Potty Training Help - Wheatland,CA

I'm in Lafayette too! And my oldest who is almost 5 finally went poop in the potty at 4 1/2. I feel like we tried everything from giving M&M's to literally offering Full candy bars, spiderman parties, Disneyland trips, and nothing worked. We tried having conversations about it with him, and really tried to reason with him and nothing! And then I did a sticker chart and it really worked for us. He got to pick the stickers, and he got to put them on the piece of paper after every time he went. After 7 stickers we got to go to Boswell's and pick a small toy and it finally worked. I think it made him take ownership. Hope that helps!

LS

Hi K.....my husband is also in the military and we have two girls so I know what you are dealing with when it comes to him deploying...as for your 3 year old, most people will tell you to jus be patient with her. Put the pull-ups on whenever you know she cant control it and when she's ready she'll go on her own....also, some times it helps when u have to go potty and take her with you so she gets an idea. She's at that age where she likes to follow things you do so maybe you should try that too.

Cloth Diapers!! All the time. She will get peer pressure at school to use the potty, see all her friends using the potty, and when she has an accident at home it will be more uncomfortable than wet clothes, and save you lots of cleanup. If that's not enough motivation, then I'd recommend seeing a counselor ( if you're in the Monterey Area, I'd recommend Meg Grundy) with her to figure out why this is going on. It sounds emotional, the way you describe it. Good luck!

Hello there K.,
I bet you remembe the time that you thought your son would never be potty trained, and now.. he is.
It won't be long with your daughter. Just a phase that will pass, and then one day you will be startled to remember that you thought she would never go.
These little critters are so good at knowing what we want them to do, and since very little in their life is under their control, this is a perfect opportunity to exhert their independence.
First thing: You cannot make her go. Since you cannot control her body functions, focus on positive rewards
Second thing: Try buying a cool bath toy, and put it on the back of the toilet, and say, you are welcome to play with this as soon as you potty. Or, put some M&M's in a clear plastic container, and show them to your daughter, and say, you can pick out three M&M's after you have used the potty and washed your hands.
Third Thing: This will pass. I don't know how long ithas been since your husband left, but it has an effect on your kids and it is normal for them to regress, especially if they are missing their father.
Oh, and dibs, the little ice cream ball things, worked a charm with my daughter.
Good Luck and let me know how it works out
-ML

Save yourself the aggravation and wait until she's older, unless you want to go through hours and hours of hassle. She'll potty train herself eventually. A late potty training child is not a crime!

Hi! I know how it feels to be frustrated. The reward thing works well. If she likes to read buy a potty book and read to her in the potty. Take her out to buy big girl underwear as a reward for not having an accident. Just ideas...... Good luck!

It sounds like you have received allot of good advice. Every child is different though. You need to figure out what they like, food reward or "things". My daughter was really easy to train. She would watch mommy go, which gave her incentive to go because she wanted to be a big girl. I also went down to the good will too (money was short) and picked up a big bag of misc. toys (fast food toys, stuffed animals, etc.) washed them real well and put them in a large bowl under the bathroom sink. I would be sure to aks her every hour if she had to go potty. When she did go potty, she knew that she would get to pick out a toy. When she does go, be sure to make an event of it by praising her, do a little dance, give her a high five/big hug, things like that. Make it a fun event. Also remember, she will do it when she is ready. Do not feel pressured to have her potty trained at 3. Good luck.

I recently potty trained my 2 year old daughter. I rewarded her every time she went pee and poo in the potty. Have you tried that? She responded well to it. She loves gummi bears so I gave her one for every time she tried to go on the potty and 2 for every pee and 3 for every poo. Let me know if this helps. Good luck!