Advice on Potty Training 27Mo Old Boy!!

Hi B.,

My son didn't want to potty train either. He kept resisting. At 35 months, just before he started prschool, we told him that he was finished with diapers and had to use the potty. We had some wet pants at first but he did it within a few days. We just kept him in pull ups at night for about a year. It worked for us so it may be worth a try. The problem is that we ask them what they want to do and they just say no. So we have to just tell them to do it and that they have no choice.

Hope it helps.

L. C.

I started training my little girl by having her go potty before her baths. I would just tell her she needed to go peepee before she got in her bath because she did not want to go in the bath water. Then we started with morning and before bed. It has taken a little longer, but it is working pretty good. We also used popsicles. She really loved them. If he does not M&M's, I would suggest that you find something else that he is more interested in.
Good luck.
D.

Maybe I'm stating the obvious: he's not ready to be potty-trained. Keep him in diapers a little longer, why the rush?

I have a girlfriend who went through the very same thing you are going through. She insisted on trying to potty train her son when he was around two and drove herself absolutely crazy trying to get him to go potty. For a whole year she tried, and tried, and tried, and failed. Every time we talked about it I would tell her that my son started using the potty consistently when he turned 3, but not before, and urged her to mellow out. No, she wouldn't mellow out. She read books on the subject and tried the one-day-no-fail-potty method. No results. She read him kids books on going potty. She tried videos, and pull ups and stickers and candy. Still no results. Now he's 3 years old, and guess what, he's starting to go potty on his own. Maybe all the work his mom did helped, but I think he was just finally ready. My advice is this, wait. Try a little here and there. Keep the potty available and read him some cute books like "Do pigs flush" (my personal favorite). When he's ready to go potty on his own he will, but it probably won't be until his 3rd birthday. If you try to push it too much you'll just end up driving yourself crazy.

Hi,
To help my 28mos son, about every two hours (when I'm with him)I tell him it's potty time & we sing the "Hammertime" song (MC Hammer) to the tune of "Pottytime." He'll dance to it & I ask him, "What time" & he tells me, "Pottytime." It make it fun for the whole family & anyone who watches :)

Hi. I used two books which I've never known to fail. First is "Once Upon a Potty" for boys, an anatomically correct little book introducing kids to the idea of using a potty. My kids loved it and carried it around "reading" it for months before we did the actual training. There's also a video, but the book is the most important. Then get "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day" for you. It is a method developed for teaching mentally challenged adults to use the toilet. It includes an observational test you can use every so often to see when your child is physically and mentally ready to train. It truly only takes a few hours when they're ready. What a relief! Good luck! Grams

Well, I am sure with all the advice you have gotten so far, mine may be a bit different from others. My son was almost 3 years of age before he FINALLY started going potty. He wouldn't do it for me or my husband. It took a visit from grandma to get my son going potty. My husband and I went on vacation for a week without the kids and my mother started the potty training with my son and it worked. He started going potty and has been doing it ever since and it was a success. It was the same for my daughter too. It seems as though kids react to people who they don't see on a daily basis (I guess it's that whole wanting to please grandma deal). ;o)

And by the way, 27 months is still pretty young for boys to potty train. It's not out of the question, but my daughter was about 2 1/2 before the potty thing happened. And boys as we know it are much slower to process that whole thing.

Good luck!

T.

Hmm, I'm not sure how much will work if he's not interested but its still worth a try. (for some reason our little guy got interested pretty early and I just went along with that but don't feel like your little one is missing something or behind with this - he'll be ready sometime)
Since you have 2 other children this may not be practical, but we used to take our little guy to the potty about every 30 minutes when he was just starting out. (and every time we would go we would take him and sit him on his potty) We would read 1 book and then IF he went we would let him do the flushing and play a little in the sink when he washed his hands and put a sticker on his chart. Oh he also liked watching Elmo's Potty Time.
He is 29 months and has been fully potty trained during the day for a while now.

I've heard other people say it worked to let their little one go naked until he got more familiar with the sensation of having to go. (sounds a little messy to me but it worked for them)
Good luck!

I'm no expert but I did the exact same thing with my daughter and she wasn't ready until she was 4. She decided when, not me. It is good to encourage in every way but don't stress out about it ... I think there is way too much pressure to have these kids doing things they are not ready for, including potty training. And, kids are all different. What happened quickly for one doesn't always happen for the other. The day will come but it will be when he decides. In the meantime, hang in there!

Topanga Mom

Well....I had the same thing and I discovered that you can spend the next 6-9 months pushing him towards potty training, or you can wait until he is 3 1/2 and spend a week actually doing it. I voted for the week. Maybe boys just take longer- they do take a little longer to reach other milestones...

Why do you think you have to do it soooooo early? Most boys are closer to 3, when they have the desire.

Dear B.,

Boys are harder to train sometimes, but he will eventually get it. ... And the whole family will celebrate - just the way our family did when the only boy finally cooperated and was potty trained - we told everyone from sea to shining sea across the nation. C. N.

Hi,
My son, who is now 13 did not potty train until about 3 1/2 years. Even then, he had problems at night and wore a pull up until about 6. My daughter was about 2 1/2, potty trained quickly and easily, and never wore pull ups. Each child goes at his own pace. It will happen, believe me. Good luck.

Have you tried tinkle targets? I'm sure they go by other names also. Have daddy show him how he can hit the target in the toilet. This worked for my sisters (Ihad girls).

Good Luck

S.

Most of my friends who have boys waited until they were 2 1/2 or 3 years old to start potty training and then it took some time. If he's not ready wait and try again later for everyone's sanity.

He's a boy. Don't worry about it. He will do it when he is ready and not any sooner. Quit all of the stuff and eventually he will do it practically overnight. He might be closer to 3 or more.

I doesn't sound like he is ready yet. He will let you know. Especially since he has two older sisters and wants to do what they do

As my ped said, sounds like the only one getting trained is you! :-> I have a 27 month old boy too.

All the experts are saying that, in most cases, 27 months is too young for a boy. By 3 to 3.5 he should be ready.

Between my mommy & me class and twin clubs, I've probably spoken to about 50 moms with older kids. They ALL say the same, ignore the idea and when they're ready (different timing for each child) they will start doing it and will happen quickly (in most cases). In other words, follow their lead, he's not ready.

Best of luck, I too wish I could stop buying diapers, but it's not up to me. ;-)

L.

Hi B.,

I totally know what you're talking about. I had to pt my son before he got into preschool. I had one month to do it in. I found that what helped was having a little friend (a cat puppet) go along with him to the potty and take turns. First the puppet would go potty (pretend of course) and then we'd try with my son and we'd sing a little song and say bye bye to the number 1 or 2. It's definitely a little more work with boys but hopefully the more fun you can make it, the easier it can be for your son. Good Luck.

M. :)

I am mother of ten (seven are adopted), ages 37 down to 8 yr old twins. I am a firm believer that children potty train when they are ready. I wait for cues that they are interested and then start to encourage them. Boys are definitely harder than girls, in most cases.(we have 5 of each). I would give him a potty, make a big deal of the fact that is his alone, and that he can sit on it whenever he wants,etc. Then we had "potty cars". Each time they did their "poop" on the potty, they got a potty car to play with. I would put them in a basket, and often use the same ones over and over. Anything that will interest him will work. Actually, I think that 27 months is very young for a boy. At the earliest, i would expect 30 months or more. Good luck. I teach school, and we don't get kindergarteners in diapers unless there is a physiological problem, so don't worry. Just enjoy those kids. They are a true gift and a blessing. Marti

I have three boys and they were all very difficult to train. I went online and found a product called 3-day potty training. It's a tip book (pretty inexpensive). It's a bid hardcore but it really works and although I only learned about it with second and third child it truly worked within 3 days! I recommend it but have to be willing to give up 3 days of your life.

I am going through the same thing right now with my 27-month old also. The popular idea today is to wait until they're "ready" but I think that's a bunch of hogwash! ;o) Of course a 3 or 4 year old will go in the toilet. It's ridiculous. What's there to teach when they're at that age? For me I feel like now is the time to get serious about it. That's most of the problem since potty training is so inconvenient for parents. To me, potty training is giving your child independence. We don't hesitate to let them learn to feed themselves which also takes lots of patience and is very messy. Potty training is the same idea. Consistency is very important which is why I've hesitated up until now with my own son. He doesn't go when I sit him on his potty unless I sit him on immediately after he wakes up from his nap. He protests at first but after letting him sit a bit he ends up going (just pee though). This is a good time for any child I think (just after waking up). So I would try that if I were you. Then you can work your way from there. And pushing it isn't going to scar him, regardless of what other parents out there tell you. (Most of us adults were trained younger than children are today and I've yet to meet someone who was traumatized from early potty training.) Good luck and I hope you get results that will encourage you to keep with it. It takes longer the earlier you start but that's better than changing a 3 year olds diaper in my opinion.

My daughter is going to be 2 1/2 next month and we've prepared ourselves with all the 'stuff' for potty training as you mentioned. Hello Kitty panties, Pull ups, step stool and toilet insert. She rarely wants to sit on the toilet and when she does she gets off as fast as she sat down. So she's simply not ready and I'm not going to push her. Unless you have a specific reason why he needs to be potty trained, I don't think you should push it. My son wasn't potty trained until close to 3 and it was closer to 3 1/2 before he'd comfortably go poop in the toilet. It's important not to push them, which could lead to frustrating set backs. Good luck!

Hi. I am the mother of three really great kids and two of them are boys. Interestingly, my daughter did potty train faster than my boys, but I dont think that it was before 27 months. If you don't have a really important reason to be in a big hurry to stop the diapers, than you should try not to make it a big deal. keep his potty chair near the 'grown up' toilet, and suggest that he join you in the morning - or whenever, when you need to use the bathroom. Give him a cool picture book to look at, and just start getting used to taking that time in the bathroom - with NO PRESSURE about the results. Also, you can start letting him have more naked bottom time - this can really help the child become aware of the connection between his baldder and colon activity, what diapers do (hold his waste), and how much nicer the potty is because he doesn't have to have the waste stuff on his body - it goes right into the toilet! yaaaa! clapping and hugs are better than M&M's by the way. P.S. I am a certified Parent Coach. I hope this has helped. Be relaxed about it - they WILL eventually give up the diapers you know.- J. Molina

Dear B.,

I had the same problem with my son. I tried everything too! The thing that seemed to work the best was encouragement but not really making a big deal about it until he was ready. Boys take longer than girls typically. At age 2 1/2 I would set a "Pee-Pee" timer for every hour. When it would go off we would go to the potty together. When he turned 3 that was the ticket. It seemed like he went one day and never looked back! He was totally potty trained at 3, he even stays dry at night. Which was great because bedwetting runs on both sides of our family. Try to be patient with him but don't push, he will come around. Also, my son loves Disneyland and that was something we offered a a big-boy incentive! Good luck, and don't worry he will be going potty before you know it and then you will miss all the dependence he had on you!

This is just my personal opinion...I have two boys 9 and 3. My 9 year old was potty trained at 2 1/2 and thought the same would happen with my second one. Wrong! My 3 year old is now potty trained but I tried to start when he was 2 1/2 and he wasn't ready. Had no interest in it like your son. I did the same thing, bought him new underware he wanted, got a potty seat and step stool for both bathrooms and his favorite treats for rewards. Still nothing! I stopped trying and right before his 3rd birthday I told him this is what we were doing because he wanted to be a big boy and go to pre-school and he can't go to school until he goes potty in the toilet. For about a week we would take him to the potty at least once an hour, sometimes he would go sometimes he wouldn't. He wasn't good at telling me when he had to go so we set a timer and he got used to going into the bathroom and trying. If you leave it up to them, boys get too busy and too distracted to remember to tell you they have to go...then of course too late and an accident happens. Once he is ready he will get it and he will be so proud of himself. I have a few friends that had the same situation with their second ones so you aren't alone out there. We feel your pain! Good luck.

I too have 3 children, two of whom are twins. My advice: leave it alone. The more you insist, the longer it will take. He'll start when he's ready with very few accidents.

Hello B,

well I am potty training my 27 month old right now. I can only say that they will start when they are ready. I know people always say this, and we ask, well when is that!!! But I found that he let me know when it was his time. We had started to try in Nov. I tried for 2 days and he just had no interest. I actually did everything you did, the pullups, the M.M's/sweetarts, the Elmo underwear. Nothing. So i just waited. Then I tried again in Dec. Tried for two days and again, same thing. So I waited till this week. Tried again, and he was very interested!!! It only took me two days. And in the last 5 days we have had no accidents. My son WAS also very quiet. To the point the Doc wanted him to see someone about it. But since he started potty training he tells me when he has to go, and also we sing and talk while he is sitting on the potty and I am sitting on that itty-bitty step stool waiting for him!!! Don't lose heart, he will come around. My husband got more frustrated and just gave up. But now he is loving how well he is doing!!!

Hope it works out for you!!!

E.

None of my girlfriends with boys were successful with potty training at that age. Boys just take longer. My son pretty much did it overnight at 34 months. We'd tried before then and he'd ocassionally use the potty - more for the novelty of it but really had no interest. And then it click for him and there was no looking back. He'll do it when he's ready - until then it's just frustrating for everyone.

P.

Hi B....

Hello- my little sister has 6 boys..the last two are twins. She is superMom and her name is Melisa. Tell her I told you to write. Her email is:
____@____.com

She can probably give you some great advice regarding your request.

E. L.

As you know, boys are different. Your son may not be ready for the potty till he is 3 to 3 1/2. My daughter, my oldest, potty trained in 3 days at two. However my son didn't use the potty consistently until almost 3 1/2. And even then he could not stay dry at night. He is now 5 1/2 and still wears a training pant at night. My third, also a boy is much the same. I'd suggest giving your son some time. Keep talking about the potty with him and when he's ready he'll go. Also, I found dranatic play very usefull. Using their favorite doll or stuffed animal to act out using the potty worked with all three of my children.

He isn't ready yet. No, he shouldn't be potty trained by 27mos. Every child is different and most say that boys start later, although I have plenty of friends who's boys trained earlier than my first which was a girl. My daughter was just over 3.5 years old and my son is 32 mos and still in diapers (he has gone on the potty - just doesn't want to go full time, yet) ?? Go figure. I would say, leave it alone for now. Maybe as soon as you stop trying, he'll be going. I swear my little guy stopped trying because he saw me get so excited!? He LOVES M&M's and won't even budge for them, unless he is in the mood! So, I feel your pain but I'm sure it won't be much longer!

The Venice public library has this great video title, "Potty Power" which finally put me and my daughter over the top.

We sing the song every time she goes. She actually decided to stop the diapers all by herself after a few months of watching the video and meeting other kiddies who go potty.

So, definitely, a little peer pressure here is a great thing!
-A.

He is not ready, and he is telling you so. Boys generally potty train at a later age. Wait 6 months and try again. And so on, until he is ready. When he is ready, it will be a breeze.

Aloha, B.

I two boys one is only 14 months, however I do have a six year old. My advice is that it may just be a bit too early for your little one. My boy was closer to 3 (32 months) before he was trained, though I did try earlier, he was resistant. I began by looking for his cues as to when he was going, or about to go. They sometimes grunt, go to a corner, get a blank stare on their face, etc. Then I got fun potty books. When I could sit him on the pot (even after he went) without him freaking out, I took his diaper off (we had no carpet). I know it sounds gross & when someone else told me about this I thought they were crazy. My boy was trained within one week (nite-time was a little bit later). Good luck, just try not to push hime too hard before he's ready, otherwise you run the risk of it taking longer and/or many accidents. Hope this helps

Hi there! Just wanted to let you know that I am having the same trouble and my son is 32 months. I bought the toilet seat that sets inside the big potty and it has Elmo on it. He does go once in awhile and loves the seat but he could care less if he pees in his pull-ups or underwear. I have spent a whole day before taking him potty every hour and that worked. He stayed dry, but in reality I can't stay home day after day to get him completely trained.I'm not forcing it though. He'll go when he is ready. My daughter was also very easy to potty train. So your not crazy....that's just the difference between boys and girls.
Good luck-
C.

Hi B,
I have a 3yr. old boy and a 18 month old girl what worked for Ayrton was watching a boy who was alittle bit older use the "Big Boy Potty" (toilet). My Aunties 4yr old came to stay with us about 1 1/2 ago for o few months. Ayrton watched Skyler and wanted to be like him. Is there anybody who can help mentor your little guy? A Little boy who he is close to and won't mind your little man watching.
Any other thing that worked was talking about it. For example your little guy may be of few words, but he understands everything you say, so start talking about how to use the potty like when you can feel a BM or read him books on it ,let him flush the toilet when you have gone(boys like that) Most of all try to keep it fun. Use stickers when he just sits on the potty even with pants on to let him know he is taking a step in the right direction. Good Luck!

Take a deep breathe and surrender to his timing. The video "It's potty time" is great, but even they are featuring an older child. They grow up fast as your girls have proven to you. This will be behind you and you'll be glad you were the blessing of understanding. It doesn't mean stop trying, it just means to keep it up each day like it's the first day. You will see wonderous results. I do know from 3 children teaching me well, that if you're calm and relaxed about it, it all works out without you setting your child up for therapy, Ha Ha.

Give it up...he's not ready. Just let him know the potty is there when he is ready and if he wants to go diaper-free, he can wear his big boy undies when he wants to use the potty. Keep them available for him and step back.

My advice is to stop all your potty training tactics for at least six months. I tried and tried with my son all through his two's to no avail. Right after his third bday he "got it" practically on his own and had virtually no accidents. My daughter potty-trained much younger...I think boys often just aren't ready so young. Give yourself a break and don't stress over this one.

I want to be encouraging to you regarding potty training. My son who is now 4 was very hard to potty train. I started at 2 yrs old and he just didn't get the full concept. He could sit on the potty but he really didn't get what he needed to do on it. He was much to interested in his toys and other activities to stop and go. I read all sorts of books and tried all sorts of rewards from candy, stickers, and matchbox cars. Nothing worked with him. I put him in pull ups and had him pick "big boy" underwear, that did not work. Many friends told me to just forget the pull-ups and go to underwear, they said that would help him get the idea. But it just created more mess. Things did not really click until 3 yrs old that was just peeing, the whole pooping part took longer. I know that is not encouraging but maybe it will take the pressure off. I can so relate to what you are going through. Some kids just go potty over night and some don't. Don't get frustrated with yourself. He just might not be ready but keep at it a few times a day. Maybe move the diapers, pull-ups to the bathroom. So he can associate that when he needs to go potty he goes to the bathroom. Have you taken down the diaper changer? That seemed to also work for my son. Once he saw that was gone he went potty more. But my son was not fully trained, washing his hands after etc until he was almost 4 years old. Some say boys take a longer and mine deffinately did.

I don't know if anything in this helps just know your not alone and all you can do is try to get him to go potty. He will figure it out.

Blessings, J.

I was told by a mother of six to not even start the aggravation of serious potty training until they're 2 1/2. One can ask, but if they say "no" just accept it and go about your business. As she put it "I went through 6 months of torture with my first 4 (starting at 2) and finally figured out on the 5th child to wait until 2 1/2 and it only took 3 weeks." She also told me "When they're ready it'll happen." and that boys take longer. (I have 26 month old twins, boy & girl, the girl is more open to the possibility, but still not 100% into it.) I just set my timer and ask if they want to go potty.

27 months is awfully early for a boy to potty train, I would just wait until.... Until he can "hold it" for a couple of hours, until he's waking up from naps dry, until he starts talking about the potty, until he is truly ready. If you try too soon, it will become a battle, and he will win, no one can "make" him pee or poop if he doesn't want to. My son is three in two days and he still chooses to poop in a diaper - the few times I've told him he needs to at least sit on the potty and "try," it has caused him to become constipated for days and then we have a whole new issue. When they're ready, they'll let you know. That's the hardest part of parenting for me, letting the child have total control over something.

Boys take longer. Experts are saying up to age four now. It's still really early to be worried. If he's not ready I'd say take your cues from him. Otherwise it's a huge battle and it's ugly. The voice of experience here. I pushed and I regret it.