Potty Training - Need Help!

K.,

I think I would back off for right now, it doesn't sound like she's ready yet. You don't want to push it too much or she will really fight you on it.

Naps and bedtimes are the worst, my daughter has been potty trained for a few months now and we still have some accidents overnight and after naps. She's 3 now so she is a little older. Another thought would be pull-ups instead of diapers but once you change to the pull-ups you shouldn't go back to diapers or it just becomes confusing to her.

Good Luck, let me know how you make out.

S.

It doesn't sound like she's ready. One of the hardest things to do as a Mom is let our children tell us when they're ready, especially when other people are making judgement calls about when they think our kids should be potty trained.

My daughter was potty-trained the day after her 3rd birthday. She just decided she was ready. When I tried to push it before that, it only served to frustrate both of us.

I'd just give it some more time if I were you. Good luck.

I have found the best thing to do is to consistently keep them in pull-ups. Get the cool ones, let her help to pick them out. Then when possible take her to the potty every 20 minutes. She will go eventually on the potty, and when she does jump around and be so excited for her. Maybe create a sticker chart for her to keep in the bathroom too. Good luck, it takes patience!

I don't think she's ready yet. My daughter showed all the signs early--before she was two--yet, we have only been consistently successful with potty training in the last two weeks (she will be three in August). I've heard that it is sometimes better to wait until they are closer to three when they have more muscle control AND have more motivation and understanding to use the potty.

What we did was switch her into underpants and let her take the lead since I knew she knew how to use the potty (she had been using it one or two times a day for a while). She's very independent and "spirited," so using the timer every hour wasn't really effective for us. She wanted to be the one in control, and, so far, she has been the one to tell me when she has to go. We just talk about it alot so she is thinking about it often. We also use a sticker chart and gummy bears and the special Kandoo wipes and soap. Every kid is different, so it is a matter of finding out what motivation works for your child. Good luck!

She showed signs. What signs? Do you take her to the bathroom with you when YOU go? Especially before a nap and bedtime? The only reason I let mine run without a diaper is when he had a rash. It helps clear up a rash, but I never knew it to help with training. But,if it helps her to 'hold it', it may benefit her. Take her to the potty often. When you need to go and when you don't. You go, then sit her on her potty (better with a small one for her) and tell her it's HER turn now. Don't give her the 'big girl' talk if she doesn't 'go' while on the potty. Only if she GOES. Tell her that is your potty, this is mommy's potty. If she sees YOU going, and 'gets it' and maybe if you add a bit of water to the bottom of her potty, she can 'hear' herself going.

I went through the same thing with my now 7 year-old. At 2 and 1/2, she seemed ready to use the potty. I got all excited and started trying to train her. Well, I guess I misread the signs, because she stubbornly refused to pee or poop in the potty. I tried the underwear thing and spent a lot of time cleaning up messes. She even peed on the floor like a dog when I let her go without underwear. I was getting so frustrated so I decided to wait until she was really ready. Once I gave the control to her totally, she started using the potty. I guess because she was my first child, I wanted her to fit into the stereotypical age group for potty-training. Relaxing my expectations made things a lot easier. She was just over 3 when she was peed-trained, and 3 and 1/2 when she was poop-trained. She had almost no accidents and stayed dry during the night. My advice is to let go of expectations and let your daughter be in control. So what if she's in diapers until she's 3. Ignore what other people think and focus on your daughter as her own little person.

Hi K.-
My daughter was the same way. I just put her back in diapers and laid off the potty talk althogether and shortly after her 3rd birthday, we tried again and POOF! Potty training was done- she just got it and has only had 2 accidents in the first few days and then nothing. We're still having some poop troubles over here- she only goes in a pull up, but the pee is totally under control. I'm of the mindset that kids will be ok when it's time for them to be ok. We tried like crazy with Catie but she just wasn't ready and I was the only one getting upset about it- where's the logic in that?
Good luck!
C.

Maybe this is her way of saying she is not ready. My girls were almost 3 and it took 4 days and it was a cinch. Stayed home all day and just peed when they had to go. I let them be in control of their bodies and what it was telling them. We have never had an accident out or in the car or on errands.

Also it is not good for her to hold it in for so long that can cause bladder problems like UTI's and even worse.

We used undies or naked all day and then diapers at nap and bed, they wet those a lot in the beginning but the rest of the day they were using the potty. The diaper or pull up for nap and bed are a lot better than a wet bed. Then as they get older and the nap diapers are not wet switch to undies then as the night ones are dry switch to undies. I still at almost 5 years old take my one to pee every night before I go to sleep, 11pm, or she will have a huge accident in the middle of the night. The doctor said it is like 5 before they have that much bladder control to hold it all night. I know it is stressful but relax they all train or we would have a world in diapers, coudl you imagine,LOL.

I tried to potty train at 15 months and things were going smooth but then it was traumatic for one of my girls so we just stopped and went back to diapers even though one was almost trained. It was too much work and too stressful for them and me.

Good luck!