Help on Potty Training

Hi E.,
Here begins the great adventure....just kidding, it can be tough though. Here are some suggestions from my experience with potty training:
*Unless he has had a BM, change him in the bathroom (most of the time this can happen while he is standing up..takes practice, but easy once you get it)
*Have him push down his own pants and take off his diaper
*To begin, have him sit on the potty...you may want to find a seat that has one of those guards so you don't get sprayed until he learns how to point it down. Standing to go peepee is a more advanced skill although some boys start that way...just have to see what your son does.
*Once he has tried or gone (of course do a happy dance or something to celebrate), have him pull up his clothes once you have put the diaper on.
*Praise him for having a dry diaper, not for trying to sit on the potty...
*You may set a timer for him to remember when to try again...he will love turning an egg timer (of course adjusted by mom afterwards)
*Do not get into a power struggle...be relaxed about it.
*I would not introduce underwear until he is showing signs of being successful.
Hope these tips help.
Happy Training,
K.

I used to teach at a daycare and I was the potty training teacher!! The best way to do it is a no pressure approach! Set your child on the potty every two hours and wait for about five minutes and see what happens. Sitting down at first for a boy can make it easier. Also take him to the potty after her goes if its a BM and flush the poo poo (if it doesn't scare him). If you want him to pee pee standing up, try putting fruit loops in the potty and have him aim at them. Relax too, he will do it when he is ready! GOOD LUCK! If you have anymore questions, write me a message!

Well, I have not started potty training myself however from the research done, family and friend advice, the potty you would like your son to use should be in the bathroom NOW. (our plan is once he is walking well his potty will be in each house bathroom. He (as recommeded) will be working on pulling up/down his own pants and underwear. With my nephews letting them pick out their unders at the store helped my sister a lot. Each time you go potty so should he, at least TRY! Same with daddy. It's best if him and daddy have a "PANTY WEEKED" once he is getting the idea of what he is to do. The whole weekend (aside from bedtime) it's only uderwear. When they wet themselves ask them if they remember how they felt before they got wet and tell them that feeling means "POTTY TIME." Make it a PARTY introduce a treat (my mother chose to use m&m's). She gave us one when we went in general then went down to when we said we had to go and went, then went down to only when we did a #2. Make it a positive thing and if frustration peaks around the corner ... give it a day or two of diapers and go back to panty time. During the week days schedule an hour or two at home for Panty time as well. With boys it might be easier if daddy is heavily involved the first few weeks. Having the right plumbing helps a lot. Good luck, dont get frustrated, and if either one of you get there ... take a few days off it will only make him want to run away from the potty ad that's the last thing you want.

I've learned that going potty is more about independence than about bladder and bowel control. Start teaching him to pull his pants up and down on his own, let him undress himself at bathtime, etc. Give him every opportunity to practice. You might want to put him in pull-ups and he can practice pulling them off and on at diaper changing time. Once he's pretty good at dressing/undressing himself (this could take a month or two), introduce the potty. We usually introduce the potty by having them sit on it before getting in the bathtub. We did it that way with our daughter, and we have also done it with our son (22 mo). He regularly pees in the potty before and after his bath. He's not quite 2, so I expect we'll be in a holding pattern at this stage for a couple months. From our experience with our daughter, and from what countless friends tell me, all this potty stuff really clicks when kids are 2 1/2. Literally, almost to the day, friends tell me the dressing/undressing, much fewer accidents, etc. all come together at 2 1/2.
When it's time for underwear (he's good at dressing and undressing, and he is comfortable using the potty), I'd clear a couple days on your calendar (my sister-in-law took a 4-day weekend) to stay home all day, stock up on juice boxes or kool-aid or whatever he likes to drink, and put him in underwear. You'll have a couple days with a LOT of accidents. After that, he should start getting the idea. In the beginning he'll still need a diaper or pull-up for naps and bedtime, but don't use them any other time. When you go underwear, you use them all the time - even if you're running errands. Just take a couple changes of clothes with you everywhere and make it a habit to take him potty before you get in the car and as soon as you arrive at your destination (welcome to the joy of a toddler in a public restroom).
And, of course, remember to always be positive and don't get into the control battles. Accidents happen. You should try to handle them with empathy rather than anger -- say things like "Oh! I see you've had an accident." or "Looks like you didn't make it to the potty in time." and "Don't worry, we have dry clothes for you." "Let's work on making to the potty on time next time, would it help if I set a timer to remind you?" etc. Just make sure you have a good carpet and upholstery cleaner on hand, and reward yourself (and your house) with professional carpet and upholstery cleaning when potty training is over.
And don't fret if you have a "false start" -- he won't be scarred for life if you start potty training and it's not quite the right time.
Good luck!