Potty Training - Desert Hot Springs, CA

She isn't ready. If you want to start transitioning her then start with pullups(don't go straight to big girl panties) and take it slow. She won't be in diapers forever.

She's to young for big girl panties. Does she even tell you she has to go to the bathroom with her diaper on? You have to go slow....
I bought a potty that sits on the floor for my 24 month old. I am keeping track of when she is peeing, and asking her if she wants to sit on it and read a book for a little while. I usually do this about 20 minutes after she drinks and when she hasn't had a pee pee diaper in a little while.
I don't expect her to be fully potty trained (in the day)until she is around 3 or a little before. Don't have to high of expectations. Especially when she sleeps.
Let her go at her own pace and never push the issue. All kids eventually get potty trained.
Take care!

Hi S.:
I realize,that there are mothers who believe that their toddlers need their own little potty chair,but when they see you and others in the household using the big potty,they can feel awkward sitting on something different.I found it a lot easier to get my toddlers to use the normal toilet seat. I bought a small portable fitted seat, to fit around the opening so they wouldn't feel they will fall in.This also makes the transition easier for you both,when you are out and about and she needs to use a public bathrooom.The reason your daughter asked to put the diaper back on,is because this takes off the pressure she is feeling,from you.You may not intentionally do this but the disappointment on your face or frustration in your voice when she has an accident in her panties,makes her want to (play it safe) You except her peeing in her diaper.You don't show distain in her doing whats considered the norm in the past. Your daughter's request,tells you that she is feeling pushed. She isn't even 2 1/2 years old yet.She's not ready.It takes children this age time to comprehend,and put together,the urgent feeling with their ability to control their bodily functions. I would keep the diaper off during the day,and allow her to experience the discomfort of wetting herself. This is ultimately how she trains herself.However,you will set her back,if you don't do it with the utmost understanding and patience.Don't act disappointed or upset at her when she has an accident. "We were to late this time" "Lets just put on a fresh pair of your cute new big girl panties" She will have plenty of accidents,but key here is (PATIENCE) you are there to encourage her, to achieve, not to shame her into submission. I wish you and your darlin girl the best.J. M

I say why push? Why some parents out there think a child should be potty trained by a certain age-I believe otherwise that is why we are all different. I have a almost 31/2 yr old girl who is so stubborn and will not go potty all the time, but so be it. I feel she will do it when she is ready-not when I am. I encourage her to go, but do not get discouraged when she does not.Do I feel any less of a mother because she is not using the potty-NO-NOT AT ALL! I never seen anyone walking down the aisle in a diaper. BACK OFF a bit and let her be a kid. L.:)

Hi S.,

We're going through potty learning as well. It's been a very long and slow process. I think it's OK if you want to try as long as you feel your daughter is interested and ready, and snarls like this are normal!

Our son started showing an interest really early on, like around 13 months because he always came in the bathroom with me. Around 15 months, we bought a cushioned chair to go on the big potty and we'd let him sit on that just to satisfy the curiosity. We always just put the diaper back on, whether he went or not. He has a kidney issue and we had to see an urologist around 18 months and when he heard that I had already started letting him use the potty, the doc was really concerned and warned me that if I start too early, he's seen it way too often that kids start holding their pee and getting bladder infections. He said it was OK if we were putting a diaper right back on afterward and not pressuring him.

So, that's what we've been doing until recently (he turned 2 in early February). With the weather getting warmer, I decided to give the full potty learning a shot. For two days, I let him run around bottomless and put his chair within easy reach. He did really well as long as I remembered to remind him to try every 15 minutes or so (except he pooped on the carpet *laugh*). He got a sticker every time he went and got to add it to his sticker collection on his dresser. I tried using underwear, but that was confusing for him at first and he would go in it and did the same thing your daughter did, cried for a diaper! I felt bad and put the diaper on him when he asked. I laid off of it for a few days and then started again and he's been doing great. It's gotten to the point where I can put him in underwear and as long as I remember to remind him to try to go, we don't have any accidents. He's not quite at the point where he remembers to say something every time (mostly only if he's bottomless), so I feel like it's up to me to ask him rather than wait for him to tell me. But, if we do have accidents, I just try to act neutral about it and he helps me clean it up and we move on. I use pull-ups when we're going out for a good amount of time, just so neither one of us has to stress about it. I bought one of those fold-able toilet seat toppers for public restrooms. They have them at Toys R Us. I of course still put diapers on him for nap and bedtime.

Wanna hear our biggest hurdle? Pooping. He has for the longest time mostly only pooped during his quiet time, or he would go off and play quietly and I would know he was pooping. Well now he'll hold it until quiet time when he has a diaper on and go then. I'm not sure how to change that! Anyone have any poop advice for me? Hehe!

Anyway, long story short, if you really feel she's ready, then just try laying off of it for a few days to a week and then start up again slowly. Maybe try when you have a couple of days when you can stay home all day and let her run around without anything on. It might help you to set a timer (for yourself) to remember to remind her to try going every 15 to 20 minutes or so. Then after a couple of days move to 30 minutes, until she's catching on. I bought a potty watch for my son that goes off at specific intervals, but we don't use it regularly. I take it out once in awhile and put it in play mode so he can play with it while he's sitting on the potty.

Hope that helps you get some ideas!

S.,

I totally agree with Julia M.

My son will be 3 in July and while some think I should have him done with potty learning, I feel like he's just now becoming ready. He is excited about reading his potty books and sitting on the potty, and while I got him a potty chair he uses it standing up before bath and sometimes in the morning.

We started with 'potty checks'...just sitting on the potty with no diaper on every hour or so. This is how they encourage kids at his school, and it became a routine for us and now if I forget before lunch when we're home or if Grandma forgets he'll say 'where potty check'. He hasn't actually gone during potty check, but it's the idea that he knows its there.

The advice I've gotten from school and friends, is to make it fun. It should be a rewarding process and not scary or disappointing. If my son doesn't pee when we're doing potty check, I usually same something like 'we'll get it next time' or 'good try, next time if you go we'll get a prize from the box'. I know rewards are not what some use, but it's something my therapist recommended as encouragement. There are times when he pees on the floor during changing time and I say stuff 'like Wow next time let Mommy know and we can try to get make it the potty'.

If my son knows it's not a big deal, then he reacts more positively. I try to think of it less as training, and more like 'learning'. He has gone in diapers/trainers for the last 2.5 years and now, the rules are changing and I don't want him to stress about how that works.

Get some books, (Yes, Potty No, Potty is a favorite and A Potty for Me). Try doing no pressure Potty Checks and get into a routine of showing and trying, rather than jumping in with the expectation she will get it right away. Kids learn best from repitition and example, so let her follow your lead and give her something to work with.

Good luck and best to you!!

Hey S.,

I have 4 children, (16, 14, 3.5 and 21 months) and each one potty trained not only at a different age but in different ways. My oldest is a boy, he was easy to potty train and did it fairly quick by the time he was 3. Now my next, was a girl, and she was hard and was still having small accidents up to age 4. My next, another girl she just recently had 4 accidents in the last 2 weeks, almost to the potty and just not making it in time.

I would wait another 2 maybe 3 weeks or more before trying again, let her tell you when she is ready to be a big girl. Do you have a potty chair or just a donut? I used a small potty chair for my last daughter and now she prefers to use our toilet with the small donut so she won't fall in.

I wish you luck and patience, I know it can be trying times potty training and I still have one more to do! :)

M.

ps.
Can you share with me how you teach Moms to work from home?
here is my e-mail address: ____@____.com Thanks!

Give it up. She is not ready.

I quickly scanned a few of your repsonses so forgive me if it is duplicate, but I say "just wait until she is ready".
Mine did it all by herself just one day when she was about 33 months. I didn't have to deal with accidents or anything. I was always told not to use pull ups as well, they give a false sense of security. We still wore diapers at night until again, she one night said "i don't want diapers anymore". We had a few accidents far apart, but not a big deal.
PS: I would let her watch the DVD Once Upon a Potty for Girls. Mine loved to watch it a lot and I think that is what got her there. NO work for me! ;-)

Do ONLY diapers, no panties, no pull up, etc. Until she BEGS for the potty and panties. She is NOT ready. Save ourself the grief and the possible power play

maybe what you should try to do is get her to sit on her potty with her diaper on first. tell her to go pee while shes on there. then try the next time you take her ask her to take her diaper off and try to go potty with out it. also have her sit on her potty with you while you go potty that may make her see that you do it and she can too.
with my daughter whos 25 months (we have been slowly training since 18m shes regressed a little). we keep her in panties all day andin a pull up for sleeping. i take her potty about every 45 mins (started every 30). i dont use a reward anymore but i did when getting her used to sitting on the potty. now my daughter is the kind that doesnt care if she is wet or not and we are working on keeping her princesses and doras dry (we buy printed panties lol and she only has 1 accident a day out side of sleeping). when its time to try to go potty i tell her jaiden lets go potty and she will tell me no cause she wants to play and i tell her ok fine im going to go. she will yell NOOOOOO! MY POTTY and run by me so she can go before me lol. try to make it a game.
hope this helps good luck!
your daughter may not be ready just yet to potty train if she keeps fighting maybe hold off for a month.

Hi S., I think because she is alreay 26 months, you just need to be firm, like you would about picking up toys, or eating all your food. it's not about her associating panties in a negative light, it's about she pitched a fit and got her way, so she nos if she doesn't want to do somethng, pitch a fit. Good hygene is very inportant and diapers on a child over 2 in my opinion is not good hygene. You've read all the response so I will not go into a long dos and don'ts she;s your child, But I want you to think about this, what happens when she doesn't want to eat, go to bed go to school, you can't not try and help her learn and advance because she doesn't want to. Potty training ned not be a battle, you have parent you have child, which one is in charge. J.

I AM CRACKIN' UP!!! at all the suggestions to wait. Oh, how times have changed over the years. My mother in law just forced US out of diapers (I say us, because I was just as fine with changing them as my 33 month old son was with wearing them) this week and the first 2 days was work. You might do yourself a favor by waiting, although my son's best friend was trained in a day (more or less) before she was 2. I do believe it depends on the kid.
I'm laughing because my MIL would tell you, just call her names like dirty little pig (Oh sure! it sounds a tiny bit cuter in Spanish) and sit her on the toilet kicking and screaming until she goes... 5 out of 6 of her kids were trained as soon as they were walking at 1 year old. The first one got a break and wasn't trained 'til age 3. YES, my husband is a kook as a result. ;)
I do believe that Pull-ups are an unnecessary bridge if your child is ready. I also believe that there is no reason to be anything but positive and encouraging throughout the whole process, whether there be an accident or a success. I used prizes and it worked great. We don't do stickers but I just combed the 99cent stores and Target for any and all of their cool cheap toys. I have a boy so I got lots of animal & dinosaur figurines also sidewalk chalk and a sand pail and a set of dishes with matching fork and spoon... if it looked little (the prize that is) it was for pee and for poo the bigger and better prizes.
Sometimes he's really good about the whole thing and just runs in there and does his business like an old pro and other times I'm in there coaching or even just explaining that the reason you pooped your pants yesterday is because you wouldn't just sit and wait for it like we're doing today. Learning to read their own bodies can be a little puzzling at times. I never read him any of the you can poop books because I never saw any that I liked but I read other stuff to him in there while he's trying to go.
All in all I'd say we've had a successful time of it, but I am glad that I waited.
Best of luck to you and your daughter.

Wait until she's ready. Otherwise you'll both be frustrated and it'll take FOREVER! Once she's ready, it won't take very long at all. Be patient! Most children don't go to kindergarten in diapers.

I tried everything the books said with my two year old. What a mistake! Save the power struggle and the bad feelings from each other. At three years old, I took out a large zip lock baggie and asked my kids how many more diapers they would like to use. I let them know that these would be their last. They chose around six to ten more diapers. They were potty trained quickly because they were in control. Kids are all different, but a three year old has more body-mind control than a two year old. Also save yourself endless nights of going to the potty and changing urine-soaked sheets. My kids wore pull ups only at night from the time they left their diapers for almost a year. At almost four, they were encouraged to wake up with dry pull up for five mornings in a row. If they succeeded, they got to wear the big kid underwear of their choice. Once in underwear, my kids have never had an accident, day or night. Believe me, I am thankful : )

Hi S.
Not sure why you are pursuing the potty training at this age...26 mos is pretty young, believe it or not. There are some kids who are interested and/or ready to give up diapers at this age, but most are not. Realistically, youll probaboy get a few episodes of her using the potty, but she won't be ready to transition yet. It will probably be a MUCH easier, and quicker/straightforward process if you can wait until she's closer to 3. I know it's hard though. With my first, I started him early and it took almost a year to get finished. With my 2nd, I just watied until he was significantly interested and we were completely done within a month or so. I don't know if this would be the same with your child(ren) but I just wanted to share the experience incase it might be useful. Good luck - potty training can be a rough road! -Suzi

Let her be!!! She is telling you something. She will let you know when she is ready. I feel that 26 months is young. I work with 2-3 year olds (and am a mom of 2. Most of my kids are potty trained at 3 ish. They let us know when they are ready. This is a battle that you cannot win. I wouldn't pick it:) Good luck!

She is still very young and is obviously not ready to be potty trained. I would give her her diapers back and try again in 3 months.

S.,

I'm sure you'll hear this a thousand times, and it's right:
JUST WAIT!!!
She's just not ready yet. As a potty training teacher (yes seriously) for years I can tell you now, when she's ready you'll know, and it will take a couple days. What every you do, do NOT let potty training become a battle. She WILL win. 26 months is still a bit young. Wait a few more months and let her let you know when it's time. She will. I have yet to see a kindergartner in diapers :}~

Best of luck!
H.

She will be ready only when she is ready. There is no magic age that they need to be potty trained by. My daughter finally made it through the night at 4 yrs. old. My son made it through the night at 3 yrs. old. My son wanted to try the potty before my daughter even had an interest. It's all about them. When they are ready they will want to do it. Also if they see their friends wearing panties/underwear then they will start showing a desire to use the potty too. Don't stress, it's not that big of a deal, just keep trying.

u let her run around w/ no undies and no diaper she needs naked time..she also needs to see u go...so when you're out and about let her see u go pee pee..i squatted a few times so my son could see..then he immediately started using the potty but he would sit..he still sits on his little toilet but stands at the big one.
my son started to potty train as soon as he saw me go in public restroom.
You also have to talk to them about it right when you're doing it.
he was having accidents up until a couple of weeks ago when we took him to his new school and he sat in on the meeting w/ the new principle and she was talking about potty training..
so they hear and understand..
i stopped pull ups..and i just make sure he goes every 1.5 hours when we're out and about
and at home i let him just go naked or have him just in his underwear
they're too busy too remember that they're not in a diaper at first so it's good to have naked time
if you have carpet u should pick an area in the house where she can play naked also if u go outside bring the toilet out there if you're having naked time b/c they'll just go anywhere outside..so that helps.
also there are dvds you can rent or buy that talk about potty time for kids to watch and books to help them understand
good luck it will happen..i was hard to potty train myself..i was surprised how easy it was to train my son..i'm sure people will post about the 3 day ways and all that stuff..i just let it all happen over time..
but i really think it's about naked time first then let her run around w/ just panties in the house..and show her you're happy when she goes on the toilet..
also try putting the potty out where the tv is..maybe she won't feel so pressured if it's out in the living room and she can just sit and watch tv and go then gradually remove it and get a little seat for the big toilet and a stool for her to step up on
good luck!

I see you already got a lot of responses telling you to wait. I waited til my kids were 3 yrs. We talked about it a lot leading up to it big girl/boy undies etc, books to read on the potty etc. I was actually in a co op preschool where we discussed issues and we were told to wait. Your child will show signs when they are ready and then it is so easy no fuss. My daughter turned 3 Maybe even a couple months after her bday)that we started. She was wanting to, she had only 2 accidents and was trained in a week. Then shortly after that at night also. Did the same with my son. He took a little longer at night but only because his body wasn't ready sooner.It was smooth, no worries go with the flow. I don't agree with forcing it sooner. You'll see how much nicer it is. D. G.