Potty Training Treats

my kids love fruit snacks...and some are natural

We used the marble jars. but I also kept a prize box handy for those special mile stones like staying dry all day, etc. Also would give prize when jar reached 25, 50 75 marbles, etc. Counting marbles while sitting on the potty was a good way to keep him there long enough.
If you do want to continue with treats maybe use fruit snacks, Yogos, Cereal, dried fruit, etc. Not sure on the sugar situation for any of those.

Why give him sugar at all? The sticker chart worked great with my daughter, and the daycare I sent her to used cashews and almonds (my request instead of sweets). Once they get used to sweets though, it'll be hard to use anything else. Good luck!

Would he respond well to the idea that he gets the treats but because it's now bedtime, he will get them in the morning? This worked for our two granddaughters, but the treats had to be given first thing in the morning, with their breakfast.... and of course if you were to happen to forget, that would spoil this idea all together. But it might be worth a try.

Don't wanna sound cold-hearted here but I say ditch the chart/reward concept all together. Since you've been at this 6 months already, there really shouldn't be a need to reward w/a treat for all potty-ing activity. A verbal reward should be enough & your son should be peeing cuz he has to, not cuz he wants a reward. But ifyou feel a chart/reward system is still necessary, go w/something not food-related....an extra story, time at the park or a special outing alone w/either Mommy or Daddy. You can also try $ or party stores for inexpensive toys.

How about nickels that he could collect and take to the dollar store? The stickers didn't work so well for me either. We used Pez. My kids each picked a special Pez character, and then Piglet or Bob the Builder would come out and "cheer" for them and give them a Pez candy. They loved it.

But I do agree that you will need to gradually move away from a treat for each potty success. Depending on how consistent he's been, his 3rd birthday would be a convenient time to make a transition. And then one day he can "graduate" to the ultimate prize--picking his own big boy undies.

I know you'll probably have lots of advice, but here's an idea that a friend of mine used. Since your son has been potty training for so long, maybe you could consider doing a little reward at the end of the day, for doing a good job all day, instead of each time. You could try a little toy treat instead of a sugar treat -- like a little rubber ball or something. My friend got a jar filled with very inexpensive toys her son might like (dinosaurs, balls, etc...), and if the son was able to do the whole day without problems, she would let him pick one. She even spread it out to once a week, when he was getting every day without problems, and give him a slightly better toy at the end of the week.

P.S. I have two girls, and my girls were potty trained without treats, just positive approval. I have heard boys and girls are really different, but you might consider a different approach with your daughter, since you didn't like the outcome of this one. (No judgment at all, because I know every child is different, and especially that boys can be very different than girls!)

Good luck!

Hi L.- I can't claim credit for this idea but I thought it was brilliant, my mom was potty training my nephew and since Spiderman was all the rage at the time he had Spiderman underwear, and was told that "Spiderman doesn't like to get peed on" turns out that was a great incentive for him! good luck : )

J.

I stopped giving my daughter(2 1/2) treats after a couple days of potty training. My daughter loves to put money into her piggy bank, so when she goes #2 we sometimes give her money for her bank. Sometimes she asks for it and sometimes she doesn't. I would definitely cut out the treats since he has been training for 6 months and just give him lots of praise. If he asks for treats just tell him "no." If he refuses to use the potty without a treat he may not be ready to be potty trained.

Hi L.~

I did a sticker chart with my son. He got to put a sticker on the chart everytime he went, and when the chart was all filled up (I think there were 60 or 70 squares), he got to pick out a special treat. It worked really well for me. Good luck!

i think stickers or a marble jar are worth a try. And this time of year, fresh blueberries would be a perfect treat.

Hello L.,

I too was using treats with my daughter along with her daycare lady, so she was getting way too many.. I started doing the money in a jar. She liked that.. I would put pennies and when the jar filled up she got to take it to coinstar and then to toysrus. I explained to her that the candy was going to rot her teeth and she would not have any left. Her first dentist visit required a filling so I blamed the candy. She was okay with the money jar and it gave her something to look forward to. Also taught her about money, saving and spending habits are important. Good luck and god bless.

Sorry L. -- no recipes but I was going to suggest some non-sugar treats like stickers or maybe a chart that he can add stars to when he does his thing? My brother got chewing gum but he also went to potty extra times - just to get the gum.

Hi L.,
I used a sticker chart for my son. He picked the sticker and put it on the chart after each potty session. After a specific time of always going on the potty he earned a reward. The rewards were books, going to the ice cream or a small toy. He really just liked putting stickers on the chart. We made a big deal when we started using the chart. After a few weeks, he was potty trained and go to go. No candy needed. Good Luck!

have you tried frozen yogurt (not the ice cream frozen yogurt, but real yogurt... just freese it first). They have those go-gurts that come in small push up packaging... you can freeze that and then each time he goes, cut a small chunk off for him. Many people make their own yogurt... you can put it in ice cube trays (they have ice trays that make tiny ice cubes made to fit in a bottled soda)and give him one of those each time he goes. Or... maybe frozen grapes... kids really seem to like frozen grapes. You could even try fig newtons (or the others ones they have these days... strawberry newtons, etc).

Although this may or may not be a hard switch, I would go to stickers. You can buy Transformer, Elmo etc. and they come in packs. You could even let him decorate the Toilet or buy a mini potty just for him to decorate or make a big poster Board for his stickers. You could also buy a sticker book ie. Airplanes etc.
That is what we used to use and it worked great!

Hi L.,

I started potty training last weekend, so I'm hardly an expert, but the program I'm following recommends that if you are using treats then you should gradually move away from a treat for every pee/poo because it can - as you say - get out of hand and move on to a slightly bigger treat for multiple pees/poos or ideally a treat for getting through a whole day without accidents.

Considering you've been doing it for 6 months and that it would be good to get this sorted before baby number 3 comes next month, I would try the day approach. Maybe say that that's the deal for 3 year olds. What's the worst that could happen? He could have a few accidents, which he won't like after being so successful at it for 6 months. If he does have an accident, I wouldn't make a big deal out of it - you don't want the 'reward' for accidents to become you getting upset. I would just calmly tell him to get undressed, put new undies on him and explain that he has forfeited his next treat. Oh well, better luck next time.

Just my two cents. Good luck and congratulations on your new litte one.

All the best, D.

What about fruit roll-ups or pieces of fruit roll ups, dried fruit, or freeze-dried fruit? You can get freeze-dried strawberries and mangos at Trader Joes. You can tell your son it's what astronauts eat when on the space shuttle. I remember freeze-dried strawberries and ice cream were sold at one of the National Museums and it was called astronaut food...good luck!

We had that problem. So we give him one treat for using the potty before bed -- even if it's six times. One for nap time etc.

You could also try another type of treat, like stickers.

Good luck.

N.

honey roasted almonds!

how about you stop giving treats for activities that he should be expected to do? i have one "big" toy when mine went #2 in the toilet 5 times in a row and after that he is expected to go in the potty and is only rewarded with hugs, kisses, and praise. if you dont stop now when will you?

At the very least put the before-bedtime earnings in a container to be enjoyed the next day... then work on changing the substance itself to toys, tokens, etc..

I had also started my daughter off with jellybeans and then was looking for a graduate idea to keep from all the sugar. I took her to the dollar store and told her we were picking out a bunch of toys to be in prize bin. I got a basket and put it on top of the toilet so she could see it and get excited about it. Then when she did the deed (which I changed to just poop since she got the pee thing down pretty quick) and followed through with the full after procedures of pulling up her pants, flushing and washing her hands - she got to pick a treat. If you are keen on the idea of him picking out the toys you can do this on your own and wrap them indiviually so he gets excited.

While we did this, we also used a sticker chart since my daughter really liked stickers, you just have to figure out what works with him. What does he really like and what will keep him engaged. As he evolves in his potty training, your rewards and methods will have to adapt as well.

Elizabeth Pantly has a great book- in which I got a lot of ideas. I think it's - No Cry Solutions to Potty Training. I recommend it.