Seeking Tips for Potty Training

Hi. My 3/12 son was very difficult to potty train. My first trick was to give him a lollipop every time he would pee on the potty and that worked well. Going number two was a whole different story, then I got a tip from a neighbor. My little boy has been completely potty trained now for about a month. I keep a small box of wrapped gifts in the corner. You can buy little things from the $1 store. Every time he goes poo, he gets to pick out a gift. This worked great. He can't wait to use the potty now and he is doing wonderful!

You've gotten lots of good advice already but I wanted to suggest the book "Potty Training for Dummies". I found it really helpful for both of my kids. You can get it thru the Allegheny Co Library system (go to your local library and ask them to put it on hold for you).

Good luck!

S.

My daugter was potty trained by 2. The way I did it and got her wanting it was by makeing a big deal when I went to the bathroom about being "a big girl" and getting movies (that childer would love watching) with charoters init that was getting potty trained. I also made it a point when I got do going to the batroom to tell her how much bigger ( not whith an attutide but tell her tihngs like if she was potty trained she would be getting big enough to do tings shes ask about doing and I had told her when she got bigger she could) she would be if she wasn't in diappers anymore

my daughter was 3 when she started to get potty trained she was not intrested in it at all then we bought a potty that plays music when they go she loved it and thats how she went also try to let him pick out a potty they have so many kid pottys maybe if he picks it out he will use it.good luck

Hello H.,

I also have a 3yr old boy, potty training boys can be harder than girls. Why? I dont really know, but what I did I had to break my self first on getting up every night and taking him to the bathroom early in the mornings man did i hate that, but it paid off cause he is now going on his own. Thank God LOL!

is he in cloth or disposable trainers? If he is in disposable trainers, then he probably does not feel wet, or if he does feel wet, its not wet enough to be uncomfortable. If you can, buy a few pairs of cloth trainers or "big boy" underwear and either have him just wear those or wear them under pull-ups if you are uncomfortable with the thought of not using a pullup. He needs to feel wet fabric against his skin so that he feels uncomfortable and doesnt like peeing in his diaper.

also put up a sticker chart, everytime he goes potty/poop on the toilet he gets to put up a sticker, when he gets sest amount of stickers he gets to do a fun activity (but not until he has that amount of stickers) ex. playdough, go to the park, watch a favorite movie, etc.

one way of potty training that is super intensive is to just spend 3 days in your house, and have him only in big boy underwear. Feed him liquids, soups, juicy fruit, until he has to pee.....when he does pee if its in the potty, give him a little marshmellow, if its not on the potty, then make him help clean up. By the end of the 3 days, he may not be pooping on the potty, but he definitely should be peeing and you can gradually ween him of the treats.

hope this helps (i've potty trained 6 children so if you have any questions feel free to message me)

-J.

Hey H., Many studies have shown that when you push your child into training, it takes longer to train them completely. I have 3 daughters, ages 7, 4 and 15 months. The 2 older ones weren't started potty training until they were over 3 - when they showed me the signs they were ready. It only took a couple months for them to be trained completely (day and night). Boys have a tendency to start later than girls and he's not even 3 yet. I can understand the desire to get rid of the diapers - believe me, I do! My best advice is to wait awhile, like another month or 2, then try again to see if he's interested and go from there. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!! ~ Sincerely, M. Fisher

Hi, H.,

My son also took a long time for potty training; he was 4 before we were successful in getting it underway. I waited until he was interested, and then we were able to get him to pee in the potty but not poop. Eventually what worked for that was a trick my stepmom told me worked for her grandson: have the child help you empty the poop into the toilet and have him say good-bye to it and flush it down. It kind of gives the child ownership of the poop and the process, so to speak. Until you get to that point, I'd just say be as encouraging as you can and wait until he is interested. He really will get there eventually, and it's unlikely that you're gonna get him there before he's ready. Good luck!

I AM IN THE SAME BOAT YOU ARE. MY DAUGHTER WILL BE 3 ON THE 29TH OF THIS MONTH. SHE DOESNT SEEM ALL THAT INTERSETED EITHER. BUT HERE IS SOME ADVICE I HAVE GOTTEN FROM OTHERS THAT HAS SEEMED TO BE HELPING SO FAR. ONE PERSON TOLD ME TO LET HER RUN AROUND NAKED , THIS ONE IM NOT DOING ANYMORE BECAUSE I GOT TIRED OF SCRUBBING THE FLOOR WHEN SHE WENT ON THE FLOOR. AND #2 IS A PAIN AND IS GROSS TO SCRUB UP!! THE 2 THING I WAS TOLD WAS TO JUST PUT HER STRAIGHT IN BIG KID UNDIES! THEY HATE THE CLOTH BEING WET . WELL MY DAUGHTER HATES IT.. SHE GETS A PULLUP AT BEDTIME AND IF WE GO ANYWHERE BUT AS SOON AS SHE IS IN THE HOUSE SHES IN STRAIGHT PANTYS. SHE IS STARTING TO TELL ME WHEN SHE IS PEEING BUT ITS USUALLY TOO LATE BUT I TAKE HER TO THE POTTY ANYWAY AND TELL HER THAT SHE IS SUPOSED TO POTTY IN THE BIG GIRL POTTY. SHE IS GETTING BETTER ABOUT TELLING ME THAT SHE HAS TO GO AND SOMETIMES ITS JUST BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO SIT ON THE POTTY.. I DIDNT BUY A POTTY CHAIR FOR HER JUST ONE OF THOSE SMALLER SEATS THAT ATTACHES TO THE TOILET . SHE LOVES SITTING ON THE BIG GIRL POTTY. GOOD LUCK.

I agree with the response that said wait a couple of months and try again. My nephew was 5.5 before he was completely potty trained and I think it was because his mom started pushing the issue at about 27 months old.

I personally had success with my oldest by watching videos that had music. I don't remember the name of the video, (it may be "I can go Potty"), but the song was great beacause it told kids how their bodies would tell them it was time to go. My daughter would walk around singing it and soon after was successfully potty trained. Also, if he likes stickers, etc., Charmin has a free potty training kit with a story book, a chart, stickers, and a guide to put on the toilet paper to show kids how much to use. That might get him more interested in the process.

Good luck,
K. E.

It is nice to get them out of diapers, but waiting until they are interested makes the process much easier and less stressful on everyone. Plus you will probably also find that he has fewer accidents during the training process. Put the potties out and let him see you go potty. Maybe have some big boy underpants stored in a place he sees occasionally with his favorite characters on them. Then let it go and let him decide to be ready.