Night Time Potty Training - PART 1

I have had several emails and comments about night time toilet training.

So, lets address it!

image from Googleimages

Kids are potty trained during the day waaaaaaay before they are potty trained at night.

It is a lot easier for kids (and parents) to identify their body signals when they are awake. Usually because they are in the middle of something when they get the urge to do the dance or "hold it."

Toddlers sleep very soundly and usually wet the bed for months after they have been day trained because their brain and their (potty) muscle aren't in sync yet.  Statistics show that 60% of toddlers are both day and night trained by the time they are 3 - BUT - even by age 6, 15% are STILL having wet accidents.

What is the question? How do I night time train?

I do it a couple of different ways. When I am teaching classes to parents I tell them to wait till they are day trained before tackling the night training because we want to emphasise the success of the day training.

The biggest issue with night training is that they don't know they are wetting or eliminating as they are doing it, it is only after (sometimes) when they are still wet that we all realize it has happened.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

ONE

Do you have a mattress pad?

Do you have thick training pants?

If not, do that first. Pee stinks!

Also, doing this lets your child know you are serious about night time training.

TWO

Do not let your potty trainee drink a lot of liquids after dinner. If this is a habit, break it right away.

Once they are night time trained, you can slowly ease back into it.

I have a lot of parents who rely on a night time milk or sippy to get their child to bed, that is setting them up to fail. "here, fill your bladder, then go to bed!" uh, no!

THREE

I do several bathroom trips before bed.

One after dinner, one after teeth brushing, one last one after books and then they will go to bed.

That is three tries before they hit the sack!

Now, if this doesn't work I would go ahead and wake them up before YOU (the trainer) go to bed.

It stinks at first, but until they can "hold it" it is just a part of their routine.

I would only wake them up if:

1) they haven't eliminated at ALL in step three

2) they did go in step three, but still manage to wet at night

3) had a "good night drink"

FOUR

Most kids after going thorugh this rigamaroll for a few weeks will go through the night fully trained.

If not, do not make them feel guilty or punished if they wake up wet.

I would enlist them in helping with the clean up.

If you think they are too little to do that, then take a breather from night time training for a few weeks and try again.

Please remember that putting your child in underwear at night won't speed up the process.

They are ready when they are ready. :)

Operation Binky Removal

I have had several questions about the bink, the paci, the plug...whatever you call it. :)

When to get rid of it?

My kids are 15 months apart. I try to get rid of it before then. 

I have gone as late as 18 months, but never after that.

How did you get rid of it?

My kids after 1yr only got it at night. So when they woke up it went in a basket.

The day I decided to get rid of it I cut ALL the tips off and put them back in the basket.

When it was time to get the binky for bed my daughters (b/c my son never had one) would go to the basket and discover they were broken! I made THEM throw them out.

I also strategically hid some in the usual spots broken too, so if they were found...in the trash they went.

Sure the girls cried, but I would just remind them that they were broken and that they were in the trash.

It took maybe 2 days of whimpering and then they were gone!

I didn't want my kids to have them after 18 months because I felt like once they got to go to the nursery at church it was time to let it go. They were big kids now. :)

Do you know of other things that have worked?

I know of friends who have just thrown them out and told their kids that they are lost.

I know of people who have mailed their binky's to a new baby in the family.

Things to remember:

Stay strong!  If you decide its time...It's time. Don't give in!

The best time to do it is not during a move, or a big event like a new baby or something like that.

I have a friend who did it the week the new baby came and her toddler resented the new baby and would steal the babies pacifier. I would have done it before, or a while after and convinced the toddler that they were a big kid and didn't need the paci anymore.

As always feel free to email me with any questions and I will answer them as soon as I can! :)

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips/Potty Training

Poop.

sorry I couldn't resist!

Lets talk about poop shall we?

I have talked about it here, more in depth HERE but let's talk about other issues with the big B-M.

I have a BUNCH of new followers! 239 is AWESOME!  Since then I have received several emails about doing the dirty business.

If your child is great at #1 on the toilet but still having issues with #2 here are a few suggestions:

Talk to your kid about the situation, address your concerns or the problem you have. 

Is the problem beyond their control? Constipated, Diarrhea? or is it "That they don't want to?"

Talk to your little cutie:

"Jenny you do such a great job going pee in the toilet, I bet you can do just as well going poop."

"Tommy, I am so proud of you for going all day in the potty but you know poop goes in the toilet too!"

"Sam, where does pee go? Where does poop go?" 

"Sarah, we are all done with diapers which means you need to use the toilet for pees and poos"

If you talk to them like big kids, they might surprise you and actually understand you better. As long as you aren't yelling or frustrated when these talks are going on, you should have success.

Come up with a poop plan.  Do a potty chart just for poop.  

Another thing that has worked for me with kids I have trained in the past is explaining what poop is. Explaining that it is the stuff our bodies don't need anymore, so we have to poop it out to make room for the new waste.

This is one of the harder things with potty training, because when they have been in a diaper 20+ months pooping isn't even thought about. It just naturally comes out and it's done. We are asking kids to think about it, recognize the signs and then take the appropriate action.  It becomes very hard to rewire that part of the thought process for some.

As always your input is welcome, friendly responses or stories please. 

I am here ready to answer any more questions you may have, and thanks again for the support!

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips/Potty Training

One more post in this series. I know you are all so thrilled. :)

I have had over 10,000 hit on my potty training tips!  That is an all time record! :)  I love to potty train, and help others do it.  

I know there are stories out there on "how I tricked my son to potty train" or "bribing my kid to potty in 2 days" but lets face it, those stories could only work if the kid was older than 3 and if they had been introduced to toilet training before.  Those stories couldn't have worked with a barely 2 year old who has never sat on the toilet in their life. They also don't guarantee longevity in keeping them trained because  -  they weren't trained to go.  Okay off soap box.

I have had about 15 emails and comments on how to deal with potty training regression. So I am going to address that right now.

Regression in Potty Training:

Remember that Potty Training for some kids takes time. You should never rush this process.

Every kid is so different that one technique might not work for another, as I have found in my 3 older kids.  The ultimate goal of potty training is independence. You want them to go when you remind them, and completely on their own.

Once they are potty trained...some kids regress. Why does this happen?

Stress of moving, new baby, new job, really there is a myriad of things that can trigger regression. Its not that the child "forgets" its that the child can now control the one thing that had your full attention.  

I had an email from a mother who had a kindergartner and so she went back to work and the kindergartner regressed.  My advice to her was that the Kindergartner needed more attention. So instead of punishing her or having a negative reaction to the wetting the child would get rewarded for staying dry at school, then another one for staying dry at day care etc.  We also adjusted her home time schedule to include EXTRA mommy time.  

Sometimes kids subconsciously use accidents as their trigger to get what they want, I am not going to lie though in my experiences when potty training other peoples kids - they do it deliberately also.

If you suspect this is happening in your home - ignore it and make them take care of it themselves.   "Fine, you need to take care of it. Put your wet clothes in the hamper and get clean ones."  This will show them that they aren't gaining anything by having an accident.  If they are doing it deliberately - still give them extra attention WITHOUT mentioning accidents. Its hard, but it works.

Also - lay out their responsibility as a potty trained member in the house. My kids in my house get a little extra responsibility or chore because they are potty trained.  Like they have reached this right of passage...and get to be semi-grownup now. If they choose to neglect their responsibility there are consequences.  

One of my daughters kept getting distracted and not getting to the potty in time and would "pittle" you know "pee a little" in her undies.  I told her that she couldn't go to the store with me that day because I was worried she wouldn't make it to the bathroom at the store.  She then said she would and proved it to me and has done so ever since.

The key to stopping the regression in a child that was already fully toilet trained is to avoid negative reactions, learn why this has started, discuss responsibility and consequences, decide whether they were ready in the first place...do they need to go back to diapers?, is it something else like a UTI or something else that they can't control?, and to keep your cool.

Punishing is not recommended for potty training. This is supposed to be a "positive" experience. If at anytime the child feels discouraged it will be 10x harder to get results.

If I can help more please let me know!  Leave a comment or email me! :)

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips/Potty Training

Before I wrap up this series of Potty Training Tips - today I am leaving it up to questions and answers.

Leave a comment with the question and I will post the answer on this post.

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips/Potty Training

We are back from our 17 day road trip to California. Whew!

Potty Training Continued.

1- Make sure your child is ready.

Make sure you are following the right cues. Push it and you will have to start all over.  If they are showing interest - then go ahead and start

2 - Have the right equipment for YOU and your KID.

Potty Seat vs Potty Chair and Underwear.

3. Decide what is going to work for your Child. 

Sticker Charts, Treats, Rewards, Praise, etc.

4. Poop Training.

Most children are quick to urine train. Its easy fast and not that messy. (depending on the kid) Poop is a lot harder for toddlers. For some kids Bowel Movements feel like they are losing a part of them selves. They are afraid to watch it flush and it is scary for them. For others they are just lazy and would rather do it in their diaper. Another thing is that they don't know when they need to do it until they are squeezing it out.

If you have a child who goes to a certain place to poop or has a certain time they do it - you are one step ahead.  If you notice they are running to their "spot" pick them up in the squatting position and sit them on the potty while the diaper is on. Have them go through the motions of pooping on the toilet WHILE the diaper is on. So they mentally move their "spot" to the bathroom. Then slowly coax them to take it off - over time of course.

My kids have gotten double the candy reward for BMs. This was an incentive that worked for them.

Another thing that has worked for me in the past (with older children) is show them the digestive tract. Explain that the food they eat goes down, gets processed and then the "waste" - "poop" needs to come out.

For analytical children it helps them get the process.

image via google images

Remember that poo takes time. If you need to read a story to them while they take care of business too. Don't rush it.  Even adults have a hard time "getting it out."  If you suspect they might be constipated increase the fluid intake and give them more fiber. It will soften them up and help it slide right out.

Don't get frustrated. This is all part of development.  Just keep going and eventually it will happen. There are worse things in the world than a poop accident. 

Good Luck and as always I hope this helps! This as always is a post to help give you ideas or help with situations. Not a post telling you WHAT to do...because every kid is different! :) 

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips/Potty Training

Potty Training Continued.


1- Make sure your child is ready.
2 - Have the right equipment for YOU and your KID.
3 - Decide what is going to work for your Child. 


4 - Day vs Night Training and When to do it!

If you have decided to start please don't start during a major change. Moving, a new sibling, switching a major routine change, etc. Doing this causes stress and will actually set your child back in potty training. Stress can make it harder for a child to demonstrate a skill that they have yet to master.  This is why most kids revert back or regress - it makes them remember a time when they were more comfortable.


Day vs. Night
I am an all or nothing girl.  When we potty train we never go back to underwear. But - having said that kids can go ALL day without an accident waaaay before they are actually ready to get through the night.  It is actually common and natural to wet the bed until a kid is 5 years old.  It can be so frustrating I'm sure when you can have a kid last ALL day and then at night it becomes a huge problem.


If you are all ready experiencing this it could be for many reasons. Does your child sleep so soundly that they don't wake up?  Does your child have nocturnal eneuresis?


Bed wetting is involuntary. It (from my research and training) is just a slight developmental delay, not anything emotional or physical, and only a small percentage of bed wetting cases are caused by specific medical problems.  Did you know bed wetting is often associated with a family history of said condition? It is. So feel free to blame your spouses side. Haha. Just Kidding.


If you are just starting to seriously train bed wetting is something you need to think about.  Most kids slowly stop wetting as part of their natural development.  If your child wakes up wet in a diaper - do night training slowly. Get them trained through the day and then talk with them about getting rid of it at night. Try it for two weeks and if the number of dry nights decrease you know they are golden. If they increase return to the diaper and gradually make your way back to trying to go at night diaper free.  


If you child is past 3.5 you could try intervening with the bed wetting alarm. I have never used it, but have heard great things about it. That is something you talk to the pedi about. You can also talk to the pedi about food allergies. Bed wetting can be linked to food allergies. Weird but sometimes true.  I have also heard in my training that sometimes, in larger families the child wetting just needs a little extra special time.  Take them to the bathroom 30 minutes before bed and then give them 20 minutes of undivided personal attention. Then take them again right before bed. Sometimes, that extra special time can reduce any stress or discomfort and relax them enough to let it all out.


In my own personal experiences I have just monitored when I notice my kid showing me the signs.  I make sure they don't drink an hour before bedtime...at the beginning. Then I make sure they go potty right before bed and haven't had a problem.  I have had one of my children who has been potty trained for awhile wet the bed, and it was their responsibility to take the sheets off and put them in the hamper. They had to change their jammies and be responsible about it.  It wasn't deliberate and therefore they weren't "punished" but they needed to take care of it.  In our house being in underwear is a big deal - it is when you start being held accountable and need to express what you want or need with your words.  Just like using the words "I need to go potty" and then actually doing it. It is an expectation we have set and so we let them know part of potty training/being in underwear means growing up. Its time to end the crying and the fits and start getting ready for the real world/school.


If I had a child that had nightime issues I would explain to them that their muscles inside are still learning how to hold it. Its okay and if it happens we need to learn how to take care of it.  No punishment is needed its just something that some kids have to deal with.


Ultimately you need to do what is going to work for you. You need to devote sometime to actually potty train and make sure you have what is going to work for you. For me the potty seat is better because I never have to transition to "big potties" and stores and other places are not scary since they only know how to use the "big ones."  

Good Luck and as always I hope this helps! This as always is a post to help give you ideas or help with situations. Not a post telling you WHAT to do...because every kid is different! :)

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips/Potty Training

Potty Training Continued.


1- Make sure your child is ready.
Adding to what I wrote last week - make sure you are following the right cues. Push it and you will have to start all over.  If they are showing interest - then go ahead and start.

2 - Have the right equipment for YOU and your KID.

Potty Seat vs Potty Chair and Underwear.


3. Decide what is going to work for your Child. Most kids love hugs, kisses and high fives for praise and motivation. But for some they need a little more.  Potty Chart and Rewards worked for 2 of the 3 kids in my house.  My youngest just wasn't interested in charts. So I skipped them. For my oldest - we used Jelly Beans. For my second I used M&Ms and my third I used Gummi Bears. 


Print one of THESE potty charts and take your child to the store.  My kids got to pick a special Potty Reward. I bought it then and took it home. Once they filled up the chart they got the toy. If the accidents started to come again, they lost the toy and had to start again with a new chart. The consequence for not going potty is losing the potty reward.


Remember to emphasize the pottying NOT the reward.


Every child got 1 candy reward for EVERY urination and 2 candy rewards for EVERY bowel movement.
Slowly I stopped giving rewards for urine but kept up the bowel rewards until they slowly forgot about them. (the reward)

March 2009 - Kid #2

Please remember that Potty Training is a process of development, it happens at different times in children's lives. For some its at 2 and some its right after 3. There is not a specific "perfect time" to potty train. Just because YOU want your child potty trained doesn't mean THEY are ready. If you do it before they are ready the only person you are training is yourself.  Children feed off of your frustration, and trust me having accidents is frustrating and hard. Wait and your life and potty training period will be soooooo much easier!


Ultimately you need to do what is going to work for you. You need to devote sometime to actually potty train and make sure you have what is going to work for you. For me the potty seat is better because I never have to transition to "big potties" and stores and other places are not scary since they only know how to use the "big ones."  

Good Luck and as always I hope this helps! This as always is a post to help give you ideas or help with situations. Not a post telling you WHAT to do...because every kid is different! :)

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips/Potty Training

Potty Training Continued.


1- Make sure your child is ready.
Adding to what I wrote last week - make sure you are following the right cues. Push it and you will have to start all over.  If they are showing interest - then go ahead and start.


2 - Have the right equipment for YOU and your KID.
I am not a pull up person.  I don't suggest them either.  If they work for you that is great - but - I don't find them useful AT ALL. This isn't a debate or a forum for you to bash my thoughts or opinions.  In my experiences a pull up is no different that a diaper to most kids.  If a kid has an accident it is contained in the pull up. For me and the kids I have trained they need to feel it like you would if wearing underwear.

Potty Chair vs Potty Seat.

  

I don't use a potty chair, because I have had experiences where the kid will ONLY use the little chair and the transition to the "big toilets" is scary.  Plus cleaning it out grosses me out. :)  I buy a potty seat and a stool and teach them how to get up and get on all by themselves BEFORE I even get into doing their "business" in the toilet. 


I also have them practice over and over pulling down and getting up and getting on, pulling everything back up and closing the lid and flushing the toilet and washing their hands too. (Think Karate Kid and the water drip thing)


To me going through the motions is better because when the time is right - they know what to do. Having them sit on a potty in front of a TV or something else is not potty training. They need to know what to do when the urge comes - which is RUN(jk) to the bathroom pull down your pants, get on the potty and go.  *Wipe* and then pull everything up, lid down, flush and wash those hands.


Ultimately you need to do what is going to work for you. You need to devote sometime to actually potty train and make sure you have what is going to work for you. For me the potty seat is better because I never have to transition to "big potties" and stores and other places are not scary since they only know how to use the "big ones."  


Good Luck and as always I hope this helps! This as always is a post to help give you ideas or help with situations. Not a post telling you WHAT to do...because every kid is different! :)

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips

I am hesitant to post about this but my facebook friends have asked me to post about this so I will. Please remember only nice and helpful comments will be allowed.

Potty Training.  I am certified through the state of Colorado in Toilet Training. I used to teach and speak at parenting conferences about potty training and at my old job (before I became a mommy) I would go to daycares and train the teachers how to help potty train the 2.5 -3 year olds.

So here are the top 5 things you need to know BEFORE you even think about potty training.

1- Make sure your child is ready.  There is no certain age or time when a toddler should be potty trained. If you do it on your own you will not have success.  Every kid is different too.  My oldest potty trained at 2.6 years, my middle at 2.4 and my youngest at 2.2.  Their process and motivations were all different and I waited until they were ready.

How do I know if my child is ready?
----Can he stay dry for several hours?
----Does he have regular predictable bowel movements?
----Does he know when he NEEDS a diaper change?
----Does he say pee or poo or know what he is doing when he is doing it?
----Does he understand logic and reasoning...cause and effect?

I will post more next week about the next thing you need to know. If you are at this stage with your toddler now, keep talking about it, keep sitting on the potty and talking about what is happening.

Hope that helps!

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips

Redirection and Disciplining Babies 
Babies are little people that look to their parents and caregivers for guidance and boundaries. Any child needs boundaries. Boundaries define the limits of appropriate actions for the child. A child does not feel safe unless they have safe limits shown to them.

1. Babies are not born knowing how to redirect themselves. The child has the need to be shown from infancy on into their teen years how to redirect their actions and behaviors toward outlets that are safe for them.

When a baby is doing something that is dangerous to them, or playing with something that they are not supposed to get into, redirect them to a safer activity, or toy.

2. Help them with the appropriate activity or toy for ten seconds.

3. This is the amount of time a baby usually needs to forget the inappropriate toy or activity that they were doing.

4. Then you may walk away.

5. The baby has thus been successfully redirected!

This action will need to be repeated several times a day until the baby understands that certain things are off-limits. It may take only once with some babies, but more often than not the redirection will need to be done several times a day for each inappropriate activity or object the baby desires. It takes more effort to redirect a baby, than it does to smack their hands, but the rewards are greater with the redirection. Not only does the baby then experience no physical pain, but they also will learn something that will be very valuable to them the rest of their lives. They will eventually learn to redirect themselves and will not need intervention on the part of the parent or caregiver quite as often, and will be easier to deal with than the child who has had their hands smacked. Smacking a child’s hands is just suppression of behavior, redirection makes a child think.

Source: Essortment Home

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips

Disciplining the 3 year old.  I don't like the term "spirited" because it means bad.  My 3 year old isn't bad, she is just different. She is wired differently than the rest of us.  For the most part she needs things explained differently for things to work for her. She is less obedient then my 4 year old and 2 year old. But---she is starting to make the change.

What works for me is the fuzzy ball system.

Every time she does something good or something without asking she gets a ball in her box.  Once she gets 10 balls she gets to pick a piece of paper from the bag.  I don't believe she should get a toy or something like that EVERY TIME she is good. She has to earn her special reward for the day.

Some examples of the paper rewards are stay up 10 minutes past bedtime, or a special treat.  I have 15 different things to choose from. Each day is different. She doesn't always get 10 balls and sometimes when she is sooooo close she will ask if there is something SHE can do to earn more balls.

Instead of focusing on her bad behavior I have rewarded good behavior.  She gets a ball for sharing or playing nicely etc.  Chores completed without help or reminder get balls too.  I have seen such a change in her behavior because she is getting MORE attention because she is good.

If she is not being good or is having a hard day she loses balls.  At the end of the day when we count them she will tell her daddy what she got them for.  "I got the red one for following directions the first time" etc.

It is so easy and fun for her and I don't have to fight her anymore.  The other kids cheer her on...its pretty funny.

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips

Discipling Toddlers---2

The 4 year old in my home is VERY obedient. He often cries because he feels like he isn't doing enough or that he knows what he was doing/did was wrong. So for him it's not so much discipline more explaining things to him.

I lay out the rules for him and he pretty much follows directions.  If he needs a time-out I usually send him to his room for a cooling off period.  For him - he needs consistency.  If I find that he needs something other than 5 minutes in his room I will give him a task to complete.

Here is a typical convo:

Me - L please stop yelling at your sisters

L - I wasn't yelling.

Me - Are you yelling at me now?

L - Yes. 

Me - Okay, you need to go to your room for 5 minutes to cool off.

L - I don't want to go to my room.

Me - I don't want you to yell and you did.  The consequence for that is time in your room.

L - Okay.

If there is a fit I usually will ask him to go to his room and clean it up and when he is done he may come out.

My kids don't have toys in their rooms so they can't go up to play they have to sit on their bed and literally cool off.

This form of discipline only works on him and my 2 year old.  She seems to be a lot like him in temperment and demeanor.  

When my 2 year old is "naughty" I send her to her room and she goes --- she cries the entire time but she goes.  I also give them a warning. "If you keep throwing your toys you will have to go to your room"

That usually gets them to stop. Also taking the toy away works too.

In our house we also have a Toy Jail.

If a toy gets taken away for not sharing or because they weren't playing with it correctly it gets taken away to toy jail.  It is in there for the rest of the day and the next day can be earned back by doing an extra chore or something we talk about together.

With the 4 year old and the 2 year old ---Warning them one time with a notification of the consequence gets them to stop USUALLY.

Next week - discipling TROUBLE, I mean the 3 year old. :)

What is something you do in your home?  Lets get the chat going!

Toddler Tip - Easter

Egg Dying Tip -

I am sure you have heard this before but if not...these are your friends if you have toddlers who like to make messes...

Happy Easter and Egg Dying!

Scheduling Toddlers/Toddler Tips

So...

If you want to see my schedule for toddlers or any of the printable click HERE and leave comment with your email!

reader question:

How do you schedule/plan your meals?  

Do you plan ahead snacks too?

Here is the LUNCH plan

I am a planner. I plan everything.  

I made up these Grocery sheets so I could plan everything out in advance. I only shop 2x a month so here is how I do it.

If you want a copy of this leave me a comment with your email and I will send it to you.

I plan snacks, lunch, breakfast dinner all so there is variety and so I can look at it all at one time in one place.

It also helps because my kids ask "What's on the chart for lunch today?" Breakfast too!

Its awesome and there is no fight on what we are having since I try to make a variety in the 2 weeks I plan out.

Hope that helps!

Schedule for Toddlers - 13

On Mondays I am going to have tips on what has worked for me with my many kids.  I have received emails about my daily schedule and so I am going to go in order every Monday.  Please comment with anything that you do or don't do or if this has helped you so we all can benefit from everyone's experiences.

7-8                Breakfast, practicing letters and morning review of the day.

8-9                Morning Task Sheet, get ready basically tidy up and morning chores. (PRINTABLE)

9-10              Free Play w/Mom - No chore time slot...you will be amazed how much your kids will love this!

10-11            Quiet Activities

11-11:30        Clean Up

11:30-12        Lunch

12-12:30       TV/Show

12:30-3:00    Nap/Rest Time 

3-3:30           Snack

3:30-4:00      Read Books

4:00-5:00      Shake Sillies Out

5:00-5:30      Wash Up and Set the Table, Quick Pick Up

5:30-6:15      Dinner

6: 15 - 8pm   Daddy Check List (PRINTABLE)

(If you want a printable please leave a comment with your email!)

Reader Question: When do you do TBB and Do your kids really dance for an hour on "shake your sillies out"

I only do TBB 3x a week.  I try to do it when it fits in.  So if it is a quiet activity we do it then, if it is a crazy silly game we do it then.  I sometimes do it during our morning free play. What I do is make a list of activities I want to do and then if the day needs it, like if we just can be friendly to each other during free play, then I will pull out one activity.  It usually calms them down and focuses them. I love redirection. :)

My kids take turns during their crazy dance time. When it becomes warmer out we will use that time for outside backyard time, or riding bike time or some sort of physical activity.  They need it and I need it(the break) to prep dinner.  Other things might include pulling out the balls and let them play with that.  I find if I hold on to things and pull them out from time to time they get better use of them. They appreciate it more.  For instance we don't keep certain toys out just for days when we need to focus their attentions.  Hey look Mom is getting out the Mega Blox! Yes!

The same goes for outside toys.  I have also worked out an awesome toy rotation for the toy room and in the summer we bare bones the toy room because I would rather them be outside and having fun in the water or grass.

More on the rotation and toy check out later! 

Hope that Helps! :)