OT - Potty training tips.....

[PatricenPete]

My son will be 2 at the end of this month and we recently started working on his potty training.

He is doing okay. I give him a sticker each time he makes pee pee on the potty. Even though I put him on the potty every hour or so, he is still having frequent wet diapers. I am confused as to what more I should do.

I am not pushing him or forcing him. I ask him if he wants to make pee pee and if he says no I dont make him - I usually wait 10 minutes and ask again. I just dont understand how if I have him peeing on the potty every hour he can still be making wet (and I mean WET) diapers.

Any tips?

 

[crisi]

Don't drive yourself nuts. He may not yet be ready. He may have the skills to be able to anticipate sometimes, but not often enough.

The potty training mantra - (barring disabilities) kids don't go off to college in diapers.

 

[PatricenPete]

Kids don't do off to college in diapers - I will have to keep telling myself that.....

 

[Kae]

I would give it a break for awhile like the others siad he might not be ready. Sounds like everything I went thorgh with my DS he ending up being 3 before being completely potty trained.

Kae

 

[MSSANDRA]

Sounds like he is not yet holding his bladder and his body just might not be ready to do that.
Biggest advice I have is when you are ready to get serious, ban the diapers and pull ups and go cold turkey with underpants. No confussion and instand feed back when they have an accident. Messy at first but so much faster!!!

Ms sandra

 

[Not so Dumbo]

If he is developmentally ready there are also other signs to look for. One of them is if he lines his toys up in a row all facing the same direction. Also, if you catch him going behind objects to hide while he does his buisness. Or if he can hold number1 for more than a couple of hours. I never tried to pottytrain mine until they were 2.5. That's when they diplayed these signs.

 

[bartleby1]

I agree with the previous posters that say he might just be too young. I didn't even try with DD until she was 2.5 and DS until he was 3. DD trained very easily around 2.5, DS not until 3.25. Don't stress over it. DS (my middle child) taught me that they aren't ready until they decide THEY decide they are ready! My third child will be 2 next month and I haven't even thought about it yet. Actually, it is much easier when they are in diapers, lol! I hate the newly potty-trained "I have to go NOW, mommy"!

 

[wrighter]

I also agree that you might need to wait just a bit longer. You just never know when they're going to be ready, but it sounds like maybe your DS might need more time.

I also agree with one of the PP who said you might want to consider going "cold turkey." My son, who CLEARLY displayed all the signs of being ready, just had NO DESIRE to use the potty. I made him a huge "treasure map" (a poster with a pathway on it. Every time he peed he got an M&M and to put a sticker on his "map.) When he got to the treasure he got a new backpack for school. (I figured it was money well spent since he would need one anyway! I ordered it online, and told him "The Wiggles sent it to him" for being such a good pee-er.)

Anyway, I digress. I put all life on hold for one week, and let him spend all day with nothing on from the waist down. (This was HARD for me to do - I'm a germaphobe!) It only took him three days and he had the pee thing down. He needed the first day to figure out what it felt like when he needed to pee. The second day he knew when it was coming, but couldn't always get to the potty in time. By the third day he knew when it was coming and could hold it until he got to the potty. Was a bit messy at times, but here's a great tip: If your children ever wet the carpet, use a disposable diaper to soak it up. You will be absolutely amazed at what those diapers can do!!! It's like magic!

Good luck to you - potty training can be no fun. We're still working on #2. Aye caramba!!!

 

[crisi]

Kids don't do off to college in diapers - I will have to keep telling myself that.....

It took both of mine to learn the mantra. Both my kids used the potty when they were two - fairly early. Both were not out of diapers until 3 1/2. If I had to do it over again, I'd save myself all the stress of that 3 years (my kids are a year apart) - drove me nuts and now that they are seven and eight, it just wasn't worth it (and wouldn't have been worth it had we been successful).

(And we tried everything. I'll tell you the thing that finally worked for each of them - THE LAST THING WE TRIED!!!!)

 

[Thekidsmom]

My son is 3.5 yrs and he can do #1 on the potty but still won't do #2, no matter what I do!

 

[belle&beast]

I agree that he is probably not ready if he is not holding for long periods of time and then going all at once. Give it time, it will happen and don't stress over it. My DD is now 5 and we have had ongoing bladder control trouble for 2.5 years. She potty trained right at 2 and did great at the time. It's a long story, but let me tell you that DS2.5 is still in diapers and I am NOT pushing the issue! When he's ready, he'll go!

 

[grlpwrd]

It sounds like he hasn't made the mind/body connection yet. Has your dh helped him learn? Have you read toilet learning books to him or used any program? I think it's good to get support and resources, but, of course, not to the point it gets too overwhelming or stressful for him.

My son is 3.5yo. I bought a urinal for boys called the Peter Potty. I know, TMI, but it has helped a lot because he has 4 sisters and me - my dh is not here during the week to show him how. I think it makes a difference that he does not learn to sit down to pee, but that's just us.

I also let him use Imse Vimse cloth undies and that is helping a lot, too.

GL!

BTW where is your siggy picture? I loved it! Congrats on your newest addition, too... see, you must add a new siggy!

 

[susykt4]

I started training DS at 21 months. I was only working one morning a week so I basically devoted my entire life to potty training. I kept him naked from the waist down so he ALWAYS knew when he was going. It took a solid MONTH for him to catch on but I was persistent and didn't give up. The second month we started venturing out without diapers and he loved using all the bathrooms at Target or wherever. He still would have an occasional accident. By 23 months he was completely daytime trained. That first month was horrible, but totally worth it. I started working fulltime in February and DS had recently turned 3. He was one of two kids in his daycare class (all w/in 3 months age-wise) totally trained.

The one drawback of training him naked was that he absolutely REFUSED to wear underwear. He'll be 4 next month and he's just now starting to wear it SOMETIMES. Not that big of a deal, but kind of embarrassing to explain to daycare and the pediatrician that your kid goes commando

He STILL wears a pullup at night and it is wet about half the time in the morning. He's a really heavy sleeper and has just started waking up to go to the bathroom. I'm hopeful we'll be out of nighttime diapers soon!!!

Good luck! Potty training is HORRIBLE!!!!

 

[Plantlady]

My method, for each of my three boys...

Every fifteen minutes, they sat on the toilet, and I read them a couple of books. If they peed, they got praise and a small treat.

In between, they ate a TON of salty snacks, which made them thirsty, and they got a ton to drink.

I never asked though, if they had to pee, we just went, every fifteen minutes. I moved it up to thirty minutes then an hour, as the day progressed.

After one day, they were all pootty trained.

But they were older. at least 3.

 

[mommyintn]

My son is 3.5 yrs and he can do #1 on the potty but still won't do #2, no matter what I do!

Do we have the same son? I am losing my mind! He has done it before about 3 times at the beginning of the summer and now only in his pants. I look forward to the day I don't have to think about poop anymore!

 

[LaraK]

This is a great thread since my DS is 26 months old. He love to sit on the potty, he just will not pee (he likes to put toilet paper in). He's only seen DD and I go potty (daddy's "shy" ) is it important that he watches my husband go so that he sees that anatomy?

 

[Disney753]

what help our 3 year old was the removal of the sippy cup. and no liquids after 7 pm. finally at 3.25 completely trained night and day...about 5 week since the last accident. this is right in time for our xmas trip and his fisrt time to the world.

 

[disneyohana]

I know how you feel. My dd, 2, wants to wear underwear, goes pee on the potty and even learned to wipe herself. She can hold the pee sometimes, but other times she just goes in her underwear, even if I ask her every 10 min. if she has to go. I don't mind not potty training her now but she is the one who insists on wearing underwear.

 

[belle&beast]

This is a great thread since my DS is 26 months old. He love to sit on the potty, he just will not pee (he likes to put toilet paper in). He's only seen DD and I go potty (daddy's "shy" ) is it important that he watches my husband go so that he sees that anatomy?

I think it is only important if you are teaching him to stand to go. Most of the time I think little boys are taught to sit first, but some do better standing. I haven't worked too much with my DS because he just isn't ready, so I don't have potty training experience with a boy.

 

[Gillian]

Really, it sounds like his body is not ready - can't hold it, etc. I know diapers are expensive, but they are so much easier! I am terrible at remembering to make DD go before we leave the house and I always have to take her to public restrooms. With DS it was easier because it was the only thing I knew, and he was the only one. I got so used to him having good habits that I got lazy with DD.

My DD is 3 ys 3 months and was trained just after her 3rd birthday in 2 days using the Toilet Training in less than a day book. She was fully ready except not at all aware of what she needed to do or how to do it. Once she learned, it was very easy. But I did have to devote 2 full mornings to just her, no TV, no real playing, just salty snacks, lots of drinks of her choice, some books, and the potty. Oh, and Care Bears gummy treats!!

She loved having my full attention for hours.

BTW, I did end up using a care bears video as a reward on the second day.

We also had to do the practice exercises after an accident a few times at home, but just a few times, and it seemed to really help.