Potty Training for Your 3-Year-Old in 2 Months

[ahammons]

to potty train a child in about 2 months??

We've been trying to potty train our 3yr old with no luck so far! I know he's ready - he knows when he has to go, and will go to a different room to do so in his pull up! Then he comes back to tell me that he needs changed! If we put him in underwear (which he hates!), he will go hours before having an accident. I'm getting really frustrated b/c nothing seems to work. We've tried charts, stickers, books, even bribes! The only times he will go is if DH goes with him, but that's still pretty rare... he will not even try for me!
The doctor said that we should just take a break from trying, especially w/ our move coming up b/c he'd probably just regress after DH leaves. But we really want him to start preschool this fall, and he has to be potty trained. So here's my question - if I wait until after our move next month, do you think it's possible to have him trained by September??

 

[etteluap70PC]

This could really become a heated topic. LOL...

In my experience (and the experience of most of the moms I know) The more you force them the more regression and accidents you will have. The more visibly frustrated you get the more the child will resist. I had to enlist help from Grandma. When my DD was 3 she spent 3 days with her grandma and grandpa (who we rarely see) My DD was mostly potty trained by the time I got back. BM's took longer probably a few months and for that we had to find her "currency" and take it away till she finally decided she wanted to go on the potty.

It will be different for all kids. I found that when I took my own emotion out of the equation it helped alot.

Just my .02$

 

[DebbieJ]

Ditch the Pull Ups. They are glorified diapers.

Clear your schedule for a week and stay home. Leave him naked from the waist down. Set your clock/timer for 30 mins. Put him on the potty every 30 minutes.

Try not to stress. It will happen!

 

[LBurke]

suggestionsMy two year old (he turned two in April) only last week really started in with a sincere interest in the potty. This is what's worked for us:

We went to the store and HE picked out cool character underwear (Cars, Thomas, Bob the Builder, etc.)

We bought a Bob poty seat for home and a Diego travel one for the diaper bag (his two favorites)

He LOVES candy, so he can only get his M & M's when he uses the potty. One for a legitimate try, two for actually going and when he gets to that point, 4 for ... well, you get the point. We keep a seasonal dish of candy out on the counter in the kitchen all the time and he knows what's in it. When he comes over and asks for a candy, I tell him he has to go potty for it and we go try. It's been working for us so far.

The candy thing worked for my niece as well.

Hope this helps! Hang in there! We're only on the beginning of this journey and it's wearing on my nerves!

Laurie

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Ashlee,
I am experiencing the same thing w/ my 3 yr old!!! He will go and hide, and then come say "change my diaper, Mom".......One time, I was busy and told him he would have to wait til I was done. A few minutes later he called to me "Mom, I'm all ready now"...I walked into his bedroom and he was laying on the floor w/ a new diaper, and wipes beside him, and his shorts off & diaper undone! But he won't use the potty! Oh wait - he will, but only when he wants too - like when his 4 yr old friend was over, and they were going to take a bath, and his friend climbed up on the potty and went.....well Micah climbed up right after him, and went too! Grrrrr!

We have tried Tootsie Rolls (his favorite candy), tractors, stickers, even a new puppy (which he asks for all the time!) but so far nothing has worked! If you ask him "When do you get a new puppy?" He will say "When I go on the big potty." He will even talk with us about what kind of puppy he wants and what he and the puppy are going to do, when he gets it!
We have even told him No about things he wants to buy - saying "We can't buy that - because we have to use the money to buy you diapers! If you go on the big potty, we will have more money to buy some of the other things you want instead of having to buy diapers all the time."

So I have absolutely no advice for you - but wanted you to know I understand your frustration!

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Potty trainedMy 3 year old was potty trained really quickly once I got her into panties everywhere we went. Even though I knew the chance of an accident was greater being out and about, she always told me she had to go. At home we made a contest of it, and I rewarded her. I also set a timer for every 30 minutes and we went to push even is she didn't have to go. After a week, she would go poopie in the toilet which was a big accomplishment for us. I really didn't feel like my forcing her, would have made her regress. Not to come against what you said Paulette but in my experience with my already 3 potty trained children (my youngest son is 19 months and will start as soon as he can talk to where we can understand him), they all were told that they were no longer going to wear pampers or pull ups because they were too old and that I would be very disappointed if they could go and didn't just because they didn't want to. My children were very strong willed and had to be disciplined because they would be home and right before we were scheduled to push on the potty, they would just go and then lie about going. We don't tolerate not trying or lying so they would get punished. After a few times of that, they knew not to do that and it was easy after that.
Everyone is different. My oldest son potty trained easily. My 9 year old daughter did not! She required lots of work. My three year old just needed consistency and she was told she was a big girl now and everyone in our family and church friends remind her.
That's my experience.
Debbie

 

[gilliandanielle]

I am in this same situation! My DD is 3.5 and we want to put her in preschool in the fall. She initated the PTing herself while I was pregnant, and I went along with it without forcing her knowing that Baylor was coming and even if I did get her trained she would most likely regress. She is the same way about underwear (refuses to wear them no matter how "fun" the designs are) but will stay dry in a pull up all day and some nights. The problem is that at naptime she poops in the pullup. Sometimes she naps and sometimes she has a reast time in her room when she doesn't sleep, but she poops either way and doesn't tell me she needs to go. I have tried to bribe her with the preschool so she will be motivated to stay dry and poop free but she doesn't grasp the big picture yet.

I have my PC timer on my fridge and my DD knows it as the potty timer. I set it for 90 mins each time and she has to try to go potty even if she doesn't feel like it. In the beginning she got a treat just for trying (we did 1 or 2 M&M's) and as she started going she only got the treat for actually going. If your DS is almost there then I see no problem with full training in 2 months, and you could always start now and just know that he could regress with the move. My DD didn't regress at all with Baylor's birth, so you never know!!

 

[jrstephens]

My son will be 3 next month. He has the tee-teeing in the potty down pat almost perfect, but we cannot get the pooping. He has done it 3 times in the potty only b/c they were time I made him sit there b/c I knew he had to go. He will go hid to poop and then come tell me he needs chaning but refuses to tell me he needs to go to the potty to do it.

We have been in big boy underwear from 3 or 4 months now. He only wears a pull up at night, and does not want to put them on then but I do not want to deal with the wet bed. Most of the time he wakes up dry. We do NOT wear pullups anywhere but bed.

We have tried the going naked but he will NOT pooped until you put a brief or pull up on him. I can let him go naked all day but as soon as I put the pullup on to go to bed - he poops.

My dad recently had knee surgery and his nurse told me her son did the same thing. Her pediatrician told her to let HIM clean himself up the next time he did it and to not help him. She said he did that once and has beein going to the potty ever since. I have not tried it yet but am about ready to! I just do not think Luke is old enough to clean himself up.

I have pretty much resigned myself to that he will go when he is ready and I cannot make him ready not how hard I try. We have tried all kinds of bribes too.

I think God is punishing me for making fun and talk about people who did not have their kids potty trained by the time they were 3 BEFORE I had kids!! HAHA!!!

 

[heather9892]

i agree get rid of the pull ups!!!
my son turns two on saturday, he has had his potty for a month now. i finally have him to the point where he will sit on it without a diaper for a few minutes anyway. and when hes dirty he comes and tells me his bum is nasty lol. he goes to a new daycare in a cple of weeks and they have mini toilets so im hoping that will inspire him more
imo if u try to force it will just turn into a battle and both of u will be frustrated and get no where
good luck

 

[TerraOB83]

my son starting using the potty when he was about 3.5 we started late b/c i was getting ready to have his sister and i didnt want him seeing her and regress but once he seen her in diapers he knew those were for the baby and didnt want anything to do with them, now my daughter on the other hand she will pee but will not #2 on the potty she still wants a pullup but she will will her undershorts(thats what she calls them) and pee the entire day now i will put a pullup on if we have to go out. I would just ask about every 15-20 mins if they have to go now she will just tell me she has to pee

 

[Chef_2_Four]

My son was about 2 1/2 and he kept saying I'm going to go poopy and would go to the other room, if anyone else was in there he would make them leave. He would tell us he had to potty but refused to go in the bathroom. So finally my mother in law and I (she babysits him) started telling him ok on this day no more diapers, you have this many days left and so on. So we started Easter weekend, with underwear like daddy (boxer briefs) and then fun ones like thomas, spider man and so on. He has had one itty bitty accident the day we started and he has wet the bed twice. Sometimes he still asks for a diaper but I tell him no, that he is a big boy. But that is like 5 times since he went to underwear and it is because I cut him off of drinks before he goes to bed. If he has to go in the middle of the night he wakes me up. I so hope that Layla will be this easy! Every child is different. Our neighbor had a problem getting their grandson to go poop in the potty so they started taking away his toys. He refused to go to the bathroom when he had to go and would just go in his pants. Anyway after he didn't have any toys to play with he finally started telling them when he had to go. This boy is 4! So anyway it just depends on the child. Ben was completely in underwear with no accidents from day two! So I think it can be done. I say get rid of the pull ups too! We tried that with Ben, but he still knew they were a diaper, so we quit using them. Good luck!

 

[ahammons]

Thanks everyone! I'm trying to be patient I really like the timer ideas that a couple of you mentioned. I will have to try that! The good thing is that when we move, we'll be staying with my MIL - she's had 3 kids, and ran a home daycare for several years, so she has tons of potty training experience. Plus, I think my son would be more willing to try for Nana over Mommy! lol

Jennifer - A friend of mine made her son do the same thing... he started going potty on the floor (behind a curtain), and she made him clean it up once and he's gone on the toilet everytime since then. I know what you mean though, I think my son would make a bigger mess if I told him to clean himself! lol

Becky - I think we are raising the same kid! lol Sometimes he'll take his pull up off, and bring me a new one!

Gillian - My son will stay dry in a pull up at naptime, and most nights too. He screams everytime we try to put underwear on him. We've tried Thomas, Scooby Doo, Superman, etc. But you know what's funny? Last week, we were out shopping and he pooped in his pull up (the last one we had with us, of course). So I bought some cheap underwear to change into, I think it was like $3 for the pack. He stayed dry the whole time we were out - and for an hour after we got home!

He's been asking for a brownie all day, so I just told him that he could have one if he tried using the potty. He went for it! He did go a little!! I gave him the brownie then asked if he wanted to put underwear on. He said "no, big boys wear pull ups!" I said "actually, little boys wear pull ups, but big boys wear underwear". He was a little hesitant, but I talked him into picking out a pair. I started naming off the characters, and you know which ones he really wanted to wear?? The cheap pair w/ cars on them!! Go figure, right? At least he's wearing them!! Now if I could just get him to tell me when he has to go!

 

[PCJenni]

Check out this program

http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/How-to-potty-train-in-one-day.htm

I have friends who have used it with a lot of success

 

[gilliandanielle]

Ashlee- I forgot to tell you that my mom had my kids while I was in the hospital and my DD stayed dry the entire day & night with no accidents or pooping in her pull up at all. I guess she just needed someone else to urge her to go in the potty.

 

[ShanaSmith]

Some kids, like mine just won't do it until it is thier idea! My son will be 4 next week and he just got potty trained in Feb. We ditched the pull ups and did undies day and night. We also told him that we would be going to Disneyland once he was potty trained. My tip for night time is, I wake him up and take him to pee before I got to sleep at night. He has only peed the bed one time. Well, two, but both in the same night. Good luck and hang in there.

 

[sillylittlechef]

Don't baby them...I tried with my older girl --using pull ups and treats for going and trying, but nothing worked. Once I put on the underwear and put her on the real toilet she went! She was trained at 2 and a half. My second daughter who is one year younger trained at the same time (she had to do whatever the older one did) She was trained by 18month (I know, not normal...I got very lucky!) But, i found with trying all these gimmicks and constantly trying something new was too confusing for them and didn't work anyway. They might work once or twice, but then they hold out for something bigger and better. I didn't force them, but I told them this is what we are doing--my last bit of advice...no matter how hard it is -- be consistent. Put them on the potty every 30 minutes or whatever time intervals you choose---don't ask them, just do it. Even if you are out and about, find the potty and put them on it. After a week or so, they are so conditioned they know when they have to go and will start asking. Now that I have given advice --- I will probably be cursed---I have an 18month boy and thinking about when to start with him I have seen kids who are 5-6 still wearing pullups at night because they have been conditioned to do so----I really have decided that pullups are the root of all evil
Good luck out there everyone who is trying to potty "train"!

 

[pckelly]

Ditch the pull-ups, I believe too!! Pull ups weren't doing anything for my son, so when he was about 2 weeks away from being three, it was Christmas vacation, so I was home, and I decided to chuck the pull ups and put him in underwear. After a couple times of using it in his underwear and not being able to stand walking around like that, he told me he had to use the bathroom. Took 3 days! No kidding, that's it, and never pull ups again. He never even wet the bed at night after that. Pull ups are just too much like diapers and I don't think they do anything except cost your pocket book a little more for nothing!

 

[mommyhugz1978]

Okay now you guys are going to think I am the worlds worst mom here..... BUT my daughter did not become fully potty trained until she was a month away from turning five...... when I say completely potty trained meaning I did nto have to put a pull up on her at night, I did not bribe her with stickers or candy, etc... I asked if she wanted to go to school with the big kids and she said yes... I told her if she wanted to go to school then we must not wear pull ups any more,, this was a year long process for us... she did not show any interest in going to the potty like a big girl until about 4 1/2..... She wanted to wear panties before that but she still wanted to wear her pull up... so we put panties over her pull up... but like everyone else said it's a glorified diaper, I put her in stretch pants, and sweat pants ( winter time when this happen) but since it is summer time, find shorts or pants that have NO Snaps just elastic waist to get on and off easy, if they can get them off easier it helps them in the process as well.... She still has a few accidents every once in a while but only when she has got to busy with playing and not paying attention that she has to go potty. The only reward she got was a build a bear for staying dry all night long last May because I ran out of pull ups for her to put on at night and I was not going to run to the store at 10pm ( we were on vacation) to buy her some, so I made her go potty three times before we went to sleep and when she woke up I checked her she was dry , she ran in and went potty ... like a big girl, I told her she was a good girl and I was very proud of her...... as a result I took her to the mall and we bought a build a bear she did NOT know she was going to get that as a reward. But it is a very special bear to her because she knows she has it because she did something good. Sometimes the best reward you can give them is encouragement not rewards with candy and stickers..... if you do not tell them that their getting something they are more inclined to try more. Good LUCK!!!

 

[pamperedbykathy]

All I know is that what works for does not necessarily work for another. The time will come and all will be happy. For me, I knew the least expensive time of their lives with us was going to be from the time they were out of diapers until they started school. I had to make sure I was not getting frustrated, because like with learning to read, this too will click. In the meantime, enjoy your family.

Kathy

 

[crystalscookingnow]

I agree to ditch the pull-ups! We tried those & she just thought they were a better diaper (they had Dora). Sara will be 3 the end of Sept & had to decide on her own that she wanted to use the toilet. We finally gave up trying to bribe her because that only made her want the candy. She's the one who decided, not us. We didn't push her, but guided her. When she decided she wanted to go, she was trained in about a week. It can be done, you just have to follow his cues.

 

[pckrissy]

Ashlee and Becky I feel your pain!! My son will be 4 on 8/31 and potty training is a joke! He knows what to do...bottom line he doesn't want to...everyone keeps telling me to totally ignore it and not mention it to him anymore, it is completely frustrating. He hides when he poops and then wants to be changed and has wet him self in underwear and doesn't care!!
He is starting pre-school in September and I hope one day soon he will decide it is time to go on the potty. I want to try the week of nothing below his waist but don't have a week to commit to it.
Good luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed that they all decide they want to go real soon!!
(From this thread I get the ideas that boys are difficult when it comes to this)

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Ashlee and Becky I feel your pain!! My son will be 4 on 8/31 and potty training is a joke! He knows what to do...bottom line he doesn't want to...everyone keeps telling me to totally ignore it and not mention it to him anymore, it is completely frustrating. He hides when he poops and then wants to be changed and has wet him self in underwear and doesn't care!!
He is starting pre-school in September and I hope one day soon he will decide it is time to go on the potty. I want to try the week of nothing below his waist but don't have a week to commit to it.
Good luck, I'll keep my fingers crossed that they all decide they want to go real soon!!
(From this thread I get the ideas that boys are difficult when it comes to this)

Yep - the underwear thing hasn't worked with Micah either.......he just doesn't care! And I get tired of cleaning it up! I would think that he isn't ready, or mature enough, except that he has done it enough when motivated to do it that I KNOW he KNOWS! I have watched him stand and watch himself pee on the floor when he has had nothing on.....and he knows what he is doing!I told my DH the other day that I think he is just being stubborn, because he knows this is a battle he is winning......I have heard also that boys are harder/longer to train.

 

[pamperedgirl3]

My sister had the same problem with my nephew last year. He was turning 3 in late August & starting school after Labor Day & had to be trained. He wanted nothing to do with it & said he didn't want to go to school when we said he couldn't if he didn't use the potty. Finally my sister asked if she could tour the school & meet his teacher--that's what did it. He started going on the potty immediately & has rarely had an accident. Maybe you could ask to tour the school you want him to go.

My sister is having another baby next month & I plan on potty training my 2 year old DD then (I babysit my nephew all day). She showed interest when my nephew was going (she was 18 months), & continues to go when she feels like it. But she's not consistent. I'm going to spend a few days of her going naked & see how that goes. We already have some pretty undies at home for her, but we told her she can pick some out at the store when she potties all the time. She's found some cute princess panties at Walmart (she's all into princesses right now!). She's very strong-willed, so that's what I'm worried most about! But she also has to do everything by herself, so I'm hoping that will outweigh her doing it b/c I want her to!

Good luck! I've found potty training to be the most stressful part of parenting so far! Wouldn't it be nice if they would just wake up one day & start going?????!!!!!!

 

[Chef Michelle D]

Here is my 2 cents . You can't be stressed about it because he can feel that and then he gets worked up about it.

When I trained my son he was about 3 I did not use a potty chair I felt like why am I going to train him to go sitting down then have to train him to stand up. My son is tall for his age (he is now 8) so it was easy for me he could just stand and go he felt like a big boy like daddy. But you could use a stool if you need too. One day before his bath I told him to try and it just happened. He was so excited and he has never had an excited.

Personally I don't think a timer is the way to go. You are telling your child to stop playing every 30 min. (or what every time you use) and sit on the potty. Why wouldn't they just go in there pull up and keep on playing, it works for them. Just keep the time in your head, I think 1 hour is good that is a long time to them and say lets see if you need to go now.

As for your child not wanting to give up the pull ups. Try and say once these are gone we can't buy any more the store wont let us. So you have to use big boy underware, because you are a big boy.

Good luck it's hard but once he is trained life will be good. Just remember before you leave the house to have him go. To this day that is what my son does and like I said he is 8.

 

[genburk]

Ditch the Pull Ups. They are glorified diapers.

I agree with Ditch the Pull-ups. I work in a daycare - Preschool and have seen children in pull-ups for as long as 2 years. They are not really potty training for 2 years, so they are wasting their money.

I only used pull-ups when we were going somewhere (like the mall or park) and then if we had trips to visit people. Other than that I used underwear, and the kids got wet. My boys were trained about 1 month before the age of 3, and my daughter went from diapers to pull-ups to underwear in less than a week. She has had very few accidents, but she was ready to train. I got lucky, she was 2 yrs and 3 months.

I think Children are so used to going whenever they want or need to that they don't really want to have to deal with potty training. "Come on.. you got to stop playing to do THAT !" Who wants to stop playing? Not them.

And if you have them in pull-ups all the time, they pull the liquid away just like a diaper and they are used to using diapers, so what is the difference? The diapers have tape and the pull-ups don't. That is the only real difference besides the pictures.

 

[mommyhugz1978]

I also did not bother using the potty chair it's a waste of money.... I just put her little fanny up on the toilet and told her this is where big girl go potty.. and that was that....she laughed and thought it fun to go potty like a big girl..... like I said earlier pull ups are glorified diapers and a waste of money unless their too big for diapers but not quite ready for the potty......or for night use. Hell come to think of it I didnt' even use a diaper genie I just put the diapers in the trash.... outside that is if they were poopie and or wet. But you can't stress out or let your little one see that your stressed or frustrated because it will only cause them to be stressed make a game out of it...... My DH told me that his mom use to take left over cheerios from breakfast and told them to go sink the cheerios when they went potty now that doesn't work for little girls but it works for boys... if he is too small to reach to torilet sit him on the pot backwards. hope that helps again good luck

 

[ahammons]

Ashlee- I forgot to tell you that my mom had my kids while I was in the hospital and my DD stayed dry the entire day & night with no accidents or pooping in her pull up at all. I guess she just needed someone else to urge her to go in the potty.

Isn't funny how kids seem to be so willing to please grandparents over their own parents?? lol After baby#2 was born, our oldest went through a phase where he hated to have his hair washed. Once while my MIL was visiting, she gave him a bath while I fed the baby, and guess what?! He let her wash his hair without a problem! That's why I have a feeling he'll be more likely to use the potty if she says that she wants him to! lol

 

[ahammons]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone! I think we're definitely going to get rid of the pull ups. I'm pretty sure that the only reason DS doesn't like underwear is b/c he knows he'll have to stop playing to go potty if he's wearing them. I've decided that we have enough to worry about in the next few weeks, so I'm going to back off until we get moved and settled in. I'll leave it up to him for a while.

Pamperedgirl3 - that's a great idea! I think I'll call the preschool when we get there next month, and see if I can bring him in for a tour - maybe that will make him want to potty train so that he can go!

I also did not bother using the potty chair it's a waste of money.... My DH told me that his mom use to take left over cheerios from breakfast and told them to go sink the cheerios when they went potty now that doesn't work for little girls but it works for boys... if he is too small to reach to toilet sit him on the pot backwards. hope that helps again good luck

We have a potty chair, but the top part comes off and attaches to the toilet as well - DS prefers it that way, b/c he's afraid that he'll fall into the toilet without it.
We've actually tried the cheerios - it worked for about a week, then he lost interest.
I'm almost tempted to buy one of those potty training urinals, b/c he will always use the bathroom if we're out somewhere & DH takes him to the men's room.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

when my middle son was a baby pull ups had just come out. we used them with him and our daughter.

All 3 of mine trained in about 2 1/2 weeks. I didn't reward them or punish them. We just made it part of our routine.

I didn't use the potty seat or a potty chair. I wish someone would have invented something to keep the seat up though. There is no greater pain than when you have a toddler standing there and the seat comes down and hits him. Its not a place you can kiss for them and it does scare them for a few times afterwards.

Be patient!
The next trying time and battle of wills will be when they begin driving and know more than you do!!

 

[chefann]

I didn't use the potty seat or a potty chair. I wish someone would have invented something to keep the seat up though. There is no greater pain than when you have a toddler standing there and the seat comes down and hits him. Its not a place you can kiss for them and it does scare them for a few times afterwards.

That happened to my Director's son! The poor little guy....

 

[raebates]

I have friends who finally asked their son (who loved Scooby Do and always wore Scooby Do undies) why he was peeing on Scooby. He hadn't thought of that. It worked.

Don't worry. very few 15 year olds aren't potty trained.

 

[pchefkristin]

We had the same issues. Keegan will be four in July. We tried EVERYTHING and then some. Then one of my gals said that when she started sitting her grandson on the toilet backwards, he was much more relaxed because he didnt feel like he was going to "fall in". So we started doing that. For quite some time I would have to sit with Keegan to get him up on the toilet, but recently he just started going in alone! YEAH!
We still have issues with the #2 situation, but we are working on that. Next time I will let him clean himself up. But also, he knows ~ No trips to Chuck E Cheese until he has mastered the #2!

Good luck!!

 

[Rebeccascabinet]

I think you have to find out what works for your kiddo. My oldest was 3 1/2 and my youngest was 3. We just bought them their fave undies and put them on the toilet every 30 minutes. We very rarely used pull ups. We also made a HUGE deal when they did go potty. I mean we celebrated every time. My husband taught them how to pee standing up and I taught them how to clean themselves up. It really wasn't that hard, we just had to wait til they were ready.

 

[jrstephens]

So Excited!My son who has not remotely been coorperating to poop in the potty has asked to go 3 times this week!!! My husband just called to tell me he went when he got up this morning! I am hoping this is the light at the end of the tunnel!!!

 

[etteluap70PC]

YAYYYYY!!! WOOHOOO!!!!

I remember when my DD finaly got it. It was so nice to not have to drag bulky diapers everywhere. It was a bit of a rude awakening when 6 mos later I had baby #2. I had gotten so spoiled in those 6 months! LOL!

 

[ahammons]

That's great Jennifer!!

I can't wait for that day in my house! lol With everything going on right now, we're backing off from potty training for a while. It's already going to be hard enough on him when DH leaves, I don't want to add to his stress. He's getting pretty excited about preschool though - maybe that will give him motivation once we get settled in. Of course, our youngest (16mo) will still be in diapers, but I'm hoping that he'll be much easier to potty train when the time comes!

 

[jrstephens]

We had backed off from "harping" on him about it all the time. I think that made the difference. I just hope he gets it up! He is in briefs all day long - only wears pull up at night to sleep it. I have come to HATE to clean up poop!

And we have decided to try for another baby, so, I really want him completely trained to not having to clean up after two!

 

[ahammons]

Let me tell you, it's not fun having two in diapers!! For the first few weeks, it seemed like all I was doing was cleaning up poop.

Yesterday my youngest walked up to DH and said "stinky" after he pooped!! lol DH said "maybe you can potty train them at the same time" - yeah, I wish!

 

[pckrissy]

Just wanted to update and give those struggling with potty training boys some hope!~My son, who I have been trying to potty train since he was 3 (almost a year now, and he has been fighting us every step of the way) well on Sunday he (without us knowing) walked straight into the bathroom, took of his clothes and diaper and went in the potty, and he has been doing it every since! I am so excited, I still can not believe it.
People told me that it is a power thing and he will do it when he is ready, so hang in there it will happen~

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Just wanted to update and give those struggling with potty training boys some hope!~My son, who I have been trying to potty train since he was 3 (almost a year now, and he has been fighting us every step of the way) well on Sunday he (without us knowing) walked straight into the bathroom, took of his clothes and diaper and went in the potty, and he has been doing it every since! I am so excited, I still can not believe it.
People told me that it is a power thing and he will do it when he is ready, so hang in there it will happen~

<Sigh> I'm just hoping it's sooner rather than later!

 

[pckrissy]

Becky~ I feel your frustration...it was instant...had no interest on Saturday and since Sunday has been going all on his own....still had a wet diaper in the am but a still HUGE progress....he always wanted to wear a diaper too and now insists underwear only, even at night...so now I am trying to explain he has to wear the diaper at night because it is wet in the morning....so we still have that issue....good luck...I hope it is sooner rather than later for you as well~

 

[ahammons]

That's great Krissy!! Could you please pass some of that good luck my way? lol

 

[kaceyleigh2]

My son is only 13 months so I'm not even close to potty training but I've been reading a book called Toddler 411...it's a great book that covers a wide variety of topics! Anyways, I just read the potty training section...according to the authors-you can potty train your toddler in 1 day-you just have to pick the right day.
They say the criteria to be successful are: 1) Your child must be clued into the urgeto go, not clued in that she/he has already gone. 2) Your child must want to be clean (they go on to add that boys take longer to potty train b/c they have less care about being clean)

Also in this chapter, The Zen of Toilet Training: 5 Key Steps...I will post the steps if anyone is interested, but in the meantime I have to go change my sons diaper....siiiigh....

 

[kaceyleigh2]

Just thought of some other things from the book that might be helpful.
Your son is asking to be changed-so that is a good sign. Get rid of the Pull Ups-they are just as absorbent as regular diapers. Put your son in regular training pants so when he does have an accident he can feel it. If he does have an accident don't punish him but do make him clean himself up (with some assistance if it's poopy) Act like you don't care one way or the other-your son might have accidents to "win the battle."
Like other's suggested definately wait until after you move-he might regress and potty training and moving might be too stressful for both of you.

Good Luck---I'm sure I'll be back here when my son is ready to be potty trained, LOL!

 

[dianevill]

Good luck! I've found potty training to be the most stressful part of parenting so far! Wouldn't it be nice if they would just wake up one day & start going?????!!!!!!

I'm not really sure why I'm reading this thread, as my kids are almost 7 & 5, but when I read this quote I had to chime in, because that's exactly what happened to my son, who at the time had just turned 2. I had noticed that he was staying dry at night, so one day I just said, "Look, Michael, I bought you some big boy underwear." He put them on, and we have never had a single accident since then. People ask how I got him trained so quickly, and I answer, "Sheer luck." I wasn't even thinking of starting, esp. after hearing everyone saying that boys were more difficult, but it just worked out.

For my daughter, she had just turned 2 as well, but I did the $89 method. I let her run around the house naked and if she started to pee I put her on the toilet. It took 2 days and $89 to get my carpet cleaned, and she was done.

I'm not having any more kids - don't wanna ruin my fast potty training record !

As others have mentioned, I'd skip the Pull-Ups. Glorified diapers is right.

My advice: Each child has a different personality and will need something different to motivate him/her. As others have mentioned, consistency is key, don't get frustrated, and keep moving along. They'll get there....some day!

Good luck to all of you!

 

[Chef_2_Four]

We had the same issues. Keegan will be four in July. We tried EVERYTHING and then some. Then one of my gals said that when she started sitting her grandson on the toilet backwards, he was much more relaxed because he didnt feel like he was going to "fall in". So we started doing that. For quite some time I would have to sit with Keegan to get him up on the toilet, but recently he just started going in alone! YEAH!
We still have issues with the #2 situation, but we are working on that. Next time I will let him clean himself up. But also, he knows ~ No trips to Chuck E Cheese until he has mastered the #2!

Good luck!!

My son turned 3 in May. He REFUSES to go pee sitting down. We tried for like a week or so with him sitting down and he wouldn't do it, so we tried standing up and that was it. Ben goes by himself now which I love!! Now I just need to get Layla potty trained! I'm hoping by September she will be ready!! Then I will be done with diapers!!

 

[gilliandanielle]

I am in this same situation! My DD is 3.5 and we want to put her in preschool in the fall. She initated the PTing herself while I was pregnant, and I went along with it without forcing her knowing that Baylor was coming and even if I did get her trained she would most likely regress. She is the same way about underwear (refuses to wear them no matter how "fun" the designs are) but will stay dry in a pull up all day and some nights. The problem is that at naptime she poops in the pullup. Sometimes she naps and sometimes she has a reast time in her room when she doesn't sleep, but she poops either way and doesn't tell me she needs to go. I have tried to bribe her with the preschool so she will be motivated to stay dry and poop free but she doesn't grasp the big picture yet.

I have my PC timer on my fridge and my DD knows it as the potty timer. I set it for 90 mins each time and she has to try to go potty even if she doesn't feel like it. In the beginning she got a treat just for trying (we did 1 or 2 M&M's) and as she started going she only got the treat for actually going. If your DS is almost there then I see no problem with full training in 2 months, and you could always start now and just know that he could regress with the move. My DD didn't regress at all with Baylor's birth, so you never know!!

Thanks for bumping this thread up- I didn't think to update you guys! I have to TOTALLY agree about ditching the pull ups. It is a gamble, but worked out for us! It was a bit of a struggle to get her to wear the panties, but once she had them on all the "diapers" dissappreared. She has had one accident overnight, but stayed dry 3 other nights. The other day she had found a pull up in her room while she was "napping" and put it on just to poop in it. I think she would rather poop in there than tell me she has to go, but as long as she doesn't have access to them she will say something. It just goes to show me that she was pooping in them because she wanted to, not because she needed to...

Thanks for the advice experienced mommies!! That 3 weeks that I had 3 in diapers was a little hard to swallow money-wise!!

 

[gilliandanielle]

I have friends who finally asked their son (who loved Scooby Do and always wore Scooby Do undies) why he was peeing on Scooby. He hadn't thought of that. It worked.

Don't worry. very few 15 year olds aren't potty trained.

I also had to comment on this. My DD is obsessed with princesses and Dora, so we bought a few pair of panties with each. I immediately played this card, then she wouldn't even wear them for fear that she might pee on her beloved characters...

 

[jrstephens]

I am so excited! Luke started pooping in the potty on his own last week, as I posted. Well, he has not had an accident since Saturday. He is even doing it at his grandparents houses now.

I never taught him to pee sitting down. We always did standing up since that is the way of a boy - I did not want to have something else to train later. And he wanted to stand anyway b/c that is what he saw his dad doing.

Gillian, Luke would do the same thing. He would hold the poop in until he got a pull up on. When he started doing it in his briefs when I refused to put a pull up on him, I would just let him go nude for a while, and he still would hold it until he got something on him but would not go in the potty.

Now he does not like it when I put a pull up on to sleep in. He tells me I am a big boy now I am pooping in the potty. I may ditch them for the night before long. He is dry most of the time but I hate having to clean the bed when he has an accident.

He is hilarious when he goes. He has to close the door and makes me leave b/c he says it may stink and he does not want me to have to smell it!

 

[gilliandanielle]

My DD still tells me that she wants a pull up at night, but I just tell her that she is a big girl now and doesn't need one. She reluctantly agrees but is staying clean...

That is funny that he kicks you out so you don't have to smell it!!