Potty Training - Center Line,MI

Hi M.,
I know how you feel. I have the same issue also. My daughter was potty trained and now won't do it. Because of the new baby I think. I get frustrated also. Be patience and let he decided for himself just like other mom telling you.
Good luck.

My daugther is 3 1/2 and I let her lead the way. When she wanted to pee on the potty I put her there.. when she wanted to poop in the potty I put her there. When she was staying dry we moved to underwear, it took probably 2 months for her to get it, BUT... I didn't have to bribe her, scold her, or reward her.

My sister told me that you can't teach kids when they have to go potty, they need to learn it themselves, the laid back approach totally worked for me.

Hi M.
My name is Ms Dee Dee, I potty train all the time at my schoolhouse out in Oak Park, your issue is normal and typical, the good news is you are almost there. You should use pull ups at this point and transition him to underwear that way when he urinate or Bms in his pants you are not frustruated about it! Praise him each time he tells you or goes on his own and give him incentives (sticker chart, maybe a trip to the toy store,etc)even if he's not telling you at this point, please explain to him how important it is that he does tell you, but at the same time take him anyway,(I usually take my kids 45mins to a hour depending which makes it routine) make sure that you put clothing on him that is potty friendly so that it is easy for him to be independent when going. Potty training can be stressful at times because we often think that at a certain age pottying should come easy, trust me it will all be history sooner than you think, in the meantime, go to the internet for issues on potty training or you can contact me directly at ____@____.com, I just finished potty training 4 2/12 yr olds. Good luck and I hope that this info is helpful. Ms Dee Dee.

HI This sounds exactally like my son. He is now 4 and completely potty trained.

Like your son he would only pee standing up, but never poop at all. Not even if I caught him in the act, he would hold it.
I was getting quite frustrated and talked to my pediatrician about it. He told me that he was technically trained. He knows how to go on the potty. (now here was the hard part for me). My Dr. said to just give it a break and not even urge him to go pee on the potty. At this point he told me he needs to decide that he is ready. I hope it goes as quick for you, but literally a week later he was completely potty trained. All on his own!!! I couldn't believe it.
My Dr. explained that children can sense when we want them to desperatley do something and sometimes they choose not to just to get a response out of us.
Anyway I hope this helps. My son was about 3 and 1 month when he was finally potty trained.
I have a 2 year old daughter who has shown some interest in the potty, but I am going to approach her the same way. It was less headache for all of us.

Try to leave some of the responsibility up to him. We told our granddaughter we would take her to Ceaserland when she went poop in the potty. So one day she came down stairs and said she had peed in the potty. We all said yay and she looked a little confused. She said "lets go to Ceaserland" I told her she had to go poop in the potty to go to Ceaserland and she excitedly said "I did". So we all went to check and she had so we all made a big deal out of it and said OK...Lets go to Ceaserland! She was so proud she exclaimed "I like going poop in the potty now"! Music to our ears.

My nephew hated to poop on the potty. He would hide to poop in his pants. One day I told him I would read him a story while he sat on the toilet to poop. From then on, everytime he came to my house he would sit on the toilet and call me in to read him a story.

You know your child more than anyone. Be patient and creative. Every child is different and yours too will be potty trained.

Hi, I have two girls ages eight and 2 1/2. With both girls I put a little bottle of the mini m&ms on the window sill in the bathroom and whenever they used the bathroom I gave them a couple. I also had them tell me the colors of the ones they received. They loved it. I don't rember as much with my older daughter but with the second one I would take her to the bathroom about every 45 mins and made her sit on the toilet. She preferred the bog toilet over the potty chair. I got one of the little seats that you just put over the big toilet seat. I also put them in underwear. When I first started, I would put the undies over the pull-up or diaper. Once they started going more in the toilet than their pants, I put them in undies. My 2 1/2 year old still sleeps in a diper but is fully potty trained during the day. (The m&ms really worked. Once they started using the toilet on a more regular basis, I would not give them the m&ms as often). Good luck, I hope this helps. L.

P.S. Go overboard with the praise. It makes them want to do it again.

Hi M.,
Your son sounds exactly like my son a few months ago. He's three too and he would pee in the potty and poop in his underwear. I can tell when he has to poop. I would take him to his potty and make him sit. He would fight me and wouldn't go on the potty. A few minutes later, he would poop in his pants. He knew what he was supposed to do and it sounds like your son does too. Whenever Alex would poop in his pants, I would take away his trains (his most favorite toys). I told him that if he wanted them back, he owed me three poops in the potty. It would take about three days before he got them back, but IT WORKED! We went through his routine just twice and he hasn't pooped in his pants since. Some may think I'm mean for 'punishing' my son for pooping his pants, but I disagree. These are not accidents. He knows what he is supposed to do. I never shame him or yell at him; I just say, "You didn't use the potty. Now I'm taking your trains. You are a big boy and you know how to use the potty." Best of luck to you! I know it's hard!

Hi M.,

It's a control issue for kids..this is one thing you CAN'T force them to do, it just makes then resist more and more. I myself and going through the same thing with my 3 year old son. Only goes when I tell him to and he won't poop on the potty, is afraid it will hurt to go on the potty that he is making himself consitpated which is so hard to see your child go through that..Hang in there. it will get easier..

PATIENCE AND PERSISTANCE..

M.,
Okay, I am an experienced mom- my son has been potty trained for a few weeks now (ha ha)! I have to give much credit to my husband. He actually did the work as he is home for the summer (he teaches). Our son who will be 3 in September, but is very bright, was going pee on the potty sporadically.

We decided to put him in pull ups to make training easier. Later on I called my husband from work to see how it was going and he said he kept peeing in the pull ups so he got rid of them and put him in underwear. I freaked out!!!! I thought that was way to fast. But, in a matter of a few days my son was staying dry in his underwear.

One thing we did do was to give him a "treat" when he went pee pee on the potty. I am not a big fan of candy as reward but my sister who has three boys reccommended it. However, my son was very uninterested in going poop on the potty and would go in his underwear and then tell us he went. We didn't make a big deal about it but after a week and a half or so I started reading him books when he said he had to go poo poo and it served as a distraction for him while he sat on the potty and he would go.

I also told him he could have two treats for going poo poo and that totally motivated the little candy junkie. Sooooo... bribing him wasn't my first thought but as my sister told me, it worked and we are starting to wean off the candy and just trying to change the subject or get him involved with something else after he goes. I know that will be a work in progress but I am sure I won't be giving him a treat when he is 10 years old going potty! So that has worked for me so far. Good luck!
M.

My daughter had the same problem and would not poop on the potty. Mostly, she was just afraid. We had our first success a few weeks ago. I knew she had to poop, cause she told me, but she would change her mind like normal and get off her little potty. So, I let her watch her favorite cartoon show while she was sitting on the potty. She pooped without realizing it and without being scared. We celebrated by baking a cake together and decorating it with sprinkles. Then each day when she pooped on the potty she could have another piece of the cake. After a few times pooping on the potty she was really proud of herself and not scared anymore. Make a huge deal out of each success and celebrate in a way that is meaningful with your child. Hang in there. It does get easier.

We used a "prize bucket." At first, every time she sat on the potty, she got a prize. Once she figured out the game, we had to change it to every time she actually "went." Worked like a charm, and my sis used the same technique for her step-son (three in a few days).

Be patient, and good luck.

Hi M.,
I have a son that will be three in a few days and he is the same way. I have an older son that we felt we had to have potty trained in time for preschool and we pressured him a lot to get trained. He didn't get fully trained until a month before his fourth birthday. I've learned with my second son that pressuring does not work. Encourage and celebrate his potty achievements but not too much. I went to a seminar on this and if you make too big of a deal he will expect it everytime and feel like he's performing for you. Small rewards are fine and clap and praise but not too much. It's hard but they really do have to make up their own minds that they are going to do it. I learned with my first son that it does seem true that the more you feel pressured for them to do it the longer it takes. Just try to be consistant. Good Luck!

What is his motivation? I mean, really... if it's not broken in his world, why change?

I would try to get him around some older kids that go in the potty as required! So if he sees that Johnny gets to wear those neat underpants, 'because Johnny goes in the potty all the time', or if he sees that Jimmy and Mike don't want to play with him because your son has gone poop in his underpants... these things WILL motivate him to go like he's supposed to.

Sounds to me like he's ready to do it... he's got the basics, just not ready to do it!

He might just not be ready. Just because he is three, talks about it,and is aware of the process doesn't mean he is ready. I had two that were trained at 2 1/2 and one that was 3 1/2 before she finally got it. Actually I figured out the one that trained at 3 1/2 was truely afraid of the big potty. She thought she would fall in and go down the potty. She also didn't like the flush noise.
I only had girls, but I have heard that boys take a bit longer for whatever reason. You could try rewards for successful trips to the potty (stickers, m & m's) with a bigger "prize" for so many in a row, underwear with a character that he likes..."don't go on Sponge-Bob" or whoever,
be positive and patient, he'll get it!

I know this is REALLY late in answering, so sorry for that. I just hope I can save you some aggravation and struggles. He isn't ready. I tried with my now 3 year old, pushed him and I only ended up frustrated. What helped for us, was it being summer. He wore his bathing suit outside alot and soon after that, he was running in to go to the potty. Didn't force anything, and boy is he proud - always announces when he has to go (lucky us!) Still wears a pull-up at night. Good luck, and it will happen when he is ready. Just keep suggesting and he will get it. Sometimes backing off helps tremendously! All kids catch on - never saw a kid going to kindergarden with a diaper on!!! Hang in there, its a challenge!!

Sounds like you decribed my son. My 3 1/2 son was the same way up until 3 days ago. He finally went poopy in the potty for the first time and does it all the time now. It was like a switch turned on in him and he was ready to do it. I had tried training him since he was 2 1/2, I never pressured him but I tried every method, reward, etc out there to encourage him to go at least once. Nothing worked. So I finally gave up and gave him the choice to either poop in his diaper (not in his underwear) or poop in the potty. He always choose a diaper until 3 days ago, he said "no diaper, I want the potty". I thought I was hearing things and I really didn't think he was going to do it, and 2 seconds later, he stood up and said he went poop! Just like that, I was the happiest mom on the block :)

So when they are ready, it shouldn't be any work at all - just give them the opportunity to go. I also think that once they conquire the no peeing in the pants, the poopy will eventually follow. I had my son in underwear during the day, and hestayed dry for a good week or so (no accidents) before he wanted to do poopy in the potty. The only change that I made right before he wanted to go poopy in the potty was leaving him in his underwear whenever we went out to places - I usually put him in pull-ups (since we've had our share of accidents out of the house) - but I've found that with the pull-ups, he knew he could pee in the pull-ups. When he wear the underwear or training pants, he'd stay dry. I think it took a good month or so to conquire peeing in the potty - he would always refuse to go but I backed off and let him pee on himself and with time, he learned to either hold his pee or go to the potty.

Sooner or later, it will happen. I was in the same boat for a long time and never did I think the day would come that he would be asking to poop in the potty. :) I still have to encourage him to pee in the potty, otherwise he'll hold it in, but everything is falling into place. Good luck!!

Hi M.,
You may already be doing this but just in case I'll throw it out there. Keep a potty chair where he see's it most. In the beginnig stages of potty training I had a potty chair in the living room with a plasic mat under it. It was a constant reminder and also easy to get to. Little kids wait until the very last moment to go and then sometimes even running to the next room is to late.
When it is in a room where they are all day long they see it and want to use it. And of course when they do use it jump up and down and make the biggest darn deal over it.
Throw balloons up in the air if you have to. When they see how big of a deal you make over it they'll want to do it again and again.
You are on the right trak. Don't give up you are nearly there.
m.

Good luck. It will happen soon.

Try appealing to his ego. The "Big boys go in the potty" gambit. But M. he's only 3! This is NOT really surprising. There are so many expecting potty chair perfection at younger and younger ages. It's mind boggling. There's nothing wrong with his SITTING on the potty and using the 'pee shield' either. He'll get the idea at some point. Why rush this? Because the more parents push push push, the longer it takes, and the more negative impact on the self esteem and self worth.