Potty Training Help - Maryville,IL

I know you don't want to put a negative spin on potty training; but maybe if you then gave what you took away if she went potty; it would make a difference. Just be patient. She'll go when you least expect it.

Try setting a timer to help you both remember.

And remember, she won't go off to college in diapers! :)

We went through what you are going through recently. I think my daughter just finally decided that she was ready and now there have been no accidents for a week.
I was always very skeptical when people said to go to straight underwear and not use pull ups or other types of training pants. I am now a beliver. 2 weeks ago we started with only underwear except and night when she wears a pull-up. I could tell after a few accidents that she hated the feeling of her pants wet(she would waddle to the bathroom crying)and I think that is really what did it for her. We had been trying for several months with pull-ups and had only occasional success. Good luck to you and don't get discouraged, she will get it when she is ready.

You have to pick a day and start it for real. Then you said you weren't consistent. Be consistent or it won't work at all. No pull ups and take her every 15 to 20 minutes and even if she doesn't go put her on. When she does go use whatever reward you decide on. It should be done in one day if you take the whole day to be consistent. If it carries over another day just continue on. Don't scold for failure at this point and praise for every effort. Remind her you are happy to have a big girl who is growing and tell her you love her because with a baby it is easy to feel like they have to become a baby for attention. Stick with it and don't go back or she'll see it as something you have a choice over doing. It is much more work for the parents and my least favorite job of parenting but can be done if you do your part consistently.

Back off and let her feel she's in control of the process. T Berry Brazelton has a really good book about this in which he says that kids need to own this achievement, and lots of rewards and excitement on the part of the parents can actually slow the process of learning. She's got it down enough to do it when she's ready. I know lots of people are anti-pull-up, but for our very independent daughter, it was really good. They allowed her to change herself and dress herself if she needed to, but still to have the security of a diaper.

Having all the physical skills doesn't mean it doesn't take a lot of mental energy and self-control to use the potty all the time. I think it's probably common that the physical abilities come before the mental and emotional readiness. I found when I let go of expectation, we were all much happier.

I am sure you have gotten lots of responses but am just now reading this so thought I would share! I have three kiddos, all are potty trained. With all mine I started right at or before their 2nd bdays. What has worked for me was~ 1. I took the potty chair with us every where. In the car for trips to the store, to the park, and also moved it around the house as my kids played in various rooms. That seemed to really help them get a sense of when they had to go and gave them independence. 2. I rarely used pull-ups. I would use them for trips out shopping but that was it b/c I felt like they were too absorbent and my kids would just pee in them anyway. I only did it when we were going to be gone a long time b/c I didn't want to have to change clothes everytime in case of an accident. I probably did that for the first two months of training. 3. We talked a lot about being a BIG GIRL/BOY and that was what seemed to work well. They didn't want to be the baby in diapers and I made sure they helped a lot on changing the babies so they felt a part of it. 4. I rewarded them with one m&m when they went potty. Small reward to me, but was BIG to each of them! 5. And lastly my kids were naked a lot at the beginning. They have spring/summer birthdays so it was fairly easy to do. It seemed to help them too. They only had accidents on the floor a few times each.
Hope something works for you soon!

I've got two great techniques one each worked great with each of my kids. It really depends on your kiddo's personaliy and the reason why they aren't using a toilet.

For my littlest one I did the "9 days, $90.00" technique. You keep a shirt on them but nothing else. Every time they oopsy they feel it and, usually, stop in their tracks with an "uh-oh!". Once they get the hang of it (about nine days)- that diapers are not going to collect the pee-pee (cause, face it, pee running down your leg would feel pretty awful) then you use the $90.00 to get your carpets cleaned. Works best in the warm months.

The second technique I got from my mother-in-law when NOTHING worked with my adorable yet incredibly obstinate older child. Brace yourself. Some don't agree with this technique but it works when nothing else will and you are pitted against power of the wills...

Explain to your kiddo that every time they have a potty in their diaper/pull-up they will get a teaspoon of vineagar. Make sure they are old enough to understand this. Show it to them and let them taste it. There is no "policing" them, stern voice, nothing. If they go in their britches, calmly walk them over to the vinegar and dose up . It took three teaspoons of vineagar and my un-trainable potty princess was able to get the swing of using the toilet. Also, for those of you going, "How Mean!!" Vinegar is very good for you and I don't forsee a couch moment with a therapist in twenty years...."Doc, it all started with vinegar..." Please.

I have been through potty-training four times and the biggest thing I learned is that it happens only when they are ready. I'd be so happy for you if your two year old becomes potty-trained, but my two girls were a little over 3, one son was 4 and my other son was almost 4 1/2.

Believe me, I was frustrated, too!! I also went right to underwear and pretty much skipped pull-ups. They cost more and hold less in my opinion and my kids treated them just like diapers.

It was much less frustrating when they decided they were ready - less accidents and more initiative on their part. It will happen, really, and you'll be so thrilled! Until then, good luck and just let her pick out all the cute undies she wants. Buy lots and lots so you're always prepared with clean ones. Good luck.

L.,
my sitter told me several times, and i have now seen it for myself. most kids will show an initial interest because it's something new and exciting, but when they start getting into it, realizing they have to stop playing, etc, they will often very quickly get over it. my son showed interest around two also, and she warned me then. well i did get my hopes up a bit, and sure enough, he started resisting more and more. now he is 2 1/2 and shows NO interest, in fact fights me more often than not if i try to put him on. i have stopped trying as of about a month or two ago. good news though - in the last two weeks he's asked TWICE to use the potty. (the first time we were at my sisters and the bathroom was occupied, and the S. time he was at the sitters and when she rushed him into the potty, he had a dirty diaper. so both moments "passed". but we're working on it!) i once again have hope. you can beat yourself up and drive yourself crazy about constantly putting her on it, which, if she's going (mine never did regularly) then that might be the way to go. for us, waiting until he was truly ready is our route. it'll happen. don't let it frustrate you, there's absolutely no way you can force a child to go on the potty! good luck!