Potty Training - Springfield,IL

I purchased the "3 day" method too. You know that saying if it is to good to be true it probably is...well there you go. Do it at HER readiness otherwise you will waste a lot of time, patience, and stress over something that will come a lot easier when SHE is ready. Good luck!

I have done this with my 1st (son, now 14) and 3rd (daughter, now 3) child, who both weren't "into" going on the potty. It wasn't working at first until I had the kids "clean up" their messes. My oldest (18 months old) was trained in 2 days and my daughter (20 months old) in 3 days. The key is that you dedicate yourself to be at home (minus running out to pick up the kids at school or very quick errands) and allow your child to focus on it. We couldn't do this during football or baseball seasons, as we were on-the-go too much.
This did not work for "going #2" The kids were ready at different times for this and I didn't use any special methods for them. I just noticed their "tells" and would ask.
Once my kids were trained, my daughter had no problem wearing her new "princess panties" (pull-ups). However, my son wanted to go commando... but he didn't have other siblings to compare himself to... and let's be frank - he is a typical boy!!!
GOOD LUCK!

My daughter is 20 months old and we have just started potty training. At first, I thought she may be a bit young, but then I noticed the signs that she gave me. First, she started noticing how EVERYONE went to the bathroom. Then she started going through the wiping motions at every diaper change. After that, she would tell us when she had pooped. I immediately went a bought her a potty chair. Everytime I would go to the bathroom, she would sit on her potty. We've been doing that for about a month now, and she's never peed on the potty...until about a week ago. Before she got into the bath tub, I asked her if she had to potty and she went. We made a big deal about her going in the potty and gave her an M&M and she was so excited. She has never had an interest in sitting on the big potty....until yesterday, my niece came over (she's 3) and my daughter watched her go to the bathroom on the big potty. Last night she's gone to the bathroom twice now on the big potty. I guess I'm telling you all of this because I think as parents we put SO much pressure on our children to use the potty and I really feel like when they're pressured like that, it's no fun and they don't want to do it. I have no intentions of turning this into a stressful situation for her and will just watch for her cues and let her train herself. Granted, it may take some time, but she's worth it. And in the end, I think it will be a lot less stressful for me too!

Good luck!

Yep, I did it with my youngest in one day. He was 2 1/2. He was naked in the living room and we watched movies, drank ALOT and recieved 1 M&M each time he peed. It did however take about a month before he could do it while wearing pants. I feel if you teach one step at a time it is easier. If your daughter can already pull her pants down then you have one step done already. The nakedness helps because you actually have a chance to get her on the potty. I do have hardwood floors so the mess was no big deal. My son was ready as well because he only peed on the floor twice. You could put her in underware but have a few pairs in waiting. My thing was to teach him to do all by himself that way communication isn't a factor because my son wasn't very easy to understand. I started PT my daughter at 2yo and she didn't train till 2 1/2 yo, that is why I waited with my son.

I potty trained my eldest this way- in 3 or so days, naked from the waist down around her 19-20 mth. I don't knowwherethe3 months comes in, because I never came across this anywhere, but that does seem unusually long. For us, it was during the summer(easy to go bottomless) and we told daughter what the plan was and got her special potty, big gilr panties (for the reward after). I was skeptical, but I didn't really know of another way to do it. I will say that we did have a few accidents during the 1st couple of days, like one big pee accident on the couch, but by day 3or 4, that was it! She was letting me know when she had to go and she refused a diaper during naps, saying she was a big girl. We did not ever have to go back to diapers after that and by day 5, she was back in shorts. I have no idea what the purpose of no pants for3 months is. It seems far too long, I believe most kids will get this in about 3-5 days. I plan to do the same when my baby is ready for this as well. For us it was easy and even though I had to spend $100 to clean the couch, well worth it. Just go for it-I think you'll find what to do and for how long will be mostly dictated by your daughter. Good Luck!

I used one of the 3 day ones and found it worked great. Consistency was the key. I had tried pull ups and the just letting them sit in front of the TV with the potty chair naked, but that did not work on my strong willed girl. As I recall the program I used had HER throw the remaining diapers out and then into panties from there on in (day and night). You asked "are you dry" and not "Do you need to go potty?" In 3 days she was going pee by herself for the most part with just a few accidents. (Plan on renting a carpet steamer after-Rug Dr. from Ace hardware works great). Bowel movements took about a week and a half, but got there too. So long as she can wake up dry after being put to bed without drinking about an hour beforehand, she is probably ready. Good luck. It is an adventure.

Forget that naked 3 month stuff. That shows them they can pee anywhere, anytime. A cool breeze would cause them to piddle down their legs while playing, running, etc. How counterproductive. Start taking her to the bathroom when you have to go potty and let her watch and HEAR what you're doing. Praise yourself out loud and clap your hands happily. Then show her in the potty what you did and fluch and wash your hands. You can teach her all at once. If she goes then you react the same way. Happy excitement! Pick her up and hoot and hollar. Swing her around. Enjoy these years mommy. Take her to the potty every time she drinks or gets excited over something to avoid accidents. Make a chart for her weekly accomplishments and put a smiley face on each time she potties and a frown on the accident times. Makes sure you frown when she accidents. If she has more smileys than frowns at the end of the week, give her a special treat so she learns that we earn a treat for our accomplishments in life.

I've never heard of three months. Maybe three days. I always start mine out naked for a day or two. I've trained three thus far and they all figured it out in a few days. When you start them out naked it is so that when they pee pee or poo poo you can tell them what they are doing and then sit them on the potty immediately. They only need do it a few times to figure it out and then you go to teri cloth panties or just big kid underwear at that point.

Warning though. Don't use pull-ups for anything but trips to the store. Pull-ups confuse a child and they figure out soon that they are glorified diapers and will take weeks if not months to train. I've seen kids in pull-ups for a year or more at four years old. They are a terrible way to train a child.

Just get the teri cloth pants, plenty of carpet cleaner and paper towels. Carry the potty chair around the house and watch them for signs they are going potty. After a day or two naked you shouldn't have much trouble with going pee pee on the potty. The poopies take a little longer, but I think that isn't that hard if you keep a close eye on your child for a week or so. Figure out their routine.

Everything I've read lately says that mom's should start to try at around 18 months. I guess in Europe they never wait as long as we do here in the states. The conventional wisdom that is developing now says they longer you wait the harder it is.

I trained my oldest at 26 months in a week. My second at 28 months in about a week. The third at 19 months to go pee pee on the potty in a week, but poopies took about a month before she didn't have any accidents.

I wouldn't worry about her being too young. If she can say any word to get across that she needs to go potty, even if it is just holding herself...then you can train her. She doesn't have to be able to talk.

Hi S.! I used a method by a British nanny "Potty Training in One Week" by Gina Ford. She's huge there apparently. Let me tell you, it did NOT happen in one week. It all sounded good, but I think it just depends on your kid. I started my boy out at 2 years and one month. Maybe if he was 3 yrs he would have trained in a week, but who knows. Anyways, it's helpful to use this book or any other as guidelines for how to proceed, but don't dismay if it doesn't work out exactly. We used training underwear (slightly thicker than underwear). No pull ups ever - just a "special cushion" on the stroller/car seat and we made a big deal about how it was his special cushion to give him incentive to keep it dry - and he's never had an accident in it. Anyways, we kept the potty chair in the room with us for the first few days until he started figuring out he needed to put his pee there. After he started getting it, we slowly moved the chair closer and closer to the bathroom, and eventually he was in there. Once that was established we introduced the potty seat on the toilet.
The first few days there were many accidents and for the first 3 weeks we didn't go very far from home, if at all. He "regressed" sometimes too, after a few days of good progress, which is confusing, but eventually I learned that that is normal. It's been 3 months now and I'd say he's doing really well! He goes at other people's houses and on public toilets.
Poop came a bit slower, though, so be prepared for that. At this point he's doing pretty well with poop, but there are still times he struggles with the concept (a bit scared) but we're seeing progress so we're not worried. Hope this helps...the key is that there will be ups and downs and it probably won't follow whatever program you are using exactly. But if it does for you, all the best!
A.

23 months may be too young - is she able to communicate with you when she needs to go? Does she have an interest in the potty? No hurt in trying, just remember that if she gets frustrated or is not interested, to wait awhile and try again another time. 3 monhts without pants is ridiculous; it should take a few days if and when SHE is ready.
Good luck!