Potty Training - McKinney,TX

I'd say for right now just take it easy...if he decides he wants to go on the potty then great, give him lots of praise and encouragement, but if not, he will when he's ready. My daughter (who is now 4) was going on the potty all the time when she was around 2, but then just suddenly lost interest; I tried forcing it and it backfired because she clearly just wasn't ready. Then around 3, she started going on the potty again all on her own, and once she started going a bunch of times we rewarded her with stickers on a chart and then small dollar items when she went 7 or so times in a row and we put her in underwear all the time (except at night we used pullups--still do--I think it just confuses them if you use them during the day though). But if he's being really inconsistent then he may just not be ready; everybody is different. But I know from experience that forcing it doesn't work; they have to be ready. Hope that helps.

Hi D.,
I've potty trained both of my sons before they turned 3.

If you're going to potty train, I recommend taking the reins away from your 2 1/2 year old, and you begin to decide where; when; and how your son goes. Whether or not you take small or big steps should be entirely up to you and your schedule/lifestyle.

Your son can not learn this "skill" without a lot of direction from you (random m & m's when he's gone already in his diaper mean almost nothing).

Good luck! You will both do great!
t

I caution against pull-ups as they result in taking longer to train (the kids can't feel it when they urinate as opposed to the immediate feedback from training pants; however, I've heard of pull-ups that feel cool when they get wet--don't know about those). My son expressed interest in toilet training off and on from about19 months until 32 months. At that point I knew he was capable of doing it because he had used the potty chair off and on and would go to his special place to poop in his diapers (under the dinning room table). Finally I just told him he didn't have to wear the big boy underwear but that I wasn't putting any more diapers on him. So, he went naked on the lower half for two days (over the weekend). But on the third day he agreed to wear underwear. He had a few accidents during training and still does every now and then, but taking a stand was worth it.

I got LOTS of great advice from www.askdrsears.com on the toilet training part.......he hits the nail on the head on how to determine how close your child is.....when I did not follow his recommendations, this was a frustrating experience. When I followed it, it is smoother---just not in the time I wanted.

When you decide he is ready - then I too would skip pull ups (except maybe at night).