Anyone got some good advice on how to potty train my 2 yr and 3 month DD? What's the difference between the kind you put on the floor and the one that sits on the acutal toilet seat? Any good books for them that deals with this? Many thanks!
the seats that sit on the big toilet are nice because you don't have to empty and clean a potty, but the seats also get a lot of pee on them in little tiny cracks and are impossible to get clean. Neither one is perfect. Good luck!
Here's THE most useful website I've found on potty training. It gives a few variations on"readiness" checklists, plus an overview of various training strategies, the best ages to start them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach: http://www.parentingscience.com/potty-training-tips.html
Good luck!
We do both. When we potty train, everything else is taken off the schedule. It is all we do for a couple of days. I put some towels on the floor in front of the TV (normally we don't do much/any TV), put the potty seat on the towels, and just put a long Tshirt on the child. They sit all day and drink water. Once they get the hang of it, we reduce the amount of "sit on the potty" during the day, and even move them to the big potty (that is the ultimate goal). They don't have to sit on the big potty all day, but when they feel they need to go, we encourage them in that direction. We offer rewards, which varies with each child, as they are all motivated by different things: stickers, teddy grahams, m&ms, etc. I had one child who was motivated by money alone! LOL I gave him pennies/nickles, dimes for pee and quarters for poo. LOL What he didn't know was that I took them back out of his bank to pay him for the next time. ;) We only use positive reinforcement, never negative. And, we wait until the child shows actual signs of readiness. We are typically done within 3 days, max, without accidents by and large. The one child who wanted the cash took longer. He's more stubborn. ;)
I didn't do books, little potties or anything like that. I waited til they were turning three, and trained them to the big toilet. It took my daughter a few days and a my son, a few weeks. I used cloth training pants with waterproof outer layer and took them consistently to the toilet every hour and a half. My view on it is it isn't something to do occasionally, you need to make a commitment and see it through, making using the toilet part of the routine throughout the day, something you expect them to do every time they need to pee or poop, not just sometimes. Good luck!
No pull ups go straight panties if anything. Kids use pull ups as a crutch and I don't feel they work. Place her on there very hour. When she goes praise her like crazy.
Ditto what Peg M said, the site covers everything you need to know before starting, lists and explains methods and so on.
A potty on the floor is easier for your daughter to sit in, but the seat on the toilet gets her used to going where you will eventually want her to go, my DIL used that method for my grandson and he was trained in 4 days, said she didn't want to train him twice.
I agree with another mom that you want to use regular panties and no pull-ups, they are diapers in disguise but kids know it, lol! Rewards work for some kids but not all, and what works for your daughter you will have to find out on your own. And for some acquiring the ability of being potty-trained is the reward in itself.
I have found the best approach is a no-nonsense, you're a big girl (or boy) now approach, expecting them to get trained not making excuses for them, taking them to the potty not asking them if they need to go, being 100% consistent in my efforts, and giving positive reinforcement as the only rewards.
She may train in a day or 6 months, the more ready her mind and body are the easier it will be for her (and you) but this should be an optimum time if you haven't passed your window of opportunity, in which case it may take longer. BTW, my daughter trained herself @ 18 months, but wasn't poop trained until she was 3 so just be prepared for however it happens ; )
This is what I used to train my daughter and we still use it now-
http://www.amazon.com/Kalencom-2-in-1-Potette-Plus-Blue/d...
It fits on the potty and is also self standing. We have brought it to the playground and just set it up there when needed and its been great. I had heard from friends that any of the pottys that are similar to toys, become just that, toys. So we stayed away from that. We also did naked from the waist down in the beginning to make it easier for her to know when she had to pee etc. Its a process for them so take your time. My daughter had friends a bit older (only by 6/7 months) but she saw them training and she wanted to do it too, which helped. We also were training at the same time as her best friend, so we were able to compare notes on what worked and didn't so that could be helpful if you have any friends training at the same time. Good luck!
I will be checking up on your post cause I need advice also. I have 4 kids but my last baby, who is 22 months, will not stay seated on the potty! He will tell me when he has peed and pooped and pull me to the changing table. But he will not stay seated on the potty! I try giving him toys, books, t.v., snacks, lol, nothing works. I cant just hold him down. I am so frustrated. Thanks for the post Jade.
