Seeking Advice on Potty Training - Highland,MI

I am a 38 year old mother of 3, and have 2 girls and a boy, and I understand the anxiety that goes along with all changes your toddler will be going through. I guess if I were to give advice on potty training I would simply ask questions, that you can answer for yourself and maybe it will help you decide when the time is right. 1. Do you feel your child is ready? (does he show interest, is he staying dry?) 2. Have you tried while still in dypers or pull-ups to have him go on the potty anyway? 3.Have you thought about a rewards plan, and "accident" plan once you start? .....I think pull-ups are the best invention when dealing with this situation, because they can be pulled up or down! and provide security in knowing "accidents" do happen but they don't have to be Disaters! There is no right or wrong, or a specific time, He will go on his own, give him a couple of lessons maybe, then let nature take it's course!

When my son was showing signs of being ready like your son I started. I was worried his willingness to try would go away. What worked for us was to give him a sticker everytime he went. He could put it wherever he chose on the seat. He really loved getting the stickers. The easiest way is to dive in head first. Take off the diaper and put him in big boy underwear. put him on the potty when he wakes up, after he eats or drinks, before and after nap, and anytime he looks a little fishy. If stickers don't work a friend of mine used m&m's as a reward.

Elmo's Potty Time! Its a movie and it did wonders for my daughter and my friends son. They love Elmo and wanted to do what Elmo was doing. I also used skittles as a reward. She got one for at least trying to go, she got two for going pee pee, and she got three for going poo poo. It worked really well with her and she forgot about the skittles in week 2, and now she just tells me when she has to go and we go. The poo although will sometimes sneak up on her. Ive been told thats the hardest part. So good luck!

Hi M.,
I have a three year old son also. On his third birthday (August) he decided he didn't want to wear diapers anymore. He hasn't since. If your son doesn't like wearing diapers I would buy some underware and let him wear those around the house and see what happens when he has accidents. It sounds like he might not be to hard to train. My son didn't like when he had accidents and learned very quickly how not to have an accident. Be very patient and never push him. One day he will just get it and that will be that. Good luck.
Chris

I know exactly how you feel, I have 2 young children...1 potty trained, and 1 almost potty trained. I realized I had the same problem with my son, It was more me than him...or so I thought. Children are smarter than we give them credit for. My son pretty much potty trained himself, I helped of coarse, but in the same way you probably do, once in a while, a little here and there, but when your child is truely ready he will do it all on his own, i'm sure of it. So don't stress out about it. Lots of moms worry about the age, they get embarrased when their children arent fully potty trained at a certain age. It's ok to be a late starter. My son just turned 4 when he became fully potty trained, and thats ok....even tough he showed signs of it a few years before. Once I put him in a home-based program around other kids, he wanted to be potty trained like them, which gave him the extra nudge to go beyond and become fully potty trained.
Also, When I decided to have my second child I was worried about not having my first one potty trained, but I think it worked out better b/c kids learn more by example, and when you have a second child they want to be just like the first one so it helps them "develope" quicker. If you didn't know any better you would think my kids were twins b/c their on about the same page.
Remember there is never a right or wrong time to have a child, and you could never be fully prepared for one...or two either. Personally I am very happy that I had my children so close in age, in fact I think it's easier then if I had waited longer.
I know I have a tendency to ramble on so I will stop now and hope that somehow my words will help you.
Good Luck!!!

Hi there! My son just turned 3 and the thing that worked the best for me was just letting him run around naked for awhile. He only made a couple of messes and he learned really quickly to use the potty! He still wears a diaper at night time, but other than that he uses the potty! Good luck, it takes a lot of patience. Pull ups didnt work for my son, he treated them just like a diaper. He still has accidents every once in awhile but they are becoming fewer and fewer now!