Potty Training - Kansas City,MO

It does sound like he's just not ready to use the potty yet. My son (almost 5) was very easy to train at 2 1/2 because he was ready. My best friend's son - who's 1 month younger than mine - took 1 1/2 years longer than mine, simply because he wasn't interested in it yet. What finally got him was realizing that he couldn't go to school like big sister if he wasn't potty trained.

We went without wearing anything as much as we could. They'd just run around the house and yard wearing nothing but a shirt or dress. Its a good time of year for potty training! Neither of my daughters like peeing down their legs, so they quickly got the point. If we were playing outside, I took the potty chair out there too...but for a boy, he could just go in the grass. Once he gets the hang of it, you might just tell him you're out of diapers so he has to wear underwear or nothing. Good luck!

I would say that he is just not ready for potty training. The more you push the issue, the more of a fight it will be. Give it up for a few months and try again. Our son didn't potty train until 3 although we bought the potty chair earlier just in case he showed an interest.

He's probably not ready. Give him time. My son was almost 3. I know the expense is horrible, but give him time. I eventually had to put a jar of my son's favorite candy in the bathroom and he only got one when he went on the potty. Then he refused the little potty - he would only go on the regular one. Don't pressure him. Ask if he wants to try on the big potty. Good luck

I just finished potty training my 3rd boy who is also 2 1/2 years old and my advise is to take off all the clothes and let him be naked for a few days. I had all my son's clean up if they had an accident but didn't make too big of a deal about it. I also never put a diaper on them after I started potty training. We do generic pull ups at night and nap time but that is it. I figure if he sees there is no other choice but to go on the potty he will choose it. Now keep in mind I have 2 that potty trainined easy and my four year old still has accidents if he is doing something he deems to important to stop. Hope this helps and just hang in there I am sure he will get it.

If he's taking the diaper off after he uses it, it sounds like he knows he's going and he doesn't want to wear it. Maybe you could talk to him about how much easier it is to clean up after using the potty rather than going in a diaper. Does he dislike having accidents in his underwear? If he does, then you could just switch him over and he'll figure out to go in the potty. Does he ever see anyone else use the potty? It really helped my daughter to go with me and watch me go. I would tell her what I was doing and talk about how when she was ready she would do it too and not wear diapers anymore.

Have you tried a reward system? Make a big deal over how exciting this is and what a GOOD boy he would be if he went on the big boy potty. (Mine would not use the chair only the stool) Offer a tootsie roll afterwards. Tell him "we can go to the park if you potty first!" Reverse as well, "No we can't go to the park until you potty. Hurry! Let's go potty so we can go to the park! Yeah!" Be excited, make a big deal.
Sure hope it works for you.

Hi L.,

When my son went through this at the same age (well over 20 years ago)I was very surprised, because I had no problems training our daughters.
He would go as far as hiding in his closet and squat in the corner of it with the door closed in order to avoid using the potty.
Our doctor told us this is very common with little boys. Some of them are just shy about the potty. He said to keep our cool. Praise and reward him for success, but don't punish failure.
He's just not ready yet. Some little boys will be as old as 3 or 4 before they start to "get it". It's not that they can't, but it really upsets them.
It doesn't seem like it now, but he WILL outgrow this.
My son is now 24 years old, and I am pretty sure he has not pottied in his pants in a closet for a number of years. :o)
Seriously, he did get trained well before kindergarten. When he is ready, your consistancy and calm patience will pay off and it will seem as if he gets trained over night.

I wish you well. :o)
B.

My son is going to be 3 in July and he's still in diapers. Occasionally he will tell me if he has to poop and he will go sit on the potty but he never tells me if he has to go potty. Everyone says boys are harder but I was really thinking it would be done by now. But his pediatrician and parents as teachers have both told me it will probably be around the time he turns 3 give or take. And the fact that I'm pregnant and due only 2 weeks be4 his 3rd birthday isn't going to help the situation either because even if he does start doing good he will probably regress after the baby gets here. If you sons only 2 1/2 I don't think I would be too worried. Give him some more time, I know how frustrating it is buying diapers still when you think of all the other things that money could be going towards. Good luck.

Takes lots of patience. Did you get him a little potty? You can keep reassuring him that he is a big boy and that big boys use the potty and when you were a baby you had to go in your diaper, but your a big boy now. You can also get him a book on big boys using the potty. I got my son the book "You can go to the potty". It has notes to parents and shows pictures of a little boy on the potty. Its a great book. I know some boys dont even start to train until the age of almost 3. You cant compare one kid to another. All kids are different. Just work with him and keep putting him on the potty, try for a few days then stop and try it again. I did that with my son then one day he came to me with clothes and diaper in hand and say peepee and he peed on the potty. Does he see you and daddy going on the potty. If not let him see you guys going and let him know its not gross and after you go let him flush the toilet and say bye bye peepee/poopoo. Make if fun for him.

When our two boys were potty training, the best way to get them to start was by letting them "pick a tree" outside and they were so happy when they could do it outside (after help from dad)! I know some people don't always think of it as being a good form of training, but when they were training (not for urinating) to get out of diapers, we just put big boy underwear on and told them if they don't go in the potty, they will wash their underwear. It only took once!

What I did with my little one was put a toy in time-out (a garbage bag in the garage) every time she pottied in her pants. We went as far as making her put the toy in the bag herself (very painful for her). She nearly ran out of toys before she realized that if she went in the toilet she got a toy back. Once she grasped the concept, it didn't take long to get her trained. Good luck!

C. B

Hello L.,
I myself had a very similar problem w/ my son. I finally had to come to the conclusion that he just wasn't ready to be in big boy pants. I decided to put him back in his diapers, however I did set a timer to go off every hour or so and took the diaper off and took him to the potty to see if he would go. If he went I would reward him w/ something very small. My son loved gum, so I would give him a piece of gum to chew, but only if he went potty in the stool or potty chair. I waited about two (2) months and tried again w/ just the underwear and no diapers (except at night). That time it did work. He just wasn't mature/ready before. I know the diapers are expensive, but so is your time. I had the very same feelings. I know it is maddening, but just stay calm and cool. I wish you much luck. God Bless, R.

This sounds like exactly what I went through with my son. He might not be ready, my son was 3 before I could get him to pee in the potty. Then he wouldn't do the pooping no matter what! My dr basicly said he would outgrow it but I, like you, got tired of the diaper expense and cleaning out the dirty underwear!! The dr then suggested going exclusively to underwear and letting him stay in the dirty ones for a minute or so before cleaning him up. Well that didn't work for me because he would just take them off. And I knew at this point that he knew what he was doing and that he should go sit on the potty first. I finally started making him clean himself off w/those wet wipes that you can flush. (Obviously we washed hands very well after this.) He then decided it was easier to sit on the potty and let it all fall into the potty rather than get all over his bottom and clean it up! When he did do it I rewarded him with some small toys (cars, 5 m&ms, stickers, happy dances etc.) Less than a week and he was potty trained completely! If you think he is ready, try to find a few days to stay at home and dedicate the time to changing his mind. That was the only thing that worked for me after 6 months of cleaning up poopy underwear! I had to make all alternatives other than pooping in the potty worse! And have lots of patience too! Good luck!

L.,

I was having trouble getting my youngest daughter potty trained. I had several people tell me to just put her in big girl panties. So I finally did because I found when she had a pull-up on she didn't even try. The first week of wearing big girl panties around the house we had lots of messes. I honestly was going crazy with it. But it did work; now she is completely potty trained. It only took 1 week of peeing on herself to get her to finally start using the potty. Now we just wear pull-up at night time but most mornings she is still dry as long as we limit her drinking at night time.

Good luck, I know it can be frustrating but if you have to be patient or it will take even longer.

Hi L.,
My son turned 2 in January and has no interest in the potty chair right now. Sure, physically he can do it, but mentally he's not ready. My two older children both trained around 3
but that's not to say I won't at least try before then. That's all you can really do is try from time to time. My son will say "poop" and when I sit him on the potty he will freeze and want to get down. As soon as I put a diaper on, that's when he'll do it! The best thing I can do right now is not rush him into using the potty chair, he will start when he's ready..but I will encourage it! I have to keep thinking sometime THIS year he will be potty trained, and it will happen for your little guy too! Stay patient, V.