Potty Training My Little One

I had the same problem with my son with potty training. One thing I tried that kinda worked was making a potty chart. I had huge squares for each day, and I got him stickers of his choice, and told him every time he went on the potty he could put a sticker on his chart to show he went on the potty. This worked to an extent, but what really hit it home was a homemade song. I sat in the bathroom one day when he was trying to go potty and we made up a silly song together about going poopy and peepee on the potty, and he has been going ever since. After that one day, we occassionally had a few accidents due to being too busy playing, not feeling well, or wetting the bed at night, but the battle for the daytime was over. Hopefully this advice is of some use to you. I am also in the process of potty training my daughter who will be 3 in 2 weeks, so I know exactly how stressful it can be.

Does he bring you a diaper or pull up afer he's gone? I used to praise my daughter like crazy for that and when she took the next step of bringing one before she went we ran to the potty and more encouraging. She got "prizes" for going in the potty and stickers for the attempt to get there in time. Prizes were things I got at the dollar store like boats for the tub, a coloring book,she has her own nail polish, I even wrapped them in newspaper so it was like a present. There was a point where she regressed and I had the little potty follow her every where even outside. But to be honest it is one thing you can't make them do. Lots of encouragment and little interest went a long way here. She was totally potty trained in 3 months. I also was pregnant and didn't need the expense of 2 kids in diapers. I told her that babies wear diapers and big kids wear undies. I made undies a big deal letting her pick them out and said that they are more comfortable than diapers. I tried the pull up route but I found it easier for her to understand the black and white of the situation. If she had an accident she went back to baby diapers, made it to a bathroom and she could have big undies. I don't know if any of this is new to you but it worked for us. Good luck!

My son is 2 1/2, and I have attempted starting potty training a little (he acts like he is ready, and has proven that he has control many times, he can go potty whenever he wants to), but he has no interest. He is still a year younger than your son, and I have not tried to force it, but he just doesn't even care. We tried underwear (I know people who had all their kids potty trained in a weekend at 18 months by putting underwear on and letting them be wet), but he didn't care. He was fine with wearing we underwear. I would sit him on the potty chair, and the times he was willing to sit there, he only sat for a second and refused to stay there, and then would pull up his underwear and go potty. The night before he had done great, and was using the potty chair really well. What I have noticed makes a difference for him, is if he is around other children who are potty training. I occasionally babysit a 3 1/2 yr old who is potty training, and every time we come home from his house, Connor wants to use his potty chair, and always goes potty when he tries. He gets excited from seeing other kids doing it too. The other thing that has worked great for him (only done twice) is going to Eden Prarie Center. The family bathrooms in the food court have a big toilet and a little one right by eachother. I was using the bathroom, and he sat on the "real" toilet his size and went potty at the same time. He was really excited he could go at the same time as me, in a real flushing toilet (not a potty chair). Then there is also a big sink, and one next to it lower for little kids, so we each had our own sink to wash hands. He gets really excited to go potty there, and every time something gets him excited about it, he will have a day or 2 at home of doing well too. Those are the only things that have gotten him interested so far. If you know of any other children you could set up a play date with that are potty training, if they go in the bathroom together and take turns, it usually gives them a lot more interest in it. I hope that helps a little!

J.

S.,

I have some wonderful information about this on my website. www.lhdoula-service.com (sorry I can't attach it here) You can find the information on the Helpful information page. If you have any questions or would like more information please let me know I would be happy to help.Blessings To you
S. Blevons - CD (DONA), CLD (CAPPA)
Fond Du Lac Co. WI.
www.lhdoula-service.com.



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The beauty of my body is not measured by the size of the clothes it can fit into, but by the stories that it tells. I have a belly and hips that say, "We grew a child in here," and breasts that say, "We nourished life." My hands, with bitten nails and a writer's callus, say, "We create amazing things."
-Sarah, from I am Beautiful: A Celebration of Women in Their Own Words
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My grandson wasn't interested in potty traing until he was almost four. My friends son who is three also has no interest. They both knew how to use the potty, they just didn't care. Now my grandson is potty trained. I think with boys especially the training takes longer. Just be patient and when he's ready he will not take long to train. He just has to want to.

If it's any consolation, my son was 2 months shy of turning 4 before he was potty trained. I was getting worried because he had to be potty trained before starting preschool. He just turned 4 last month and we are still having issues w/ going #2. I was getting all kinds of grief from relatives about him not being trained yet. When I talked to my pediatrician she told me not to worry. Her son was 4 1/2 before he was trained! They are ready when they are ready. I tried all the supposed wonder plans. We let him pick out his underwear, we did incentives, we did the big praise etc... nothing worked. The only thing we DIDN'T do (and this worked for my cousin) was use cloth diapers. That is an option if you don't want to have to buy diapers for him. They hate the feel of that wet diaper and want to get out of them as soon as possible. At any rate, try not to worry. Like they say, no kid goes to college in diapers. <laugh> Hang in there.

P.S. Do be prepared for some regression when the baby is born. Almost all kids do it--want to be a baby again and not the big kid.

I know how you feel...My first suggestion is to give the little man a break from it and wait till baby #2 is born. Most kids when a new baby comes along will revert back to going in thier pants for attention. This just seems to make things harder. Maby your son knows he will not be alone soon and won't go right now. After baby is born and been around for a few months I would try again. Yelling, punnishing, forceing, and so forth made it really hard! Just take your time. My guy is 4 and still wets the bed because he got made about something. Boys are very hard! Have a breather, and just focuse on baby 2 and little mans feelings. I know many boys not potty trained till 4. Also as a note, my docor said most boys don't stop the bed wetting till 6 or 7. Good luck!

I agree with the others--your son has to go at his own pace. If you can't afford diapers/Pullups for 2 (I've been there myself--it is painful!) what about getting a few plastic underwear cover-things?? Those can be reused and eventually your son won't want to wear them anymore and want to be potty trained. Good luck!

Does your son go to daycare? That's what did it for my little boy. He saw the other boys potty training, and they all learned together. The youngest in the group was only just turning two and he took off like a champ with it. I think my son was about 2 1/2 at the time and was fully trained shortly after his third birthday.

If this isn't an option for you, do you have anyone near you who is also potty training like co-workers or neighbors? Maybe have your little guy talk with their kids about how they're doing and it may kick-start his interest.

I had issues with my older son, so now with are almost 2 year old I have tried a different route. I talk about the potty alot!! LOL did you ever think you would say that. When the pulls up commericials come on, when i go potty, when daddy goes, when his sister and brother go!! Yeah us!! I also make a really big deal when he is still dry in his pull up. Saying look, you are still dry, give me five. Throughout the day, I put him on when he is still dry and it also becomes reading time too sometimes. If he isn't ready to go, he has his rack of books that we take some out if i think he still may need to go. We read through a few books, and sometimes he will go. If he doesn't need to, I just say good try and thanks for trying. He only gets to flush after going and then he gets to wash his hands too (which means play in the water in the sink with the bubbles). Try turning into a very positive thing and then he will get the hang of it.
Good Luck!!

First of all, Pull Ups are WAY over-rated. They're just like diapers, and it doesn't bother the toddler one bit to 'go' in them. With my last one, who was definately a challenge with the potty, I had finally had enough. I got rid of the diapers, got rid of the Pull Ups, and just put him in underwear. It took a day or two, but he finally realized he didn't like peeing down his leg, or having a lump of you-know-what in his underwear. Also, make it a big BIG deal--HUGE--when they pee or poo in the potty. Jump up and down, dance around, blow some noise makers, and act super silly. You would be surprised at how willing they are to do it again just to see you act like that again! :) Good luck!

I see this happen alot even with a cousin of mine, you don't want to buy diapers for two and then force or make a child be potty trained. My cousin forced her two year old to be potty trained so they would only have to buy for the new baby and a year later when the child was 3 she started to regress and started going #1 and #2 back in her panties and they have to potty train all over again. I guess it saved them money but I don't think it's fair on the child. I was a struggling single mom but waited til my daughter was ready and I ended up using bribes and stuff but I didn't make her. What worked for us we turned it into a competition at daycare not on purpose but it just worked out like that and my daughter and two other boys all potty training all 2.5 - 3yrs.old started to fight over who got to go first etc. My advise is DON'T push it, wait til they're ready! All the kids I've seen that have been pushed are very accident prone, wet the bed, and regress. My daughter is 5 and only wet the bed ONCE in her life. She has never regressed. My cousin's child still wets the bed and had to be re-trained.

I agree with all of the advice that you have gotten. Don't get frustrated....your child will train when they are ready. My daughter started showing interest at about 16 months and I was so thrilled...well to make a long story short she finished "training" when she was 4 1/2. I did the same thing as you, tried every trick under the sun, and got no where. As soon as I backed off and let her do her thing she did it in 2 days.

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I completely understand!I was so sick of people making comments about it as well. My daughter will be 4 in a few weeks and she did not potty train until the end of August this year. I was worried because she had to start preschool and it was alot of pressure. I took away all diapers and pullups (those do NOT work - we just use them at night just in case). It did not bother her to sit in her dirty diapers and I was at my ropes end! I used this piece of advice ~ I put her potty chair in the middle of the livingroom floor and she could only watch her cartoons while she was sitting on it. I also did use a potty chart with stickers and she got little prizes when she filled a row. After 2 days of CONSTANTLY sitting on it she realized it was easy and she has been great - no accidents! She may have trained later than most, but once she did get the hang of it there has been no problems. If you need the link to the potty chart or have any questions e-mail me! Now I just have to start all over with #2 due in January :)