Ok, so I have never done the potty training thing before. I have two boys. The oldest is 2 1/2 and it is time to start potty training. We have had him sit on the toilet many times. At first he was scared to sit on it. Now he is past that and will sit on the toilet for a minute or two without crying to get off. My question is.. HOW do I get him to pee? He has actually asked to "go pee" a couple of times. So I would take him and he would sit on the toilet for a minute and then he would say "all done." He has never actually peed in the toilet. I don't even know that he knows what it really means. He has watched my husband and I use the toilet many times. (open door policy) His babysitter had him sit on a potty chair in the kitchen and told him he could have a cookie if he went pee. He sat there for a whole hour (without complaining) and NOTHING! Like I said we are new to this and don't know what to do next. I have a feeling that once he knows what the toilet is for and how to use it that he will actually like being potty trained. He hates to be messy. I would appreciate your advice from those of you who have been there/ done that. Thank you!!!
I would try the Love and Logic approach. Kids always do the opposite of what you tell them to do. So, I would say to him "Don't you dare go pee on the toilet!" In a fun voice. Or, "I bet you can't go pee on the toilet".
I don't think he's ready yet to be honest , by all means let him sit on the potty/toilet if he asks but don't be surprised that he produces nothing , when they are ready and they really want to do it , it is a very easy process and quite quick , if you have a child that cries on the toilet and acts scared then it's because they are and they are not ready , and the whole process takes longer and is more stressful than it needs to be.
"It is time to start" can be words of doom to the process. Most kids experience the quickest success with the least stress when they are the ones to lead the process. And they will when they are ready, just as they decide when they are ready to walk and talk. Toilet control is just as natural, and just as variable in age of success. Though boys occasionally train earlier, most won't have the physical, nervous, or cognitive maturity (potty training involves all three) until around age 3 at the earliest, and often a year or so later.
Be aware that night pee training often happens later as a separate step. Poop training is also a separate set of sensations and issues, and can also happen later than pee training (though some parents report that it happens first).
How about just taking him to the potty when he asks? When he's "all done," tell him you are glad he tried. It's a whole different set of sensations than peeing in a diaper, and forcing it won't make that part of it happen any faster. And can, in fact, slow down the process if the child ends up feeling resistant, or like a failure.
My daughter trained in about a week when she was eager and motivated, at around 2.5. My grandson, when ready, trained in around two weeks, at about half a year older. When the child is ready, and interested, he'll pretty much train himself with the parents' support and encouragement. Rewards and punishments prove to be largely unnecessary when the little guy is motivated to become a big boy and get to wear those big-boy undies.
The first thing to do, is to talk about it for a few weeks before you actually start training. Talk about it alot, that way he will know what's coming. Get a potty chair and put it on the bathroom floor and let him explore it.
Put him in training pants such as the Gerber training pants. Let him wet on himself. This will help him realize what he is doing when it is running down his legs. It may take a few days to a few months for him to catch on.
Offer prizes for using the potty. For my boys, I gave matchbox type cars. I bought the Maisto Brand at Walmart in a large pack. The average price per car 2 years ago was 46 cents apiece. When my boys would pee in the toilet or potty chair I would give them a car. They did not get a prize unless they put something in the toilet. For bowel movements, I gave a quarter and we saved the in a piggy bank toward a larger purchase, usually $2.50.
Right now for my daughter, I purchased a sticker book from the Dollar Tree and some thick Motion Stickers. If she pees in the toilet or potty chair she gets a sticker for her sticker book. If she has a bowel movement, she gets a 50 cent doll outfit from the Dollar Tree that fits three of her dolls.
It doesn't sound like he is ready, but if he is good going to the potty, let him. One day, he may actually pee while on there, and will be so excited - just practice pointing himself down. Your shoes will be thankful.
I am one that lets my son lead in this process, so I would just keep offering, or reacting and let him enjoy the time. We play with bath toys and practice letter, and sing songs while in there. If he says we are done, we are done. But, if he is wearing underwear, then he has to "try" every time we say so.
Oh, and the biggest thing I did (once he was ready, but not consistent) was to get underwear like daddy's.
Hiya. For the longest time my son just sat on the potty and did nothing too. Here's something that did get the idea clicking in his head. Every morning, we would wake him and plonk him on the potty before anything else was done. We reasoned that he would definitely have a full bladder after a full night's sleep and peeing would come pretty naturally. It did and after that, it was a matter of putting him on the potty every 11/2 or 2 hours and telling him to stay the till something trickled. For the first few days, nothing happened during the day and we had a number of wet patches but after a few days of going in the morning, he finally got the idea and can now pee on command if his bladder has anything. The next step we figure will be to get him to tell us when he needs to go potty rather than the other way around.
I would set a timer and take him every 15-30 minutes to start with. Tell him to try to go in the potty and if he doesn't go that's fine. No pull ups and no diapers and just put little underwear on him. IF he does have to go then he will get wet if he doesn't go in the potty. He will then get the idea of what is happening. Tell him that is good that he went but he needs to go in the potty and then take him to sit on it. Don't punish for getting wet if he does but say this is not what he is to do next time. You may have to do this several times. I would not ever make him sit on the potty for an hour. Too long. I potty trained most of my boys, and one grandson I babysat, at 2 years and 8 months or so and I think that is a perfect age to do it. You may give him a few more months but don't wait too long and if you start for real, do not stop. Then he's going to think he can start and stop if he wants to. I gave some of my kids a small snack treat, like a miniature marshmallow or something like that, one wanted to pick a small gift after he was completely potty trained, some did stickers on a chart. You know your son and what he'd prefer and tell him this is for doing a good job. But just be patient and he will catch on. I had a time getting one or two of mine to actually go too and they were willing to sit on the potty too. It will happen but in the meantime don't quit. I think the underwear will be the main thing to make him understand that he gets wet and that should go in the potty and not on him and the floor. Your babysitter needs to be consistent too and on the same schedule you want at home for him.
I can offer no advice but i'm trying to get my son to potty train right now, too, so i just wanted to thank you for asking this question. Good luck with your son!
