OT-6 months to fully potty train our little boy... HELP!

[DVCsince02]

Training our DD was so easy, but our son is another story. We are going on a Disney cruise in June. In order for him to be in the kids clubs, he has to be fully potty trained. If not he has to go to the nursery and we'll have to pay extra for that.

I've got 6 months. Any help is welcome. He'll be 3 in a few weeks.

Thanks!

 

[Aunt Flancy]

Are you sure he is ready for potty training? My boys were 4 before I even started with them.

 

[DVCsince02]

He is interested. He'll sit on the potty with success occasionally. But after the holidays, I need to work on it full time.

 

[jellybeans0607]

I would go with the assumption that you will be paying for the child care. Then if he is trained, its a bonus. Why put so much pressure on him?

 

[DVCsince02]

I am going with that assumption, but I can still try. He is interested, but I have never trained a boy before and the whole process is a bit foreign to me.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

DS is 3.5 and is just now wearing underpants regularly. We have been training for about a year. My biggest challenge was that he is so busy he just didn't want to take the time to stop what he was doing and go to the bathroom.
I would suggest regular potty breaks, needed or not, a simple reward system and a strong sense of humor!

BTW-- how does a 3 year old boy manage to wet his underwear and sock but manage to keep the pants dry?? I still cant figure that one out!


edited to add: Also, several people recommended to me "Just let him go naked on the bottom at home. He will be going in no time!". That didnt work for us. All I ended up with were a couple of tinkle spots on the floor!

 

[DVCsince02]

I've tried to reward with M&M's but the novelty has ended for him. I've bought tons of underwear with lots of characters, but he says I want my diaper. I've changed to a cheaper diaper so he will feel wet and he doesn't like the wet feeling. I refuse to buy pull ups. To me they are a waste of money.

 

[mjkacmom]

I've PT'd 5, and I've found that 2 1/2 is the best time (I waited until almost 3 with the 1st 2). Nakey butt - you'll probably be done in a week. It really, really, really works!

 

[DVCsince02]

Tell me more, please!

 

[dpuck1998]

Our boys were both trained by 4, but the second one was close. I know they say they won't go to school with diapers but sometimes I wondered. Like someone else said, regular breaks and going every hour or so seemed to do the trick. Targets in the toilet were good also....

DD was trained before 3, girls are just smarter I guess

BTW, Jen, come home...

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

With both my dd and ds, I just went for it. Pull ups are way too much like diapers. We just woke up one morning and said " you don't wear diapers today." End of story. That day was a DISASTER!! But DD was fully trained in one day..even at night...never wet her bed once in her life and she's 9 now. DS took a bit longer to be fully trained, but he soon figured out that Mommy is stuborn and it's either deal with the discomfort or get with the new program. I guess I'm lucky that I'm the stubborn one.. I have friends who have tried my approach and ended up with constipated kids.

 

[RMulieri]

I know it is frustrating, but he will earn when he is ready.We had an awful time with our daughter.She seemed interested at first, but would not be consistent.We PUSHED and PUSHED her, we begged, bribed ,tried every trick we heard of..naked all day,taking away the pull ups , rewards for going etc.She rebelled and it took more than a year to get her to try again.But I will tell you when she decided she was ready, she was done.No accidents no muss no fuss. Some kids are just later potty training than others, and every child is different.My Sil had her dd trained at 2, her son took till 3 1/2.

 

[dpuck1998]

With both my dd and ds, I just went for it. Pull ups are way too much like diapers. We just woke up one morning and said " you don't wear diapers today." End of story. That day was a DISASTER!! But DD was fully trained in one day..even at night...never wet her bed once in her life and she's 9 now. DS took a bit longer to be fully trained, but he soon figured out that Mommy is stuborn and it's either deal with the discomfort or get with the new program. I guess I'm lucky that I'm the stubborn one.. I have friends who have tried my approach and ended up with constipated kids.

That seemed to work for us as well. They really don't seem to like walking around wet or worse. I know it can be a big mess for a day or so, but I think it works in the long run...but each kid is different, why can't they all be the same

 

[DVCsince02]

Why put so much pressure on him?

Why do you assume we are putting pressure on him? Why not contribute something positive?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I am a nanny. I have potty trained 7 kids, 4 of them boys.

Boys do tend to be ready a bit later than girls, but definitely by the time they are 3.

With my DS we would put him in underwear every day after nap starting when he was 2 and 9 months, and he would wear them until it was time to get in the bath at night. We would take him to the potty every hour. He was not given a choice - when it was potty time it was potty time. We had some little books about using the potty and we would read one while he sat. If he went, fine, if he didn't we would try again later. We did that for about 2 months, then we told him there would be no more diapers unless he was going to sleep at night. He had very few accidents and he did just fine wearing underwear during the day, including wearing underwear during his nap. He was completely daytime potty trained by the time he was 2 and 11 mos.

Some kids like M&Ms, some kids like stickers, they are all motivated a little differently.

Be careful what words you use when your DS has accidents. If he wets his pants and you say "That's OK." he will not have any incentive to go to the potty next time. You JUST SAID it is OK to pee in your pants! I never tell a child it is OK to do something that is NOT OK. Be aware of the terminology and choose your words carefully.

Some boys are just notorious for being really hard to train. Be patient, and be consistent. The sooner you can get rid of the diapers the faster he will learn.

 

[crisi]

You don't train a child. They decide they are ready and either you've lucked into the thing that will help them, or not. One thing is for sure, there is no certain way to do it - what works for one kid will turn another into a stubborn monster.

When my daughter was three we had the same decision to make and postponed the cruise. She was a stubborn trainer, and in general a stubborn toddler and preschooler (it did get better). We knew she wouldn't be happy if she couldn't make full use of the kids club (the nursery on DCL is pretty babyish for an advanced but not potty trained three year old) and pools and so we didn't book until she was trained. Which means we cruised when she was four instead of three.

 

[jellybeans0607]

Why do you assume we are putting pressure on him? Why not contribute something positive?

She said he has to be trained in 6 months, if thats not pressure...what is?

 

[jellybeans0607]

You don't train a child. They decide they are ready and either you've lucked into the thing that will help them, or not. .

I so agree with this!!

 

[DVCsince02]

You don't train a child. They decide they are ready and either you've lucked into the thing that will help them, or not. One thing is for sure, there is no certain way to do it - what works for one kid will turn another into a stubborn monster.

When my daughter was three we had the same decision to make and postponed the cruise. She was a stubborn trainer, and in general a stubborn toddler and preschooler (it did get better). We knew she wouldn't be happy if she couldn't make full use of the kids club (the nursery on DCL is pretty babyish for an advanced but not potty trained three year old) and pools and so we didn't book until she was trained. Which means we cruised when she was four instead of three.

I respectfully disagree. We start "training" our children the moment they are born. From self-soothing and sleeping through the night to manners and respect.

She said he has to be trained in 6 months, if thats not pressure...what is?

Maybe you misunderstood my post. I said he has to be fully trained on order to join the kids clubs. Which I'm sure he will enjoy more than the nursery.
Again, please contribute something positive instead of stirring a pot.

 

[XYSRUS]

4 boys here-kids will let you know when they are ready but at the same time if you miss that opportune window, training will be difficult. My way-pick a weekend or 3 days where there is nothing to do and nowhere to be. Kids need underwear on-not pullups, cheap diapers etc. Kids need to know what it feels like to be wet/soiled. Every 2 hours you put them on the toilet-any way they want frontwards,backwards, standing whatever. Maybe read a short book, sing a song etc. Don't stay there too long. Either they go or they don't. No chastising or punishment for accidents-just clean them up and put new clothes on them. Do this all weekend. 9/10 times they get it and will continue their training...if not, I personally don't think they're ready. Good luck. And if your son isn't trained by the cruise, don't let him hear you talk about it or talk about being a baby. Just deal with it. Think about how you would feel if you heard someone you think raises the sun in the sky talk disparagingly out you. Potty training is my pet-peeve. People get crazy over it.