How to Potty Train 30 Mos. Son?

I have not started my son yet (only 17 months old), but I did the 3 day potty guide with my daugher at 29 months (almost his samge age). Basically you just put him in big boy underwear (never use pull ups or diapers). Tell him all day long "Don't forget to let me know when you need to go potty". Each time he has an accident rush him to the potty. Do the same for poopy. After 3 days something just clicks and they just start going. I was so doubtful that it would work and by the second day I was ready to just give up (tired of cleaning up messy panties)and so was she. She would tell me just put a diaper back on me I just keep peeing on myself. Then I knew there was no way I could give up I stuck in there and by the 3rd day she was potty trained. Poop took longer, but with some kids it just does so don't worry. She never wore anything ,but panties so I really think this helped. Even at night no accidents. She has been potty trained for almost 6 months now YEAH!!!

First of all, don't bother with pull-ups. They know that it is basically a diaper and they could care less about peeing or pooping in them. It is a waste of money and it PROLONGS potty training which is not fun for mom! My sons both preferred the potty chair that actually fits on the big potty. The free standing potty chairs they didn't like and really were messy and a hassle. My 19 month old is potty training right now and even though he is young, he still prefers to sit on the big potty. Go and buy some thick GERBER training pants - not the plastic kind, but the thick cotton training pants. They absorb most of the liquid. And most importantly, start training them on a weekend where you don't plan to leave the house. ANd DON'T look back and go back and forth from big boy pants to diapers. It totally will send the wrong message. And lastly, be prepared for the nasty accidents that are going to happen. If you don't already own a spot carpet cleaner - like the Spot Bot - buy one! It is truly necessary, because accidents are going to happen. I applaud you for spending you Labor Day on this adventure! It is so worth it to getthem out of diapers. I learned a lot from potty training my first and thank heavens my second loves being a big boy...as #3 will be here in September and I am praying that we only have 1 in diapers!

I potty trained in the child care setting for YEARS. These are some ideas I shared with my moms.

Talk about it with your son starting NOW (decide what you will call it and begin using those words A LOT). Speak about it as the most positive and exciting thing he will do. Let him know what a BIG boy he is becoming.

Allow your hubby to take him into the bathroom with him (have hubby hold your son and look down or have him sit on the counter and hold his feet from kicking while daddy "goes"; it keeps little hands from getting in it or faces getting splashed).

Get a potty stool and a seat adapter (makes toilet fit little bottoms so they do not fall in and become fearful). Also, a TV tray to keep in the bathroom for a 10 to 15 minute sit on the potty and a bin for toys that can stay in the bathroom (I recommend books that can wipe off and wooden puzzles that can be easily done on the TV tray or some coloring books).

One thing you may think about getting is a potty training doll. You can use tootsie rolls for the doll's poops (worked like a charm for my boys).

I agree that the pull ups are a waste of money. Get thick underwear (training underwear) and show him that the store carries the "special big boy underwear with characters". Use this as an incentive that you will let him pick those out when he goes a week without an accident (or no more than 2).

Don't get upset when an accident happens or it will draw negative attention to it. Just use it as a learning experience that he will have to help to clean up the mess. Show him how to hang up this soiled clothes, wipe himself with a wipe, and get some fresh clothes (keep them in a low drawer for easy access by him).

Be patient. Be patient. Be patient. It is a learning experience for BOTH of you.

Good luck! :o)

Blessings,

P. <><

P.S. One trick for going in public is to have your son stand on your feet to reach the toilet (so he does not have to sit on a public toilet -- GROSS).

I took a week of vacation to train my son so he could attend Mother's Day Out. He needed the socializing with other children since my in-laws watched him. I do not remember the name of the book but I found it in the public library in Garland. The title was based on training in a week or something like it. Suggestions were to buy the Gerber thick training underwear, potty chair if you so choose, their favorite juice, big boy character underwear, a plastic underwear cover used only if you need to leave the house, calendar, star stickers (any they like), plastic cover/water resistant cover for the bed they sleep in. You need to begin first by speaking to them about what you will be doing with them. Lots of praise that they are growing into a big boy and the next step is big boy underwear. You need to take them with you when you buy the character underwear allowing them to choose which ones they want. Before going they need to understand that the only way they get to wear them is to stay dry in the training underwear. You need to teach them what dry and wet & dirty means. The day you start potty training, put the training underwear on, have them touch the front of them and explain they are dry and they need to stay that way. Explain the way they stay that way is to go potty like a big boy in the bathroom. Try to explain urge to go. It's mostly up to you to help them learn that one. Tell them in training they get to drink lots of water. About 10-20 minutes after drinking take them to the potty to try. Have them feel the front of the undies and praise them for staying dry. If they have an accident and pee then have them feel the wet and explain in a positive way they need to stay dry. Take note of the time they evacuate their bladder or have the accident. Remind them after an accident of the goal to stay dry so they can wear big boy underwear. Have the Calendar by the toilet and each time they go in the toilet they get to place a sticker. No stickers for the accidents. Let them flush the potty and say bye. Keep feeding them juice/water/liquids thru the day keeping watch on the time. Help them to identify the urge each time they pee. They will get it, you are giving them choices and goals and children are bright and they do want to please us too. You need to cut off the high amounts of liquid a couple of hours before bedtime. Put them to bed in the training underwear but first to the bathroom to go potty. Identify now before you get started on potty training how many hours before bedtime you need to cut off liquids to have a dry morning diaper. Or at least one that isn't totally saturated. It is important anyone in the house that tends to the childs needs knows the cutoff time for your child's success. My son was trained by day three, he had one day accident because I was distracted but he told me he knew he was wet. He had one accident in the bed when my husband thought I was being silly cutting liquids off so early. He got to do the cleanup on that one, whose silly. You might be surprised that your mate may not be ready for your child to grow up and do things to stop the process. Sad to say but this does happen. Talk with them so you are both on the same page. Before you start the training process in training underwear have them go in with your husband, uncle, grandpa to learn what to do when they start standing up. Oh, I got creative and used cheap thin paper towels drawing a target on them for my son to aim at when he began to stand. Do not allow them to sit their private on the rim, accidents of lids slamming on them have occurred and germs are there. Be mindful to teach them to always wash their hands afterward singing the abc song twice before drying. Best of luck to you. I'd love to hear of your success.

I've gone through this with 3 boys and now with 1 27 month old girl. The girl is so much easier, so far. My daughter-in-law is Asian. She trained her son in record time the Asian way: he wore a long shirt and nothing else around the house. He is 3 and completely trained with big boy underwear and all. I like the thick training pants. My girl likes to pull them down herself. She also likes using the big potty much better than the potty chair I thought I HAD to have. Don't start and then stop to start up again later. It sends the wrong signals. Observe your boy closely. Talk about how well he is doing and how fun it is to grow up. Encourage him when he tries more big boy things (like games and sharing and chores). Include talking about going potty as just another big boy activity. Have him feel when he is wet and smell when he is messy, not as punishment just as fact. (Only need to do it once.) Talk about how much better it is to be clean and dry. Ask him several times a day if he needs to go potty. If he just doesn't see the difference, I'd suggest waiting a couple of weeks even if it doesn't fit a schedule. Boys seem to have a harder time equating a full bladder with needing to stop the flow in time to make it to the bathroom. I told my girl when I needed to go potty and encouraged her to go with me and try too. (That is how I started with her using the potty chair.) We are still in the reminder stage but she surprises me fairly often now and shouts, "Potty!" as she is running to the bathroom. Best advice: LOTS OF LOVE and PATIENCE.

You don't need to buy anything. You can buy a potty chair if you want one; some people like them, some don't. My boys liked them when they were first learning, but only for a very short amount of time, and only for peeing. We skipped pull-ups altogether and went cold-turkey, straight to underwear. Don't be surprised if he isn't really ready yet. Some boys are ready at 2.5 or younger, but many aren't ready until 3.5 or so. Give it a try and see how he does. If it doesn't work, you might think about stopping and trying again later. Have fun with both of your boys! :-)

the only two things i can tell you for sure is he may not be ready for another year or more and that the 3 day method does NOT work unless you use it over the long run. the 3 day method is just a jump start thing, not an end to the diapers.

look on www.askdrsears.com for his suggestions....they were SO helpful. I love his sight and all he shares. The potty training was right on with my older daughter...and it has taken pressure off on my second....

I haven't dealt with this yet, but I've read previous posts where the moms had the boys wear their underwear UNDER the pull-ups so they could feel what it was like to be wet without the mess. Thought it sounded like a great idea! :)

Good luck!