Advice with Potty Training

I have two girls, one trained 24/7 at 24 months and the other trained 24/7 at 22 months. I have had success with all friends that try it this. Potty training has absolutely nothing to do with "when the kids are ready" it is all up to the parents and it takes a ton of patience! So--here is what you do. Go tomorrow to toys or babies r us and buy two or three sit down potties. One for the car, one for the bathroom and another if you have a really big house and can't move the potty around that easy. Do not put panties on, they are a false sense of protection. Just dresses and leggings, or pants, shorts whatever, but no panties, they think they are diapers. No pull ups either, they are diapers. Try to stay at home for a couple of days when you start. Whatever your daughter likes on t.v. will help, with a little favorite food bribe. First thing in the morning let her watch "her favorite with a little bowl of food on her lap, do this whenever possible to get her to sit on that toilet. Whatever it takes, I have read books while she sits on it, given her a bowl of honey nut cheerios, pulled a table up to the toilet and to do puzzles with her while she sits there. Sometimes she is on the toilet for a very long time. When she goes I show everyone in the house, we hoot and holler and jump up and down and dance and let her put a sticker on the lid. Try to get her to sit on it every twenty to thirty minutes. If you do have to go somewhere, you have your car potty. I used that car potty for almost a year after both kids were fully potty trained. There will be accidents, so always have a couple of back up pants, socks and shoes. The night time will be secondary to daytime. Once you are totally solid on the day that night training can begin. You have to see how long the bladder can last during the day. Nighttime training is a bit more exhausting, but we moms can handle it!
With my first we had to wake up in the middle of the night and change all the sheets on the bed if she had a mistake, we made a big "todo" about it. Just made it a little annoying for her, but we never ever ever got angry. She only had three mistakes and never wet the bed again. My second just kind of "got it" and she peepeed before bathtime, got in bed without a drink of water and went pee first thing in the morning--no accidents.
It is all up to you mom, can't be lazy about this one, just think about the nasty landfill.
lol
D.

1 mom found this helpful

My advice is not to push it, you can and it will work but it will take longer and be a big frustration for you. My little one has started being interested, since his older brother, mommy and daddy go in the "big boy potty". We make a big deal about this. I bought him a little potty, that we have sitting in the living room (it keeps him remembering that it's there). The first day we got it he wanted to sit on it, and then he didn't anymore, but now a few weeks later he will come up to me and ask me to take off his pamper so he can sit on his potty. He has only gone once, but it's on his terms and we make a HUGE deal about it everytime he even sits on it.

I don't have girls, I've heard they are easier than boys, but I don't think potty training is easy either way.

About your mother, my mother-in-law was the same way. "I had them potty trained by 18 monhts" " I had them potty trained in 3 days"...It was really hard when it came to my first son and now she is already asking with my second (he is 2 1/2) all I say is that we are working on it and making progress, we are letting him do it when he is ready. And since you have a little one it may be harder (my first regressed when I had my second), or if you make a HUGE deal out of it maybe she will love the extra attention and do it, but don't push her - you have so much going on already!

Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

2 years 3 months is way young to be toilet training. Not only are most children (even girls) not physically ready until they are 3, but the stress and upheaval of a new baby is really hard! Even older children who are well establised toilet users often regress when a new baby comes. My mom used to say that children aren't toilet trained, mothers train themselves when to put the child on the toilet and she was too busy for that. If you wait, your daughter will decide when she is ready to use the toilet and then it is super easy because she is invested in her success. Really! Don't be in such a rush--diapers are so much easier especially when you are have such a little baby taking up so much or your attention. Tell your mother that you have decided not to try yet, you just aren't as good a mother as she was and can't live up to her example. Hopefully she will either feel guilty for making you feel bad, or will be gratified that you recognized her wonderful mothering skills and will give it a rest for a little bit!
Good luck!

At 2 she is still on the young side. My oldest was potty trained at just over 3 and my youngest was pushing 4. Just keep the potty available to her and don't push. When she is ready she will use it. We always had an open door policy so the kids saw us use the potty and knew that they needed to use it too.

And as for the kids that were trained at 18 mos. It was truely the parents that were trained. If they didn't put their kid on the potty at even intervals (every 2 hours or so) they would be going potty in their pants.

Don't let anyone pressure you. They will not be in diapers forever.

I have a 2yr old girl as well, I also had a hard time. I asked a few friends and they mention to me to buy the elmo potty time dvd. It really works, all of a sudden she would say poop poo and would go potty. Sometime she has accidents but I tell her its okay, so she stays encourage. My daughter watch the dvd for 3 day and it works. Now in the morning when I am doing dishes and picking up a little around the house. I put on so it entertains her and keeps her focus on letting me know she need to go potty.

S.

That might be still a little bit young for serious training. Rewards for good tries and successes and no pressure or negativity or for not making it to the potty is the key. This is one thing they have control over and will demonstrate that if pushed. Still closer to 3 is what I have found the normal age with my local mothers club members. It takes a while for them to get the hang of it.
Good Luck !!

Hi,

My name is L. and have a 12yr. boy and a 9yr. girl. I remember that age very well. As you know girls tend to potty train easier. I had my daughter trained by exactly 2ys. Because she did show an intrest but what really helped me was to buy a little potty that she can sit on her self and it was the musical kind. Everytime she would pee it made music! And of course she became very excited and we gave her such praise. With my son I used a little potty as well. Then the big potty by putting cherrio's in the big toilet so he could aim at them when he would try to pee. That became very fun for him there also some other fun thing you purchase for them to use as well. He was potty train by 26 months. Also it was around spring time, out in the back yard I would let him go naked ask him every so often if he had to go potty and he would say yes. I would let him pee on the bush, he got the biggest kick out of that. Then when we were in the house he under stood the urge. I would ask him lets go potty and he would go use his little potty and then the cherrio game came in about that time as well. Hope this helps and good luck oh, and I never used a diaper in between did not want to confuse them. Only used pull ups a night. Underwear all day!

"L"

She is still young to be potty training. I wouldn't push it because it can cause bigger problems in the future. I know it seems hard to have two in diapers, but it's easier than cleaning up messes. Have patience and good luck.

I have a 3yr 4mo boy whom we would like to potty train, so I enticed him with a much desired annie & claribelle set. He got one for going once on the potty and then as he became comfortable, we switched it up to earning a "tractor" when he went doodie on the toilet 5 times. Of course he was really proud of this and told all of his friends how he earned a tractor for going doodie on the toilet... so it wasn't really a bribe, we work for our livelihood, so why not work for toys? Now we are working on pee pee. Good luck!

Every child is different some will train early others wont. Put her on the potty and tell her when she goes pee pee she will here it in the water then slowly pour a cup of water so in so she can hear it. They are facinated by the craziest things.

lovetheoutdoors.com, gorp.away.com/gorp/publichers/trailside/kids5.htm, ezinearticles.com/?Camping-Essentials---Camping-with-babies-and-children&id+983573. To start you off with your research. First Aid Kit, Sun Screen, water (if there's not one @ the camping ground that you would consider drinking, small tented play area for the baby that you can put on the ground, toys - just the ones you know your baby absolutely needs - the less extra gear, the better. Most of all, you have to bring your sense of adventure! Camping is FUN!!! That's the one thing my dad - who was a Scout from kid to end of high school, made sure my brothers and I - who all turned out to be Scouts as well - made sure we experienced growing up!!! It was a great way to vacation - on a budget!!! Entertainment was free - hiking, fishing, building a fire, etc., and bonding was priceless!!! I intend to do the same for my daughter and can't wait until she turns 5 and I can find her a Daisy Troupe! :) Good luck and Have a fabulous time!

My daughter is just about the same age and is doing pretty well with the potty. I've been letting her run around and play naked for a while now and it has really helped her solidify the concept of using the potty. We've had our share of accidents but they are kind of what helped her learn that it is preferable to use the potty, and really only happened the first 2 weeks. When she had an accident we would have her sit on the potty to see if she could finish in there but if not, it was okay. If you can tolerate the accidents I totally recommend this method. We don't use stickers, m&ms, just hugs and congratulations. A turning point for our daughter too was seeing one of her slightly older friends using the potty and we used that as a reference often. She also had some fear of pooping which took a bit longer and so I told her I would give her a hug while she pooped to help her be brave. Now I completely understand if this is not for you, it's stinky and uncomfortable, but after about a week I didn't have to do it anymore. The one draw back I'm facing now is getting her to wear clothes again! Good luck!

I believe in the "go for it method." Since you've already introduced her to the potty and she knows what it's for and what to do, I would simply get her up one day, put on potty training pants and tell her that from now on she'll be wearing big girl panties and that she doesn't want to get them wet so she needs to tell you when she has to go potty. Of course, that will mean nothing to her UNTIL she goes in her pants the first time. She will be shocked at the mess as she has probably not experienced it before. She probably will not like it and then you can reinforce to her to tell you when she has to go so that that doesn't happen again. Most children do not like going in their pants so they will make an attempt to tell you when they have to go. It may take a time of two so be ready to wash clothes. I definitely do not recommend any of those potty-training diapers. There is no difference between them and a regular diaper except you pull it up like underwear so the kids still don't understand why you should potty in the toilet and not your pants. with potty training pants, they understand completely with the first accident! Good luck! I found potty training to be the hardest thing I had to teach my daughter. she was soooo stubborn but eventually she got it!

Just to say, I have 5 children, the first one I tried to train shortly after she was 2, she resisted, we were both frustrated, I tried the 3-day potty training, still more frustration. So I gave up. Not long after that, she got up one morning, said "no diaper, big girl panty" and that was it. It was her time, not mine, but she decided she was ready and from that point it was fine. The second child did not want anything to do with the potty until age 3. But after she decided, it was fine. The third one is not quite 3, she knows how and what, but she has not made up her mind yet that she should go in the potty. I just relax and when people say "mine was trained at 18 months!" I say, "Wow! great for you! I know people whose children are still having problems at age 5! Isn't it funny how every child is different, yet perfectly normal for them?" There really isn't a rebuttle for that statement! No one can dictate to you what your child should be doing. One of mine didn't walk until 16 months, it didn't bother me, she was fine, and still is! So just relax, ask her, but don't push, she will get it in her time. In the meantime, I have 6 month old twins who are next on the list, but that is a couple years away! :-)
Take care,
D.

I have a son so this could be different, but I kept a jar of marshmallows, and gummies and every time her went potty in the toilet he got one marshmellow, if it did #2 then he got a gummie. Along with picking out his own big boy underwear.

Hi -

I have two children, ages 4 and 2, and am pregnant with #3. My four year old is potty trained - right at age 3. It's really early for a 2 yr, 3m old to be potty trained. Most children are not potty trained until after the age of 3. I suggest that you just let your daughter take the lead. Ask her a few times a day if she wants to use the potty, and if she says yes, great, but if she says no - don't make a big deal about it. She'll do it all on her own. I know it doesn't seem like it - but if you push the issue she may dig in her heels and it can be worse. Also, modeling worked well with my daughter (taking her with me everytime I went and telling her what I was doing) - also we bought panties and told her that she could wear them when she was ready to go in the potty. Finally, never ever punish for accidents. It's party of the learning curve. If your mother had you trained at 18 months, wow - but lots of people would say that is extremely early and unusual. Don't worry, your daughter will do it on her own and then she'll be proud of herself. . . Good luck.

When the time came, my daughter very much enjoyed watching the video "My Little Potty" (I think was the title---red cover, cut-out paper art kind of girl on the front)She fell in love with it, and it helped a great deal.

M.,
My experience is that you cannot push a child to potty train. This knowledge comes by both reading what the experts have said and by the success that we had training our son. You can guide them and help them but you cannot push them. The experts say that the best way to potty train is to wait until they are ready. There are signs and signals that you'll start getting from them when they are ready. I had many friends start trying to potty train their children before they were ready and they failed because their child was not ready. You don't want to make it a negative experience for your child because that could have a lasting affect on them. My son is just now finishing up potty training and he just turned 3. Most of his other little friends didn't really become fully potty-trained until they were almost 3 or just past 3. So, don't push it. I tried last year when my son was two and a half to train him and he just wasn't ready. When he started showing the signs that he was ready to potty train I could really see the difference on how easy it was to potty train him as opposed to me pushing him into it. You can go ahead and push your child into it and it could take 2 to 4 weeks (or more) or you could wait until she's ready and it will only take 1 week. Anyway, you can research the signs and signals on the web that will tell you when she is ready. Also, when you do start the potty training, don't use pull-ups. They say that they are just like using a diaper and they don't differentiate between the diaper and the pull-up so it's hard to train them with those. Just put her in regular underwear and let her run around the house like that for about 3 or 4 days and if that works, then try putting pants on with the underwear. Also, she could run around naked (which is another thing the experts advised) since it's summer and it's warm outside. We had total success with my son and this method and it was a breeze training him. We also gave him rewards at first when he would use the potty chair from anything like a small toy to stickers to lollipops. It's also important to give her tons of praise after each potty chair use. One key is to constantly ask her if she needs to go potty and it will keep the idea in the back of her head that this is what she is supposed to do. Kids easily get distracted and this is a good tool to remind them on a consistent basis. As far as your mom goes, I would pass this info along to her and tell her that maybe you were just an easy baby to potty train and were ready at 18 months. Also, nothing against your mother, but parents were a lot more forceful back then in their potty training methods and experts have since then found out that it's not good to use forceful methods in potty training your child. This is all just my opinion and my experience though so take it how you'd like! Good luck with your little girl! :)