Potty Training - Somerset,WI

Try the 3-day method! Look it up on google. It worked for 5 of my girlfriends before it was suggested to me! I am a true believer as the rewards were not working for me either!

You have to make sure that YOU are ready. Consistency is the key to successful potty training. You have to explain to her that she's a big girl and its time for her to go on the potty now. Try to buy her nice little panties to put on. I doubt that she'll wanna mess those up! You know your child. Use what she likes, to get what you want, which is successful potty training. Good luck. Keep us posted!

I highly recommend the book "Toilet training in less than a day" by Foxx. I have 4 kids and trained all 4 in less than a day with the book. It was originally created for profoundly retarded adults and they found that with this system, they could have them trained in 3 days. Then then tried it with mildly mentally handicapped and they could be trained in 1.5 days. Finally they moved on to typically developing children. There is a check list that shows if your child is ready (I assume if your child is typically developing she is ready). I always say to read the book through twice and then if you do it the way the book says, it works. Good luck!

Well I just potty trained my second daughter about 2 weeks ago so it's pretty fresh in my mind. I first would like to ask a few questions. Is she scared of the potty? Just doesn't want to go? Are you putting her in underwear every day? For my daughters when I decided to potty train it was all or nothing. Like no more diapers in the house. I stayed home and put them in underwear all day. Yes I did use pull ups for naps and bedtime but that is all. So for my second daughter I could tell she was scared of the potty but I just kept putting her on every 1/2 an hour until she went. Then made a huge deal about it. She was potty trained in 6 days at 26 months old. So if I were you I would try a potty party. Get her a potty chair (I think sometimes those are funner and not so scary for them at first) a potty DVD ( I got the Elmo one for my daughter) stickers she can put on her potty chair when she goes. New underwear that she can pick out etc. And then just stick with it! Don't give her the option of going back to diapers. After a few days she'll get the pictures that diapers aren't an option and she will go in the potty.

There are some other good tips, check these out at
http://www.toddlerbedandmore.blogspot.com. And good luck!

Does she have a choice? if so, she will choose to go in her diaper, because, well, why not? that's what she knows. it does not bother her. often, i see parents waiting for kids to be ready, but they are not motivated to be potty trained. lay off it for few weeks, then schedule a good 5 days you can devote to being home and doing nothing but potty! then, talk it up a lot a day or two before. demonstrate with a favorite doll or bear. show her how when dolly goes potty, she gets a m&m (or whatever). then, let her pick out underpants. pick a day and put her in the undies. keep a potty close by. do nothing else but be focused on her. when she starts to go, get her on the potty. if she gets anything in, have a big praise party and reward. change her if necessary. once in a while, ask her to check her pants to see if they're dry (this is the goal after all), and reward her for it. keep doing this, and she will eventually start to notice the feeling. NO DIAPERS except for nap and bed, put it on as the LAST thing, and take off as first thing. explain to her that this is because her body may not be able to know it has to go when she is asleep. over the next few days, she should start to get better at recognizing the feeling, and start telling you when she has to go. you can start to move the potty toward the bathroom a little at a time, and then transition to the big potty.

potty training is not something that can be done slowly, it is an event. once you start, don't look back. it will happen.

ps. my daughter was not dry at night when we started this process. in less than a week, she was dry every night and nap. after 2-3 weeks, we stopped using diapers at night as a precaution. she had 2 or 3 accidents in the next few months and none since then.

The responses you have gotten are great! I will admit that potty training were not my finer motherhood moments! Very frustrating!

What I found is that consistency is the key and it will be very helpful if you can devote 3-4 days with her so you can identify signs that she has to go and schedule the bathroom trips. My only other advise is not to make it a choice - do not ask her if she has/wants to go, tell her it's time to go. Have her go when she wakes up, mid-morning before snack, before lunch, before nap, after nap, before dinner, etc. Make it consistent and she will catch on before you know it. Good luck!

I found that my son didn't COMPREHEND the rewards system BUT once he did it was "game on!" That kid could produce a poop once he saw the next toy we hung up in the bathroom. We couldn't keep up with the trips to the potty. I think she's just not ready yet. Be patient, it DOES happen! :)

An important developmental step for every child is potty training. Most children begin using the toilet as toddlers, usually between 18 months and 3 years old. (Note: It usually takes a little longer to potty train boys than girls. Boys, on average, can be successfully potty trained in 12 weeks. Girls, on average, can be successfully potty trained in 10 weeks.)

Signs that your child may be ready to start potty training include:

Staying dry for at least two hours at a time.
Having regular bowel movements.
Being able to follow instructions.
Being uncomfortable with dirty diapers and asking for them to be changed.
Asking to use the potty or saying that they need to urinate or have a bowel movement.
Showing interest in the toilet and/or wearing “big kid” underpants.
When you begin potty training:

Dress your child appropriately for potty training. Garments with elasticized waists, Velcro, and snaps are usually easy for your child to take off and put on.
Choose a potty seat that your child can easily use on their own.
Your child may want to personalize his/her potty: by letting him/her write his/her name on the little potty, a sense of ownership can develop. Your child may be more likely to use a potty if s/he feels it is uniquely his/hers.
Assure your child that s/he will not fall in the potty (many children have fears of falling in a toilet while sitting on it).
Encourage your child to use the potty at regular intervals - or whenever s/he show signs that s/he needs to go.
Use proper terms (urinating and defecating) as well as the terms your child may be more comfortable with (peeing and pooping). Make sure that you define your terms so that your child becomes adept at using the terms him-/herself.
Start with the basics. Both boys and girls should be shown how to potty from a seated position first. Once boys master urinating from a seated position, they can “graduate” to learning how to urinate while standing. The reason boys should learn to urinate while seated first is that bowel movements and urination often occur in the same bathroom visit . . . additionally, the delay in learning to urinate while standing minimizes the likelihood of your son making messes while enthralled with the spray he can create by urinating.
Teach your child to wipe properly. Show him/her how to remove toilet paper from the roll, wipe, and throw the used toilet paper in the toilet. Instruct girls to wipe from front to back, which helps avoid urinary tract infections. (Note: your child may need help to wipe effectively, especially after a bowel movement, until about age 4 or 5.)
Be supportive and use rewards, such as stickers, when your child is successful on the potty.
Use praise, applause, special songs, reading a special book in the bathroom, or whatever else resonates with your child.
Avoid pressure: your child will likely have accidents during the process. Don’t punish him or her for any setbacks.
Be sure that your babysitter understands your approach to potty training and is consistent with rewards, praise, etc.
Let your child pick out new ‘big kid” underpants with his/her favorite characters (Dora, Thomas the Train, etc.) on them.
Use potty-themed books and videos to reinforce key messages.
Don’t begin toilet training during a stressful time (e.g., moving, new baby, starting a new preschool, etc.)
Recognize that your child has control of his/her bodily functions, and you can’t get him/her to “go” on the potty until s/he is ready. Don’t turn this into a power struggle because it’s one that you won’t win. If your child seems to develop a resistance to potty training, don’t continue the potty training. You can resume potty training when you child again expresses an interest in learning to use the potty.
When your child has completed a visit to the potty, show your child how to flush the potty. Some children experience fear of the flushing mechanism: they fear that they themselves may be flushed away. You may need to flush the potty for your child for a period of time, until your child observes no harm resulting from each flush. At that time, your child should naturally develop a desire to try his/her own hand at flushing the potty. Once the potty is flushed, show your child how to wash his/her hands.
Calmly and patiently teaching your child how to use his/her potty can be a trust-building, bonding experience for both of you. Let the potty begin!

My son was not funny potty trained until he was 4. I asked his doctor at every opportunity and he stated that he will go when he is ready. Although it may be frustrating for you...have no fear, she will go in time.

First, she's not even three yet. I know you may be tired of diapers, but there's no reason to be concerned, she's got lots of time. Honestly, if she's not interested, then she's not ready. There are so many great and helpful suggestions and techniques, but when it comes down to it, they learn how to use the potty when they're ready to learn how to use the potty, and not a moment sooner. Pushing her will only set her up to be resistant, and then it's a power struggle, and everyone loses.

That said, we've found it most useful to keep a gentle but consistent routine: After lunch, we sat on the potty, maybe read a story. If he produced something, great. If not, he got a high five for sitting. Before bed, same thing. Eventually we added after breakfast. Then one day while I was brushing my teeth and he was running around naked, all of a sudden he was emptying his potty into the toilet - he had sat, peed, and was cleaning up after himself. I knew he was ready. Then we spent two pants-less/diaperless weeks, and we were done.

Since your daughter is still so young, try breaking the skill down into its parts, too - give her a reward (a tiny sticker or something - not on a chart, just for her to have) just for telling you that she needs to pee or poop, regardless of whether she makes it to the potty in time. Once she can do that consistently, add another (maybe bigger? I think here's where small treats can work) reward for making it to the potty without an accident. Praise the good stuff, let the accidents go and don't worry about them. This is a hard skill for some kids to learn, and pressure never works.

Good luck - and be patient with her and with yourself!