Potty Training Ideas for an Uninterested 3 Yr Old

Hi S.,
I did not have this problem so my thoughts might not work but.....try taking the diaper off him. Just go for it and take the diaper off and see what happens. Stock up on carpet cleaner before hand and be prepared. Take them off and see how he does. Warm days like today he can just run naked through the house. With no diaper on it might make him more aware of his body functions and using the bathroom.
Good luck, boys are just relaxed in this area so not to worry. It will happen in time.
M.

I had one of those.... but mine has developmental delays and aspergers. On my son's 4th birthday I told him they don't make diapers for 4yr olders. He was crushed, but fell for it. I had him pee trained on the toilet in about 2 or 3 days with the occasional accident. #2 proved to be more difficult due to having encopresis... so, he was officially trained by 6... but the long short of it is... outsmart him.

He knows what to do, how to do it, he just doesn't have to as long as he can wear the diapers.

S.,

I know its kind of late in the year to suggest this now, but I have 5 boys and how I trained 4 of them (the youngest is only 20 months old) was to let them loose outside all day with just undies on or a long t-shirt and nothing else.

Let them go to the bathroom outside if they are so inclined or run into the house, or even keep a potty seat outdoors to use. I did this with mine (although we started at the beginning of summer) and within a week we were good. We only used pull-ups if we needed to go away from home or to sleep in. Good Luck to you both!

Hi! We had a similar experience with potty training. Reading "The Prince and the Potty" by Wendy Cheyette Lewison is what finally helped our little guy desire to use the potty. It is a story about a prince and his new puppy and going potty. We wish you well!

Well as long as he's got a diaper on he'll use it... I'd make a big deal about how now he's a big boy and no more diapers, but big boy underpants. And literally throw them away. If he's having a power struggle here then he'll quickly get sick of being wet all the time. Just be prepared for lots of laundry and STAY CONSISTENT. When you take diapers away, DO NOT EVER BRING THEM BACK. Otherwise he'll just hold out for them.

Find some great rewards for him that might not relate to the potty as well, make it a special time for him to grow up.

Good luck! I know you guys can get through this. He'll be so happy when he's independent in the long run!

My mom had 7 children and swears by character underpants. She'd tell the child that Batman or SpongeBob or whoever does not like to get wet and yucky - so don't go potty on them!
Accidents will still happen of course, but it has been a great motivator. Worked for my daughter too - boy she did NOT want to get her princesses wet! lol

I also found that a sticker chart for potty attempts and a few m&ms for potty successes worked well for us too.

Hi! Here is my advice after having just gone through potty training with my son. He was potty-trained at 20 months.

1. He LOVED the little 'one piece' potty chair that they sell at Target/Costco/ etc. It is just one molded piece of plastic--just like the one in the video "Potty Time for Him/Her". He loved to sit on that potty while watching that video!! haha Worked like a charm.

2. Other GREAT potty training DVDs: Bear In The Big Blue House Potty Time (wonderful!!!) and...Elmo's Potty Time These DVDs are really fantastic. You can buy them very cheaply on ebay or in most stores.

Good luck!!!

Best advice ever...BE PATIENT. When they are ready to use the potty, they will. Keep the topic in the forefront, talk about in a non-threatening manner, but untilt he child is ready, you are only asking for a lot of clean up of accidents.

I have a couple questions.
EXACTLY how old is he... My oldest boy didn't get interested in potty training until he was 3 1/2. He has it completely under control now at 4 yrs.

Is he wearing pull ups? Pull ups are a glorified and more expensive version of diapers. The thing that really "got thru" to my boy was having him pick out big boy unders and then him wearing them. They are less constrictive than pull ups and diapers. They let the juices flow... I know its gross... But there is a different feeling to poop in unders and poop in pull ups. It will take some time, but just tell him that (lets use diego as an example) Diego doesn't want poop on him. If diego does get poop on him then we have to throw him away. (what would you do if someone tried throwing away YOUR BRAND NEW STUFF?...)

There is also the way that he is talked to. Do not call him the baby anymore. He is only big boy... and talk about what big boys can do... They can ride bikes with training wheels, swim with floaties, ride horses, etc... pick things that you would let him do and that he WANTS to do. Talk about how big boys do it... Talk and talk and talk. You know he has the ability... Its just a mental thing now. Really act disgusted and disappointed when he goes in his pull up... Talk it up and have a party when he goes in the potty...

Keep trying, but don't become really strict on it until he's closer to 4. Wouldn't want him doing it as a control thing.

Good luck!!

I would just take away the diapers completely and be prepared to clean up some messes... When I trained my son, it was more of him getting rid of the habit of just going when he wanted to and remembering to go to the bathroom first. One morning, I took off his diaper, put on his underwear, had the talk about him being a big boy and that was it. Sure, I had some messes to clean up throughout the day but he was peeing in the toilet by the end of the day and had it mastered by the next afternoon. Pooping took a few days longer, but we had that figured out in just over a week. At nap time and at night, I used pullups to protect the sheets, but I put the pullup on OVER his underwear so as not to confuse him. It worked like a charm.

Sarah, the very same thing happened with my son and I was getting extremely frustrated because I knew he knew what he was doing because he'd come and tell us he went in his pull up. I had him in prechool and had to send him in pull ups I hated that. But... I just kind of prompted him and when he went praised him and when he didn't really didn't make a big deal of it and one day we were visiting my girlfriend who's son is 6 mos younger and she was potty training him and he was going the entire day and my son was too, then on the way home he says "mom, i have to go to the bathroom" when we got home he went and has never worn a pull up since or even had an accident. I think with some kids they really do "need" to do it on their own terms. When we left him alone to make the decision he did it. I think he saw that my girlfriend's son who was as little as him was doing and knew it was time for him. Good luck!

My daughter was uninterested in being potty trained for what seemed like a long time. I swore I would not be one of those moms who would badger her child every five minutes "DO YOU HAVE TO GO POTTY? DO YOU HAVE TO GO POTTY?" So I really wanted to wait until she was ready. Well, it seemed like she would NEVER be ready!
I would always ask her if she needed to use the potty, but she would cry and scream for a diaper.
My pediatrician said I should try putting some underpants (NOT PULL-UPS-- those are too much like diapers) on her for a while each day (a few hours in the morning OR after her nap in the afternoon) and let her experience the feeling of wet pants. I know it's not all that convenient for you, but we did that for a few days and she discovered she didn't like wet pants OR the inconvenience of having to stop playing to get changed.
Be patient, he'll warm up to the idea of being potty trained in time (I know YOU'RE ready!). Good luck!

Hi S. -
My son just turned 3 yesterday & has been potty trained for over a month now. I was shocked! It's time to do it when they are ready. Your son sounds as tho he is ready. I put big boy underwear on him & he screamed at me. I changed the subject right away & he was fine. I told him he is a big boy now & he doesn't go pee pee or poo poo in his underroos & he did the first day right away. I gave him a ton of liquids just so he would get the sensation. I stayed by his side for three days straight. (didn't leave the house) I didn't do pull ups at nite because that just lets him know it's okay to pee his pants at nite. He doesn't have any accidents any more after the first three days (none at night-ever.) i slow his liquids down at about 6:15 & completely cut him off at 7 PM (other than a few tiny sips) he's in bed at 8:15 pm. He goes three times between 7 & 8 PM (once before bath, once after he's in his pj's after bath & once after reading books before going nite nite). I NEVER ask him if he has to pee - in fact, the three days & many days following, I would say to him "remember, tell mommmie when you have to go potty okay" and he'd sometimes not answer me -but i'd tell him every 5 min. When he did have an accident, I would say "ICKY, yuck - it's yucky to have wet pants" never yelled at him or anything. He's a happy boy & feels like such a big kid now! GOOD LUCK!! I was more freaked out about it than him i think. I got all my info from a book called

three day potty training. it was an e-book. $24 well worth it!
let me know how it goes for you! very excited for you & your lil guy!

T.

Each child is different. When we had our oldest daughter, there were two other couples pregnant in our friendship circle. One boy was a week older than our daughter the other boy was about 6 weeks younger. Our daughter was potty trained by the time she was 3 (both girls were actually). The boys however, were closer to 4 before they were potty trained. All three kids started potty training about the same time, and all three kids went through periods of interest and no interest. Finally one day it just clicked with our daughter. I know that when we potty trained our girls the only time they got diapers was night time and long road trips. At home they were in cloth training pants with the vinyl pants over them. We even did that for grocery shopping. If we were going to my dads (45 minutes away) we would use pull ups.A lot of washing yes, but it seemed effective. I know that one of the boys in the group used pull-ups (he was in day care) and I believe the other boy was between pull-ups and underwear. I'm not sure there is a right or wrong way - it's whatever works best for the home situation and the child. Good Luck!!!

My son is almost 3 1/2 and until VERY recently had absolutely no interest in potty training. We have tried bribing, punishment, encouragement, basically anything we could think of to no avail. Then all of a sudden he got it. He still doesnt want to poop in the potty but last night he did for the second time!! We were so happy. I think if it's not a daycare issue (can't go to preschool, etc.) I would say not to push him. I thought I'd be sending my son to Kindergarten in a pull-up, but he's doing OK now!

I am not sure why, but this idea just came to mind, I have not been in your shoes so this may not work but here is an idea since he seems just plain uninterested but capable.

It seems as though he has no motivation...
So I don't know where you live but around here in the Grand Rapids (Grandville specifically) we have an indoor play place called play world and while there is no rule that you have to be potty trained you could take him there, do ice cream, pizza, have a really good time and he would obviously enjoy it and then tell him you are going again like a month later and he would be excited when you get there start to walk inside and then be really disappointed and sad and tell him that there is a new rule (your rule, but you don't have to tell him that it's your rule) that you have to be potty trained to play there. Then he may be VERY motivated to get out of diapers.

I am not sure if this is on the line of dishonesty or not, just an idea that came to mind. Because it's your rule and you didn't say the place made the rule you technically aren't lying but I guess it makes it sound like their rule... I would have to talk to my husband about if we thought this was ok to try but like I said a random idea that came to mind, maybe it's horrible....haha I don't know just thought I would share it :-)

B.

Hi S.~

I know how you feel! My son who is 3 1/2 and he was the same way. We knew that we were going to put him in preschool this year, he will be 4 in Dec. So we would tell him he couldnt go to school unless he was a big boy, plus we tried toys, candy, etc nothing worked. I also had him pick out big boy undies. Then he wanted a bike...so we got one but told him he had to use the potty. in one day he said okay and now used the potty all the time and he is dry at night. Try just putting undies on and see what happenes you might have a few oops! but he might be okay. Hang in there. But my son was the same way to a T. email if you need anything ____@____.com

I'd just wait this out, keep your sense of humor, and don't make much of it. He'll decide one day to do it. Some boys are 4 even though they are clearly capable of doing it for a long time. My grandson was this way then he decided to do it and was trained in day or two. Frustrating but he'll make up his mind to do it at some point. Try to be patient. Sounds like you're handling it well.

When my oldest was about three I casually told him that soon he would be too big to find diapers in his size and that he ought to at least start practicing wearing big boy underwear. I then put him in underwear when we were at home. He was potty trained in a weekend. Every child is different though and you are right to avoid a power struggle. Dont worry he will potty train soon enough and then there will be another milestone.

my son was potty trained at 2 and i did was have his dad show him how to go! once he saw daddy do it then of course he wanted to do it just like daddy...and we put cereal in the toliet to help his aim...worked for me !