Advice on How to Get My 2 Year Old Son More Interesed in the Potty

I am interested in what the other ladies say, as my daughter is in big-girl underpants, but I have to tell her when to go. I'm sure you've heard about rewards (stickers, candy, reward charts) for when he does go--my girls weren't too big on this though. It's all a matter of finding out what really motivates your child.

One thing I will say is that I would keep him in a diaper or pull-up at night until he has mastered daytime potty training. Night training can take a while, and it may cut down on his frustration if he doesn't have to think about accidents at night. My older daughter just started wearing underwear to bed at age four, which her doctor said was perfectly normal (I didn't know this). Good luck!

Hi K.! My son just turned 3 this month and he finally goes on the potty. He even does it by himself. I kept pushing the wearing big boy underwear and using the potty and finally my husband told me to just leave him alone. And wouldn't you know it one day he wanted to wear the big boy underwear and almost immediately he was doing it himself. He still has a little trouble with #2 but otherwise he does great. Maybe just give him a little time. When he's ready you'll know. Good luck!!

I don't have any advice except to say that maybe he's not ready yet---2 yrs old may still be a little young for him? We had better luck potty training our kids by not really pushing it until they were 3.

Hi K.,
My advice would be to let him decide when he is ready. My son was just fully potty trained at 3 1/2, which by the way is the average age for boys. Don't push it, it will backfire. I think he will go when he is ready.
Good luck.

Hi! I am in the same boat...but, I think we've made an inroad this past week. I made a poster and hung it in the bathroom. Each time my son ask to go potty and goes through the whole routine, he gets to put a sticker on the sheet. I got a huge thing of stickers from Half Price for $5. Then, anytime he manages to tell us BEFORE he needs to go and he successfully goes in the potty, he gets a potty prize. I just went to Target and bought a bunch of stickers, coloring books, and little toys from their $1 section. This CAN be expensive. So, each time he reaches a new goal, he gets a prize and we give him a new goal to reach for the new prize so we're not handing them out like candy (which, I also hear works). At first, if he sat for 2 minutes he got a prize, etc...Good Luck!

Hi K.,

i also have a son who wasn't interested in the potty at 2 years old. I talked to my pediatrician about because I heard GLOWING stories about how my son was potty trained at 12 months! LOL! Our pediatrician felt that boys that young don't understand the concept fully yet and are more inclined to wait closer to 3 years old. I did work on it for a full year and happily our son was potty trained a month shy of his 3rd birthday. I also didn't use nightttime diapers, I would just wake him in the middle of the night to go and then let him get back to sleep. It helped him know that even if he had to go during the night to get up and go to the bathroom so he wouldn't wet the bed. hope this helps...

You're doing everything right, it just sounds like you may need to start taking him to the potty every hour or so. I waited until right after my son turned three because I noticed one day when I put underwear on him, he peed and didn't even react to it. But, since you've been doing it like this for awhile, I wouldn't take a step back by putting him back in pullups. I would just concentrate more on taking him regularly and I wouldn't worry about underwear at night. My son wore pullups for the next 5 nights after potty training, but my daughter wore them for about a month.

I had a problem with my son when he was two, and a friend told me "don't worry, they are all potty trained before they get married"
We just backed off and waited until he was a little older, then he did fine with it. Sometimes boys are just not ready to use the potty before three years old.
If he is not ready, there is really nothing you can do , and if you push too hard, he could start using this in a power struggle. Really, the only thing a child has the ability to control is eating and pooping, and you can't make them do either.

When he is interested he will go. My 1st son was good about potty training and was completely trained when he was a little over two, but the 2nd one wasn't as good about it. He was a little interested at two, but wasn't completely trained until three. We constantly tried to get him to go on the potty, and the more we bugged him, the more he refused. He would pee standing up, but refused to sit on the potty. Then he went through a phase where he pooped standing up next to the toilet. When he started doing that I said "That's it. I give up". I didn't ever ask him to go. About a week and a half after that he started peeing and pooping all by himself. I guess they just go when they are ready.

One thing that did help introduce the potty to both kids was bringing it out in the living room. I let them sit on it while they watched cartoons. This seemed to work great with my 1st son. He would go on it every time. The 2nd one enjoyed sitting on it at first, but then got sick of that too.

I know training is different with every child, but I hope this helps a little.

I personally think you might be pushing him too hard too soon. Just like learning to walk, it's going to take time before he can do it without you and even then he's still going to have accidents, especially at night. It's actually not all that uncommon for little boys to wet the bed until they are in 1st grade.

I suggest using pull ups all the time so when the accidents do happen and like I said, they will, you can save yourself some laundry. Be gentle with him and keep taking him to the potty, make a huge fuss over him when he goes, some moms even use rewards for potty. You can try stickers or even small candies like M&M's.

It'll take at least a full year until he's actually going on his own with little or no reminder.

Good luck.

Boys are usually not ready until closer to 3!! I have an almost 4 yr old, and 4 nephews that were all right at 3 before they were trained. My mom told me that when he started consistently waking up in the morning with a dry daiper, that's when you know they are ready. When you notice a few dry mornings, start trying to get him to go first thing in the morning, then keep it on all day. Good luck.

K.,
I have potty trained many little boys but most don't have any interest at all until closer to 3 yrs. old.You could raise the foot of his bed about 6 inches putting more pressure on his bladder for that I have to go feeling but at his young age his little body probably sleeps too soundly to wake up and go.It is good to ask him or tell him to go every few hours.It has to be consistant and yes you probably get tired of reminding him to go but at his age play is more important to him.I would forget the big boy panties for now and go back to pull ups and let him be the baby he still is.You could also get your daughter involved if she is not in school yet and have her take him to the bathroom for you sometimes.I do hope you are having him sit to potty right now.
Good luck

Hi there
This may not be what you want to hear but it just sounds like he isnt ready yet. I waited with my son till he was 3 and it just clicked I never had to ask him if he had to go he just went. As far as nights and naps that is a maturity thing. Until the brain matures and clicks he will wet his bed so there is no reason to put him in underwear because you will just have to keep changing sheets. My son is still wearing diapers at night. When they are consistently dry then you know they dont have to wear diapers at night anymore. Hope that helps you out a little.

Wonderful that you son complies when you ask or tell him to. You are well on your way to him taking the initiative.
Keep him on a regular schedule and he will catch on. You can get him used to participating by teacing him other things related around using the potty. I would suggest showing him how to knock on the bathroom door just before you take him in, teach him how to take his own pants off, keep his hands on his knees if necessary and the big reward...flush the toilet. This is a learning experience for him. Make it interesting and soon you'll hear him knocking on the door himself and then you'll know he's relating and 'getting it'. It takes time so just be patient and encourage him.

Don't force it, no matter what outside pressure you get from your family & friends We started w/my daughter when she was 2 b/c we were first time parents and listened to everyone else’s opinion. Bad idea. While she started out ok, we ended up waiting till she was 3 because it was easier for her to grasp the concept and we didn’t have crying fits. It was the best decision we made as parents b/c when we re-started at 3, she understood everything and was trained within a week (pee & poop!). Kids will go when they are ready and not a second before. Forcing the issue will just frustrate him and prolong the situation.

Since you have moved to pull-ups, stay there (don't go back to diapers!)!!! If you are hell-bent on training him now, put cheerios in the potty and have him play a game with his aim or start a rewards chart that works towards a specific goal he would like. We used M&Ms after each time Emily went and then when she started going regularly, we tapered them off.

I'm sure the Mom's on this group will offer up other great ideas, too, these are just worked well for me! Good Luck!

I am not going to read what everyone else has said and only have my own view. Possibly your two year old has not matured/developed enough in this area to give him the interest of potty training. Most peditritions that I have talked to said 'let the child decide when he/she wants to be potty trained. One of our sons I thought was going to go to Kindergarten in pampers but evidently his body finally matured enough where he felt he was a big boy and trained very easy then. Good Luck

Of course we have to put them on the potty until they get the idea...that is why it is called "training".
Start putting him on the potty at certain times every day...when he gets up after sleep, after meals, before nap and bedtime....before you go out shopping...while you are out shopping, etc.
If he pees, give him a star on a "Potty" chart, if he poops, he can pick out a sticker for the chart.
Set up a pre-determined reward for a certain number of stars and/or stickers such as a trip to the dollar store or an ice cream cone out somewhere.
Start out with say 5-7 stars for a reward, then twice that for another reward, and so on.
You will have to do this for a while until he gets the idea.
Don't forget that this is something all of us learned when we were his age or so, so don't get discouraged...it will happen sooner or later.

Just one question for you to think about...Why does he need to potty train right now? Is it because everything you've read, other parents telling you it's time, etc. Well, this isn't something you can "make" your child do. If they're not interested or ready for this, they're not going to do it. It will happen when it's time. If you push it, it's only going to make you and your son crazy and then he's really not going to do it. Give it another 4-6 months,see what happens. If still not ready wait another 4-6 months and see what happens. For now stick to pull-ups and let that be it.

Maybe at two he is not ready. It is really important not to pressure him. My daughter just trained her three year old. He loves Thomas the train and she rewarded him a car every time he would go to the potty. She bought a new train and tracks and placed the box on the mantel. She then told him it he goes #2 on the big boys potty he will get the new train. After a few days he got the new train.

Well, at 2, you're going to have to be VERY consistent with asking if he has to go. He doesn't seem quite ready, though, to me. It sounds more like you want him potty trained, than him wanting to be. So I'd back off a bit and try again in a few months. Boys tend to train slower than girls, so it's very common for boys to not be potty trained until age 3. Take it slow, try now and then, but don't make it a huge issue if he doesn't seem interested yet. Patience is key.

Dont force it, just give him opportunities. 2 is a little young to have it all together. Over the course of the next 6 months or so he'll start to figure it out on his own. As long as you keep reminding him and letting him see you or your husband using the toilet he'll get it. I have 3 girls, one was trained at 2 all on her own, the other at 3 and my 2 1/2 year old I sometimes find sitting on the potty trying. I praise her whens he does and when she goes in her pants I remind her that 'pee pee goes in the potty not in the diaper'. She says it too and is doing well. I have no doubt she'll be trained before her birthday in March. Good luck.

I have three boys and each one was different. If you force a child to be potty trained when he is not ready you may have more problems later on. My daughter was at 3. My last boy was 4 and he was a piece of cake to train. I think society forces us to believe there is a specific age that a child has to be trained but that is not true. If you are at home with your kids why rush it? Every child will reach there developmental milestones when they are ready. And please do not compare your children, they are different too. (I have 4 kids and have learned that the hard way).

It seems like basically the same potty training questions regularly come up. I think it is a possibility to look up all the old questions and responses on this source. It gets a little tiresome reading the same question over and over. Maybe your girl was easy to potty train, so it seems like your boy is not normal. However, boys tend to potty train later, 2 is still young, and we all know that forcing the issue doesn't help. Every child is different, and they go when they are ready. Any time between 18 months and 4 years old is normal. To increase interest you might have your son watch his sister use the potty, have a child-sized potty in the bathroom with books to look at while he sits, read books and watch videos about going potty. Mostly just don't stress about it, don't punish him, and be patient. Rewards work for some kids, but I would make them healthy.