Potty Training - Medfield,MA

Updated on May 24, 2010
A.M. asks from Medfield, MA
11 answers

I have a 2 1/2 year old son (2.8) who's starting preschool in the fall. I need to potty train him, but don't even know where to begin. Has anyone tried the 3 Day Potty Training?? Does it really work? Or, does anyone have any other suggestions, books, methods, etc? I just need a little guidance as to where to begin and maybe a few tips from experienced moms. Thanks!!!

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K.S.

answers from Miami on

I got the little red book ( I think its blue in case of a boy). You read the book with him and then every morning let him sit on the toilet as soon as he gets up. If he goes congrad him and if he doesnt so ok maybe next time. On the 3rd day switch to pull ups. Take him to the store and tell him to pick big boy underwears and tell him when he goes 2 mornings in a row in the toliet he can start wearing them.

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M.C.

answers from Boston on

Hi! We used the three day method on our 2.5 yr old daughter. By day 3 she was telling us when she had to go. I do believe that a child has to be some what ready for it though. We went out and she picked out her big girl undies, stickers etc. We picked a weekend and didn't go anywhere at all. It is a long process! I think involving them as much as possible in the process can only help and remember when it gets frustrating to keep moving forward. It only hurts to go backwards after you start. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.M.

answers from Boston on

We bought a Potty Watch at babies r us. It has helped so much along with just letting her be naked in the house. That has helped alot. The summer is coming that will all so help. Good luck

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T.S.

answers from Boston on

Hi A.,
I used Potty Train Your Child in Just One Day (Teri Crane) with my son right before he turned 3. It worked so well for us, we had a great day, and within a week he had almost no accidents (OK, yes, so it's not really just ONE day...!) I wrote all about the details here: http://www.thespecificsplease.com/?p=93

Best of luck!
T.

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M.K.

answers from Boston on

We did do the 3 day potty training plan a couple months ago and it worked like a charm. My son will be 3 in 2 weeks and he took to this method really well. He showed no real signs of being ready and in fact would cry when I put him on the toilet but still did so well. He is potty trained at night too and has had only a couple accidents. A few things, buys a whole bunch of underwear (20 pairs or so), commit to being home for the 3 days and stock up on yummy treats!
The second thing is that your son does not need to be potty trained for preschool according to the Disability Act because not all children can do it. I get you probably want to have him trained but hopefully this eases the pressure.

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S.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

I would say involve him in the process. Let him help pick out his potty and whatever you choose undies or pull ups. We used pull-ups first with our kids just to get a feel of how fast they were willing to try, I couldn't afford to keep washing undies all the time. gotta love apartment living. Anyways we started by putting our kids on right when they woke up, morning and naptimes. During the day we had them go try every 30-45 minutes and always before getting into the bath. my daughter got it much faster than my son, but with him it's just because hes being stubborn. Remember every child is different so what works well for one might not work for you. Also the more effort and consistancy you put into it faster they will get it. if you slack on taking him then it's gonna take longer. It's a lot of work for you both. Try if possible to stay home with your son the first few days so he really gets the idea. You will be suprised how excited they get when you involve them and make a BIG deal when they use the potty. We never used food as a reward but i have used a star chart. My son liked it but he gets more excited that we make such a big deal about him being a BIG BOY. Well good luck I hope you find something that works for you both.

1 mom found this helpful

S.L.

answers from Kansas City on

I didn't use a book or method but talked with our kids about it and made a chart and with some I used stickers on the chart and with others I did stars and some used a small marshmallow or something like that as a reward each time they went. I told them when the day came to start, put them in underwear, no pull ups ( in the old days when I did my first kids there were no pull ups ) and then I sat them on the potty every 15 min or so. It's a major event for the day and you have to set that day aside to just do potty training, with in reason of course. You could use a timer to let the child know too that it's time to go. With my grandson, who I babysat and trained, we got the Fisher Price potty and it plays music, which he liked, and we did it in one day and that includes nap time underwear and dry and bedtime dry in underwear. You have to be consistent and don't stop once you start. If the child wets the pants be patient and let him know that is not the idea but be kind and put on clean underwear. If you stick to it at his age he should be trained in a day or two. Most of my kids were about 2 yrs. 8 months and I think that is a perfect time for most kids. Don't ask if he wants to go sit on the potty but take him and if he doesn't go wait 15 min and go again. Once he starts telling you the time could be moved to every 30 min of so. It's a job for you so be prepared. Also with the last of our kids I told them if they would prefer a small little reward at the end they could do that and one did prefer that and he did pick a very small inexpensive gift. Just a reward of any kind is helpful whether each time they go or at the end. I found really that was not the main thing with my kids. My grandson said he was never going to be potty trained and if you run into that just say this is the day and do it anyhow. I did not ask him but he knew I was serious that day and I had no problem.
If I can help in any way let me know. It's not an easy job and yet it is.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

i started my 2.5 yr old off by taking him to the store and letting him pick out his choice of "chonies" and got him all hyped up. then i purchased a little potty that looks like a frog you can get it at wal mart he was so excited by the time we got home. so i put him in the chonies and granted they will have a few accidents because they dont realize what happens when they get the sensation to pee or poo because its been in a diaper. so once they realize what happens when they go with the urge then you should let them know to try it on the potty and have a special treat box he only gets into when he goes to the rest room or tries. dont let him wear his chonies over a diaper they dont think they are special then......this is what worked for me but seriously when poeple say each child is different thats not just a clichet its very true you kinda gotta find what works for him. if he isnt ready to potty train and you are persistant on it then it will actually push it back farther and make things worse. good luck doll

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J.R.

answers from Providence on

I potty trained my son at the same exact age. He was definitely ready. We went and picked out a potty seat, underwear, and used M & Ms as his rewards. I definitely recommend potty training in the summer. We actually kept my son completely naked for the whole day. Be ready for a few accidents on the floor, but he was so excited to use the potty and get a treat, he would actually try to go pee about every 5minutes! If you can, try to have a few days where you have nowhere important to be. That way, you can just relax at home and not feel the pressure of stopping at the bathroom if you are out on the road. It is good to start now, because once preschool rolls around, he will have to be more independant - pulling up and down his own pants and underwear, and wiping himself if necessary. When you get ready to start, just go for it. Tell him at night that tomorrow there will be no more diapers. Put him on the potty as soon as he wakes up. If he wants to just sit there, then great. And by the way, with boys, I believe it is easier to teach them sitting down first - then they can stand after they get the hang of it. Most importantly - don't get upset if it doesn;t work right away. Be patient. He will feel your emotions. And eventually, we ALL learn to use the potty! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

I don't think there's any one way. I think everyone loves the method that worked for them but if you read enough posts on this site, you'll see that just as many moms are frustrated! There are a million methods, but I have to tell you honestly, you can't train a kid who isn't ready physically! Do try to pick one method that you think you can be comfortable with, and stick with it. Try really hard not to get frustrated because a) it won't help and b) it will make your son more anxious or distracted. I can't believe the preschool hasn't had problems with kids who are just turning 3, particularly boys, who aren't reliably trained. It may be possible to send him to school in a pull-up. If he's wet for a little while, it's probably not awful. If he normally has a mid-morning bowel movement, that's the problem they don't want to deal with!

Good luck!

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D.M.

answers from Hartford on

Everyone says this but it's true - the best thing to do is wait until he's ready. My son was 1 month younger than yours when I potty trained but I did it because he told me he didn't want to wear diapers anymore. It did take less than a week but I think it's because he was ready, willing, and able. Pull-ups didn't work for us because they're so similar to diapers - he had accidents in those but not in his undies. Also, a child is not technically potty-trained unless they're going to the bathroom on their own when they feel the need to go. It's a process so as others have said, pick a method you feel most comfortable with, works for your child, and STICK TO IT. If it's not working after 4 days or so, stop altogether and start again in about 2 weeks. Good luck!!

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