Help - McAllen,TX

Updated on February 24, 2010
E.A. asks from McAllen, TX
10 answers

how do i get my 3yr old son to potty

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So What Happened?

train done everything i seat with him for hours and nothing he says when he went on the paper but when i seat him down on the potty he just sits there and do nothing but when i put his paper on he goes i dont now what to do wat do you suggest

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D.F.

answers from Austin on

My son never wanted to sit to pee. He likes to stand like his daddy. Make it fun - he is old enough to shoot targets (cheerios) in the toilet! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

If he is going as soon as you put a diaper on him, then he has performance anxiety and you need to just be patient. You need to encourage him and tell him that he can do it. Believe in him and give him the time.

I'd just set aside a little time every morning to work on it, and make it fun, read, etc.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.F.

answers from College Station on

Don't. If he is not ready why force? It is just going to be stressful for you and him. Let him decide when. You can definitely provide the options, but let it be his choice and don't push it in his face. I have 4 boys. I didn't potty train one of them. I just let them decide and they did. They just decided they didn't want to wear diapers any more and started using the toilet. Around age 3 I bought a pack of underwear for them. Because each one was different. They just did it themselves between age 3 and 4. No stress for anyone.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Santa Barbara on

E.-
My son was 4 and I spent about 6 months cleaning poo from every surface of my house trying to potty train him before he was ready. I even remember crying on my bathroom floor after cleaning runny poo off everything in the bathroom and all living things that my son ran into (dog, cat, me, him). My advice, make sure he is ready so that you can learn from my huge mistake and not get frustrated.
S.

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S.G.

answers from Corpus Christi on

I have a son and I bought the baby bjorn step and the baby bjorn potty and the baby bjorn seat for the big potty. 30 minutes after a drink/meal, I would take him to his potty, give him a book and let him sit. He would go wee wee in the little potty and poo poo in the big potty with his step and toilet seat. I never used pull ups, I bought underwear. An investment in the beginning but great results for me personally. Potty trained in no time. It takes effort from a parent. Be consistent when you are out shopping and dining. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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D.S.

answers from Tulsa on

I agree with the cheerios and run water. Tell him when he learns to go potty he gets to go to the store and pick out his own big boy underwear. mine got teenage mutant ninja turtle. Also any male in the house when they go he goes. watching another male makes them curious and they want to be big too. Especially if the reward is pick out your own big boy pants.

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S.O.

answers from San Antonio on

Please check the previous questions and answers/ the archives on this site. That question has been asked a hundred times in the last year...I know you can find good info already on this site.

I myself have answered potty questions 20 times in the last 6 months. The bottom line is: you can't get him to potty if he is not ready yet. Once he shows interest, the steps and advice in the archives will be very helpful.

1 mom found this helpful
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B.S.

answers from El Paso on

persistance...persistance. persestance, I used to sing this song to my boys, No more pampers///We were shorts like the big boys do....also if you want to make it fun throw a few cherrios in the toliet and have him target practice. I hope this helps...Just keep encouraging him he will finally get the idea...

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

Don't try to get him to go potty. He'll train when he's ready. 3 is still too early for some toddlers, especially boys. Also when you push as your description indicates, potty training can become a battle of the wills. You against him. You want the training to be a co-operative activity.

So stop trying to train him. Tell him that you know he'll use the potty when he's able to do so. Have a potty available to him but don't insist that he use it.

What do you mean when you say "went on the paper?" Do you mean a disposable diaper?

It might help if you use a pull up style of diaper so that he can pull it down himself.

After taking a break from potty training; perhaps a month long one, you could try training again. Take him to use the potty after meals and perhaps every couple of hours. Let him sit on the potty for 10 minutes or so. One suggestion that I like is to have toys and/or books for him to look at. Put them on the back tank of the toilet if you're using the regular toilet. By facing backwards he's more stable and it's easier for him to stay up. You can let him decide when to get off the toilet if you'd like but don't force him to sit there for hours. It becomes a punishment then.

You can make going potty a game. For boys put cheerios or small pieces of paper on the water and let him "shoot" them. Have a race with him letting him be the first to get to the bathroom. Make a sticker chart and give him a sticker for being first in the room. Give him a sticker for sitting there 5 minutes or so. Then another sticker when he actually pees.

Don't try to train for pooping until after he's able to independently use the potty for urine.

Above all, don't stress over his using or not using the toilet. If you just allow nature to take it's course and provide opportunity he will use the toilet.
The only thing a friend of mine did to train her 3yo daughter was to put a potty chair in the bathroom along with a couple of toys and a book. When my friend used the toilet she had her daughter sit on her potty chair. She was diaper free within a week. This worked because there was no pressure and because her daughter's body was ready.

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