Potty Training 3 Yr Old Boy

Your hubby is wrong on the time out! This is not a time for punishment, unless you want bowel/potty issues when he's like 12 or something. (all this said, I have a hubby that would have said the same as yours - so I understand, but there are plenty of articles/books, etc.. out there for you to show your hubby that punisment is old school when it comes to toilet training/learning).

It is so normal for your son to not want to poop on the toilet. First off, encourage him to sit, not stand when he pees. Often, a child will poop at the same time. At least, if they need to go, they are more likely to do so since they are sitting there already. Don't force him. Holding his poop is worse than going in a pull up or diaper. Accidents in his underwear? - No big deal! Just say, "oh, let's try to make it to the toilet next time, OK?" With my son (he was the same age and more than ready) I was by his side for the 3 days or so that it took. That way I could read his body actions and encourage him to sit on the toilet. He was "trained" quickly and it was actually fun - I credit that to the fact that he was ready. I also read The No Cry Potty Solution by Elizabeth Pantley to ensure that I was ready too! I highly recommend it for both you and your husband, it's a short, informative read.

My husband had nothing to do with potty training with either kid. Are you asking because you are potty training a boy? If so, I wouldn't sweat it - they don't have to watch Daddy pee to get it. Sitting is actually better since it might encourage a poop. Standing is fine of course, but I say teach/guide him in the way he seems most comfortable.

Also, potting training and staying dry at night aren't the same at this age. Your son is potty trained when he is wearing underwear during the day and peeing and pooping in the toilet -during the day. Pull ups/training pants are normal for a child to wear @ night and you don't need to be concerned until age 7 or so. Some kids stay dry early, most do not.

Hope this helps - I didn't mean to come off so harsh at the beginning - I'm a tad passionate about this topic as my poor daughter had some serious bowel issues until age 5 - I can't imagine punishing her during that time and it breaks my heart to know that some people do.

M.

I can recall going through the same issue! One thing I found helpful was purchasing the book "Everybody Poops." My son LOVED the book and I noticed he took more interest in going poop on the toilet. We also had some other books that talked about going in a potty, but this one seemed to have the greatest impact! Even after he was potty trained, he'd still want to read the book on occasion because he found it to be such a silly book. It's definitely worth a try! You may find it eases his fears or discomfort with pooping on the toilet!

Best of luck to you!

Hi
I did 2 things:
1 candy for pee, 2 for poo. Immediate rewards seem to work best.
I also had my son wave goodbye to some poo (might have to be yours) before it was flushed. I read somewhere that they are worried about losing a part of themselves (or some such pychobabble). So we wished the poo gppdbye and sent it on it's journey.

There are also some great books out there, like "everybody poos" by Taro Gomi

Hope that helps.

My husband and I agreed on positive reinforcement. If Michael used the toiled we really praised it, and we made a reward board. Every time he pooped in the toilet, he got a star on his board. When he got 5 stars, he got a piece of candy. If he went all week without any accidents, then we took him to Chuck E Cheese, and spent like 5-10 bucks there. The visual of a reward board really helps kids see what they're going to get. ALSO, making them clean up after themselves when they have an accident gives another kind of visual for them. Good luck. We had it fairly easy with our son. He really wanted to use the toilet. I know this is real weird, but most of the time if I had to use the toiled, Mike came in with me... and he'd ask what I was doing and so on. Him seeing me use it helped him see what he was supposed to do. Again, visuals really help toddlers.

We don't give punishments during training, but the child is responsible for cleaning up the mess (we went back and cleaned it properly). As for the initial getting them to poo, the thing that worked best for my DS was a whole apple for a snack, a bit of water and then about 5-15 minutes of playing tag. He couldn't hold it if he tried. And immediately when he started giving me the 'signs', I would swoop him up and set him on the potty (with a stool to prop his feet). Worked like a charm.