Potty Training - Scottsdale, AZ

It sounds like you are doing what you should be - she is aware of it and just needs to work on the timing - remind her that it makes it easier for you to help her if she tells you before she goes instead of after - and that both of you are saved from the icky mess that way - but keep consistent and you will see results quickly.

M.:

It is so refreshing to know that someone else out there is going through the same thing. I have just started (this past weekend also) trying to potty train my 21 month old son. He has recently been waking up in the morning with soaked shorts and bed covers even though I put a plastic diaper cover on him at night. It seems like he holds everything in and when I put his diaper back on, he fills it up. The only advice I can give is be patient and keep up the praise. We both only just started this task and kids don't learn overnight.

By the way... I am a 30 (almost 31 yr old) first time and single working mom.

I think people try to potty train too early. Putting your child on the toilet every 30min is too taxing on you and your child and can give a negative impression on the child when it comes time to use the bathroom. If she asks to use the potty, great! Put her on it for a few minutes. Other wise let it go. When she is ready it will happen. You could also try just putting panties on her and feeling the wetness will be a motivator for her to pee in the potty before she wets her pants. Training pants or pullups don't work because they are too much like a diaper and their really isn't a reason for them to get to the potty before they pee in their pants.

Relax, your child will be using the toilet by the time they start school.

Ewww, potty training. One of my least favorite things. If you have the patience to take her every 1/2 to 1 hour, good for you! What has worked for me with my son and now my 2 year old daughter is to wait until they are ready. I mean ready to go on their own without having to remember to take them so often. Yes, there will still be some accidents in the beginning, but it is way less involved if you wait until they want to do it and will do it. Also, I agree with the mom who said to back off if it becomes a power struggle issue. Lastly, kids' bladders develop differently and that should be taken into consideration. I waitied longer to start potty training with my son because he just couldn't hold it for very long and didn't care if he had an accident. My daughter on the other hand can go a few hours without having an accident and it has made such a difference in getting her potty trainned. Whatever you decide to do, good luck! : )

My son trained before he was 2, so I don't necessarily think it's too young, but I'm not sure that it sounds like she has the control right now. If she tells you AFTER she goes, she is not yet recognizing the signs or can't hold it. You need to determine if she really has the physical capabilities or else it's too soon. Putting her on the potty every 30 minutes may just be training you more than her.

Also, what does she do at daycare? Personally, I think wearing any kind of pull-ups/diapers is just counterproductive. If she's not wearing underwear at daycare and you are switching back and forth between undies and pull-ups, it is confusing for her and usually makes potty training a much longer process. If that's the case, you might as well wait until you are sure she can wear undies every day. Kids in pull-ups tend to go in their pull-ups just like a regular diaper. Then when they do have underwear on, they forget and think they are in a pull-up and just go.

My daughter trained later - a little over 2 1/2. Yes, your child needs to be "ready" but if you wait too long, many children are just "ready" to say "no way!" Most kids are physically ready by the time they are three, meaning they have the muscle control and knowledge of when they need to go. The question is, is the child and the parent emotionally ready?! I tend to believe it's worth trying at a young age and would start trying around 20-22 months (like my son) if I were going to do it again. Most kids I know who are in diapers much older than 3 or even up to 4 are wearing them because they choose NOT to go on the potty - not because they can't. :)

I have raised 5 girls and I can tell you i found my girls much easier to train than my boys. The biggest things that I found that works is 1) make sure they are ready. They will give signs and indications of when they are ready such as not wanting to wear their diapers and taking it off themselves or being curious about the potty chair. 2) have her wear panties. It does not soak up the urine like a diaper and they will come to not like the feel of the wetness on their skin. I use pullups for outings and bed times and panties all the rest of the time. Sometimes even letting them go nude is easiest. TAke a full weekend to dligently work with her on this. 3) reward, praise and make a big deal about every single accomplishment. You can give her a cheerio everytime she sits on the potty and if she goes potty then give her a M& M or a sticker or something. Let her see you go potty so she can understand the concept. When she hears you peeing she will eventually connect that with what she is supposed to do.
PAtience, consistency and diligence are all key.
Fun times!

We started trying to potty train around 2 years old because everyone said how girls train earlier, faster, easier, etc. For Syd it was just too early. I stopped pushing it on her and only asked her if she wanted to go when I went. I finally just gave up and one day (about 3 months before her 3rd bday)she came to me and said she wanted to go potty on the big potty (she never used her potty chair except as a stool to stand on to brush her teeth). We didn't go the pull-up or training pants route because I thought it was just another thing to un-train. We bought panties with Dora, Barbie, princesses, etc and she never wanted to get them wet or poopy. We did the diaper at night but after she woke up dry 3 days in a row we stopped that too. I also gave her a star sticker everytime she went potty and we bought a piggy bank and she got a penny everytime she went potty (pee-pee pennies) and a nickle, dime, or quarter for pooping. The thing to remember is that she will do it when SHE is ready, not you. Also, all kids are different so don't stress out comparing your daughter to other kids (or yourself to other moms). Good luck!

M.

Hi, M. -
I'm with the others that think you may have started too early. When she's ready, it will be something she WANTS to do, and not a battle over control. Given this is a fight you really can't win, you may want to consider giving up for now and trying again after your daughter is 2.
Good luck.

Hi M. L,

Potty training can be difficult. Every child is different. Some pick it up real easy while others (most kids in my opinion) take a little time to fully understand what they are required to do.

My oldest who is now 4 pretty much refused to potty train. He was potty trained a little after 3. My 2 1/2 year old is almost there, he does #1 but not #2 yet. It's a process. It is time consuming and hard work. I just take my 2 1/2 year old every 30 minutes to an hour (like you) and he goes. However if I don't take him he sometimes forgets and goes in him pants. It's only been a week and he now is starting to tell me but he sometimes still forgets. I praise him when he potties on the toilet and I continually tell him "big boys go potty on the toilet", "he wears big boy underwear now", etc.

Your daughter will be fine. She is young and sounds like she's doing an okay job. Regression is normal. I have talked to my pediatrician about this numerous times. She has 5 kids and has always been 100% correct regarding any issues with my kids; I trust her advice. Boys are usually harder to train then girls and take a little longer because of the whole sitting down and standing thing. My doctor (along with other moms that are friends and family members) have said that it takes 6 months to a year for kids to fully understand and go potty completely on their own. I know in the beginning we have to help them especially if they are little and can't reach things but by the time they are 3ish they should be doing everything on their own. And they may still need help if they have pants that button or zip. I am sure their are many opinions about this; it can be a heavy topic.

Most people are nice about potty training and understanding however you will run into those competitive moms. Ignore them. I had a married-in-family member tell me she had all 3 of her kids potty trained by the time they were 12 months old and it only took a week. And if it takes any kid longer than a week something is wrong with the kid. Rude, yes, I know. Mind you, her kids are all grown so who knows, maybe her memory is off. I've never had anyone tell me such a story.

Just keep doing what your doing. Your daughter will pick it up soon enough.

I tried to train my oldest about the same age you are doing w/ your daughter..... my second & third I didn't train until they were over 2 & it worked LOTS better! So I would say just wait a few more months.... since she knows how to go onthe potty she will be an expert if you wait a few more months. :) I have just potty trained my youngest. I started when she was 26 months & she has just now at almost 28 months isn't having any more accidents. Blessings!

Hi M.,

A while ago I did a 3 day method with my daughter. You might want to check out this e-book for Lora Jensen's PT method. www.3daypottytraining.com She recommends the "perfect" age for PT at 22 months.
You pay $24 to download it and you can also ask her questions anytime. My sis-in-law just got it the other day and she said there was a $10 off coupon so she got it for only $14.

Good luck!

It might just be a bit too early yet. My daughter did that, and we waited!! A lot of times they really seem ready, but their bodies just aren't yet. I would give it a couple of months and try again.

Please keep in mind that she is really young to be learning this skill. Girls can be successful with training as early as 2yrs, but earlier than that can be a little too early. Boys are more successful between 2.5 and 3 yrs old. Take a deep breathe and don't get discouraged. She is being very successful for being so young.

I trained my dauhter at 22 months. A friend of mine had found an article on the web and wanted me to try it out, if it worked for me she was going to try it. (I'm a sucker!!!)

It was called the three day method and worked great on my little girl. You have to stay home for three days, the article suggests that if you work you take off a Friday and Monday. If it works, the Monday is to celebrate.

One morning we woke up and SHE threw away all her diapers and helped me open all the new panties (45 pairs!) Everytime I saw her going we ran to the potty. The first day we went through about 35 pairs, the second day 4 and the third day 1!

She also wore panties at night. No pull up, no diaper. We just put an inconpresis pad under her and when she went potty we got up changed her pad and panties. Within a month she was night trained.

The key was to throw away the diapers and only use panties. I almost dug in the trash for the diapers the first day!

Three of my friends (all with boys decided to try) it didn't work for any of them! I will be doing it with my youngest daughter as well!

There are tons of methods and it is hard to find the right one for your child. My daughter likes to be in control, is very self motivated and independant. Good luck.

Hi M., Sounds like you're doing good! Most people don't start untill 2yrs old. Don't be so h*** o* yourself, your daughter having a couple accidents is totally normal. I have two little girls (potty trained both at 18mnths-2yrs old). They both did the same thing. They are just learning to hold their pee and making their bladder stronger. It will take a little while, just be consistant and don't get upset with her. I think it's great that you take her every half hour to an hour, it's showing her a routine. I did the same with my girls and I was very consistant and they were both very easy to potty train. It seems like she's telling you when it happens which is a good thing because she knows it's not right to pee in her pantys. It especially happens when they're doing something fun or playing with other kids because they don't want to miss out on anything. I think you doing just fine! Good Luck! Hang in there, I know it's tiring.

While that age may not be too early, at that early age, the learning must be self motivated. You can provide encouragement and watch for them to tell you they're ready. If they are telling you they have to go and having some success at that age, great! Encourage it and watch the progress. That's how it's worked for my three girls. BUT as soon as there is ANY kind of power struggle, holding it, stress, etc., you need to back off. The very last thing you want is a power struggle over pottying issues. There are too many negatives. Your child WILL learn and if you push it, it will stall things.

The very first stage of learning is recognizing when they've already done it and she is there. So praise her when she tells you she's done it and talk about how she can go in the potty soon as you're happily changing her diaper/training pants.

I would say it's too early. We just potty trained my daughter and she is 2 1/2. My son was potty trained at 3 1/2, so really everyone learns at different stages and looking back, I am glad I didn't force either one. She had the classic signs; hiding in another room when pooping, telling me when she went pee pee, taking her diaper off. Like someone else said, sitting on the toilet every 30 mins. is probably not very fun for her or you! Personally, I would wait a few months then try again, unless there is a reason you need her trained earlier.

You are doing great. Just be patient, she will cooperate when she is ready. I have 3 girls, ages 3,4, and 10, I showed them what to do, encouraged them, and let them all make the trasition at their own pace. All 3 were pull up free before pre-k and age 3. Let her pick out some big girl underwear and let her know that those are hers when she is ready.

N.