Help! I have a son who will be turning 3 in less than a month and he is showing no interest in potty training. I bought him underwear which he loves but he just goes potty in it and then tells me he's done. He even gets rashes from wearing a pull up but still he doesn't want to use the potty. I ask him all the time if he wants to sit on the potty but he says no. My seven year old trained himself practically, just decided one day to use and never turned back (he was 3y at the time). Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!
Thanks for all the great advice on potty training. I think i really knew the answer all along, if my older son let me know when he was ready, my younger son will too. It's stressful for both of us to try and force it. I'll let him wear undies when he wants but I won't make a big deal if he messes them. It worked for the older one. Thanks again!
He is old enough by standards but maybe he just isnt ready, I wouldn't push it too hard, as long as he is potty trained before school begins you are fine.
L. - had a simple rule with my husband - YOU train the boys I train the girls!!
At first, I TOTALLY disagreed with his method - but.....If you have SNOW in your area now - have your husband take your son for a walk - they can "Spell" things out in the snow - or out for a hike - they can 'use a tree' they do this occasionally (this is THEIR special thing to do / once a week or so) then they would use 'targets' in the potty to see if you can 'sink' the tp sheet......worked like a charm in less than a month with two of the boys. Our younger boy – took no interest – so we waited six months and BOOM – worked like a charm. Good Luck.
We're having the same problem with my 3 1/2 yr old. He won't even tell us that he's gone in the pull-up. The only way we can get him to go on his own is if we let him run around the house with no pants or diaper on, oh and he wants to do it by himself for privacy. Yup that's right buck naked. It seems to be working though. He'll go by himself if he's naked. We just keep reminding him to use the potty. He is starting to recognize that he has to go with the pull-up on now too. But most of the time if he has anything on, including his Batman underwear, he'll pee or poop right in them. It would have been nice if we found this out during the summer. Also, we put "targets" in the potty. A piece of TP so he can pee on it and sink it while he stands up to pee. Good Luck.
Unless he has special medical needs he is physically capable of using the toilet. You need to decide how much you want him to be trained. If you want it to happen now then you do not give him a choice about sitting on the potty. Tell him "It's not a choice." Be consistant and firm. Stay away from the pull-ups, even at night. They are just a crutch that usually backfire. Get a waterproof mattress pad. Not much money at wal*mart.
If you don't mind waiting then continue as you are by giving him the choice. It may not happen for a long time but it'll happen eventually.
In my professional opinion, he sould be trained by 3. This will give you time to work out all the set backs and give him time to learn the finer points before he enters kindergarten. If you are sending him to preschool he will have to be potty trained unless it is a daycare sitting.
Good luck. It is hard, but that is what parenting is all about.
A.
hi L., my son was about 2.5 and he was just getting the hang of going on the toilet, then my daughter was born and everything was right out the window, right back to square one. i tried everything, bribes, rewards, threats, books, videos, etc. it was becoming a "thing" with him, a power struggle, so i just let it go. and when i finally just left it alone, he started showing some interest. then at around 3.5, he saw some of his friends using the toilet and he pretty much decided he was ready. watched the video "potty power" a few times at that point, and he pretty much trained himself in a week or 2, including overnight, almost no accidents. he just had to be ready, and i think seeing his friends doing it helped a lot, especially his older cousin who is "so cool". once he was ready, it was all him, i hardly did anything. actually, the hardest part was training him to wash up afterward without me reminding him! my advice is dont sweat it too much.
My son was around 3 when he trained. My hubby would take my son when hubby went so son could learn by example. We also made a weekly calendar with plenty of space across each day for stickers. Everytime he did it right he got to put a sticker on the day. I'm not a fan of bribes, but my aunt swore by stickers and now I do too. Luck!
