Potty Training - Fort Worth,TX

As a mom to 3 boys, my advise is to wait until 3 to start potty training...Most boys do not completely potty train until the age of 4... It can be frustrating but just be patient and he will get it. I never used the program you are talking about I just began by putting my sons on the potty on a regular basis through out the day then after a while he got it!

Good luck
A.

If he's ready, you should have some success with the weekend training. But, the daycare will probably require pull-ups which will make being fully trained a long process. You can buy waterproof training pants that the daycare might allow. He'll be wet, but it won't get all over his clothes. If you are interested in buying some, I can help you.

A.
www.greenbabydiaperservice.com

My kids are older (19,16,14) but I also potty trained alot of other children. Both of my girls were potty trained before 2 years old I used a potty training in less than a day method with them not sure if the book is still around but it really took the whole weekend, we did have some night time accidents(usually when they were over tired when they went to bed or if they had drank any caffeine) but not during the day. They have several questions in the book to determine if your child is ready. My son (who has developmental delays) was potty trained at little before two and a half. Now with saying this you would have to have a day care that will help out in asking the child during the day if they need to go because if they start having accidents the child will regress and want to go back to diapers. If you have any questions about it you can e-mail me.

Hi,
It's great that your son shows interest in the potty but it doesn't always mean he is ready. May be 21/2 is a little young for a boy (girls are usually more "mature" for this). I don't believe in rushing, it could be source of frustration and it usually ends up taking more time. It's like learning to talk, to swim, to play music instrument or to drive, you just need time. You can surely start to potty train him, a little at a time and see how it goes. The most important thing is he shouldn't feel the pressure.
Good luck.

HI A.! I have an 8 yr son and I started his potty training at 2 1/2 and he was still not trained at 3. I was also a full time working mom and frustrated. The Administrator at his preschool said to me that all children develop at different times. It is important to encourage,praise,keep his little potty chair available at home. But she said to not make this a negative experience if he does not respond right away. The Administrator told me sometimes their bladder function is not quite developed to hold and that if we continue to praise and encourage with love ---they get there! We finally got there at age 3 1/2. The loving encouragement made me feel like a better mom and we made it a positive,praise filled experience(regardless of the frustration and my patience wearing thin within me). Hang in there! He will be potty trained before he's in college!!

you need to find his "currency" and use that to motivate him to use the potty. a sticker reward chart worked well for us. give him s sticker every time he uses it and every 5th sticker was a special sticker (Spider-Man). When he earned 5 Spider-man stickers then he got a special treat...trip to the zoo, movie, etc...Give him opportunities to go freqently and put him in underwear (the thick kind ) that way he'll know for sure when he goes. hope this helps.

For a boy, 2 and a half is really little to start trying. I would bet that you will make yourself a little crazy trying this. Especially if you are wanting to knock it out in two days.(Which I think is really a stretch.) With a time constraint like that, I would definately wait until 3 or even 3 and a half. I know you are sick of diapers, but he probably isn't. I would wait until he shows interest, or asks to go in the potty. You may start letting him go outside in an old bucket or something like that. A ton of posts come up on this site of moms going insane from trying to potty train toddlers who just aren't ready. Hope this helps.

A., my son also showed signs of wanting to be potty trained at 2 1/2. He started the potty thing standing and then lost interest. I didn't try to to push him/work on it strongly. After turning 3 he just made up his mind and was fully potty trained with only 1-2 accidents in 1 day. Before he was trained I was conpletely stressed about the possibility of it taking a long time and I was due with my 2nd the week he needed to be potty trained (for school). I really think that it's easiest when they just make up their mind to do it. I used stickers/piddler's (targets), small toys, etc. What really helped was buying fun undies like Kung Fu Panda, Diego, etc. He didn't want to mess them up. The best advice (even though it didn't feel like it at the time) was do not stress about it and realize they will all "get it". good luck!

He is a boy, wait till he is three and he has had some successes with out the pressure of having to get it done this weekend. There is no need to pressure our small ones with something that he will get when he is ready. It will be frustrating for the both of you.

I am the mom of three, 15,13 and 10. MArried for 17 years.

Hi A.

I just potty trained my daughter who turned 3 June 22nd. I did it in a couple of days. I did know she was ready because when she needed to go #2. She would go and hide. I explained to her she was a big girl and it was time to use the potty. I also told her we would go pick out big girl panties and a big surprise when she could go a week without having a accident. I put chocolate kisses in a plastic container with a lid(old peanut butter jar)on the back of the toilet. Every time she would go potty. I would give her a treat and get all excited and the whole family got involved. She has not had any accidents. She wears her pull-ups at night. Make them feel so special and big. You most definitely need to make sure they are ready. If he's not then start encouraging him. Hope it goes well. My son was 3 and my daughter.

N.

I used the book potty training in less than a day and it worked and was lots of fun. A.

My girlfriend just successfully potty trained her son by simply rewarding h im for staying dry. She had been trying to reward him for successfully going on the potty, but he just wasn't getting it. This worked for her in a matter of days. Good Luck.

I would like to know about this method too.

I trained both of my boys by 18 months. No scolding just fun. With them, I was a stay at home mom and I would let them go without underwear or anything. With boys you can tell when they need to go to the bathroom just by looking at them. I would regularly take them to the potty and make it a very, very fun run. I would get very excited and run with them to the bathroom and laugh and cut up and make jokes as I put them on the potty and then made a very big deal and celebration when they went. It was very fun for them.

Later when I worked at a daycare and had the 18 mo to 2 year old room I actually trained all of them at once. NO KIDDING lol. All I did for a week was go to the bathroom around the clock. I did the same. Made it fun.

Then, I was handed a four year old from another class whose mom was desparate and tried everything....same thing, lots of fan fare when we went to the bathroom. With him I would tell him to make bubbles in toilet (throw some bubble bath or kitchen detergent in there before he goes.....and see how many bubbles he can make when he goes) this worked wonderfully for him.

:-) Good luck!

A.,

He may simply not be ready. My son has shown some interest in the potty since 21 months or so, but other than that, he really shows no other signs of being ready. He is 28 months right now. There is no need to rush it. I am told that if you wait until they are truly ready, it will happen fairly easily. I found a checklist for toilet training readiness at babycenter.com. That may help you determine if your son is ready for it or not. Good luck. It will sure be nice to not have to buy diapers anymore.

Toss Cheerios or Fruit Loops or Gold Fish crackers in the toliet and tell the son to aim for them. Good luck.

I have been potty training my little girl since she was 21 months. Although she has been successful, off and on during that time, she has just now been potty trained with only a few accidents. She is now 2 and a half. We probably could have accomplished this earlier but frankly both of us got a little lazy. So, here is what I recently did to 'step up the process'. I brought the potty chair from the bathroom to the living room. She is big into Dora right now and loves Elmo, so we bought some Dora and Elmo panties that she had a choice to pick at the store. I remind her every two hours to go potty, unless she has just eaten or woken up from a nap/bedtime. We go 30 minutes after eating and right away after naps/bedtime. You will probably want to start at one hour intervals, or less for the first few hours. Use a kitchen timer, or even a small watch that your son can be in charge of. The alarm will be a cue for him to sit on the potty and you can make a game out of it. You will want to stay as close to home as possible during the weekend. If you can choose a 3-day weekend, that would be even better. However, we all know that we can't necessarily stay home the whole time, so I put my daughter on the potty before we leave home and then the potty chair goes with us in the back of my SUV. That way, I can never be caught somewhere without a potty. It worked great for us. We can go places and although she has had a couple of accidents, especially the first two days, she did remarkably well and quickly learned that she didn't want to potty on Elmo or Dora. There will be some messes, so be patient and let your son know you love him by telling him "we'll do better next time and remember to run to the potty when we have to go". Keeping the potty in the living room where we play most of the time, keeps it top of mind for me and for my daughter. Now we don't have to do that anymore. She runs to the bathroom herself and even reminds me when she has to go during swimming. I expect there will be accidents now and again, but she is even staying dry during the night. Now, if daycare won't let you bring him in underwear, then here is a trick for you - put a pullup over the underwear so he can still feel very wet, but the mess won't be on the daycare floor. Make sure you bring plenty of extra pullups and underwear for school.

Good luck!

L.

He is not too young. Before disposable diapers, children were potty trained between 18 mos. and 2 yrs. None of us that grew up back then suffered emotional trauma from being potty trained young. If he is interested, go for it! Also, you'll be doing your part to help clean up our environment by sending fewer diapers to the landfill!

It's pretty easy, if you can commit to staying at home for two or three days (four at the most). You could start as soon as you get home from work for the weekend. Keep his bottom bare. You'll have some accidents, but he'll catch on. Often times, moms get their little ones to potty in the toilet, but continue to have problems with pooping -- which is why you keep them bare for a few days. They (usually) won't poop unless they have on a diaper, pullup, underwear, etc. If you can get them trained before they get in the habit of using their pants (read some of the posts about 4 and 5 year olds still having trouble with this), it is SO MUCH EASIER. Make sure to take him to the potty regularly and when he wakes up. Keep his bottom bare to sleep, or he may hold it until bedtime and then relieve himself. Once he has pooped on the toilet a couple of times, you should be able to put him in underwear.

Good luck!

As a nanny for 17 years I have potty trained many toddlers. My method is as follows. I may not be convenient for you in the short term but it will be worth it in the long run.

I put them in big boy/girl undies. With a big boy/girl pep talk. (no pull ups unless at bedtime)

I try to take them to the potty every hour.

If/when they have an accident (they are not punished or scolded) they are responsible (with supervision) for removing the wet clothes, putting them in the wash, cleaning themselves up, cleaning up the mess they made on the floor, getting new clothes and putting them on. *This takes time. It would be quicker to clean it up yourself but the lesson would be lost. When they complain, we then talk about how much easier and quicker it would be for them if they would just go in the big potty to begin with.

This has seemed to be most effective and potty training is accomplished pretty quickly.

Good luck!

Stay home over the weekend and put him in underwear. Ask him if he needs to go often. He will mess his underwear, but that is when it clicks. It may take longer than a weekend, so don't expect miracles! Expect delays if he is going to daycare. Good luck!