Time Timer site!  

See some of our selected blogs here:  

Where would any of us be without our teachers?  

From saying our ABCs to doing trigonometry, many of the life skills that we learn had their foundations in educators.  

Since May is officially Teacher Appreciation Month, we thought we would dedicate a blog post to honoring teachers around the world.  

Honoring Teachers Who Go Above and Beyond for Their Students 

One of the things we really love about educators is their willingness to go the extra mile in connecting with students.  

Teachers will often find fun and exciting ways to do this. Most of us have to admit that learning long division was not the most fun thing in the world when you are in third grade. But for some of us, the lessons were made interesting because a teacher was able to get the information across through classroom exercises that kids could enjoy participating in.  

It takes a truly special teacher to make a potentially “boring” subject and render it interesting to students. Kudos to those ultra-talented teachers out there who are always striving to engage with students, and keep students engaged!  

We Appreciate Teachers That Use Our Time Timer Products! 

In just about every school, there are teachers who try to find the best method for teaching students. There is always a great new classroom tool that can be tried out, and such teachers are willing to see if it can improve the classroom experience.  

Our Time Timer products have become one of the most popular and successful classroom tools for teachers everywhere.  

Whether you teach kindergarten or high school seniors, neurotypical or neurodiverse students, you can surely find a place in the classroom and lesson plan to fit in a Time Timer product.  

For instance, a Time Timer MOD timer can be great for small group activities that are timed.  

A Time Timer Original 12” timer can serve as an effective wind-down clock during test-taking. The big red disk that elapses for the duration of the test is much preferable to traditional time-tracking methods.  

For instance, going to the whiteboard and continually writing and erasing the number of minutes that are left on the test. Or, having the kids squint hard at the wall analog clock. A Time Timer timer provides students with readily visible and immediate knowledge of just how much time is left.  

You can also make organizing a lesson plan easier with a Time Timer Dry Erase Board, which can fit a timer within the board itself.  

Thanks once again to all the great teachers out there! If you get a Time Timer product for your classroom, you may very well become your students’ favorite teacher!  

More Great Time Management Products from Time Timer  

Do you have a favorite teacher? What made your favorite teachers so memorable?  

Time Timer products have been essential for creating success in homes and classrooms around the world, with a variety of uses for Time Timer products for people with special needs.  

Check out the rest of the Time Timer products, which includes the Time Timer Wash, a great handwashing aid for creating a healthier school or home environment. 

The Time Timer Blog 

Want more information about time management, education, child-rearing, special needs, Time Timer products, and more? Follow our blog on the Time Timer site!  

See some of our selected blogs here:  

• Time Blindness and ADHD 
• The Creation of Time Timer (Jan’s Story) 
• Dyscalculia and Trouble with Time 
• Early Indicators of Dyslexia in Young Children  
• How to Use a Visual Schedule to Increase Productivity at Home and in the Classroom 

Meet Mary: She is 15 years old, president of her class, a cheerleader, and an A student. After school and cheerleading practice, she volunteers at a daycare center. On Saturdays she tutors a nineth-grade student in science. Despite a very busy schedule, Mary deftly manages all of her activities. How does Mary do it? Hint: Mary has a well-developed and efficient executive function (EF) system. 

Meet Ian: He is 16 years old and works in a grocery store on weekends. He was in a couple of afterschool clubs but had to drop them when his grades began to decline. Ian is quite disorganized, and frequently forgets to take home the materials he needs to complete assignments. He also has difficulty finishing his homework in a timely manner. Long-term assignments are especially difficult for Ian, as he typically waits until the last minute, and then works haphazardly to complete them. What’s going on with Ian? Hint: Ian’s organizational problems signal executive system dysfunction.  

Given the significance of the EF system in overall functioning, it is important to define what it is, delineate the major skills under its control, and consider what can be done to support it when needed.    

I have always referred to the EF system, which is comprised of a set of cognitive processes housed in the frontal lobe of the brain, as the High Priestess of the cognitive system; the executive overseer of organized, goal-directed behavior.  There are many important executive skills subsumed under this heading, including organization, planning, time management, self-regulation, response inhibition, emotional control, self-management, and working memory.   

Before considering ways to address some of these skills, three things are important to note:  

1. Executive functioning begins at birth with the most basic of processes—that of self-regulation—and the EF system is not fully developed until the individual reaches approximately 25 years of age. 
2. There is wide variation in executive functioning among typical people, and well-documented deficits in those with such conditions as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ADHD.  
3. One would be hard-pressed to find a more suitable and versatile tool to shore-up executive functioning than the Time Timer. 

Consider its use in time management and planning. Children with ASD have an amorphous, indefinite sense of time. So, when they are presented with an assignment in a subject they dislike—say, 10 subtraction examples in math—they often rebel, likely thinking that it will take “forever” to complete the assignment. Enter: The Time Timer. Set it to five-minute intervals at various points throughout the day and remind the student, at each interval, that they only need to work on the math assignment until the red on the Time Timer disappears. This not only establishes clear beginnings and endings, but also enables the student to see that math won’t last “forever.” When this process is well-established, gradually increase the time on the Time Timer or the number of examples the student is required to complete in the allotted time. 

Adults with disabilities in work settings can also benefit from using the Time Timer to help gauge the amount of time needed to complete routine tasks, and also to help them anticipate break time. Making things more concrete can also help to reduce anxiety. 

To use the Time Timer for planning purposes, help the older child or adolescent determine the number of time intervals they think they’ll need to complete an assignment by the end of the day. Set the Time Timer accordingly, making adjustments, with student input, as needed. 

The Time Timer can also be a valuable aid in the “homework wars” for all children and adolescents, especially those with ADHD who are easily distracted. By setting the Time Timer to intervals of 15 or 20 minutes of work time, followed by a 10-minute break (also demarcated on the timer), children and adolescents can learn to become more efficient in completing their homework assignments.     

The Time Timer is also a great tool for response inhibition. For example, for students with ASD who ask repetitive questions, set the Time Timer for 10 minutes and tell them that when the red on the clock disappears, you will answer three (or four) questions. Gradually increase the amount of time on the timer to 15-minute, 20-minute, or greater intervals until the students are better able to inhibit asking repetitive questions. 

The Time Timer can also be used for emotional control in very young typical children or in those with disabilities such as ASD and ADHD. For example, when a sibling at home or a peer in school has a toy that a child with autism desires, and they are told to wait for their turn, emotional dysregulation (i.e., tantrum) is often the rule, rather than the exception. The same is true when the child desires something and is told to wait because Mom or Dad is on the telephone. NEWSFLASH: To very young children and those with disabilities, the word wait, more often than not, means never; hence, the perfect set-up for a meltdown. Simply setting the Time Timer to the wait-time interval (start small or it won’t work!), children can learn what the concept of waiting means as well as how to control their emotions in the process. Furthermore, gradually increasing the wait-time interval over the course of several days or weeks, can help children develop important self-management skills. 

______________________________________ 

The foregoing examples are just a few of the myriad ways in which the Time Timer can be used to shore-up a weak or immature executive system in typical individuals, as well as an impaired EF system in those with disabilities. I have found use of this tool to be so successful that if I were asked to give up all of the tools I use to treat individuals with ASD except for one, I would retain the Time Timer, as it is a second-to-none device for helping individuals to better understand an increasingly complex world and hence, to function with greater competence within it.     

About the Author 

Dr. Diane Twachtman-Cullen is a licensed speech-language pathologist specializing in autism spectrum disorders. She holds an M.A. in speech-language pathology, a Sixth-Year Diploma in early childhood education, and a Ph.D. in special education. She served for 11 years as editor-in-chief of Autism Spectrum Quarterly and has provided workshops and seminars internationally on autism. She is also the author of numerous chapters and articles on communication issues in autism, and four books: A Passion to Believe: Autism and the Facilitated Communication Phenomenon; Trevor Trevor; How to be a Para Pro: A Comprehensive Training Manual for Paraprofessionals; and The IEP from A to Z: How to Create Meaningful and Measurable Goals and Objectives (co-authored by Jennifer Twachtman-Bassett). Dr. Twachtman-Cullen is a present member and past co-chairperson of the Panel of Professional Advisors of the Autism Society (of America). Most recently, she served on the Autism Society’s ABA Commission. She continues to provide services on behalf of children with autism.