Potty Training` - Saint Paul,MN

Hi A..

I potty trained my son by age 2. He was dry day and night. I started introducing the potty to him at 18 months and also threw a few Cheerios or Fruit Loops in the potty for him to 'aim' at.
He was ready. He would pull his shirt up and push his abdomen out in order to mimic what he was supposed to be doing. I used the little potty seat that sets on the toilet for him to poo in. That was so much cleaner and he didn't have to transition from a little potty chair to the actual potty. He always waved bye to his poo too when he flushed.

I used the same technique with my daughter and she was trained by age 2 as well. I have a 16 mos old that will be starting very soon as she already backs-up to the toilet and wants me to put her on the potty seat. It helps to have older siblings for her to watch.

Anyhow, that's what worked for me. Be very consistent when you start and don't get frustrated when he has accidents. I never used pull-ups. I took my son to the potty about every 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

I've also heard that Potty Training in a Day technique really works. Good luck.

I put a potty chair in the bathroom when my son turned two. I put him on it with his clothes on at first and the gradually got him to sit on the potty chair with his diaper off. He's 2 1/2 now and and is starting to go on the potty chair, not every time but seems to be picking up on the concept. It has to be his accomplishment, so I do not push him, we give him a sticker each time he goes. try what works best for you. A friend of mine used potty training in 1 day book where you have a special party and she said it really worked. Have not tried that myself. wishing you patience D.

Hi A.,

The best time to start potty training is when you see them holding their wee wee and noticing that they have to go or they tell you they have to go. That's a pretty good sign.
Whe that time comes, OK this might seem silly, and I don't know if you have any cheerios around. But we made a game of it. We threw some cheerios in the Big toilet and had him try and aim at them. It always helps when dad is going at the same time. But it works.

Now, going poo, is a different story. You have to figure, children have differnent things going on in their brains than we do. I remember our kids crying on the toilet. We tried almost everything, We wanted to make this a pleasant experience for them, so we had rewards for them. Yes, some people might call it bribery, but it works. LOL!
We tickled them made them laugh so hard, made silly faces. I read little books to them while they sat on the little potty. I remember the best thing that we did was keep them so busy that they forgot what they were doing. And then they would have that little look on their face, like "somehting is happening here" And then they would get so excited, and really it only takes that one experience and then they build that habit and want you to be proud of them again.

Many Blessings,

Just have fun with it. Don't make it a chore or they won't want to it.

J.

I have three boys potty trained (one 6mo in the wings) and two daughters (3 year old in training).

They all progressed very differantly. They alos all showed differant signs of being ready. My oldest son was 3 when he began using the potty and to be honest it was a easy miracle type training session... Basically I bought him underware for his third birthday(I had been trying pull ups without luck for about 6mo) told him he is a big boy now and here are your new big boys pants I told him that spiderman wanted to stay dry... he never wet his pants again. From that moment he was dry both day and night. All of my other children were very differant and not so easy.

I found that I was the one who was trained more then they were sometimes. I would take them to the potty every hour or half hour getting them to go on the potty... so yes they would go on the potty, but they really were not ready it was just by chance. by the time I had my third child to potty train I didn't want to be running to the potty with him every hour... like my second son... I read up on the whole thing.

I found out that they do have very specific signals to show they are ready... They have to have a dry diaper for at least two hours at a time. They should be able to pull up and down their pants, they need to be able to have the communication abitily to say they need to go and the understanding of what pee or poo for instance is and when they need to do either of them. Also, not force them or make the potty seem like a punishment. If potty time seems like time out time it will make the transition very difficult and you may get resistance or fear from the child. Be supportive and encouraging but not forceful and frustrated is my best advise. As with everything when it comes to kids I have found that the more you get upset the more they refuse..LOL!

I have had both the big potty and the potty chair for my kids... the big potty once they figured out that they wouldn't fall in was usually their more preferred potty option. The seats with characters was also fun for them it made it a special thing they got to pick out their own potty and it seemed to make it a fun grown up type thing.

Also, one other bit of advise I didn't even think about with my boys... make sure that they go to a mens bathroom from time to time to also understand the Big Man's toliet..LOL! My sone didn't ever go to the men's room he always went with me to the bathroom... when he went to a men's room he was very confused about the potty's until he saw the toilet... also since they have urinals at school... he was happy to not be the boy that they made fun of because he didn't know how to stand and pee or use the big mans toilet...LOL!