Potty Training - Monrovia,IN

Our pediatrician once told us "If you start potty training at age 2, your kids will be trained at age 3. If you start potty training at age 3, your kids will be trained at age 3." Her point- most kids aren't really ready for it until age 3 (there are exceptions, and I am sure every single one of them will post here to dispute me). Anyway, we did not start potty training any of our kids until age 3- even when they showed an interest. If they showed an interest earlier, we would go with it and let them sit on the pot, etc. But, there was no formal incentive plan in palce until age 3. The result for us, failry easy potty training for all kids so far (one to go). I am not guaranteeing this, just offering one example. Just remember- you don't see kindergartners in diapers- it will happen.

Potty Training book saving!!!!!!
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Everyone is talking about throwing a "potty party" to potty train a child. I was so desperate; I was willing to do anything. Her book outlines 10 themed parties. What kid doesn't love to play and pretend? All my mommy friends have successfully potty trained their kids with her book too.

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I don't think rewards, especially junk food, are a good idea. She will go when she is ready, and she is still young. See the past questions on potty training, as this is an often repeated request.

Encourage and patience is best. Stop trying to force her and punishing her when she doesn't comply. She just may not be ready. If you let her learn on her terms, it will be easier. This is one of only a couple of things that the little ones have complete control over. You can't *make* her potty. Encourage it when she does go and lots of praise. But, give her time, she will get there.

2 isn't too young if she's showing interest. Even if not, it can be done. Sit her down every 15 minutes and read her a book. She's bound to go accidentally once in a while and start to understand that that's what she's supposed to be doing.
Try getting a video like "Once Upon a Potty" or "Elmo's Potty Time" from the library and have her watch it.

If she is not ready right now don't force the issue or it will become a power struggle. Give it a break for a month or even longer then when you revisit the idea make it a matter-of-fact thing and reward each step along the way. For example, when she gets up in the AM tell her, before we go play we need to use the potty. You go, then say, "Ok, it's your turn." Don't expect her to actually go but reward her with positive comments for just sitting on the potty. First start w/3 trips to the potty per day then once she actually uses the restroom increase the frequency to every 2-3 hours. Be sure to make everything very positive. If she gets a whiff of any negativity or frustration from you she will dig her heels in. I thought my son would never be potty trained and after many off and on intervals of trying to potty train he finally took to it about a month before his 3rd birthday. It was importanat for me to keep things in perspective...It dawned on my that no one I knew wore diapers to prom.

Quit pressuring her and let her do it on her terms. She might not be developmentally ready for it yet. I know it is frustrating, but if you wait and do it on her terms you will likely have better success. And, please stop taking away things from her because she won't 'pee for you'; it just makes this an even larger power struggle and since she has absolute control over her bladder and when/where she goes, she has the upper hand.

Don't misunderstand me; I have a boy who just turned 2 and he's interested in the potty (and I will be glad when he is out of diapers), but until he tells me he is ready and willing to commit to the process I'm not going to force him.

www.aap.org (American Academy of Pediatrics) will likely have some great resources for you.

My granddaughter is 3 and we have been working with her since she was 2. She would have nothing to do with the potty at all. All of a sudden she went on her own, no bribing, no treats just did it on her own. Some kids are stubborn, and will choose their own time, don't sweat it, she'll do it when she is ready. Good Luck

I'd say you're trying too hard. Our 5 year old was talking by two, but we didn't try to potty train her until she was closer to 3, figuring the older she was, the less the battle, and that was true.

The other thing is - she's like any kid (your daughter, my daughter, any other kid) - in that she doesn't want to take the time to stop and go potty.

I will tell you the 2 things that were most helpful in getting our oldest potty trained:

1) Set the timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, it's "potty time". Whether or not she goes, the attempt gets merited, and the timer is reset. This goes on all day long. Let her know if she does it on her own like she's supposed to, then you won't have to "remind" her so often.

2) Any time she changes activities (goes from coloring to playing with a dolly), any time she asks for a drink, any time she gets up to do something different....it's potty time. My daughter kept wanting to play on my computer - "You can do that...but you have to go potty first." Didn't matter what the request was, potty first.

Good luck!!

Some advice my pediatrician gave me - kids can control 3 things - when they go to the bathroom, what they put in their mouths to eat, and when they go to sleep. My advice would be to not force bathroom issues. It will only bring a lot of battles. So if she is using a child's potty at 2, but not the big toilet she may be overwhelmed by it. I would let her wait until she's ready.

Give her salty stuff so she has to drink water and go to the bathroom alot........and just keep asking, or taking her. She'll figure it out. Give her praise and let her go when you go so she knows its o.k.

Hang in there.

Sounds like she's no where even close to ready. And you know what that's ok, I don't know too many 2yo who have done it, it's usually later. This is one thing you can't "make" a child do, and the more you force or punish her the worse it's going to get. I would say stop and don't even try again for another 4-6 months.

We started potty training with a kitchen timer that we set every 30 minutes. When the timer rang, we said "its potty time" and each time my girls sat on the potty - even if they didn't pee. Once they peed, we rewarded them with gummy bears or M&Ms. We would start the timer up after every trip to the bathroom, so for about two weeks it was over and over again in the bathroom, but it worked. We also bought the huggies clean team soap that has a hippo head where the soap comes out of, and it blinks while washing, and the girls were only allowed to use if they went potty. Then, we bought the huggies clean team wipes and call them the "poopy wipes". They only get to use them if they poop on the potty, and we are almost one year potty trained and still follow the same guidelines (except the timer of course).

I think 2 is a little too young yet. I know some people have trained at 2 and have been successful but I think it is a longer process if you start young. My daughter decided to go #2 all by herself when she turned 3 but she wouldn't go #1 on the potty (unless she was already on there going #2). Then two weeks after her 4th birthday she decided she wanted to wear big girl underwear and go on the potty and she has been doing it ever since. Point is it was her decision and I didn't force her at all to go potty (except for #2 sometimes because I could tell she was holding it). Sometimes I would casually talk about it and ask her if she wanted to but the answer was always no. The most important thing is is not to make a big deal about it even though I was wondering if she would ever be potty trained! :)

I have a sister who basically had to let her child run around naked for part of the day. Whenever the child wasn't wearing clothes or a diaper, he went to the training potty. I guess he just had to feel that there was nothing there to go potty in. Also, children LOVE to be praised and rewarded. My boys had a fun shaped piece of paper (i.e. frog, etc.), and every time they went in the potty, they would get a sticker to put on the 'potty chart.' They would get to choose which sticker to put on the chart, and would get to see the chart every day when they went into the bathroom. They were praised, too, with positive words. When the chart was full, they would get a fun new shape or animal to put stickers on. They can use those 'potty charts' to show off to mom, dad, and other family. Hope that helps!