3 yr-old in pull up to Oceaneer Club?

Hi,

I booked January Dream Cruise for 3 nights and taking my 3 daughters with me for the first time.

Does anyone know if it's okay to have 3 years old in a pull up while she goes to Oceaneer Club? She's turning 3 just before the cruise and she's getting a potty trained right now. It's going pretty well and within 2 months, she should be a diaper free.

I've read that cast members won't help any child going to a restroom, so this made me a bit nervous taking her there. She'll have 2 older sisters (11 and 9) with her, and they do pretty good job helping her on potty too. But I think having a pull up on, it'll be easier if she has an accident...

I'm really hoping to have all 3 daughters in the same club when I need some adult time. It'll be like 2-3 hours while I go to dinner, etc.

Thanks,

Hi,

 

I booked January Dream Cruise for 3 nights and taking my 3 daughters with me for the first time.

Does anyone know if it's okay to have 3 years old in a pull up while she goes to Oceaneer Club? She's turning 3 just before the cruise and she's getting a potty trained right now. It's going pretty well and within 2 months, she should be a diaper free.

I've read that cast members won't help any child going to a restroom, so this made me a bit nervous taking her there. She'll have 2 older sisters (11 and 9) with her, and they do pretty good job helping her on potty too. But I think having a pull up on, it'll be easier if she has an accident...

I'm really hoping to have all 3 daughters in the same club when I need some adult time. It'll be like 2-3 hours while I go to dinner, etc.

 

Thanks,

This is a quote from a DCL Youth Club CM regarding this very issue:

Re: Non-Potty trained 3 year old

If the child has already reached Club & Lab age - which is 3 years old, we must let her in. The issue is the pull-ups, however. Some Counselors and Managers might go with the "pool-rule" which is to say that since your child cannot (and shouldn't) enter any of our pools with pull-ups on, we will caution against wearing them in the youth spaces. It's a USPH requirement; you will see that as soon as any accidents occur the area is VERY swiftly cordoned off and rendered unusable by the kids or the staff until a sanitization team has come.

To prevent this, counselors MAY SUGGEST the Nursery, especially if a parent doesn't sound confident about the level of potty training the child has attained. But in the end, once you're within the age range, we must accept them into the space. Sometimes, depending on the ship and who the manager is at the time - they might instruct counselors to suggest the nursery first and might want to talk to the parents themselves to ensure they're willing to come and check often just in case, and won't leave the ship without the child. From the sounds of it, you should have no trouble If a Counselor seems hesitant, ask to speak to the manager.

(We have had parents believe it or not, leave children in pull-ups in our care who've ignored their Wave phones and not come to aid their child who's had an accident for hours. And counselors are not allowed to change pull-ups on children outside of the Nursery!)

Typically, a child 3 years old, and not fully potty trained, will be suggested to use the nursery. However, many times they may be allowed a trial run in Oceaneer's. Full potty trained in Disney-speak means able to identify that she needs to use the toilet, can handled undressing, using toilet, cleaning up, redressing, and washing hands completely by herself. Oceaneer's Club CMs are not allowed to assist in any way. If the trial run is successful, she would be allowed to stay.

I've read the suggestion that you be sure she's used the toilet before being dropped off at the club and you should return frequently to take her out and take her to the toilet yourself (outside the club) posted by others in the same situation.

What about special needs kids? DS4 is not trained yet that's why we are putting off cruising. Now we want to go in 2 years and he will be 6. He may be trained by then but we aren't sure. And I mean trained in cruise sense. He sits on potty now but needs help and doesn't tell us since he doesn't talk. He's on a schedule but still in pull-ups.

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What about special needs kids? DS4 is not trained yet that's why we are putting off cruising. Now we want to go in 2 years and he will be 6. He may be trained by then but we aren't sure. And I mean trained in cruise sense. He sits on potty now but needs help and doesn't tell us since he doesn't talk. He's on a schedule but still in pull-ups.

 

 

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From the DCL website:

Children with Special Needs

Children with special needs are welcome at Disney's Oceaneer Club. While we cannot offer one on one care for your child, families are encouraged to speak with our Special Services team pre-arrival to discuss any questions or clarify participation guidelines.

and

Children with Disabilities

Youth Activities are open to children ages 3-17 who are fully potty trained, able to interact comfortably within our counselor-to-child ratio groups and with peers of their own physical size. Teen and tween activities are also available in separate areas away from younger children.

Parents may make a request with the Youth Activities team onboard to have a child with disabilities partake in modified participation for a limited time period during the cruise. Our ability to fulfill the request will depend upon the child's needs, the availability of counselors, program participation and other applicable considerations. Disney Cruise Line cannot guarantee that all special requests will be accommodated.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate anyone with a contagious disease or who shows symptoms of illness; children who require one-on-one care; a child or adult who wishes to participate in an age group much younger/smaller than their physical age/size; children who need the attention of a counselor with special training; or children who need counselor-assisted medical attention.

There are Open House hours every day in either the Club or Lab that parents can take their children to.

MCManders99,

Here is some information from a TAC CM on another board that may be helpful:

My child is over the age of 3 and is not fully potty-trained, can they still go into the space?

We are required to accept any child between 3- 12, regardless of whether they are potty trained. Once they fall within our age group, you may have them in diapers and pullups (we have had many cases of children with bowel issues, or late potty-training, or developmental delays needing this!). We will ask you to check on them frequently as we aren't allowed to change them ourselves.

HTH's!

ex techie

MCManders99,

 

Here is some information from a TAC CM on another board that may be helpful:

 

 

 

HTH's!

 

ex techie

Thank you. DS does have some major developmental delays. We are really working with him and have time to accomplish the goal, but it makes things easier since we don't want to pressure him especially with a deadline. Who knows he may get it by the time we sail, he's smart just non verbal, but he's just beginning to understand the potty.

Thank you. DS does have some major developmental delays. We are really working with him and have time to accomplish the goal, but it makes things easier since we don't want to pressure him especially with a deadline. Who knows he may get it by the time we sail, he's smart just non verbal, but he's just beginning to understand the potty.

I hope it all works out for you as a family and you get to have an amazing vacation!

ex techie

ps. That was supposed to be YAC not TAC! (Youth Activities Councillor)

and if you want to find the post that has more details, google

Once they fall within our age group, you may have them in diapers and pullups (we have had many cases of children with bowel issues, or late potty-training, or developmental delays needing this!)

and it will lead you to the thread, but we are not allowed to post direct links to it here.

Thanks everyone for the info! I'll try her in Oceaneer with her older sisters. It won't be any longer than 3 hours at time anyway, so she should be fine as long as she's with her sis. And, I'll make sure taking her to the restroom first before dropping them at the club.

Hope they'll enjoy their first cruise just like I did!

I'm one who supports the concept of setting them up to succeed. First, most parents at home consider "trained" to mean that they tell you when they need to go and you help them. That's not the deal on the ships. They have to know that they need to go AND be able to handle their clothing, wiping, hand washing, etc. at a child sized facility.

SO, tell the little one that she MUST use the potty before she can go play. Not just sit on it and tell you she doesn't have to--she must urinate. Then return to the OC every 90 minutes or so to check on her and while there, take her to the restroom. And make the clothing easy--elastic waist shorts with panties so it is all an easy pull down with no snaps, zippers, etc.

And--personal opinion--don't make your big kids supervise the little one. YOU want adult time, they big kids should be able to play on their own as well. They are at widely separated ages, so will choose different activities, etc. Let the CMs do the babysitting and the kids each have fun together or separate as THEY choose.

who had been on Mickey's boat a couple of times was in the beginning stages of potty training. We told him he could go on our next trip if he went potty like a big boy - this was more because of the pools rather then the kids club. Two weeks was all it took and he was telling us when he needed to go. He wasn't quite 3. That said I wouldn't have left him in the kids clubs because although he would tell us he needed to go he wasn't quite ready to go by himself. Went in October - a year later and he was off to the club and taking care of himself. However, we insured that he went potty before he was dropped off - just in case.

Has anyone been on the Disney Dream end of 2014 or beginning 2015 to update us on the policy change? There seems to have been a policy change on allowing quasi trained 3/4 year olds into the oceaneer club with pull-ups on. I'm told no by cast members on the phone but don't know how strictly they are enforcing that and would hate to get my child kicked out of the fun area of the cruise because of an accident or them finding out he's wearing a pull-up, for god's sake they're small children, kinda weird that I even have to ask if Disney will be lenient or understanding with my toddler.

You are correct that with the increasing strictness about the age policies, we are seeing a decreasing strictness about toilet training. And as usual, shoreside has not caught up with the real world on board.

While not on the Dream (haven't been there), on the Fantasy and Magic they are allowing untrained kids wearing pull ups into the OC. Parents will be paged if needed for a change. Staff does not change diapers or pull ups outside of the nursery. See my post above about setting them up for success.

The pool policy remains the same--trained children only, no swim diapers. And if all parents would follow that, the pool wouldn't have to be closed twice a day for extra draining and cleaning.