HELP! Toddler Taking Diaper off upon Waking!!

Part of succeeding with potty training is having a child who is not comfortable wearing a wet diaper. Looks to me like he is definitely not liking a wet diaper, so there's your first step in potty training already done. Now, you just need to start officially training him to go on the potty. Is he sleeping in a crib or in a big boy bed? If he can get to the bathroom himself, he may surprise you and go to the potty all by himself soon after beginning potty training. Does he wear pull ups at night or regular diapers? Give him the training, wearing pull ups (call them big boy night pants) and take him potty before bed and immediately upon awakening, even if he's had an accident. Let him wear big boy underwear in the daytime and persistently place him on the potty during the day. He will get the idea with consistency on your part to get him to the potty. Most boys will wear the pull ups at night if they have the underwear during the day.

1 mom found this helpful

It's time to potty train!!! Might as well get it over with and save a few bucks buying diapers. He'll be easier than most boys since he is telling you he doesn't want to wear the diapers. Show him where to go so that he doesn't go in his bed. Do it now while he is ready otherwise he may get disinterested and then he will be 4 YO and still wearing diapers.

J.. let me know what works for you. i have twin 2.5yr olds and we still aren't potty trained. but i think we are ready. we have been taking off the diaper for a long time now pjs and duct tape never worked for me. the help each other out. to get it off. i tryed rewards everything.. this is a fun fun fun time.lol
P.

I have two daughters and I knew that when they didn't like the way that diaper felt on them it was time to start potty trainging! I bought panties with their favorite princess and told them not to pee on the princess. This worked only because I was patient. Don't threaten with spanking over something that is normal. Set your alarm a little earlier than when he wakes and wake him up to go to the potty. give him praise even if he doesn't go right away. This will give him incentive to try and use the potty. I stopped buying diapers and just made sure I had enough clean changes for the day. If you make this out to be a bad thing to him it will only be harder on you. It is not a walk in the park, but it can be done. These things I did are only ideas you might want to try. The key is find what works and don't compare your child to what other children did because everyone is unique. Children are smarter than most give them credit for. He is trying to get your attention and this is an opportunity to redirect it to something possitive and he may be potty trained early. Wouldn't that be cool? As far as the pain, this may be a UTI. Take him to the doctor because if left untreated it can cause a kidney infection! Cranberry juice and lots of water can prevent and help clear up UTI. Good luck and enjoy him while he is little. They grow too fast!

J.,
Thanks so much for asking this question. My 19 month old twins have been doing the same thing - started with my daughter then my son caught on. We put them in foot-ed PJs on backward for naps and now at night after a poopy event. I'm more confident with the duct tape advice hearing it from other moms - also recommended by our pediatrician (she agrees that's better than rolling around in poop) - and might be easier than changing in/out of PJs all day.

I still think we're a little early for potty training - I think my daughter is just happy to show off that she can take her clothes off (and don't all little kids love to be naked?!?) But, based on recommendations in another posting on this board I did get them potty seats that we use as chairs in their play area. Our speech therapist loves them when she comes because she has a place for them to sit down while she's working with them. Also, they are getting used to them now so I'm hoping it will make using them easier later.

I'll keep looking for more signs they're ready for potty training. In the meantime, I'll keep PJs and duct tape handy to keep those diapers on!
Thanks,
K.

J.,
two words. POTTY TRAIN. It's time. and easier to do in the spring than winter.

If Precious is taking off the diapers its time to toilet teach.

I agree with each mom who says POTTY TRAIN him. and completely DISAGREE with each mom who says it's too early.

My nephew was trained at 14 months. His brother at 2 and then their youngest brother and 2.5 yrs old.

My son would have been trained if his dad's family would have helped. Training between two households is harder when one is being undermined because the first grandkids weren't trained until FOUR year old!

Day care point of view. Is Precious is trained he can go to day care any where.

Environmental point of view. about 1000 diapers less in the land fills near you, never decomposing.

Health benefit. no diaper rashes.

you wallet: 15.00 each package of diapers/pullups wipes cost on ave. $5. ADDED to his college fund or your saving account. if you train him now. Or spend it on diapers and wipes.

I would prefer training pants they are thicker in the middle and available in the underwear section of the baby department at Walmart, Target and Kmart. go by his weight. maybe a size three or four

It's time to toilet teach. cheerios, and m&m's make a good incentive!

Happy potty time.

HTH,
Barbara
who has trained MANY kids how to use a potty.

My first son was potty trained at 20 months. Second son is 19 mo and starting to show readiness signs. I would start potty training that boy if I were you! :-) Good luck!

Hi J.!

I know your mom and friend had banished the thought of your son being ready to be potty trained, but have you given it a try? My daughter was fully potty trained before she was two. My son on the other hand took me a while, but he did start with taking off his diaper around the age of 2. I bought him big boy underwear and if he went in his underwear he would hate the feeling of being wet and would get the idea of going in the potty. Maybe try sitting him down on the toilet after he takes off his diaper and wait it out a bit to see if he goes, and if he does, encourage him and praise him. That's how my son got it. He started sitting on the potty first then he learned how to stand. I recommend buying a seat that had the cup in front, if not, it will go everywhere!! Believe me! I had to potty train my son when my husband was away. Let us know how it went!

Hey J.,

My two cents worth is he is READY! My son, at 18 months, woke up and dropped his diaper. The minute he woke up I would put him on his potty. If he made 1 or 2 in his potty he was rewarded with putting his own mark on his "pee-pee" chart. When the whole page was filled with marks, he could have a bonus toy for his good work. He couldn't wait to get to the pen!

Best of Luck!

Jolie

I am the Mom of 3 grown boys...ages 16, 22, and 26. Trust me your son is definately ready for underwear instead of diapers. He is trying to tell you...get me out of this thing. Why would your friends not think that he is ready? He is old enough, and smart enough to recognize that this diaper is on HIS body, and if he can take it off he is definately ready for YOU to give HIM HELP in acknowledging that he is aware of the connections between the diaper and his awreness of his bodily functions. GO buy underwear, and teach him how do use the toilet. Don't fall for the marketing trap of IN-BETWEEN underwear. Those are more for the parents that don't think a child should ever have to have an accident or a wet bed. It's NOT necesary for him....Trust me this is a smart kid...he'll learn really quickly. So what if there are a few mess-ups? He will feel really proud of his small victories if YOU treat this as a learning process. Taping his diaper on is for you, and can only make him feel like his new level of awareness is something wrong. If he goes to the bathroom at night before bed, and first thing in the morning, you'll be fine and so will he. Don't keep him in diapers for YOUR convience. GO FOR IT.

After cleaning poop off the crib the second time (nearly taking it apart) with disinfectant and scrubbing the walls I decided it was time to make a change. We used duct tape on both girls (I have twins). I never felt like they couldn't get it off but I think they knew they couldn't do it anymore. I never felt like a bad mom for doing this. I felt I was doing them best by doing the duct tape rather than letting them play in the poo. Hope this helps!

Hi J.,
My son just turned 2 on the 6th and is doing the exact same thing! I didn't have a chance to read through all of the responses, so forgive me if I'm being redundandt! I suspect that they are uncomfortable because the diaper is so full. So what I started doing is making sure he gets all of his milk and juice quantities for the day before 3pm. After that, it's water for the rest of the day until 7:15 for an 8:30pm bedtime. This has been working very well. His diapers are barely wet when he wakes up and he leaves it on! I think this will help with night time potty training as well if we lessen the chance of having to go at night. I hope you find something that works for you - I know it's sooo frustrating to have to strip the bed and wash everything everyday!
God Bless!

Sounds like your son is ready to start potty training! Why does your mom and friend think he isn't ready? My son was trained at 2 1/2yrs this past Christmas! Get him a simple potty. I really liked the one from Ikea that we used. Very 'boy' friendly as he didn't spray or miss the hole since it is more of an oval shape. Baby Bjorn would be my next choice, but Ikea is way cheaper! And try to get him on a routine with at least sitting on the potty. Do it in the AM when he wakes ups, after breakfast, lunch, before/after nap, etc. Let him see you and daddy use the potty. Don't worry about the finer points of him standing, sitting down is the easiest way now since he will still need to learn about pooping in the potty and his aim is going to be bad for a few more years!

You might want to also consider putting him in a big boy bed so he can get up and come to you when he wants his pee diaper off instead of ripping it off himself thus saving you the big mess to clean up!

Good luck!
S.

It is definately time to potty train right away! You can start by waking up a little earlier than he does and put him on the toilet right after waking up. He will likely go ahead and do his business right away.

Hi, try putting him in pullups for night or even the kind that are pull ups that open on the sides like diapers but they are more like velcro. It will take more work for him to take off pull ups at least waking up in the morning. Also the night time pull ups are more absorbent so it will be harder for him to wet his crib taking it off.

It's possible he might be ready for potty training. If you don't think that's it, then use duct tape! My boys used to do this and I started duct taping the diaper - we called it their 'belt'. After awhile they stopped taking their diaper off so we don't need to use it anymore, but occasionally they will ask me to put on their belt. Good luck!

Maybe someone has mentioned this to you already, but I didn't see it on the first page....If he is crying afterwards like it hurts, well, to be on the safe side I would assume that it did. I would take him to the pediatrician and have him checked for a urinary tract infection. If all was okay, then I would begin potty-training. I would rather rule out something actually being wrong physically before I would assume it's behavioral. UTI's hurt and if he has one he might associate the diaper with the pain, or like everyone has said it may get so full it becomes uncomfortable.

Good afternoon J.,

He just might be ready for potty training. Every child is different. Start your potty training process and see how it goes.

Have a blessed week, Lenay

J.,
Do what Beth suggest, on top of maybe the potty training. My daughter and son both did this and I put their diapers on backwards, it works!!

Even if you do decide to potty train him, this is a different situation. Try putting the diaper on backwards. Also reward him when he still has his diaper on when you get him in the morning (like with an extra kiss or jelly toast with breakfast?). And I'd take him to the bathroom, let him remove his diaper and put him on the potty. THen give him more kisses for sitting (not just peeing) on the potty. He does seem to be ready to begin potty training. I think the idea is reward him for removing the diaper AT THE RIGHT TIME AND PLACE. This isn't telling him "No," it's telling him, "Not yet."

My 22 month old daughter has been doing the same thing for at least the past two months. I always make sure she has some type of pants or shorts on. I also have a "potty" in the bathroom. We have not formally started potty training yet, but I have shown her the potty and she can sit on it whenever she likes. We have also talked about it, but I never have made an issue of it. Maybe he is ready for potty training. I know everyone says that boys start later. I talked to a friend the other day that has a boy that will be two this month. All she had to do was show him "potty time Elmo DVD" and he started catching on and using the potty! This has not worked for my daughter. :) Also maybe you can try the pull up diapers. The current ones may feel irritating around his waist. I hope this helps.

When my daughter did this, and she was totally not ready for potty training yet so I understand, we just put her diapers on backwards. It is a little weird to get used to and a little more difficult to change a poopy diaper but it worked. She just couldn't seem to pull the tabs the right direction behind her. Good luck, I remember how trying that was. D.

Have you thought that maybe the diaper is BURNING him? Have you looked into the dozens of cancer causing ingredients in common disposable diapers factored with the fact that he is sitting in urine of which can burn skin in its own right? What would it hurt to try seeing if he is ready to go on the potty?

Take some advice from the diaper free baby people and a "catch" is a 'catch" (catch meaning an elimination NOT in a diaper) its still one less diaper or maybe in your case one less taken off and made a mess with.

Its sad that because someone else says its 'too early' with him you are going against what both your son and your gut are trying to tell you and that he may not be 100% ready he is partially ready. My daughter started by being dry at night or during naps. For my boys that was the last step and they were dry through the day. Less diapers = less diapers and it is a step in the right direction right?

Oh and FWIW I didn't listen to my gut when my now 3yo was showing signs because my hubby was deployed and now its not going as easily LUCKILY its off set by his nearly 4 month old brother who has not had a poopy diaper in 2 months and is dry most nights and is AWESOME at telling us he has to go and as long as we are aware and respectful of his needs we only go through about 4 diapers a day with him and even then they are barely wet because we didnt make it in time or he was just busy playing or nursing. It takes less time to bring him to the potty than it does to have to get up and change his diaper :)

We had the same problem with our 18 month old. We switched to pullups and he has been leaving them on. Good Luck!

Hi J., forgive me I couldn't help but smiling at the thought of your son's mischievious expression while making the mess with his diaper...what a naughty little monkey!
ok, I know it's not funny for you but I do think he is showing some kind of interest about what he "makes" in the diaper...did you start to potty train him? I couldn't understand from your message.I would gently take him to the potty and tell him "this is where pee pee goes" every morning, even if he has already peed, and I would start to remove his diaper when he is at home everyday(he can wear his underwear), so after he pees on himself for few (or many!) times, he will start to make the connection "pee pee - potty". What worked for me was REPETITION, yes, the good old patience trick. And of course asking every hour "Sweetie, do you need to go potty?". Also using toilet paper and flushing it was a big hit...they love to see it
disappearing with the water! i would not spanking or threathen, you don't want for him to look at bodily functions as something to be afraid of or anyway you don't want to create anxiety around this subject.
About the mess in the bed: I would firmly tell him that it's not ok to play with his diaper but I would not make a huge deal about it (in front of him that is), like I would not scream or hit him, as it may be an attempt to get your attention. So I would definitely potty train him with underwear and at the same time I would definitely pay him much more attention during the day and especially in the morning, when the problem seems to take place. I think misbehaving tell us when our children need more of our attention and affection (like a flashing light), so we can intervene and help them.
But of course this is just my opinion. Good luck.

Your child is ready for potty training; use original training pants during the day and take him to the potty every 2-3 hours; use pull-ups at night; my son was trained at 2 years old. What a relief!!! As soon as he is awake, take him sraight to the potty. Hope this helps.

it is time to potty train put the cherrios in the toilet and let him sink them. or take him camping and let him go outside but make sure it is a secluded area try putting him in big boy pants let him pick them out

I would say fancy the idea of potty training-it's not beyond him to learn at his age. Each child is different and perhaps he is ready.
However, this is also another alternative you could try too. I tried it with my twins but it didn't work for them because they have each other to get them "out" of each others predicaments. With one child though it may just work! Have you tried turning the diaper around? Sometimes this works but if he is anything like mine-he will figure it out in just a couple of days and you are back to square one. The other option on top of that suggestion is his pajama's. Mine always wore those zip up style pj's especially during the cold winter months and you just reverse it if the neck drapes low enough so not to choke them or leave it a little upzipped in the back but not enough to where they could reach it or squirm out of it. Mine as twins always unzipped each other and climbed out and then undid the diaper and laughed about it hysterically! That's when I resorted to attempting to potty trained. They were interested at first but then lost the interest and also lost the interest in taking off the diaper so then I had a little more time in the diapers-drag! I had hoped they WERE indeed ready but at that point they were not. If it were me I would go full fledge on the potty training idea just to see if he is indeed "ready". You will know when he is ready but once you decide you have to do it full fledge don't switch back and forth between diapers and underwear. Pack plenty of extra clothes whenever you go out. Yes, it's alot more inconvenient than a diaper but the pay off is much better. Just think about all the money you will save on diapers WOW! that in itself would be incentive enough for me! lol! They are so darned expensive!

You can put him in pajamas that he cannot take off. You could ask him if he wants to try the potty- he might say yes, and wouldn't that be great? It's possible, though, that he just discovered that he could remove his diaper and so he's doing it just cause he can.

I potty trained my 2yo right at his 2nd birthday and his brother when he was 26ms so 2years old is not too early. When they are showing signs like taking there diaper off, that's a good start. That was actually what made me think to potty train my oldest. I would start by having him use the potty right before bed and then first thing in the morning. See if that helps, also I put a potty chair in his room next to the door and switched him to a toddler bed so he could get to the potty easier. Hope this helps

You can put the diaper on backwards. That is what I have done. You can also start potty training your son. My theory has always been if you can take your diaper off than you can go to the toilet in the restroom. I have 3 children all school age... I would put them on the potty as soon as they woke up. I had my daughter potty trained by the age of 17mos..My boys were 2-3yrs old before completely trained. buy cool underware..like the glow in the dark kind or some that he picks out himself. Good luck:)

have you tried putting his diaper on backwards.