Can anyone help me with potty training?

[Gillian]

Kind of off topic, I know, but this is where the experts are :D

I want to start training DS, 21 months, or at least try! I need help with everything! I don't have any books (not even the what to expect for his age) and I'm clueless. My mom got us a potty, but he pulled the shield off & I think it's uncomfortable for him.

Any advice on where to start? We'll be home together all summer. Thanks in advance!

[Disneyolic]

I am hoping for some advice too. I'm dealing with an almost 3 yo DS who absolutely screams/cries when we try to place him on the potty. He is not regular because he really hates to "do his business". I think he holds it in until he just can't any longer. Please help!

[can'tgetenufofwdw]

My son's first visit to wdw was for his 3rd b-day and I had him trained in time. I would throw a cheerio into the toilet and let him aim for it. He thought it was cool to stand up when mommy couldn't. If he did go I would give him a small handfull of M&M's. They were his favorite treat. It took less than two weeks. Oh and if he went #2 he would get to pick out a new matchbox car from the basket. I went out and bought like 10 cars at .99. Small investment that paid off big. Of course he wasn't nitetime trained but that was fine with me. I packed 1 pamper for each nite with a few extra in the bag in case and we were good to go. Don't forget to listen to him when they say they have to go. It's so easy to think and say "yor're gonna have to hold it for a few more minutes" We did this with my ds and ended up having to pull over on the side of I4 on the way back from Tampa and he did his business on the side of the highway. Funny now( it was 5 years ago) but not at the time. We felt really bad about it. Good luck whatever you try.

[tjmw2727]

Personally, I think 21 months is to young especially for a boy. The averages are 2 1/2 for girls and 3 for boys. That said we liked the "Its Potty Time" tape and played it long before we started training. Having the potty in the bathroom and letting him try it from time to time is fine, before the bath worked well for us. I have found that you can train and train for several months or wait until they are ready and then it literally takes days to a week - I learned the hard way. Take it slow and remember at 21months there are sooo many more fun and interesting things for him to be doing and learning that training (IMHO) really should take a backseat now.
TJ

[Kermit]

I don't have any kids, but I used to work in daycare, and I've potty trained at least 50 kids. My best advice is <i>do not</i> use pull-ups. Kids think they're grown up, since they look like underwear, but they have no incentive to keep them dry since it's not uncomfortable when they're wet. Start with underwear and plastic pants. That way there will be a good reason to stay dry.

I also strongly recommend you wait until the child is ready. If you wait long enough, it will take about a week. If you do it too early, it can take months and lots of frustration.

Some boys like to start standing up like their daddy and older friends. Put some kind of target in the toilet, and stand by with lots of cleaner. Don't talk to them while they're pottying. They'll turn and look at you when you do. :D

[Jordan's MOM]

Unlike many mom's of boys, I found my Ds very easy to train. He was about 23 months old and quite smart and very verbal. He was also very big on Barney the dinosaur at the time. I went out and bought him a pack of big boy barney underwear and ask him if he wanted to put them on. He did of course. I then told him that Barney did not want him to pee-pee on him so he would need to go to the bathroom when he had to go. He said OK. I can count on one hand the number of accidents he had.All were in other character underwear. We went back and got more Barney. This was the exception, but some boys are ready early and summer is a great time to train. My sister let her boys go with out any clothes at home and they trained quite early too. Do make sure that he is able to understand and comunicate well enough to follow direction and if he seems stressed out, stop and wait a while. The trend is toward latter training and there is nothing wrong with that either. Good luck!!


Jordan's mom

[susy]

At 26 months my DS was trained (pp wise- the other took longer).
I was home all summer, like you and it's the perfect time to start!

1. Get him a baby pool. Put it out almost every day, but DO NOT put a swim diaper on. Just put some shorts with no diaper. When he pees he will see it coming out. You are out in the yard so who cares!

2. A special cup for pp in the tub! Stand him in the tub before you fill it (naked). When you start running the water, he will probably pee. When he does, "catch" the pee in the cup. My son thought this was so funny! So now every night he was peeing into this cup before his bath (getting good at aiming, too).

3. After a few months of peeing in the cup every night,we bought him a little potty. We kept it in whichever room he was in (we were constantly moving it from the living rrom to his bedroom and back again). We put on just shorts with no diaper and kept asking him if he had to pp. We started this on a Saturday so we were both home for the first two days of this. We would see him touch himself there and pull down his shorts and told him to pp in the potty. He listens more to my DH, so he was really in charge. He did great with this!!!! After a few days, I left the potty in his room and he would go over towards it if he had to go. I would help him with his shorts and always give him tons of praise. He still slept with a diaper at night.

4. We also taught him to sit on the potty to go pp and then bought him the seat that sits on the regular toilet. When he was tall enough to pee standing up he just stood in front of the toilet.

this whole process started in the beginning of the summer when he was like 19 months and ended in Jan., when he was 26 months. He rarely had any accidents (even in the beginning). Just take your time with him, but I wouldn't wait any longer. You have to get them while they are still in that "I'm a space cadet and I have no idea where I am or what I am doing" stage.

The other thing was LOTS harder!!!! He was three before he would go #2 in the potty. He was in underwear all the time, but would ask for a diaper. DH finally convinced him one day. I don't know what happened, since they were locked in the bathroom. All I know is they came out and headed to the toy store!

[Chance's Mom]

Just remember- you don't see 5 year olds in diapers. Your son will get potty trained! I personally think 21 months is too young--it will cause undo stress for you and your son. Wait till he's almost 3 and then it will be easy.:D

[Lainy67]

My dd (10) was trained at two. So I thought... whew... this will be a snap with our next one. Well she will be 3 on Monday, and although for the most part trained, she just peed all over my office carpet about an hour ago!!!! Although she hasn't had an accident in a long time. She doesn't quite care where she goes. It is an inconvenience to go somewhere else.

We did the pull ups at night wiht both children, and regular panties during the day. Our first dd couldn't stand the feeling of pp on her, and was trained in a week, max for both pp and BMs. The second one hates the feeling of the pp on her and the BMs as well, but figured out that it is temporary and she will get changed so it doesn't matter.

My point is every child is different. You just have to figure out what works for each one.

[Gillian]

Well, my MIL says her 5 kids were fully trained before they were 2! I've only got 3 months to go, so I'd better figure it out, LOL! Also, if I wait, it will be winter, and I may be working &/or pregnant again.

I really don't see the point in waiting if he seems ready. I just need to figure out how I can tell if he's ready! :) He seems interested in the idea, says "potty" a lot, but I'm as clueless as he is. I'd really like to give it a try, but I don't want to cause any problems for him later by doing it wrong.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I am going to start with a book or video & see how he reacts. I'll keep everyone updated :D

[ratow]

The trend years ago was to potty train very young. The trend was also to give baby cereal very young, starting at two or three weeks old! Tell your MIL we don't rub booze on babies gums when they're teething anymore either! My point is, ideas on raising children changes and evolves.

My MIL also worked to potty train her 4 kids early and she now laughs at the memories. She says the "training" consisted of putting the kids on the potty every hour and eventually they went, accidentally!

I have 5 kids and have gotten over "They MUST be trained by this age. Everyone else's kid is!" My third child was trained sometime after she was three but nights took until she was four.

No one will remember when she was potty trained! I hope to have better things about her to brag about than how old she was when she started to walk or use the toilet!

My two year old son loves the potty right now and we let him use it when ever he wants. I don't believe his interest necessarily means he's ready to be potty trained. I know if we tried undies it would only lead to more accidents and frustration (mine) than if we waited.

Unless you're severely punishing him for accidents, I doubt you will cause any "problems for him later by doing it wrong."

When they're old enough, potty training goes quickly and easily. Relax and enjoy your beautiful boy!

[Jordan's MOM]

Gillian,
One way to tell if he might be ready is to see how long he can stay dry with his diaper on. If he is waking up from naps dry or going several hours before wetting his diaper is may indicate that his bladder is mature enough to start training. It will not matter how "smart" he is or how much he wants to do it if he does not have the phyicial maturity to control his bladder. Relax! He will get trained and then you have to hunt a bathroom every 5 minutes! LOL

Jordan's mom

[blanq]

I was, at one point, convinced that my DS would go off college still in diapers! He had absolutely no interest in the potty thing, even though he had total control of when he went ( for a very long time before he was potty trained he would hide behind the door when he had to go, and do his thing). I tried to follow the Dr's advice and not push it on him, but I must admit it was a hard path to take. Anyway, one day, when my DS was several months shy of his 4th birthday, I walked in on him in the bathroom and he was on the potty. From that day forward he was totally potty trained...he never had an accident, day or night! I think the whole thing was bizarre, to tell you the truth. Anyway, I decided to post my experience to let you know that I think that, to some extent, parents have little control over this issue. When a child is ready, he or she will get there!

[crisi]

My son trained at 3 1/2. Nothing worked until HE was ready. Once he decided it was time, it was a done deal. However, around three he went to pull ups and became responsible for his own diaper. He'd change it when it got wet, and we'd help him if he was poopy (eventually, he'd do these himself, although we did need to wipe up the bathroom after him).

My daughter is 2 1/2 and is not showing much interest in staying dry or going in the potty. But what I learned from my son is that this is not something I can do for her, or something that I decide she is going to do - its up to her. Once she turns three and is physically ready for it, we will do the same thing we did with my son and make her responsible for her own diaper (that is one thing pull ups are good for).

Its always the last thing you try that works.

[vald1977]

Hi Gillian,
We are actually potty training our ds right now too. He is a little older than your ds but I agree with you that it certainly doesn't hurt to try it out a little. If he doesn't take to it, just wait another few weeks and try it again. We have a little potty that sits on the ground and also a seat that goes over the big potty. My ds prefers the big potty because he can hear the pp hitting the water. He also loves to flush it away when he is done. I am just bringing this up to let you know if he doesn't seem interested in the little potty maybe try the seat kind. We also give out stickers when he goes on the potty and lots and lots of praise. While he's going or sitting there waiting to go I ask him what kind of sticker he wants (we have all different animal ones) and he puts a great amount of thought into picking one. I'll have to try the little cars in a basket as a reward for poops. That is a great idea! We are having more trouble with that but I guess that is normal. Good luck :D !

[llp479]

Our twin dds were almost 4 before they were trained. I was dreading training their younger sister. She was 3yr2mo when we were at WDW. While walking through the MK she said, "I have to go potty." Not wanting to ignore her, but not quite believing her, I took her, and she went. Several hours later, same thing. I brought home almost all the diapers I took with us and she never wore them again, not even at night. She never had an accident and she's now 5.

My friend's son was 23 months when he told her he needed to go. She took him, and listened to him everytime he said he needed to go, and he was fully trained by 26 months. I guess my point is your child needs to be able to understand when he has to go, and be able to communicate that to you.

Potty Time with Bear in the Big Blue House is a good video as well. I also agree about the Pull Ups, basically all they are is an expensive diaper. Great for trips when you're not sure you'll be able to make it to a bathroom, but not good for training.

[BrerMom]

Just remember- you don't see 5 year olds in diapers. Actually, I know one. His mom had to get special permission for him to start kindergarten.

I put my son on the big potty backwards. He feels more safe sitting on the smaller end of the seat. He used to hold onto the seat while he went, which sure isn't an option the usual way! We haven't attempted #2 on the potty yet, so we'll see, but I've learned to take whatever works!

[susy]

Even if you don't want to put out a potty, you can try the peeing in the cup thing every night in the tub. To tell you the truth, once we put out the potty at 25 months, it only took two weeks. Never used any books, tapes, or said "potty" or knew if he was interested. By the time he knew the word "potty", he was already using it!

[minivanmomof2]

WOW, don't even get me started, LOL.
As a mom of two boys, ages 4 1/2 and 8, I know how frustrating it can be to potty train. The best advice I can give you is DON'T stress over it/make a big deal,etc. HE will go when HE's ready. I happen to agree that boys (for the most part) are a bit slower to train. Both boys were close to 3 1/2 when they were fully trained.
Both boys knew what to do and where to do it, LOL, but the "problem" was not initiating it. I would literally every couple of hours take them into the bathroom and have them "try to go".

One day your son will surprise you.....you'll see! He's still little. Sometimes we, as parents, expect so much from our children that we forget that they are just that....children(not lil adults).
Good Luck!
Naomi :D

[minivanmomof2]

Originally posted by Kermit
I don't have any kids, but I used to work in daycare, and I've potty trained at least 50 kids. My best advice is <i>do not</i> use pull-ups. Kids think they're grown up, since they look like underwear, but they have no incentive to keep them dry since it's not uncomfortable when they're wet. Start with underwear and plastic pants. That way there will be a good reason to stay dry.

I also strongly recommend you wait until the child is ready. If you wait long enough, it will take about a week. If you do it too early, it can take months and lots of frustration.

Some boys like to start standing up like their daddy and older friends. Put some kind of target in the toilet, and stand by with lots of cleaner. Don't talk to them while they're pottying. They'll turn and look at you when you do. :D


Cheerios in the toilet works well. Been there and done that, LOL. They get a kick out of having a target!
Naomi ;)

[JenRuss5]

Have I got some advice for you!!!!! Let me tell you, I have QUADRUPLET boys who will be 5 in September. I decided when they were 27 months old we were going to potty train. First you MUST get the book"Toilet Training In Less Than A Day". I read it twice and went exactly by the book with the exception of having them empty the potty themselves. I have enough mess to clean up without adding that. I had one who learned in 1 day with no accidents, one took 4 days with 1 accident, and 2 took 14 days. Only an occasional accident at night by 1 of the boys who would sleep so soundly the urge wouldn't wake him up. Zip Zap we're done! It was INTENSE potty training. I did nothing else for 2 weeks except potty train. I didn't cook, clean or go anywhere. We kept a potty in the car with paper towels in it to absorb anything if they had to go while we were out. You can do it!!!!! Just once you start, don't go back. Go at it full force and be consistent. Pull ups were used in the beginning ONLY at nap time and bedtime and came off as soon as they got up. I just didn't want to take a chance of them wetting their beds for a few weeks. Really, I just didn't want to change 4 beds :-). Good luck and get the book! Let me know if I can help further.

[docswkids]

Wow! Its hard to follow that post! Jenruss5, I think a mother of quadruplet boys trumps all of us on a potty training thread!

I am the mom of 2 boys and my experience goes along with those who recommended going with the flow, so to speak.

Son number one or ichiban as he likes to call himself, was in no hurry whatsoever to potty train. We used pull ups which I agree is a very expensive mistake; he used them no differently than diapers. No amount of reasoning, or bribing made the process speed up. Finally, when he was 31/2 and I was 7 months pregnant with number 2 I said to ichi "We are not buying anymore pullups. Your pullups days are over, and you will be wearing big boy underpants(the cartoon character ones are fabulous, by the way). I told him this change would occur in a few days, thinking that I would start him on a weekend and not a daycare day. Well, the next day as I readied him for daycare and got out a pullup he asked for underpants and said he thought we werent doing pullups anymore. He had only a few accidents after this, during the day, as he hated being messy. Nighttime took longer; I put a waterproof mattress pad on his bed and had one to spare, kept a full bedchange handy for those middle of the night accidents, and learned quickly that any wimpering or crying in the middle of the night meant an escorted trip to the bathroom. He was fully dry at night after about a year.

Son number two decided for himself that his diaper days were over at the age of 21/2, and he wasnt out of the crib yet! He maybe had 2 accidents during the day and maybe two at night and that was it. He wouldnt wear a pullup or diaper at night, only underpants. I was so grateful that he had just saved the family hundreds of dollars in diapers for the year that I thought he would still be in them, that I took him out to buy a special present. I chalk this miracle up to the difference between children and the positive influence that an older sibling can have over a younger one.

[tar heel]

I used to teach two-year-olds and preschool and cannot stress strongly enough what Kermit said -- do not use Pullups. They feel like a diaper, so the child does what he's been doing in his diaper and it's a lot harder for you to clean up than a diaper would be. Each year, we began the year with half the girls and none of the boys trained. We ended the year with most kids having turned three, and all the girls and about half the boys were trained.

I doubt that your MIL's kids were trained -- she was the one that was trained!

If your son is not dry for long periods of time and showing interest in going to the bathroom, he's not ready. All three of my boys were past three and ready and it was actually very easy and finished in a couple of days -- I gave prizes every time they went, so they really wanted to go. Then switched to a sticker chart with a big prize at the end. Like the previous poster, I told them several days in advance that this was going to happen, we picked out the character underwear, etc.

[Gillian]

I am still researching & really appreciate all the helpful suggestions. Thank you for sharing! This is the best board :D

A funny thing happened today! We sometimes ask DS if he has to go potty. We've only done it a few times, but yesterday he had a lot of noisy gas & I guess DH & I both asked him a few times & then checked his diaper without really thinking about it. So today DH "breaks wind" and DS went over to check daddy's diaper! Luckily I missed the 1st part :D

In just the past week, DS has been talking A LOT more! It's so amazing the way kids learn :) I'm hoping that this will help with the training thing, as we can understand him better now.

He loves Bear, so I'll look for that video. And there are some cute books, but I couldn't decide which one to get, so I didn't get any!

[BrerMom]

If you're looking for potty books, check out re-sale shops or your library. Most people only need potty books for less than a year.

[GoofyDonald]

Just a suggestion, as the mother of two teenage sons, who would cringe if they knew I was answering this, when they first started using the potty we put Fruit Loops floating in the toilet for them to "aim" for. I hope this isn't to descriptive, but it made part of going to the bathroom fun and the second just seemed to follow! Most of all relax and enjoy each stage of his life, we still are!!!!

[Gillian]

Any adult men who were traumatized by training with cheerios or fruit loops, please let me know! :D

[disneyvacationmom]

I totally agree about the pull-ups. I always put training pants and rubber pants on(just in case of accidents.) Also, dry diapers for longer lengths of time is a good indication of whether or not he is ready. My son was trained by 18 mo but he was so easy. I used stickers as a reward. Everytime he sat on the toilet, he got a sticker. If he went, he got another. I used a toilet seat ring so his little bum wouldn't fall through. When I worked in daycare, we often sat kids on backwards and they'd hold on to the tank. Somehow they felt more secure that way. A word of advice for anyone using a potty chair. In daycare we always put a bit of water in the bottom of the pot-it made it much easier to empty. Running water is also a good way to make them go but then that could be training mom not the child. My daughter was not as easy as my son-stickers meant nothing to her-bring on the m&m's. Good luck and just think, one day you won't be walking around always saying "Do you have to pee?"

[ppony]

My son is 2 yrs 2 months and not PT'd yet. We have the little potty seat out and he sat on it when he first saw it but no intrest so far. I'm glad I read about teh no pull-ups thing. I would ahve for sure done it. I'm inclined to wait till he shows iunterest like the others say. As my first baby, I want to see all those new firsts and huge milestones in a hurry (sort-of) but Nick took his sweet time to walk...he's taking his sweet time to talk but you can tell he's very smart in there. Just playing us. Some things he does amazes me because he just desn't do what many children are doing. But he'll get there in HIS time. My trouble is (to keep this Disney related) is he LOVES real people movies and shows. Like his FAVORITE is Harry POtter. You would think it would scare him or go WAY pver his head but he LOVES LOVES LOVES it! He did LOVE Monsters inc (hey, when's that out on video?) but my favorite Disney movies like Lion King and Aladdin and such he doesn't like or doesn't watch long. He DOES like Mary Poppins though. Sigh...what to do. I'm make him a mouse lover yet!!! ;)

Back to the suject at hand.....
It'd be nice to have them trained for our trip but I'm not counting on it. The concensus but NOT the rule is boys just seem to take longer.
Thanks for the advice and for the thread!!! it was invaluavble!!

Have a great trip! :)

OH ...quick question to the experienced. The potty seat I remember as a kid that my brother used has a "splash guard" so he could pee sitting down. Is it not done that way anymore? the one we have doesn't keep ANYTHING from flying straight out in front of him. Do they get taught standing up? OR....do people have better experiences with teh smaller seats you put on the big seat?:bounce:

[mlj'smom]

OK, I rarely post, but have to warn about the Cheerio thing going wrong. My DS is almost 3, and we have been trying different ways to encourage him. I tried the Cheerio it the toilet last week. The result? No, he's not trained yet. But after he finished what he wanted of his cereal the next day, he picked up his bowl, dripped milk down the hall, and proceded to dump in what was left, and then flush, yelling "Yea, I did it!" So a word of caution to all considering edible targets. Now we're trying to explain to him why food really doesn't belong in the potty!!!:confused: :D As well as why he should use it!

[Tense]

Just take the shield off and throw it away... you won't need it and if you leave it on.. ouch.. i just don't want to imagainr a toddler in a hurry!...MY son was toilet trained at 15 months.. both pee and pooh. I started early as soon as he walked (12 mon) put him on a potty whenever I was in the bathroom.never NEVER use pull up because they can't feel the wtness and you WANT them to be uncomfortable. I used old fashioned training pant and vinal covers. They look like white breifs but with padding in the front crotch and rear . So they absorb somewhat.. but it is a wet load!When at home he was either naked waist down or the breifs. When I had to go out in the beginnig, I would put on pull up OVER the breifs. He'd know he wet and I wasn't embarrassed with a dripping kid. It took all of 2 weeks I'd say. And just let him know that wet was not good. AND high praise for dry. I didn't do any reward system, because going to the potty was expected not.. NOT something to be rewarded with toys or candy. Reward them with material things and then they can manipulate you. My daughter was walking at 9 months and dry night and day at 12 months. She was sooo small she wore size 2 underwear and they were too big need a stich in the waist. Pediatrician couldn't beleive how young she was.. he wanted me to train HIS 3 year old for him LOL.!! her little legs couldn't even reach the kiddie potty!Good luck!

[Chance's Mom]

Your post made me smile! When my DS was in the 1 to 2 1/2 year old range--he watched "Poppins" everyday. It is my favorite disney movie, I now know the dialogue by heart "Kick your feet up step in time...."

Anyway, we took him to the breakfast at the Grand Flo when he was almost 2. When the "real" Poppins picked him up, he was so overwhelmed he cried! I have some adorable pictures.

Now, at almost 6, he won't even admit that he watched the movie, lol!:D

Also, re the post above--Everyone does it differently, there is no right or wrong way, do what works best for you and your family. Stories of 12 month olds who are totally trained is what puts a lot of pressure on the rest of us (as if we didn't have enough with our mils).
Remember, there is no correlation between IQ and the age a child is potty trained!;)

[figment95]

I thought I would pass along a few tips that I got when I was training my kids. Wait for a clue from your kids. You have a window when they are ready. If you try too early, you won't get anywhere and it will be frustrating for both of you. If you wait too late, it may become a power struggle. Get a little potty and keep it in the bathroom. I took the shield off and showed my son how to close his knees and tuck himself down (if I'm not getting too graphic.) It seemed less intimidating than trying to stand at first. My friend told me to buy 12 cloth training pants, the kind that are thick. Get a bucket and fill it about half full of bleach water. Keep it somewhere in the bathroom where your child can't reach it. The training pants will get really gross if you don't bleach them so as soon as they get wet, put them in the bucket and they won't smell. If they get dirty, swish them in the toilet first. Have patience. It will happen.

[Tink]

What a wonderful thread! I have a DD age 3 and 4 months who could care less about the potty. I started the pull up thing, but told her that tomorrow, they don't make them in her size anymore and she will have to wear undies. She hates to feel herself wet in them. She is scheduled to start nursery school this September but if she isn't potty trained, she is not allowed to go.

Thanks for all of the wonderful advice and wish me luck! Today she actually asked my to sit on the potty to go #2, but that was about two hours agoand nothing yet! This is the first time she asked to sit on it, most of the time she runs screaming from the room if I suggest it, and I don't and to push. I hope DD #2 who is 6 months, will catch on a little sooner.

[ZPT1022]

For those of you who have concerns about using Cheerios with the boys- I have seen "toilet targets" at Babies R Us. My only advice is to be careful and not to encourage reading on the potty to keep the, on the potty- FMIL did this with FH and he WILL NOT GET OUT OF THE BATHROOM! EVER. FMIL told me that it is her fault- they potty trained him and taught him to read at the same time. So now he is in his 20's and has the impression *still* that when in the bathroom one must have some literature on hand. I also worked in daycare and my actual serious advice is to try not to put too much pressure on the kids- I had a little boy in the 3 yr old program cry and cry and cry because he thought he was going to get in trouble for having an accident- I certainly didn't punish him, but someone must have taught him to be afraid like that:( . Anyhow, good luck to all of you, I have a DD who will be one the 17th of this month so I appreciate all the tips I got for the future- I probably would have tried the Pull-ups.

[JulesMom]

There is a book called "Potty training in less than a day"

I used it on DS & DD. I only know of 4 other people who have used the book, but it works--if you follow the book exactly.

I've had friends who tried it, but they didn't follow the training in the book. You have to have no one in the house but you and the kid. Afew of my friends had their other 3 kids in the house--kind of make it hard to concentrate on the training.

It really does work. DD was trained at 22 months--only had 1 accident EVER!

I tried DS at 22 months but he wasn't ready--it was real easy to tell after about 1 hour of training. He was trained at 26 months.

When I say trained, I mean trained. THEY go to the bathroom, pull their pants down themselves, flush the potty and pull their pants up.

[beattyfamily]

My DD is 2 years and 8 months. I didn't try at all figuring I'd wait till summer when she can run around naked and I'd have more time.

What I do with both DD's (other one is 6 and was trained by 2 years 5 months) is put the potty in front of the TV or in where they play and I let them either run around naked or put big girl undies on so she can feel the accident. It worked for both of them and for both of them pull ups did NOT work. They are like diapers and they peed in them and reverted back.

My older DD had accidents at night for awhile but my younger DD has been dry every single night! It's been about 3 weeks with only a couple of accidents in the beginning and none at night or out on errands or trips. Only accident recently was when she was playing outside in her bathing suit. She just didn't want to come in!

She's even got the runs (sorry!) but has had no accidents. I guess we won't be venturing out today though!

I'm so glad I won't need diapers for our October WDW trip!!!

Good luck everyone!

[Kimkimba]

I say when they are ready, they area ready, and not one moment sooner. I tried many things with my ds when he was 2, with little progress. When he was close to 3 1/2, he decided he was ready, and that was that. No more diapers. He never used the potty chair other than a few times when he was 2. I had many videos (Winston and Bear come to mind) and incentives. Then I just said the heck with it. Gave it up completely - never mentioned it for a few months. One day he decided to "go." And that was that. Why worry yourself before they are 2 or even when they are 2? Don't we have enough to think/worry about? I can't think of any 5 year olds I know in diapers. On the other hand, my daughter more or less trained herself completely before she turned 3 (no accidents day or night). Each child is soooo different. I'm all into encouragement - but pressure can't be good for parents or for the child. Good luck!

[pwoodham]

Had to chime in here - 5 boys, 4 PT'd. Don't stress over it until they're ready!! Mine were all about 4 before they were fully trained. Yes, we did the pull-ups, but let me say that I'd rather change a poopy diaper on MY timetable than have to drop whatever I'm doing to help a little one in the bathroom!! Too many other important things happening every minute to be able to afford such a luxury.....
I also agree about the book, "Toilet Training in Less Than a Day." It's great! I discovered it and tried it with my 4th when he was just shy of his 4th bd. It worked (ok, it took more like 3 days) and he's had very few accidents. I was pretty sure I could use it with him because I believed he was choosing NOT to use the potty out of a "If it works, don't fix it" kind of attitude.
This is such a personal/family decision, you have to do what's good for you. I wish you best of luck and keep those paper towels handy!!! LOL!!

[Aggie89]

Ds turned 3 in August and our big WDW trip was in July. He also started preschool in August and HAD to be potty trained. He showed no signs in June. We just went cold turkey. I said,"Bye Bye Diapers" and we trashed them. Then, I showed him his new "big boy undies" which were actually cotton training pants. He freaked out the first time he urinated on himself, but I ran him to the potty each time until he could do it. He didn't like the little potty and preferred to use the big one with a foldable seat on it (we didn't do the standing up thing until later- I had enough to clean already). He got the hang of urinating fine once he understood how it felt before it came out so he could make it in time. Pooping in the pot was harder. He had a bm on himself one time and I had to wash him in the tub. After that he withheld for a few days and I had to bribe him with blue kool-aid which he had never had. Once he did it, he was fine and I weaned him off of the bribes. Anyhow, at WDW he did great with only one accident- during Fantasmic (it scared the pee out of him) and we were in great shape for preschool. We only did the pull-ups at night until he had better bladder control. Be consistent, don't turn back and don't go anywhere for about a week. Good luck!

[dougsmom98]

I tried to train my son last summer because I am a teacher and was going to be home all summer. My son was 2.5 at the time. This experience was a nightmare. I tried everything. Finally after a month of pulling my hair out, I had to stop. I thought I was going to lose it. So I let it go. My son's birthday is the day after Christmas. About a month before he turned three, I let him know that when he turns three, there is a rule and he can't wear diapers any more and he would have to do pp and poopies in the potty. I would mention this every couple of days and remind him that mommy and daddy don't like to break rules and Douglas can't break the rules so it was important to go on the potty. So, on his birthday we started. The diapers went away and there was no going back. Within a week he was trained for both pp and poopy. It took the pressure off of us because it was not me telling him that I wanted him to go on the potty, he just knew that there were these mysterious rules that someone passed that made it so. If nothing else, please see that if you are at your wits end with this and it is not working don't be afraid to give it a break and try again later. I have 20 month old twin boys and won't even attemp until they are three or they show an interest.
Good luck.
Amy

[sillyminny]

HI ! Susy hit it right on with her comments.

I have 3 boys and it is true they train themselves. The summer is the best time for sure. I did the pool thing and let them pee in the potty in the yard. They loved it.

Indeed, they must wake up dry or go hours dry before they have the capability to train their muscles.

I know we all hate the stories we hear of babies trained at age one years ago but those same moms ended up with major problems you don't hear about! ... wet sheets, etc. (They also forget the stories or the exact age the child trained at.


My 3 yr old was in pull-ups at WDW first time and then next visit in undies. It was nice both times. No use forcing the issue.
Relax! You are a good parent regardless of the child in diapers or not!

Let us know how it goes!

[catwho]

I've only read part of the posts, but wanted to share my insight and experience. My son just turned 4 yo and he is mostly potty trained. My girls were much earlier than he was. He never showed any of the signs like being aware that he was peeing. When I would let him run naked for the day (Hey, it gets HOT down here) he would be sitting or standing and just start to pee! He didn't even notice. Only in the past few months did it click what was going on.

If you son isn't showing any signs of awareness, you may be trying to teach a pig to sing. If he does show readiness signs and can verbalize that he has to go then I say try and if it doesn't work out, pack the diapers. We've done both diapers and pull ups at WDW and haven't had any problems.

:earsgirl:

[snookhams]

I just had to reply to this thread because I have two sons one was a breeze and one was a complete pain - regarding potty training. My eldest son (now 10) was completly potty trained during the day at 18 months, now I'm not boasting,because several factors came into play that are important to mention, he had a bowel condition, caused by underdeveloped muscles that meant he suffered severe ( and I mean severe) constipation, and we think partly he found that sitting on the potty/toilet it was easier for him to go, and also the fact that I looked after his cousin who is 13 months older than him and she was potty training around this time, I was a great believer in not using pull ups because he would still feel like it was a nappy (altough we used terries most of the time). But my second son was a different kettle of fish altogether (thats an english expression!) he just did not want to know about using the potty or the toilet, but he was and still is laid back about everything, I had gone back to work by this time, and worried about the pressure on him and his day care providers so we decided just to leave it and be guided by him and then one hot summers day (yes we do have them occasionally in London) when he was wandering around in just a t-shirt he just went and sat on the potty and hey presto he started training himself. But my problems didnot end he is now 6 and will be 7 in Dec, but we just can't get him to stand to go, he spent most of his younger years around women, but after reading earlier threads I think that I might try to get him aiming for cherios! I'll let you know how it goes.

[Lars624]

Hi
My twins, now 13 (boy & girl) were trained before they were 3 but my younger DS had no interest in it at all and he wasn't shy about saying so! When he was almost 4 I finally had to say no more pull-ups or diapers! He was MAD. He said he was going to run away but put a pull up on before he left. I said it was nice having him around and I'd miss him as I opened the door on a rainy day;) He then said "Forget it I changed my mind". Anyway to make a long story shorter he NEVER had an accident. Obviously he knew what to do but just was too stubborn to do it.
I've always been told that a good indicator of readiness is when they wake up dry in the morning.
Most of all don't stress about it, they'll all get there sooner or later when they're ready. Too much pressure isn't good for you or them. :D