So my problem is I have a 4 year old that is not potty trained because she does not want to undo her belt. She goes tomorrow to get a new leg without a belt. When she does not have her current leg on she will go to the bathroom occassionally. I have tried several things to get her to go such as time out(cause she knows when she has to go she just refuses) and taking toys. Can anyone offer me some help. I am desperate.
Hi! Hang in there!
I had that same problem when I was little. When I was young my belt was a 'silesian belt', which was made out of leather, much like a regular belt you would wear to hold up pants. Obviously, I wore my underwear underneath because I did not want the belt to rub up against my skin. After struggling with this same thing, when I got older I finally just sucked it up and wore my underwear over my belt. Though a bit uncomfortable, it was awesome to go to the bathroom 'like everyone else'. I ended up developing a nice 'dent' on my side and my skin is to this day discolored where the belt went across (I don't use a belt anymore, I use a suction socket). Now I'm actually an amputee case manager and very familiar with prosthetic components. Instead of using a leather belt, the prosthetist may be able to use a different material that is fine against the skin. The belt can be made out of Dacron (for example) and the side that goes against the skin can be lined with silicone.
There are silicone liners that prosthetists use in some prosthetic systems. These liners are like socks, but the inside of the liner is a lining of cushioning silicone and the outside of the liner is stretchy fabric. Usually these liners need to be cut down to accommodate the length of the residual limb. That means that most prosthetists have access to a lot of this extra material, from cutting down liners. The next time the prosthetist cuts down a silicone liner, he/she should keep the extra material. That circle of material can be cut and made into a nice strip, perfect for lining the inside of that Dacron belt. The silicone has a lot of great properties. It's cushioning, which feels nice on the skin. It's more flexible. It's also hypoallergenic. And it doesn't stain, like those leather belts love to do when you sweat. You can also clean it. It's somewhat tacky, so it holds on nicely to the skin and doesn't move around, so you avoid skin breakdown from friction. So, imagine... A nice silicone lined belt that can be used next to your skin. So, it's leg first, panties last.
I didn't clue into this until much later in life and now, I don't use a waist belt at all.
I hope this helps. I sure wish this website was around when I was little.
Jennifer
Thanks Jennifer. We just came
Thanks Jennifer. We just came home from Shriner's and we got rid of the belt today. They gave her a silicone sock that has a zip-tie looking thing on it and it goes into the leg and locks in place. Hopefully with the belt gone she will be more up to the iddea of using the potty.