22 answers

Potty Training Rewards

My daughter is a little over 3 and she just (after many months of us trying with her) started to wear "big girl" underpants. She is really doing great and we are thrilled. She has had minimal accidents and is now for the first time ever telling us "I have to go". When we started this back in May she got a sticker for trying to go (and not going) and jelly beans for going. During the day at her preschool she gets stickers only (no jelly beans) and understands they don't give out treats. We give her the jelly beans at home when she goes. I am just wondering how to stop the jelly bean thing without discouraging her to go. She has only been in underpants 1 week and I would hate to stop the treats right now and have her get angry and go in her pants. What have other moms done to get their kids off the treat thing? Since we have been working with her on this since May (with not too much success until recently) she is used to that treat and expects it now. Any advise would be helpful. Thanks!

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I would talk about how she's a big girl now, since she goes to school. Then a little while later (a day or two) I would mention that she doesn't need the jelly beans anymore and I will stop them in one week. Make it a countdown. Six days, five. . .Talk to her about what other kind of big girl treats she would like for a whole week of doing well (like a Happy Meal or a video rental).

Whatever the subject is, I've always found it best to give my kids advance warning and a countdown. And stay with the stickers, so you and the school are on the same page. I did stickers with my kids, too. It worked!

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Keep the jelly bean thing going for now. Eventually you can use some type of phrase along the lines of she no longer needs silly jelly beans every time she goes, as really big girls don't get them....going to the bathroom when she needs to go is just something you learn when you become a really big girl. Perhaps also you can use a chart with stickers, and when the sticker is full for the week, you can get something bigger (go to McD's and let her get a happy meal, go to the $1 store and let her buy something, etc).

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Wait til she's reliably doing it, and talk over and over again about how good it feels to wear big girl pants and keep them dry. When she's reliably potty trained, tell her that she is a big girl now and that big girls don't always get candy when they go, and wean her off of it. Give it to her 3 out of 4 times for awhile, then 2 out of 3, then half, then rarely. Sooner or later you'll be out of it.

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J., I would continue the 'treat' at least for
1 more month,
then tell her she will get a sticker, a
nd if she gets so many stickers for the day, a few jelly beans as a reward if she enjoys those, or whatever you chose.

Then after a week or so, then space it to a week worth of stickers for every DAY she stays dry...
then a small reward..
and then it will already be a habit by then and then you can just do it for 2 wks and then a month and slowly it won't be a big thing anymore.. the other thing is maybe she gets to chose her big girl panties, and you can go shopping for a new 3 pack or something, this gets her off the TREAT reward.

Of course do what is best for you and your family. :)

1 mom found this helpful

I used mini m&m's in the beginning with my daughter. But didn't realize how many a day she'd be getting a day when i started. So after awhile i started to act like i just forgot. She was also 3. But I just had my second one so she knew I had to give a lot of attention to the little one. So I'd tell her I'll have to get it later. So after a bunch of times of going I's say "oh yeah, I forgot ur emie, let's get it". So I didn't lie to her just wiened her off. And then after w week or so she didn't get any. I felt she deserved some because pottying was a big deal (and with a new addition!) Just the other day my dad was playing with her and had a pack of m&m's and told her "here's one for u and the rest for papaw" she was like... OK... Dad just looked at me. I told him I don't really give her any candy so one for her IS a treat. Of course he gave her another. But it nice that she not one to beg for sweets. Well most of the time, Cookies can be a different storie sometimes :>D... I hope I helped some... Good Luck!

V. (Stay At Home Mom)

www.ValeriesEssentials.ecrater.com
(unique candle creator)

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You might give a treat (literally like one gold fish cracker) at the end of the day for staying DRY (instead of for using the potty). Or put a marble in the jar every day until it's full then go to McDonald's or something.

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A friend of mine tried a sticker chart that ended in a bigger reward... like a barbie doll house or something else that she would really work toward. Just explain that now that she knows how to use the bathroom when she gets the urge...she doesn't need the jelly beans anymore. When I potty trained my son, we did ice cream Friday's. If he went poop in the potty x amount of times (working up to every time), we would go get ice cream at cold stone or where ever on Friday with all of us. We let him pick out the ice cream and whatever he wanted to make sure it was a big deal. It worked great! Good luck!

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finish up the bag of jelly beans should be a few more weeks?? if not get another bag then finish that... one week isnt very long.... but once you feel shes really got it down just tell her after these there wont be any more treats and maybe go to stickers and then if she stays dry all week give her a tootsie roll.... good luck

1 mom found this helpful

We used the potty bell. She got to ring it when she went and that was really cool.
I also went and purchased stars. She got a star for every dry day and night. She could then trade them in for a prize at the end of the week.
She is now 10 and saves her allowance for what she wants so I guess it taught a lesson.
I did the same with my 4 almost 5 yr old.

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Hi. My dd is almost 4 and has urinary reflux so the potty training took some time. She still has her moments and at night wears a pullup then if she can sneak one during day she will wear a pullup then too and not use potty. With her I started out with the treat of an m&m but then as longer time went on I started rewarding her with a peepee dance............elizabeth went to the potty elizabeth went to the potty yeah yeah yeah or just a high five when out at store or reading a book inplace of the treat. Think right now she still needs the positive reinforcement.
Good luck on your potty training adventure

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