Potty-training 2-Year Old

If there is a usual time of day that he goes, put him on the pot a little before and just hang out there till he's ready. After naps is a good time, and after meals. I out my 14mo old on the pot, just to get her comfortable with the idea, and she goes every once in awhile. We have a few books that are potty-time books, plus there are Seasame Street characters on her seat that she loves to talk about and point to. I say, just go for it!

I agree with Julia M.

My success started with patience! You've seen the signs he's ready, so start with the basics. A few potty books, some cool videos about using the potty and making a special trip the to the store for him to pick out his underwear are good places to start.

I didn't do candy as a reward...we are doing stickers for poop, which is the only challenge. But, we started doing potty checks during the day like they do at his preschool. Every 30 minutes or so we'd do a potty check. With my son I found teaching him to stand and aim was easier than sitting, but every kid is different! Never forget that when people are trying to tell you he should be doing this or you should try it this way...find what works for your son and stick with it. With my kiddo he loved the routine potty checks and would remind me if I forgot! Repitition, a potty dance, books and videos helped show my son what he needed to do. We started in May and now we're all good for most part...just need to get nighttime dryness to kick in full-time and we'll be golden!

Follow his cues and if he isn't sure what to do, ask your hubby to take him to potty too and help that way. Sometimes a visual is helpful!! Good Luck.

Hello, Actually, I did exactly what you said and it worked with all four of our kids and so far, three of our grandkids. I just waited for them to seem ready (which it seems your little boy is) and just said, "Today we are potty training." If they are not ready, then you go back to diapers and wait a week or two, then try again. We had custody of one of our grandsons and when we started allowing his parents to take him home for their weekends, he kept coming back constipated. I finally found out that his mom kept putting him in training pants and trying to make him go potty before he was ready. This is a person who wanted him trained at one. I told her that I didn't want him pushed and that I would let her know when he was ready. The day I decided he was ready, it was done that day. Just remember that with all new things, there are bound to be relapses. It is quite normal and expected.
Good luck with your precious family.
K. K.

F. M

Take your son to the potty about every half hour and when he does go in the potty praise him, if he doesn't don't worry he will. You just have to get the timing down for when he is ready to go. After meals wait half an hour and take him to the potty, when he first gets up take him to the potty, before he goes to bed take him to the potty. He will get used to going to the potty when he feels the need and won't wait until it is too late. Sometimes he will be too busy and you will have to interrupt him while he is playing until he catches on. Missing a few in between will be ok, just be patient. Good Luck.

Read the book Potty Training in Less THan a Day, it's a quick read and a load of info

just do it!

stay close to home for a few days

Amazon.com for books on prodigy and advanced children, crystal and indigo children.

Be well.

N.

I have potty trained 2 girls, and I will tell you that it will not work until the child wants it to work. A wise woman once told me that children have control of 3 things: eating, using the potty and talking. We cannot "make" then do these three things until they want to. So, here is my advice:
1. read the books, videos, etc, talk about it while daddy and you are doing it and why you use the potty - to help you stay clean and healthy, etc. Do this so he knows all the steps of HOW to do it.

2. Go shopping with him and let him pick out some totally cool underpants (spiderman or whatever)

3. Tell him that his underpants will be in the drawer and when he is ready to use the potty and keep his underpants clean and dry, he can choose to put them on.

Stand back and wait for him to initiate wearing the underpants, then get really excited when he does a good job to help him feel proud of himself for being a big boy. It is important that he be proud of HIMSELF - you want it to come from within. (you can be proud of him, too!) When he has accidents, ask him what he thinks you should do. Do you want to wear your diapers again, or do you want to wear another pair of underpants? This will establish that he is in control of the situation.

It may seem silly, but my daughter had problems with constipation since infancy. I wanted to potty train her, so we went about it cold turkey. She did not poop for several days, and I asked her what she thought and she said she wanted a diaper. I put one on and boom, she pooped. She asked for a diaper for a solid year when she needed to poop (wore panties the rest of the time). When she decided to poop in the potty, she just did it, just like that. No more diapers. I wanted to be really careful, since I did not want her to be constipated as a result of potty training, but she had some mental issue that SHE needed to work through. I was really glad that I did not push it with her. Sometimes it seemed like forever that she would poop in a diaper, but she did it at 3 1/2, which really, in the grand scheme of things is just fine.

Good luck and don't stress over it - let him take the lead, really.

I worked with preschooler for many years, before I became an au pair coordinator. This is what I gave my families when they began potty training. I hope it helps you.

Congratulations on entering the wonderful world of potty training! Before you begin, it is important to be committed to the process. Switching back and forth between diapers and underwear because it is convenient for the parents can be confusing for the child. Children are able to sense when their parents are not ready for them to move on to the next stage of development. It is natural for parents to feel a little sad to see their little one growing up, and children are often apprehensive or scared about leaving the baby stage. During this time, it is essential that parents communicate regularly with their child. It is important to reassure the child that they are loved and cherished as a “big kid” just as much as when they were a baby.

Before you begin the potty training process, there are some preliminary actions that you can take which will help the process go more smoothly. First, it is helpful to begin phasing out “baby” items. This means replacing the crib with a “big kid” bed, transitioning away from all baby bottles or nursing, and giving away baby clothes. As much as possible, treat your child like a “big boy or girl”. Let him/her walk instead of being carried, encourage chores, such as setting the table, making their bed, putting away laundry, and anything else that makes the child feel like he/she is being a helper or “big kid”. It can be difficult to potty train a child when there are mixed messages from the parents. Children understand that potty training is for big kids, and if the child is still being treated like a baby, they will become confused or fearful to move on.

Next, you are ready to begin the process of potty training. The first task is to master independent dressing. If a child is unable to pull up their own pants, they are unable to be potty trained independently. Begin by working on the names of clothing items. Direct your child to help in the process of gathering items needed to dress each day from the dresser/closet. Name the items of clothing as you lay them out and the child dresses. Begin teaching the child how to pull pants up and down, how to put on a shirt, etc. If it is difficult for your child, help them by putting the clothing item on part of the way and then encourage them to complete the process. Be sure to stay calm and let your child know that you know they can do it and you are proud of them for their efforts. When he/she is able to successfully put on clothes independently, step back and allow them to dress themselves. Praise them for their success!

It is essential that you buy appropriate clothing. This means no baby rompers, no onsies that button at the crotch or in the back, and no overalls. Although these look cute, they are too difficult for your child to take on and off and will make the process of potty training more frustrating. Elastic pull-on shorts, pants, bike shorts, or dresses, make the process much easier for your child. It is also important to provide cute/cool underwear. Let your child be part of the process of buying their underwear. Let them choose underwear printed with their favorite characters, such as: Spiderman, Belle, Dora, Batman, whatever they like. Purchase a big stack of underwear – the cuter, the better. This process will help generate pride in their underwear and they will be less likely to want to soil their favorite character.

Once you have decided the time is right, transition to underwear. The most effective and quickest road to complete potty training is to eliminate diapers. If the parent assures the child they are “big” one day and puts them in diapers the next, this creates confusion for the child. Take a deep breath, assure your child, and just do it. Be sure to take your child to the bathroom regularly. They have not formed the habit yet, so you need to remind them. Some parents find it easier to set a timer to help them remember to use the bathroom. As your child has success, you can lengthen the time between sittings.

If you have any questions, just ask and I would be happy to help you!

Happy training!

Hi F.,
I have successfully potty trained many of my former preschool students. What really helps is setting up a potty time routine. Feed him, give him plenty to drink, than take him to the bathroom every 1/2 hour. He will eventually go at some point and be sure to make a big deal about it when he does. Additionally, don't forget to make hand washing after he goes a part of his routine. If you keep this up on a consistent schedule you will learn his body rhythm and the timing of when he should use the restroom. Finally, try to make his meals consistent as some foods can cause constipation or loose stools giving him less control over his new skill.
Also, there is a darling video for kids called "Elmo's Potty Time". You might want to get that for him and watch it with him a few times.

Wow that is wonderful that he is telling you he'd like to go! Just wake up tomorrow and start training. Stay home for a few days so he can get used to it, and you can run into the bathroom at any time. Take him in there every half hour or so to "try". My DD would usually go even a little. The poop was the hardest since she didn't have a regular "schedule" and I couldn't predict when she'd go. You'll make it one of these days, then he'll just start going in there when he gets the urge. It took a VERY long time with my daughter even though she was peeing on the potty since she was 20 mos and night trained as well. I started letting her wear big girl panties and she didn't want to get them dirty. We had plenty of accidents but I can happily say she's just about trained!

Hi F., sense he's already 2, I would just start. J.