Potty Training - Richmond,IN

Updated on April 09, 2010
D.K. asks from Richmond, IN
4 answers

Hello mamas. I have some potty training questions. I'll give you some background info first. My son is 2 years and 10 months old. Three days ago, my son asked me to wear “big boy diapers” (pull-up potty training diapers) after waking up in the morning. I told him that he would need to tell mommy when he had to go potty if he wanted to wear “big boy diapers.” He agreed and so I put him in the pull-ups. My son has used the potty for both pee and poo, so he is not afraid of using the potty. I have been giving him a special sticker every time he uses the potty. I wasn’t trying to potty train him, but just letting him do what he was naturally curious to try. So he had just been wearing regular diapers until last Tuesday. Once he asked to wear “big boy diapers,” I have been trying to potty train. I asked him to keep his “big boy diapers” clean and dry and to not let pee or poo get into them. I asked him, “How can you keep your big boy diapers clean and dry?” He answered, “Go pee and poo in potty.” So I know he sort of understands the idea. On Tuesday, he was able to go on the potty 6 times. I also asked him about every 15-20 if his big boy diapers were clean and dry? If they were clean and dry, I gave him a sticker and after 10 stickers a treat. He got 15 clean and dry stickers on Tuesday. I think he went through about 7 or 8 pull-ups that day. On Wednesday, we went to playgroup in the morning and I let him wear the pull-ups. He did great and even went to the potty at the playgroup. He only did 3 pees in the potty though. After we went home, things sort of regressed and he went through about 11 or 12 pull-ups by the end of the day. I have decided to not try going out again until he has a little stronger grasp of keeping clean and dry. On Thursday, he started out in pull-ups, but I knew that I would run out of them either that day or the next so I decided to try to put him into training underpants. I took his favorite stuffed animal and put it in a pair of training underpants. I made a potty for his stuffed animal out of two tissue boxes and got some tulle ribbon to use as pee and some pom pom art balls to use as poo for his Superbunny stuffed animal. I walked through keeping underpants clean and dry, going potty both pee and poo, washing hands and getting stickers and treats with Superbunny. I even walked through Superbunny having an accident on the floor with my son. He loved it and started acting out the same scenarios with Superbunny. Then I put my son in his own big boy underpants, and told him the same thing I told Superbunny. My son went pee 6 times in the potty. He had one poo accident in his pants and went through 5 pairs of underpants with pee. Three of those leaked unto the floor and he helped me clean up. I also shortened the amount of clean and dry stickers he had to receive before getting a treat. In addition I adjusted the time I asked him if he was clean and dry, between 2-10 minutes depending on how many times he went to the potty or had an accident over the period of an hour. I wanted to let him get as many treats for staying clean and dry as possible to build up his own confidence level. I let him have a treat after getting 3 stickers. I also noticed that he was peeing whenever he drank something. So I asked him to check if he was clean and dry before giving him a drink. He was. Then I asked again right after he finished drinking, and he was wet. I noticed that the next pee came about 40 minutes after drinking. I had him wearing regular easy to pull down pants over his underpants for part of the time and it resulted in having four pairs of pants get wet or dirty. So, for the last 3 hours last night, I just had him wearing underpants and his T-shirt and undershirt. When My husband came home he didn’t like that he was only wearing underpants. He said that it “felt strange to him.” After my son went to bed, I tried to explain the days events to my husband and get his opinion on how to go through the weekend together so that we are consistent in what we do with our son. I suggested to just let our son only wear underpants and no pants but my husband really didn’t like the idea. This brings me to my questions: Does this seem like a normal amount of successes on the potty versus accidents? Does anyone have any good idea how to encourage my son to go potty before he drinks something? What is your opinion on only wearing underpants or letting your child wear pants as well during the beginning of potty training? Thank you for your time and any advice you can give me.

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

my son is exactly the same age.. will be 3 on june 11.. he was in big boy training pants today for the first time..

I do not buy pull ups they are expensive and you can go through a lot of them,

my son was in training pants and a long sleeve tee shirt all day today.. my husband said nothing about htis when he got home.

It is normal for potty training.. you have to be able to get the pants off and on quickly..

I plan on staying home sat and sun while we potty train.

my son had 3 wet accidents today. but he told me that the pee was in his underwear -- which is great.. better thatn the child that sits there in the wetness.

I would put him in pants and a tee shirt put he potty chair in whatever room you are in.. and you prtty much watch the child all day.. look for signs of going to pee poo.. and get him to the potty.. first the mom is potty trained thene the child is potty trained..

He will get it .. but it takes time and patients.. if he is still hveing many many accidents after a good effort.. stop go back to diapers and try again in a couple of weeks..

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

How old is your son? That is going to play a big role in accident to success ratio.

My daughter always has to go potty before getting anything to drink. It's one of our 'rules." For me, potty training is very much about teaching potty etiquette --something us adults just take for granted. You go potty first thing in the morning, you go before you eat, after you eat, before you leave the house, before you play, etc.

I let my daughter run around naked a lot in the beginning, but then I quickly moved to having her in clothes --cloth trainers, stay away from pull-ups or anything else that will prevent "accidents," as these are key teaching moments, if you ask me.

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A.W.

answers from Stockton on

Ah, potty training!

Your husband may benefit from watching a kids potty training video, to help him get accostumed to the idea of his son wearing just undies. Compromise by having him wear a little shirt, if it makes your husband feel better... but the whole process is alot easier when you aren't wearing a whole lot of clothes! :)

As far as accidents vs. successes, Drs. will tell you that boys averahe 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years before they start potty traing. The reason for this is that the muscles used to control going to the bathroom are the last to mature. Even if they cognitively comprehend going to the bathroom, they physically can'y until these nerves and muscles are ready. It is very, very normal to have lots and lots of accidents and only a few successes.

As far as pullups go, these are a great way to get you to spend extra money on diapers. The kids are smart, and they know that if they pee in it, you take it off and throw it away, just like a diaper. They have no real investment in keeping it dry, and the natural consequence of having an accident is taken away, because it's a diaper.

The best way to work on using the toilet is to go buy a whole bunch of the gerber training pants. They have extra padding in the crotch area to absorb most of the pee, and they are pretty good at holding poops in too. Stay home for a couple of days and play in those. Use your sticker method or have some little treat every 20 minutes that he is in undies. When he runs out of undies for the day, he has to wear a baby diaper. :( But tomorrow, he can wear big boy undies again! Yay!

Have him drink right before he goes potty, so that he's more likely to use the toilet. It's no fun being sent to the bathroom all the time when nothing happens. Peeing is the best part!

Give him a reinforcer every 20 minutes that he's dry, and a cooler one everytime he uses the toilet. If he wets himself, start the time over.

Save your pullups for nighttime. That way he can still be independant at night time, with out the confusion of why he has to wear a baby diaper.

Good luck, have fun! Hope this helps!

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Okay... he's doing fine as HE possibly can... so ease up. Meaning... don't expect him to become a Rocket Scientist about it in one swoop.

A child WILL err...and they WILL have mistakes, and they WILL have accidents... and they WILL have hit or miss days. NORMAL.

Just don't pressure. He does not have to wear full on clothing/pants at home... just underwear right now. Putting pants on him and then expecting him to manage that (when their motor skills and coordination is NOT coordinated with pottying) is TOO much TOO soon.
My son is 3.5 years old, and he can't pull down his pants yet... much less quick enough.

Just take it in increments. Not in hours, or days.... I'm talking weeks.

I would NOT have him in pants, UNassisted, right now... because he is STILL in the beginning stages of learning.

Potty expertise for the child, will NOT come all at one time... it is a process.... that occurs in stages.

AND you need to accept... that they will have accidents... this is all a part of learning too. Just like a kid learning math. NO kid will be perfect about it and no kid will be accident free.

EVEN Kindergarten kids, have accidents. I know, because my Daughter did... and her classmates.
NORMAL.

Then, "night time" dryness ability... is a WHOLE DIFFERENT ability... this is biological based and has to also do with the myelin nerve development. Night time dryness/dryness during naps... takes a LONG time... even until 7 years old. NORMAL. Per our Pediatrician and my daughter's Teachers.

I NEVER used pull-up for my kids. I let them be naked at home, or just in underwear. When going out... they were in diapers and for sleeping. I did NOT have them in underwear when going out... UNTIL they fully mastered their bladder control... at home. AND.. .a child cannot hold their bladder for a long time in the beginning and when young... not long enough to get to a toilet... and if the toilet is far away, like at a mall or something... they will leak or have an accident or have a painful bladder. This is setting them up for FAILURE.

I also recommend a car potty. When he reaches that stage. I bought ours from www.amazon.com and put in the search word "potty on the go." A car potty is a life saver... for when the kid has to pee and you are stuck in traffic or there is NO toilet to drive to nearby. My daughter is 7 and just recently she used our car potty. It is REALLY REALLY an essential.

All the best
Susan

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