My daughter is 28 months old and tells me when she is pee pee and poo poo. She has gone #2 on the potty but doesn't want to seem to pee. I'm on vacation for the week and in the process of trying to potty train her. I left her diaper off this morning for a couple of hours in hope that she would tell me when she had to go. She bugged me for awhile about putting a diaper on her and then eventually ended up peeing on the floor. Guess this may not be as easy as I thought. Any suggestions? I go back to work next Tuesday and would love to have her potty trained.
Doesn't sound ready to get serious. Lots of kids aren't at this age. Maybe her daycare provider can work with her and between the two of you, if you make it very positive and rewarding, she will eventually catch on. Or you can totally drop it for several months then try again.
I had to smile when I saw you wrote "I go back to work next Tuesday and would love to have her potty trained." Unfortunately, it's in HER time not yours. I had boys, but what worked for us was them being naked outside for their waking hours (they trained in the summer) and practicing "holding it" until they made it to a specific spot in the backyard. It just took them that one weekend BUT, they were ready. If they're not, it just won't happen. Good luck!
We potty trained my son when he was 20 months old and I can tell you what worked for us. The most important part of the process is for them to notice the sensation before they actually go. We did a bottomless day the first day of training and I watched him like crazy and moved him to the potty as soon as he started to go. The first couple resulted in a stream of pee from wherever he was standing to the potty, but after 2 or 3 times he got it and I had a few seconds to get him there. We never used pull ups, just stuck with diapers during naps and at night. The other thing that worked well for us was to go without underwear for the first couple of weeks. It made getting pants up and down a lot faster (just cotton pants with an elastic waist) and it's better than going naked because eventually they need to learn how to be potty trained with clothes on. I also didn't do any rewards other than high fives and cheering. More importantly there was no punishment or negativity when we had a miss. If she is going to get it you'll know by the end of the second day. Good luck!
Every kid is different, as you know and it is hard to really know when they are 'ready' and what that even means. My best piece of advice about potty training is to not even think about it until your child starts waking up in the morning or from naps completely dry!
That is what I did with all my kids and all 3 of mine were fully trained (night & day) right at or around 2 yrs old.
~After reading all these questions about potty training on here AND having 2 nephews and 2 SS's I have come to the realization that I got off super easy with my kids...b/c they were all VERY easy and it just clicked with them. We went all big girl/boy undies all the time right from the start and never looked back...used the regular toilet & a step stool (they all thought the stool was cool) & me watching them like a hawk for a day or 2 reminding them & taking them to go every 30-45mins, or so & bribing them with dum-dum suckers, they were the perfect size and suckers are my kids' favorites!
This is the best potty training method I've found!
When my sons started showing interest I put them in pull ups and waited until they were consistently using the potty at least 50% of the time. Once they had hit that I went to big boy undies. The first couple of days were very wet, with tons of accidents, but we kept at it and by the third day they had it pretty much down, with just an accident or two a week for a while.
When I potty trained my little girl, I left her diaper off and let her go outside with a dress on and play. I had a potty outside by the steps and of course one inside. The first time she peed down her leg and felt that warmth she hated it!!! She eventually got the idea that in order to not feel that yucky feeling she would have to sit on the potty. It only took 2x and she got the hang of it. I did it over a weekend....I liked the outside idea because it sure is alot easier to clean up vs. indoors. lol
Good luck to you!
E.
I'll bet this extremely informative website will answer many of your questions, and help you determine if your sweetie is really ready to train. It gives a few variations on"readiness" checklists, plus tips on various training strategies, the best ages to start them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach: http://www.parentingscience.com/toilet-training-readiness...
From what I've read and heard, potty training is so kid specific, you're bound to get a myriad of answers to your question. Here are some things that worked for us:
- Make a big deal out of it every time she does anything on the potty. I give stickers to my son, and "special" stickers when he poops (that's his hang up). The special stickers are of construction vehicles, which he adores.
- We also gave him a few day's notice that there would be no more diapers after the last box was empty. Then, we stuck to it and had him only wear underwear. He complained a little the first day, but has adjusted to the new normal.
- Does she watch you use the restroom? If it is something that mommy does, it may make her want to do it more.
- Have her wear some pretty underwear and comment on what a big girl she is now.
- If she asks for a diaper, take her right to the potty, even if she complains (but not if she throws a full out tantrum). My son used to complain sometimes when I brought him to the bathroom, but it was halfhearted and he would go in the toilet.
- Finally, if you think there may be something medical going on, make sure to talk to her pediatrician.
Good luck!
What worked for me and my girl (although she was interested in the potty at a very early age): Take her to the bathroom every.single.time that you go. Let her look and be curious. Remind her to use the potty often (every 30 min or so). Get her some underwear, they don't seem to like the way wet undies feel! Put the potty in a convenient loction (closest bathroom to where she spends most of her time, or even a nearby hallway).
Good luck! It's a great feeling when you don't need to buy any more diapers!
