I need some potty training advice...! Please, pretty please!

[SDFgirl]

I have a DD who is just over 2.5. On Saturday, we began putting her in big-girl undies (except for night-time and naps) and giving her lots and lots of chances to pee in the potty.

She has peed in the potty several times. Every time she does it, it's because she was sitting on the potty for a long stretch of time beforehand. So, it is almost like the peeing was accidental and she just "happened" to already be on the potty.

However, she has not (yet) been able to tell us that she is about to pee. If she's not sitting on the potty, she pees wherever she is, then tells me that she just peed. I don't know if it sneaks up on her or what. I know accidents are part of potty training, but I am wondering...how long will it take her to recognize that she has to pee, then go sit on the potty?

We've practiced saying, "Mommy, I have to go potty" but she always tells me that after she pees, not before!!

 

[golfgal]

Sounds like she isn't ready to potty train. Put her back in diapers for a few months and try again. The big key to potty training is knowing when you have to go otherwise it won't be successful and you will only have trained yourself to stick her on the toilet on a regular basis.

 

[NY Disney fan]

She's not ready yet. Please don't push her. My daughter is 3.5 years old and she is just getting the hang of it . Some kids potty train at 18 months some close to 4 years old. All kids are different. What I do: Every hour or every two hours, sit her on the bowl whether she has to or not. Until they get the hang of it. Don't listen to the books that say it takes 24 hours to potty train. It takes a good 6 months of work (provided the child is ready).

 

[Mommee]

Can she stay dry for several hours? If she can't, she might not be ready yet. Also, you should notice signs that she "knows" she's going when in her diaper or pull-up.

 

[DizBelle]

I don't know about kids but all I had to do was show my cats the box and that was it.

Don't you wish it were that easy with kids?

 

[RadioNate]

Doesn't sound ready to me either. I actually think than when it takes 6 months or more and you need to resort to bribes and 'potty parties' then they aren't ready.

My DS trained in less than a week. We didn't even approach the subject until he was more than 3.

There is no use frustrating everyone. I honestly believe that when they are ready it will be rather easy.

 

[NY Disney fan]

I actually think than when it takes 6 months or more and you need to resort to bribes and 'potty parties' then they aren't ready.

I disagree. Going in the potty is a skill. They need to be able to tell you when they need to go, pull down their underwear, wipe, pull it back up, wash their hands. You think they can learn that overnight? Nope.

 

[brockash]

I have a DD who is just over 2.5. On Saturday, we began putting her in big-girl undies (except for night-time and naps) and giving her lots and lots of chances to pee in the potty.

She has peed in the potty several times. Every time she does it, it's because she was sitting on the potty for a long stretch of time beforehand. So, it is almost like the peeing was accidental and she just "happened" to already be on the potty.

However, she has not (yet) been able to tell us that she is about to pee. If she's not sitting on the potty, she pees wherever she is, then tells me that she just peed. I don't know if it sneaks up on her or what. I know accidents are part of potty training, but I am wondering...how long will it take her to recognize that she has to pee, then go sit on the potty?

We've practiced saying, "Mommy, I have to go potty" but she always tells me that after she pees, not before!!

I'm not sure if she's ready or not, but if you think she is then you may want to try having a kids potty chair in whatever room you guys happen to be in. I know it probably sounds a little gross, but it worked great when I potty trained my dd at 2.5, and withing a couple of weeks we were able to basically get rid of it, and she would go in the bathroom and use the big potty. There's no way she wouldv'e told me that she had to go to the bathroom and then have me take her to the bathroom when she was first learning, but after the first 2 or so times, she got that she had to use the potty (which was in the same room as us.) I think constantly seeing it also helped remind her about it. We also took the potty in the car with us for the first few weeks. After a while, I moved the potty to the bathroom and she'd go in there and a few weeks after that we took the potty away and now she uses the regular toilet.

For me, I knew she was ready because when she did pee, she started peeing through her diapers (because she was able to hold a larger amount,) and as soon as she would pee/poop she would demand to be changed.

 

[SDFgirl]

I don't know about kids but all I had to do was show my cats the box and that was it.

Don't you wish it were that easy with kids?

Oh Lord yes!!

She stays dry for most of her naps. She's very verbal, so she can talk about what is "supposed" to happen with the potty all day long.

However, I'm not sure her little body is recognizing the "gotta-pee" signals before she goes. It just seems like she lets loose wherever. A wet diaper has never bothered her.

I have a lot of friends with kids her age, and they've all managed to potty-train. What are we doing wrong??

 

[Mommee]

.....
I have a lot of friends with kids her age, and they've all managed to potty-train. What are we doing wrong??

You're training YOUR child. If you had theirs, you might have been successful already!
All kids are different. DS1 trained at 25 months in a day; my youngest, at 3 1/2, is still not quite there.

 

[RadioNate]

I disagree. Going in the potty is a skill. They need to be able to tell you when they need to go, pull down their underwear, wipe, pull it back up, wash their hands. You think they can learn that overnight? Nope.

ok

All I know is that it took my DS less than a week with 1 accident. And no, I don't think they learn that all over night BUT many of those things were skills that were already know.

We were working on dressing/undressing before potty training. My DD who just turned 2 washed her hands every time I change her diaper. She also wipes herself with a baby wipe when I change her.

She is learning skills that she'll need when she potty trains now. It isn't all being introduced the day we sit on the potty to try to go.

All I know is that never needed to do sticker charts or potty dances or bubble parties after using the potty.

I think every child is different and potty training doesn't have to be a frustrating 6 month long process.

If you want to spend 6 months on it...ok.

 

[golfgal]

I don't know about kids but all I had to do was show my cats the box and that was it.

Don't you wish it were that easy with kids?

We have a friend that trained their cat to use the toilet. They put the litter box on the toilet until the cat got used to that, took it away, the cat used the toilet. They couldn't teach her to flush though.

I disagree. Going in the potty is a skill. They need to be able to tell you when they need to go, pull down their underwear, wipe, pull it back up, wash their hands. You think they can learn that overnight? Nope.

My oldest and my DD both trained in one day. I waited until they were ready--DS actually told me he was done wearing diapers and that was it (probably because his newborn brother and sister wore diapers and they were BABIES and he was ALMOST 3 as he would tell everyone). DD didn't like the mess, started using the potty, never had an accident after the first day-she was a couple months shy of 3. Our youngest DS took a couple days since he was only doing it because his sister was and he didn't really care .

 

[NY Disney fan]

ok

All I know is that it took my DS less than a week with 1 accident. And no, I don't think they learn that all over night BUT many of those things were skills that were already know.

We were working on dressing/undressing before potty training. My DD who just turned 2 washed her hands every time I change her diaper. She also wipes herself with a baby wipe when I change her.

She is learning skills that she'll need when she potty trains now. It isn't all being introduced the day we sit on the potty to try to go.

All I know is that never needed to do sticker charts or potty dances or bubble parties after using the potty.

I think every child is different and potty training doesn't have to be a frustrating 6 month long process.

If you want to spend 6 months on it...ok.

Condesending post but thanks for the input anyway.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I disagree. Going in the potty is a skill. They need to be able to tell you when they need to go, pull down their underwear, wipe, pull it back up, wash their hands. You think they can learn that overnight? Nope.

Sorry, but my dd learned overnight. It was 1 messy day but the next day she was dry..... #1 and #2.....and I can count on 1 hand the number of accidents she's had. She was under 22 months old at the time. We decided to train, she had never peed in the potty or shown any interest until that day, and she just "got it". It CAN be done.

 

[Magic Mom]

SHe isn't ready yet. I tried and tried with DS and eventually just put his pull ups on and took a break. Thenone day right before his 3rd birthday, he told me he didn't want pull ups anymore and that was it. Thats all it took.

 

[sparty7798]

At first, our son was like your daughter as well. My husband is a psychologist so we figured out about how long he went in between and then we set the timer on our microwave. Of course, this works when you are home. Then if he had not told us when we knew he had to go, the buzzer would alert him to go. This worked really well and then he started telling us on his own. Also, he did not want to get the characters wet on his big boy underwear so he would say "I need to keep spider man dry, etc."

Good Luck! I know that it is frustrating at times, but she will eventually get it!

 

[briannesmom]

Oh Lord yes!!

She stays dry for most of her naps. She's very verbal, so she can talk about what is "supposed" to happen with the potty all day long.

However, I'm not sure her little body is recognizing the "gotta-pee" signals before she goes. It just seems like she lets loose wherever. A wet diaper has never bothered her.

I have a lot of friends with kids her age, and they've all managed to potty-train. What are we doing wrong??

I don't think you are doing anything wrong. She probably just isn't quite ready yet. I would wait a month or so and try again. I started training my DD around 2 and a half but she couldn't always tell when she need to go. I decided to wait a few months and try again. About two months later she started asking to use the potty on her own and never looked back. She had very few accidents and we never had to do the sit on the potty every hour and wait. I got really lucky with potty training.
My SIL started training her DD at 18 months. She went through almost two years of wet undies and messes all over the house before her DD was trained at 3 1/2. Save yourself the time and extra laundry until she is a little more ready and can tell you before she needs to go.

 

[Carnie]

I have a lot of friends with kids her age, and they've all managed to potty-train. What are we doing wrong??

Nothing, she's not ready. She'll let you know when she is... telling you she's wet, needs a change, etc. My son just decided one day he was done with diapers. Spent the weekend nekkid from the waist down, and went whenever he needed. That's all it took. It had nothing to do with me whatsoever.

 

[RadioNate]

Condesending post but thanks for the input anyway.

Seriously? I posted my opinion and you disagreed. I could have taken your "you think they learn that overnight" comment as condescending but I didn't. I posted how IMO those were stills to work on and learn before ever introducing the potty.

We disagree. So what? How is that condescending?

Actually I don't care. I'm a live and let person and if you take that as condescending than so be it.

 

[SDFgirl]

Thanks everyone. I guess it sounds like she's not ready - on the other hand, I don't want to give up on her too fast just because she's had a few accidents, kwim?

However, she has always been a *tad* behind her peers physically. Crawled, walked, etc. a few months later than other kids. Nothing serious (according to our pediatrician) but I don't think physical tasks are her strong point. I wonder if that can affect potty training readiness as well?