Potty Training - Mount Prospect, IL

My daughter will be 3 in july. Part of my problem is/was that her teacher was too lazy to sit her on the potty. For the fact that we are there 5 days a week out of the 7 makes it really hard to just do it on the weekends! Anyway I brought in a package of pullups and warned the teacher this is the last package I'm buying for here, I will bring in one a day for naptime only(if i brought more than one a day she would put them on her) and then after those were gone last week I brought in 3 pairs of underwear and 3 pair of shorts and here you go. She had one accident that first day none the second day, was home w/ hubby half a day and had 2(he's learning too lol) and I think one since then) She's slowly getting there.
But on a side note she was telling me all the time I'm poopy I'm soaked ect.... so I knew she was probably ready. Plus she was changing her own wet pullups lol....This will only work if they are really ready. good luck
H.

She's too young! Oh my gosh.

I would wait until she has interest in the potty. You are setting yourself up for a major power struggle and you will lose, because only she has control over her bowels and bladder.

I had the same issue with my son and it wasn't until I totally gave up talking about it, giving him treats, bribes, etc. (but I left the potty in the middle of the family room) that he came to me one day and announced he would use the potty and we never looked back. No accidents, nothing.

I would wait. Really. She's waaaay too young.

My daughter is about the same age. My son was the same way. I tried everything, but the only thing that worked was when I stopped talking about, stopped doing any kind of potty training. About a month later, he just decided he was potty trained, and that was that. With my daughter, I ask her every once in a while and talk about it a little bit, but I am not going to "work" on it or do any of the prizes. My theory, this time, is that it's not going to happen until she's ready, and I'm not going to put us all through all that again. I have no idea if I'm right, of course, because I think every child is different, but this is my theory on this one. Eventually she will be potty trained. Forcing it just makes more work and stress for everyone.

K.,

My daughter will be three in July. Taking advice from my stepmother, mother in law, and babysitter (all experienced mothers and grandmothers) I put my daughter in panties and let her wet herself and feel the sensation of being wet and icky. I kept her in the kitchen where there is no carpet and the cleaning is easy, and made her help when she had an accident. Within three days, she was using the potty regularly. I had been sitting her on the potty for a few months with hit or miss success. Now we only use panties during the day and pull ups at night. It also helped that I got a Sesame Street potty seat that goes over the regular toilet. She loves to use it. I also used the term "big girl" a lot. She is about the right age to learn. Good luck and be patient!

I'm a Grandma now..to a grandson 8 mos. old.. If life has taught me anything about kids.. it's that peer pressure works surer and faster than any begging adult. Ask for help from your older 2. Yes.. you do have a lot to teach your children..and parents are needed to teach all the best things in life.. but don't ever forget the power of peers !!
My youngest has downs, ..it was difficult to teach him anything as an adult..but his brother and sister had a ball teaching him things. He's 21 now.. and still his brother and sister LOVE teaching him new things. And yes .. I was smart enough to supervise what they taught him so they wouldn't be teaching him the wrong kind of things.
But ask your older two. It sometimes can make them feel more important to think they can help you do something you have difficulty with yourself. I really loved having my "helpers" around. And they loved being asked..( not told) to help.
Also remember ..it is potty training.. 2-3 and occasionally 4( for nights) are normal potty training ages.. All kids have thier own scheduals. Power struggles usually only make things worse. With my 1st..( a girl) She thought of Potty as a toy. If she wore something ( diaper or panties or pull up ) on her bottom..she wet. HER trick..I discovered..was that if she had nothing ( I dressed her in dresses for a short bit.. like a week) she'd hit the potty every time. So in the summer..it was warm enough.. I put her in a dress at home.. and praised her every time I caught her useing the potty. It was a week.. but then we never had the problem again..panties were worn..and she never had another accident. She was a fast learner at everyhting.. she trained at 2 1/2. Good luck..

My daughter have started using the toilet at 2-1/2 and 2. I do a week of naked time. No clothes (maybe a short t-shirt if it's winter) but no undies, no pants ect. I have three choices in potties. the big one and two little ones. I keep one little one in the bathroom by the big potty and the other floats to whever we are. You have to be attentive. I set a timer and I offer every 10-15 minutes and we read books about the potty and watch any videos. we talk about it a lot. "where does pee go?" and thye have all chimed in "In the potty!!" Basically you ahve to be constantly playing with around them to watch and help them learn signals. After about 5 days (one was 3 days) we begin wearing underwear. This is harder as they relate it to a diaper and because their attention span is short the siply forget. When we first go out I leave their underwear on and put a diaper OVER. That way they really feel it if they pee and they can see.. "Oh no I peed on my pretty flower underwear!" (or whatever it is) I don't make a big stink about accidents. they ARE going to happen. I jsut say "Where does pee go?....NOOOO pee on the floor." and i have them help me clean it up. They have to hold a paper towel and wipe it up with me. Of course i do all the real work and sanitization - but they have a role in cleaning their own mess, just like they have a role in wiping. When they are successful we have a potty dance and a sort of cheer.

Good luck. I don't have any book suggestions, I never read any on the topic. It can be draining - just depends on the child and of course you are on house arrest for a week. But i really feel it's better b/c pull ups and diapers to eliminate in send mixed messages. Mine have all been so different.

I started potty training my daughter at about the same age. She was really good during the day, but needed a diaper/pull-up at night. After telling my daughter that diapers were going away for good once our current pack was used, I resigned myself to night-time messes and laundry and didn't buy more. I told her if she made a mess she would have to clean it up, which she did. She didn't like the feeling of being wet or dirty, or having to take a sponge-bath in the middle of the night (we did it in the winter and she was cold) and now is 100% potty trained. Good luck!

I had the same problem with my oldest. Actually, she would poop on the potty, but loved the convenience of peeing in her diapers. Finally the "diaper fairy," came and took all her diapers away. I gave her lots of time to prepare. I talked about it every day and that once the diaper fairy came, she would have no more diapers. I know it's bold, but like you I was starting to feel she was never going to train. I had heard about this from someone else. I did continue to use pull-ups at night for a while. This worked for me. My daughter was a little over 3 years. I've found that 3 is the magic number for all my children. You still have a couple of months, so don't despair.

set a date to be a No More Diaper Party. Talk up that date. On that day have a cake, sing a song (make one up) and celebrate that the diapers are only for if she is sleeping now. Then go to undies.

Understand that the first week may be tons of accidents, that's ok, just use those plastic underwear pants over her undies. After a bit she'll get it and you'll be done.

Hi K.,

I'm also going through this right now with my daughter who will be 3 in June. I took the advice of a neighbor and kept a potty chart with stickers. Took her months to get 5 stickers. I then told her that when she got 5 more, she could go to Toys R Us with daddy and get something. It took her 2 days! Then after another 5 stickers, she wanted to go again. I thought we had it down, but then after she only got ice cream for her 5 stickers, she now only goes when she wants.

Oh well.

I see that you work part-time nights. I'm in health care and have to go to the part-time night shift next week. I'm really worried about it and how I will function the next day with an almost 3 yo and a 15 month old at home too. Any advice? I will probably stay up with them and nap when they do?

V.

Hi K. - I potty trained my daughter at 3. PLEASE read Toilet Training in Less than a Day by Nathan Azrin. I used it on my super stubborn daughter and she was indeed potty trained in 1 day - actually about 6 hours! It was calm and relaxing and it was not at all a power struggle. I would never have been able to do it without the book! And she was so proud of herself when she learned to go on the potty!!! It took until the next day for her to make a bowel movement in the potty, but that's usually the drill with kids - making number 2 in the potty can be scary. But I highly recommend the book and it helps you with all that information - when the child is ready, how to do it, using charts and rewards.....Best wishes!
E.

My daughter would use the potty at 17 or 18 mos., because her older sister was. Never forced the issue, I felt she was probably a bit young to TELL me when she had to go. Then at age 2, I tried, but she just was not interested. She'd go, if you put her on, but would not tell you if she needed to. And there were times I tried every 45 minutes all day, some days good some days not....
She turned 3, and about a month later walked downstairs with an armful of her panties and said "I think I will wear panties today". THAT WAS IT. She did, NO accidents, not even at night. Kept her in Pull Ups about 3 weeks at night and every morning she was dry. It will happen in time, I know you are anxious to have her trained, I am now trying to get my 2 yr. old son interested with no luck...but keep encouraging her, she'll do it soon! Have the older kids encourage her as well, and even though she is your baby, start using that "big girl" phrase a lot. I am trying myself, my lil' guy is our last....:) Good luck!

I have not potty trained yet (my oldest is 2 1/2), but I wanted to pass on advice given to me by our Pediatrician. He said at this age we could spend weeks potty training and pushing it or we could wait until she's 3 and it will be done in a matter of days. I talk to her about it all the time, offer the potty but I don't push it. I'm hoping his advice works so I'm not going to stress us all out over it for now. Good luck and let us know what works!!

I am a true believer in just putting them in regular pants and only using the pull ups at night. It will require more work from you but kids are just dependent on pull ups. My son has Down syndrome and I could not get him trained. I quit using the pull ups and it was a week and he was trained. If we can it do you can too! Sounds like she is ready if she goes at times.

Good luck with the training. The book from the other post sounded good as well!

R.
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Baby Crazy
www.iambabycrazy.com/R.