What Can I Do and How ?

I've always heard you can't potty train a child until they are ready. If you push it they just resist all the more. But some ideas that have worked with me are as follows.

1. make a little chart and put it on the fridge. Every time he goes in the toilet cheer him on unbelievably and then go put a star on the chart. Tell him once the chart is full he can have a surprise. Now that can be you getting him a toy, or getting several small things he would like and letting him choose out of a box everytime he completes a chart.

2. Another thing that worked for my friend is that they would put their kitchen timer on and every 30minutes the child would hear it and they would say "ok potty time" and march off to the toilet. Try to make it as fun as possible. Maybe sing following the leader from Peter Pan or something.

3. If he has any friends around his age that use a potty ask the mother if he could watch them use the potty. They love to do what their peers do. My 2 year old started potty training herself before she hit 2 because she always watched her older sister.(My 2 year old is not potty trained yet by the way and is a girl)

Maybe all these things together can work. Their is also a book I think it's called a potty party where they tell you how to do it in a day given the child is ready. My sister got me the book when my daughter turned 3 but I barely started it when it started clicking with my daughter, so I never read it.
Hope this helps
A.

It really is hard my 3 yr old did it on his own they are pretty stubborn but eventually will do it you just have to be patient and dont tell him he has to do it because he will do the opposite of what you say.I had bought him his favorite briefs and had some accidents here and there but my son is a clean freak and he noticed ever time he did that his undies were getting dirty so he would just run to the bathroom himself.My girlfriend told her son who is in love with girls that girls like boys when they wear underwear and go to the bathroom and he did it so try that :)

Give it time----He's only going to do it when he's ready. My son was 4 1/2 before he figured it out. When I was initially concerned, my pediatrician said for some boys it can take until their 7th B-day to fully master urine and BMs. If you stress it too much, you are both frustrated, going nowhere and he feels like he is letting you down. "Once Upon a Potty" is a gender specific book and movie that I used to get the idea across but, again, it was only successful when BOTH of us were willing participants to the process.

Best wishes.

Boys are harder usually because it mom doing most of the work. If you can get dad (have dad take him the bathroom when he's going to get the idea) to help when he at home, it may progress a little better.

You've mentioned all you've done, but not if HE seems ready? Is he showing any signs of readiness? Does he indicate when he's gone? Is he uncomfortable in dirty pants? If not, he may not be ready. If you really feel he is ready (not just that you want him to be!), try getting him around peers who are trained and he might be motivated if he sees them. Also, don't use pullups. Either keep him in diapers, b/c that's what pullups are, or put him in underwear and let him wet himself, at least at home. If kids can't feel uncomfortable and wet, what motivation is there to stay dry?! Try reusable training pants instead.

Do not make it a battle! Good luck!

I pottytrained both of my boys at around 2-1/2 (one was 2yrs6mos and the other 2yrs 8mos). Both went straight from diapers to underwear. I just told them, there are no more diapers today, you get to go on the potty like daddy. They had a little piece of candy from the "treasure box" for going- something small for a pee and something they liked better for a poo (i.e. a small tootsie roll). Then they also had a reward sticker chart- 1 sticker for "trying" without success, 2 stickers for a pee, and 5 stickers (stars) for a poo. Once they filled the entire chart, they would receive the present that was sitting on the top of the fridge. By the time we got the chart filled (about a week) they were both totally day-time potty trained. You have to negotiate the nap time to fit with right after they have peed for max success and no accidents. At night I would put back on a diaper (they would cry b/c they didn't want it) but then I would put their big boy underwear over the top. Limit fluids after 5pm.

My first son was potty trained in 3 days and the second was potty trained in 1 week. The first didn't have an accident overnight right from the start, and the second was night trained in about 3 weeks.

I think part of it is that they need to be ready, but also that YOU need to be ready---ready to take the time to watch them constantly, stay home for a few days, etc. but if you can do it this way it goes much more quickly! Good luck! Oh, and by the way, they aren't ever going to tell you at first that they have to go... just set the timer and take him every 20 minutes until he goes. If he does go, then you could give him maybe another 30 minutes until taking him again. After even the first day or two you won't have to take him nearly as often because after a few successes he will start "holding it" without even knowing it. good luck!

I agree with the others - it doesn't sound like he's ready yet, and all the pushing may create problems down the road. I'd give it a break for a few weeks, then try again. from what I've heard about boys, when they are ready, it happens pretty fast, but they tend to be "ready" later

with my youngest son we tried for a whole year!! We did stickers, potty parties, books, fancy potty seats, singing, playing, puppets and my husband showing our son what to "do". Nothing worked !!
Then finally (FINALLY!!) he went by himself. And it wasn't our magic tricks or juggling acts, he went because he was ready too. He was also nearly four, so after a year of pulling our hair out, horrid accidents (and oh my gosh we have some absolutely HORRIBLE stories, mostly involving a public place, far from our car or any sort of public toilet, and a complete lack of wipes, tissues or anything useful)
Basically, if nothing works, perhaps just give him a few weeks, then try again, but try not to make it a miserable experience for you. And I find girls to be heaven sent in terms of potty training to my boys.
Good luck :)

I agree, give him time. Two is still young for a boy. I waited til my son who is 3 1/2 was 3 and then kind of followed his cues, giving him the sticker chart, knowing he wanted a transformer more then anything, made him earn it. I started with pullups. Within two weeks he was in underwear. If your son really doesn't know when he has to go, don't ask him, just put him on the potty every two hours. Asking sets you up for a power struggle. Just because he walked early pottying is a whole seperate issue. It needs to be when he has all the ready signs, able to know when he has to go, wakes up dry most mornings, can pull his pants up and down. Give him time

I have two boys and the main thing they showed me was that giving a reward for what you want to happen is better than battling the problem. Find the little things that disolve in the toilet that your son can aim at when he goes is one way to do this. The fun of aiming at the little ships etc. is very easy to encourage. A simple an cheep way to do this is to use cereal. It floats and is fun to aim at. Just make it more fun to use the toilet than to use the pull ups and you should have this handled in a week or two. Just be steady on the rewards for going in the toilet and don't push the concept too hard push the reward and all is better. If you do get some success with this then increase the fluids so he goes more often and you will see that he likes to be a big boy. Let him know that he is being a big boy when he does this and more like daddy and he will get the concept quicker.
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I am currently working with my son and he has the same problems you could say. Since I stay at home with him I made sure I have plenty of underwear for a few accidents a day and I have been putting only underwear (training underwear because it is a little thicker) on as long as we are home. I take him to the potty about every 1-2 hours. he is starting to learn when he needs to potty so he is starting to tell me. He hates being in wet underwear but diapers he could care less. He is also starting to wait to go potty when he really needs to. It is not too easy because he does have several accidents but I know he is learning. I get to do lots of extra laundry but he is getting better everyday.

Hi, I completely understand what your going through. I also have a three year old son who I am trying to potty train as well, and while he gets my hopes up by occasionally telling me that he as to go and then going, this only happens about once a week. Anyways, I work at a daycare and I have asked some of the other moms how they have potty trained thier kids and one thing that they have suggested to me was trying to reward for even dry diapers in the morning. I also have bought a step stool and baby seat for the toliet, which he does use when he decides to go. I have also been trying the feel and learn pull ups but they don't seem to work. One thing that i have noticed with Jordan is that when we are at the daycare and he sees other kids go potty or say that they have to go, then he will go so maybe if you could show your child other kids who go on the potty, maybe it will encourage him to go on the potty. I hope I've helped a little bit but if you find something that works, please let me know, I can use all the help I can get. Thanks.