Potty Training Advice!!

Because your daughter is smaller, would she be more comfortable using a potty chair instead of the toilet? Maybe she'd be more willing to try by herself if it was easier for her.

Pampers has a new line out called "Kandoo" that has wipes and soap that are geared towards younger kids. It might help your 6 year old remember to wipe if he's got something in the bathroom that's "his" or that he thinks is fun to use.

This is a copy/paste I've sent to a couple other people. I truly believe in it. It may help your daughter a lot too because they begin the training on a potty chair, but it teaches them to do it all on their own. My daughter did a lot of telling me after she had gone too! (or as she was going)Good luck!
Hi, my daughter started showing an interest at a very young age, (about 14 months) I let her sit when she wanted, but I never pushed the issue. Then at about 18-20 months she started crying and carrying on every time she messed her pull-up. So at 25 months I borrowed a book from the library called "Toilet training in less than a day" by Nathan Azrin and Richard Foxx. I thought it would be a bunch of nonsense, but I read it anyway. I liked it so much and believed it would work, maybe not in a day, but it did make sense, so I bought it. The next day we tried it, it's like a potty training boot camp. My daughter is so incredibly strong willed I was hesitiant about whether or not she would actually cooperate. With so many treats and rewards-just for that day though-she did really well. She went on the potty 4 times and had 4 accidents that day. The next day we went a little backwards. I was ready to give up, but we kept her in panties anyway. The following day she only had a couple accidents. We started on a Monday, and by that Thursday night she began a dry streak that lasted until Sunday afternoon. It's been four full months now and since that first week I can count the number of accidents on two hands. She was wet most nights before we trained, and now this is her first full week in panties over night. Her pull-up stayed dry most nights since we started, but there were still a few wet mornings. The main idea of this book is to teach them to teach a doll that wets how to use the potty. After they've taught the doll, it's time to start with them. They are allowed and encouraged as much to eat and drink as possible on the day of the boot camp, so make there more chances to have to use the potty. After they go on the potty chair it is there "responsibility" to dump the contents into the toilet, flush and resplace the bowl, wash their hands, and pull up and down their pants. When they have an accident it is also their "responsibility" to clean up the accident and to practice going from wherever they had the accident to the potty chair, pull down their pants sit down, stand up and pull their pants back up. It gives them a chance to really get used to getting to the potty in a hurry. I know this sounds harsh, but my daughter thought it was more of a game than anything. And after the results I've had, I would (and have) recommendit to anyone. I do home day care and I offered the book to one of my moms. Her daughter was in a diaper on a friday, and when she came on the following monday, she was in panties, and to this day has had one accident at my house. Anyway, sorry this is so lengthy good luck with the "Adventures in potty training."

My little girl was (is) small too - I think getting your daughter a potty of her own is a great idea. My little girl was nervous about climbing on to a big toilet and needed a step stool to get up. I would be nervous about using the toilet if I needed a step stool to get on it! We tried to make potty training fun and if she went potty on her own we just gushed over it and didn't make a big thing of accidents..we just made sure she helped to clean up the mess and herself. It will happen! Your daughter is still young and is learning - she will be there soon!

Hi Jen B-
It was kind of surreal when I read your message. My name is also J. B, I have a little girl who just turned three and it sounds like we had a lot of the same issues with potty training. Lucy started going on the potty before she was two and then we spent almost the whole next year fully training her. Some weeks would go well and then the following one would be a disaster!! My husband would get so upset and want to talk and talk with her about it. But about half way through the year I realized we needed to just let her get there on her own. She understood what she was supposed to be doing but I think physically her little body just couldn't control it yet. Lucy is also pretty small for her age. She was 5 weeks premature and even now at over 3 years she only weighs about 27 lbs. What you explained sounds familiar though. She would either say she had to go and her pants would be wet or sometimes she would just be standing there and start peeing with this look of total surprise on her face, like she didn't realize it was coming. Our strategy was just to take her ourselves at least every two hours and then slowly stretch the time. My husband would get so frustrated but I always looked at it like she'll eventually get it, it's not like we're going to send her to college in a pullup right :-) Hope this helps a little!
Jen B

I have read the other responses and I definitely agree about the potty chair. We had two when our daughter was doing it. One in the bathroom upstairs and one in the bathroom downstairs in case she couldn't make it upstairs in time.

But, I have to disagree with one thing. If you potty train before 3 years old it is not always more work and a challenge.

You kids will let you know when they are ready. My daughter was not quite 2 1/2 when we started and it only took 3 months of keeping track with a sticker chart and she was completely trained for daytime AND nighttime. After that third month there were no more accidents.

So don't be discouraged if you are potty training before 3 years old. It can be easy if your child is ready.

They have proven that most kids aren't really ready to do it until 3-3 1/2 years old. Any time you accomplish it before then requires a lot of work. My daughter just decided a few weeks after her 3rd birthday that she was ready and that was it. No accidents, no problems, no nagging, she was ready. They do have some stools that have 2 steps, maybe that would work better for her.
I would make the 6 year old have you check him after going poop and if he doesn't have you check and makes a mess I would do a time out. He's old enough to know better and you shouldn't have to be dealing with that mess.
Best of luck,
J.

J.,
The fact that your daughter is letting you know she has to go, if late is a good sign that she is ready...or so I have been told about my 2 1/2 year old daughter..Have you tried a potty chair? I know that some kids want to use the big potty, to be like everyone else, and some people don't like to clean them. But it might help. I also used a DVD called Potty Power to help my son, it kind of reviews the steps and what to do. Also they have toilet paper and wiped for kids(Cottenelle, Kando) It may help your son, making it fun. Or you can have a chart in the bathroom so he can review the steps...we did that too.
Good Luck!