I am needing some help!! My 2 1/2 year old daughter woke up yesterday and decided that she didn't want to wear diapers any more. At first I wasn't going to try and potty train until after my son was born due in 6 weeks. But when she woke up so enthusiastic about wearing her panties I didn't want to tell her she couldn't. The only problem is that we are not making it to the potty until after she has already gone and she absolutely will not leave the potty chair until she has gone to the restroom again! I spent most of my day yesterday sitting on the bathroom floor trying to convince her that we could come back in a few minutes and try again later but to no avail she was determined to stay on the potty chair until she had success. At one point she stayed on her potty chair for 35min straight!! We were able to have 3 successes and cheered and praised her for being a big girl. Just wondering if there is something I can do to help her have better success and understanding what it feels like to need to go. Also are we better off with buying training pants that we can just wash or are pull-ups really worth the money? Thanks in advance for your help I absolutely love having the Mamasource site you are all amazing moms!!!
Thank you so much to everyone for your reassurance and tips!! We went to the store and bought some training panties, as well as some pretty panties. She has done great! We are still having a few accidents but everyday seems to be a huge improvement. And we are needing less time on the potty which has been a nice change as well. I bought her a little smiley chart that has little boxes for stickers each time we "tee-tee" in the potty she gets one sticker on her chart "poo-poo" gets two! The little chart has 20 squares and she was so excited to fill it up today. We told her once the chart was filled up she would get a prize. This incentive has been great and it is something that I can put in my purse and take it with us everywhere. So far so good let's hope we will be all trained VERY soon!!! Thanks again for all the help I sooooo appreciate it!!
She sounds like she is doing good! I think it's best to put up with the accidents for a little while. She will learn quicker if she can feel it. Pull Up's just prolong things.
I had the best success when I just put the girls in a dress with no panties at all. They would run to the potty quicker when they knew there was nothing there to catch it.
In my opinion the pull-ups were a waste of money just because it feels so much like a diaper that it confused my daughter. As soon as I took them away she was fine. Best of luck to you.
I haven't potty trained my baby yet, but one friend I know just took her potty chair to the room her child was playing in so it would always be close enough to jump right onto. She also had her little girl in dresses so she didn't have to worry about the slowdown pants can cause.
One behavioral technique that we've started using with our daughter for all sorts of things is "you go when the bell/alarm/whatever" goes off. We started this at Christmas when we visited grandparents with a cuckoo clock - she diligently tried to use the potty each hour on the hour. This might help with getting to the potty before the accident occurs. It DOES sound like you have a kid who will get it for herself though - I wish my daughter was as good about sitting on the potty!
There is a great book I used in the 70's with my children...Potty Training in Less Than a Day..while it took a little longer than a day, this book has some great ideas. I also used it with my grand children and it was effective also...although the little boy still has accidents. "Mumsie"
If she is showing interest then now is definitely the time to do it. A book I recommend to all moms is Potty Training in Less than a Day. They use a doll (which I did not do) but the general idea is that they learn what it feels like when they do need to go. I do not recommend pull ups-they are just expensive diapers.
Do not let this opportunity pass you by and good luck. I might also recommend a small potty chair that you can sit in the kitchen so that you do not have to spend the whole day in the bathroom.
Try taking her to the potty every 30 minutes and she will eventually understand what the "feeling" is when she does need to go. Walmart has great thick training pants, and they are reasonable.
It takes a couple weeks of concentrated time and then you are home free, but I would suggest that about every two hours you say to her lets go potty, and maybe you'll beat the going in her pants first bit. I heard and tried it on my children, that until their diapers were dry for two hours at a time, their bladder wasn't ready yet to train, so go by that instead of the age of child, but if your child is telling you, now is a GREAT time to try and do it. set a timer for two hours, as it will probably be hard to keep track. Good luck.
Everyone has had different experiences with Pull-Ups, regular cotton training pants and panties. My personal experience is that Pull-Ups were useless for potty-training but were OK for night-time use after daytime potty training had become successful. The only thing that really worked was biting the bullet and putting my daughter in big-girl panties. After a couple of pee accidents, that was it. She had one poop accident, and after that she hasn't had another, and that's been 6 years ago. It's all in when the CHILD is ready. They pretty much train themselves, you just have to give reminders, make sure they're drinking plenty of fluids, and try to keep the child from becoming constipated--painful poop=refusal to poop in the potty. Don't worry--you'll get there!
Hollie has great advice there. Follow all of it that you can. Also, the potty chair in the living room part, you can get a waterproof mattress protector and place under it for added protection for your flooring. It's easier to throw in the washer and place another under it than to have to mop or steam clean.
My dd used cloth trainers b/c 8 yrs ago, Pull ups felt too much like a diaper for her to be able to tell if it was "time" or "too late". We also had her pick out a pair of "big girl panties" at the store and tacked them up near where she pottied so she saw them as a goal. When she trained, she got to take them down and wear them to the store to get more like them.
My son wanted to train before my last baby was due. We let him as he wished, but didn't get our hopes up or too serious about it. He stopped when the baby came, and just resumed about 2 months ago. But he has stopped again. We have tried both. He likes the Pull ups. We could not use the plastic protectors over the cloth trainers, as he gets diaper rash every time.
I recommend Hollie's advice, patience, and see what works for your dd. Keep trying. Hugs-- S
I would let her wear the panties. My boys are 2 1/2 and potty trained now. I bought them big boy underwear that they personally picked out. We went home put them on and I started a routine where they went to the bathroom once an hour. Be aware though that you will spend most of your time in the restroom. Because my boys were like your daughter....loved to sit on the potty until they had success. Then we had to flush, and wash hands and turn off the light. By that time we had spent half the hour in the restroom. This was with two so it may not be as bad with just one but you will feel you are going in there all the time. With a little one on the way I would suggest Pull-Ups at night time. Also you may want to try putting her panites over the pull-ups so she is still wearing her panties and the pull-up as well. This worked really well with one of my boys who didn't quite understand the idea of "gotta go" but he still felt like a big boy. Good luck and God Bless you with your new little one.
hello! i did day care for 5 years in my home. While i am not an advocate of rewarding with food.........m & ms work great!!! Say to her everytime you go pp you get to pick out your favorite color m & m. Poops get 2! My babies in day care did not get too wild with one candy. and unless yours has a problem with chocolate or sugar it just might work.
If you don't want to use m&ms try something she absolutely loves. God Bless! D. H
It is amazing that she wants to sit until she has been sucessful. I wish mine had been that way, they never wanted to sit until they went, your lucky in that respect. As for panties, I would invest in potty training pants that can be washed, pull-ups are not worth the money and they seem to much like a diaper from my experience. Good luck.
V. C
Our second child decided the same thing for herself at about the same time. I was not wanting to deal with potty-training until after my 3rd baby arrived, but I also didn't want to miss the opportunity to tackle it while she was interested. I have potty-trained two little girls now and this method has worked best for me. During the day, while we are at home, I put my potty-trainer in a long t-shirt that covers her bum and we go about our day. It doesn't take but an accident or two to get the feeling of what it feels like when she needs to go to the potty chair instead of making a puddle. When we had success, I gave her a gummy bear treat, a candy that was reserved only for potty training success. I found that using fabric training pants or Pull-ups didn't encourage an immediate sense of urgency that having a puddle on the floor did. (We did a lot of activities on the kitchen floor during training so that there wasn't a mess on the carpet.) During nap times and overnight I had my girls wear Pull-Ups, or "Paper Panties" as we like to call them. I wanted to be sure not to use diapers again after we had committed to training so that we didn't present regressing back to diapers as an option. I also tried to initiate a trip to the potty about every 20-25 minutes during the first week or two of training. After 3 or 4 days of my child being able to get to the potty successfully, we introduced big girl panties with much fanfare! I always let my potty trainer pick a couple of favorite packages of panties as an encouragement to keep up the good work. I have learned that due to the time and attention it takes to do potty training, it is actually preferable to train your toddler before the new baby arrives. It is a little stressful when the baby is brand new and you are sleep-deprived and potty training is still new, but it is well worth the effort not to have two in diapers at once. Best of luck to you!
I recommend using a timer and taking her to the bathroom every 15 minutes all day for three days straight. Try your best to have no activities and stay home those days. Make her sit on the potty each time, but obviously she won't need to go every time. After 3 days, she should be potty trained.
You have gotten great advice. I agree that you should not use pullups at home. She will get the hang of it so much sooner, and she seems like she already hates to be wet, which is a great start. Pullups are good for going out to eat or somewhere where you really can't afford to have an accident. They are much easier to get up and down than a diaper, for when she uses the potty somewhere. THey're also good at night, so she can take them off herself if she gets up to go, or in the morning. I also really recommend getting a folding potty seat, at Walmart for about 9.00. THey fold and fit in your diaper bag, so the big potty isn't so scary, and she's not actually sitting on the yucky seat. My daughter loves hers, and so when we're out, she's motivated to go potty because she loves it. SHe yells, "TT, MOMO" since hers has Elmo on it.
I would probably say pull ups are the way to go. Its great that she's enthusiastic and you are doing the right thing in encouraging but its quite likely she will regress some when your son is born so pull ups would be a lot less messy and convenient for you - especially at a time when you are going to have your hands full.
LOL, I would jump all over it if my 2 1/2 year old was interested in the potty.
Try setting a timer for an hour and tell her when it goes off, its time to sit on the potty.
Get yourself some magazines and a folding chair and leave them in the bathroom! I know that's hard when your almost 9 months preggers but if she will train now, you'll be so happy about it once the new baby is arrives.
When we started potty training my daughter, our Dr. told me NOT to use Pull-ups. I asked why and she said that it trains them to have accidents. She said that if you don't want accidents to happen later, then you have to stop them now. It made sense and that is what we did. We had probably two - three accidents a month for the first two months and then it was over. We did find the thicker training panties for her to wear. Also, with my first daughter I put a potty chair right where I could see her from most of the house. That way I could still see her and get things done around the house. Good Luck.
Hi, M.! Sounds like a hectic day :) I like to respond to the potty questions b/c it was so easy training my girls-- I have no idea why, just luck I guess. The absolute best tool is "Once Upon a Potty"-- a video and book that features Prudence who is learning to potty. It is good at making them understand the "urge" part!
In addition to that, a potty schedule! Make sure you bring her first thing in the morning and then every hour on the hour after that. After a few times of making it BEFORE she goes, she will start to understand the urge.
Also, keep m&m's or some little treat by the potty. Give it to her everytime she goes, but not if she has an accident and then goes.
Start by putting a potty chair in your living room. Have her sit on it if she wants, but mostly have her practice putting her dolly on it and explaining to her dolly about when/how to go. If she watches the potty video, she will want to do this.
In my experience, doing ALL of these things at once is the best bet. My girls were both going to the big toilet well before they were 2. It wasn't forced-- we just bought the book/video, and then the desire took over.
Good luck.
My daughter was 18 months when my second child was born. In my experience all they do is regress when the new child comes so don't worry about the potty training. If she is serious about potty training...great! If she is only using this to get attention...great! This is a win, win for you. Put her in pull-ups and just don't worry about it too much.
Why do you care if she sits on the pot for 35 minutes? Set yourself a certain amount of time that you are going to stay in the bathroom with her...let's say 5 minutes...then walk out of the room. If she is really only using this to get your attention she will quickly tire of sitting on the pot herself. You, of course, will want to stay within earshot but let her feel like big girl by doing it without you hovering over her.
Good job on praising her for her success! That is wonderful and keep that up. Don't go overboard and don't give any tangible rewards but the verbal praise is fantastic. You are on the right track.
After the birth of your child you can worry about all the potty training issues. We helped smoothe over the "new baby syndrome" by having the newborn give her big sis a gift at the hospital. That doll was her favorite thing for many years. It told her she was special because she was big sister, it gave her something new to play with at the hospital and it validated her as a loved child. That was some great advice from my mom.
Keep up the good work...mom!
blessings,
I have a2 1/2 yearold boy and we realized that he was WAY too comfortable in a pull up druing the day, he just wouldn't go. So for us it is underwear during the day except nap time and pull ups for sleep. Expecting her to catch on during sleep time may be too much at first. As far as making it there , it may sould strange but we put the potty in the living room, he is in there most of the time so the success really helped boost his confidence and then move it a bit farther away and closer to the bathroom, this will teach her to hold it a bit longer when she needs to. As far as outings we put him in underwear and take him potty EVERYWHERE we have been in close to 70 bathrooms in WF. Sam's Club, all 3 WalMarts, Homdepot, the first thing we do everywhere we go is potty if we make 5 stops running erands he sits on 5 toilets! This also helps you know where to go if there is an emergency. And we always keep several changes of clothes and an extra pair of shoes and socks, somehow this kid pees in his shoes everytime they are constantly in the washer or dryer, oh and plastic grocery bags are a life saver, ziplocks are not a bad idea either for those aromaticmesses you don't want in public. Good Luck, it is working for us.
I am having the same problem but only that she will not keep her pamper on but wont go to the bathroom neither. She refuses the go can i get some tips from you also good luck
hi M.,
my daughter was doing the same thing when she started potty training and i could not spend all of my time in the bathroom :) so i brought the potty chair into the living room and let her set there as long as she wanted after about a week of that she only sat there long enough to use it right now your daughter may feel scared she is going to have an accident thats why she sets there so long after using it for awhile she will started to recognize the feeling of needing to pee (more or less control of the bladder) if she feels like she needs to use the potty chair by all means she is ready and definitely encourage her hey maybe when the baby comes you wont have to buy diapers for both go ahead and buy her big girl panties they encourage them like dora,etc... pull ups for nite time so no accidents :) good luck!
Use the cheapo walmart brand pullups they work just as good as the others!!!
You have already gotten so much advice but I just wanted to share my story with you too. My daughter is 2 1/2 and I had made the decision to not start really trying to Potty Train until March (this month). For 2 months or so prior to this I talked about the Potty and big girl panties all the time, but she didn't really show any major interest at that time. I figured, when I'm ready, I'll strip her naked for the weekend and let her run around and see what happens. Well two weeks ago she randomly told me she needed to poop in potty. So we ran and she did. She hasn't pooped in her diaper since. Now comes the peeing part. Again, I was going to just wait another couple of weeks until I was ready to deal with this. Yesterday, she pulls off her pj's in the morning and rips off her diaper and said "I don't want to wear my diaper". All day I asked her every 30 minutes if she needed to tinkle because she wasn't wearing a diaper. And every time her response was "NO." BUT, when SHE had to go tinkle, she told ME!!! We have had 1 accident in these two days and today she peed 9 times on the potty and EACH time she said when she had to go. I would continue to ask your daughter so it's a constant reminder and just keep saying to her "your not wearing a diaper so don't forget" and somehow I think it will click. I absolutely 100% do NOT recommend pullups because to me that is just another form of diaper. Bite the bullet for a few days in panties, let her tell YOU, and it will happen. Kids are smart. They have control and it won't take long for her to understand the process. Just don't give up. She is Ready. So just keep going forward with the panties. Good Luck!!!
yay for her!!
First off don't waist your money on pull ups. The only difference between them and diapers is they pull up!
Her determination is GREAT! If she wants to sit there for 35 minutes let her! As long as you aren't forcing the issue it's fine!
As far as accidents, Welcome to potty learning! She has to learn to put the urge along with the action. She sounds like she will be able to pick it up quickly. I agree with holly..every hour on the hour. I would just get her some regular undies and let her run around in those!
Get the book Potty Training in less than a day--it is fun and works! A.
Dear M.:
Your daughter is ready. Let me give you a few pointers. Every time she eats put her on the pot and run the water for a few minutes and see what happens. Give her about an hour or an 1 1/2 and let her sit again. Make sure she goes before to bed. Limit her liquid intake before bedtime so that she won't have to get up during the night. But if she does let her go when you have to go and she will probably respond.
I have four children of my own and am the oldest of eleven so I learned a lot from my Mother.
I trust this will be of benefit to you. :)
And Congratulations on the one on the way!!!
Good for YOU! And, Good for your daughter! Pull ups are too close to diapers, it makes it harder to quickly acheive success. Good old thick potty training panties work great, and are machine washable and dryable. You don't run out of panyies, you just throw them in the wash.
My daughter did the same thing. So I just let her wear new panties and she potty trained her self. She never went back. Just go buy some panties and see what she dose.
M., it sounds like she's going to be easy to train! You are very lucky.
How much does she drink through out the day? If it's not much or not a lot anyway, then maybe pumping her full of liquids will help her pee more often.
you have to ask her every 15 or 20 min if she has to go, and i recomend going straight to panties! pull ups feel just like diapers. hang in there! the first week sucks! but after that they start going on their own and it gets better. the sooner she gets it now the less likly she is to regress when to baby is born! good luck!
First and foremost,don't worry she will get the hang of this!! :) I have a 3 year old son and i thought we would never get it but he does very well now with the occasional accident ever so often. Maybe,try taking her every 20-30 min.I know that sounds like a total pain but it helps them to figure out the sensation of when they need to go.I think its fine if she wants to sit there,put some books in the bathroom buy the potty that she can look at and let her know to call you if she needs you. Good Luck and it will be fine!! :)Keep up the praise,we even had a song and dance!! It is amazing what you will do when you have kids!!!
M.,
Pull ups are worth the money!! Start by using them. Set up a reward system for each time she makes it to the restroom and pulls down her pullups and goes. Give one reward for going on her own in the toilet and another reward for wiping, flushing, pulling up pants, and leaving the toilet. Acually, start with just leaving the toilet and then add the other steps as needed.
A reward might be, a speacial book read, or a walk outside, or her favorite activity. I try to stay away from food rewards, but if nothing else works, maybe keep a few soft chewable candies in your pockett for a real enticement.
See what happens. It is worht the try
T.
Guidance Counselor
If she seems that dedicated to sitting on the potty -- let her do it. Tell her to put something in the potty! Ours are two years apart. It might be easier when the little one gets here if she is already sitting on the potty and starting to go -- since you have already had times where she went on the potty. It might get where you just have to remind her to go. That is all I have to remind my son to do...is go sit on the potty and do something. You may also see her regress when the little one gets here. Good luck!
I am starting to get to the point where you are now. My son wants to go to the potty really bad also. But the problem with him is that I can't get him to sit down long enough to have success. He sits down on the potty pretty often, but no success yet. Apparently he has gone in the potty at daycare before naptime a few times, but we have never seen it at home. He is 2 years & 3 mths. old. Let me know how things turn out for you! Sorry that I don't have any advice myself!
I would avoid pull-ups if at all possible. My daughter calls them diapers...although panties may get wet, at least she knows it!
I think what you're already doing is WONDERFUL!! I wish our 3 yo would sit on the potty and be happy about it - right now she just cries for as long as I have her sit!
