Potty Training Chart Rewards?

[becka]

DS has been using the potty occassionally over the last few weeks but he seems to want to wait until it is convenient for him (i.e. right at bedtime so he doesn't have to go to bed, etc.) and just decides his diaper is easier the rest of the time. He obviously understands the basics and he is physically ready so I have decided I need to encourage him to go more frequently on his own. Hopefully a few weeks/months of success and he will be out of diapers! (I know keep dreaming right! )

Anyway, I have decided that we are going to create a potty training chart this weekend. I will have him help me decorate it and he will get a sticker each time he goes that includes pictures of his rewards so he can visually see what he will get at a certain point. At certain levels he will get a reward. I think I am going to start with a few Hot Wheels cars since he really thinks they are cool and they are pretty cheap. Another idea I had was to take him out for ice cream or to go to the store to pick out some big boy underwear once he reaches a certain level.

I am really needing some additional ideas for rewards that are fairly cheap and easy to do. I figured surely some of you have done something similiar....what kinds of things worked for your kids. Also how far apart should I put the rewards? I can't and don't want a reward for every time he goes but I don't want to space them so far apart that it makes it too hard for him. I was thinking of him getting a reward for the 1st and 2nd stickers and then waiting again until 5 and then maybe 8 then 11 then 15 then 19, etc.. and just gradually space them out.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!!!

 

[laurietg]

Nothing worked for me. I tried a couple of times to simply put my DD on the potty, and she would scream like crazy!!! I gave up, and decided to wait for a miracle. It came! 2 months after her 2nd birthday, she took her pants off. I laughed and joked with her "do you want to take your diaper off too?" She said yes. I thought I was in for it. I took her diaper off, she walked to the toilet and said she wanted to sit on it. I ran like crazy to get the little seat, put it on the toilet, and she peed. I was so excited! The rest of the day, she didn't have one accident. She kept telling me when she had to go. One time that day, I tried putting her on when she didn't ask and she freaked out!!!! Over the first 2 weeks, she had 2 accidents, and stopped wearing diapers altogether-even at night!!! She is now 2yrs, 5 months, and an expert. I know this isn't the norm, and I suspect it happened because for the first 2 years of her life I worried about the day I would have to train her, and I suppose I went through enough stress.
Also, I have a DD, not a DS which I hear is a totally different ball game. Having said alllllll that, have you seen the Dr. Phil show on potty training? I think it is on his website. He guarantees to have your child trained within 1 day. It didn't work for me (the freak out factor). But apparently it will work on every other child.
Good luck. It really is stressful, isn't it? I just didn't want to clean another dirty diaper, or buy one more pack of the things.
I hope all goes well!!!! You can do it!

 

[laurietg]

I forgot to mention how cute your kids are!!!

 

[becka]

Thanks!

Does anyone else have any advice? Have these charts ever worked for anyone or am I just deluding myself?

Also I don't know if it matters but DS will be 3 in May.

 

[mrssmh]

The charts worked for me, with both of my DDs. I was having an awful time with my older DD, and when I tried the chart, it worked like a charm! It was a few years ago (DDs are 9 and 7), but I think we made it 10 stickers for a reward (they got one sticker for #1 and 2 stickers for #2). Eventually we went to 20 stickers for a reward. My older one still has the Beanie Baby cat she picked out for her first reward. I think for your DS, the ideas you have for rewards are great ideas--Hot Wheels and special outings. You could also let him pick out what you have for a special dinner or dessert.

Also, just as an aside, to help my nephew learn to use the big toilet, my sister would throw some Cheerios in there so he could do "target practice" with them, sinking them. He thought this was a great game. You can buy targets, but Cheerios are easily available and cheaper.

Good luck to you! I must say that while I loved having babies and miss my kids being little (and yours are so adorable!!), I am really glad that I never have to potty train another human being in my lifetime. It is stressful for sure!

 

[kimwim8]

I'm not the one for advice. My DS3 is still not trained. Please let me know how it goes for you. At this point, I've been changing diapers for 6 years (DD was 2.5 when DS was born, and wasn't trained yet, so I had 6 months of overlap with 2 in diapers) and I've HAD IT!!

DS knows what he's supposed to do. He knows that if I lay him down to change his diapers & I don't have the wipes handy (thinking he only pee peed) he'll say, mom you need the wipes b/c I pooped. I KNOW, I KNOW...it's my fault he's not trained yet. He's soooooo ready.

I'm getting off the DIS now & going to see what Dr. Phil has to say...

 

[tar heel]

I used a sticker chart second. The first thing I did was announce that starting on such and such date (just a day or two away), he would no longer be wearing diapers during the day. I also said that because I knew it was hard to remember, he would get a prize every time he went to the potty. The day before he went to Toys R Us with me to help choose the prizes. Hot Wheels cars, etc. -- I spent about $20. I got things that you could get several of for not much $. I also bought some small candy treats. When the day came, he was ready to go because he wanted the prizes. I alternated the really small things (candy, stickers) with better things to keep him interested. After about two days, we ran out of prizes. I announced that now we would be doing a sticker chart and he would get a a prize when the chart was full. Made the first chart pretty little, so the prize will come in just two or three days. Then I made a longer sticker chart. I never did more than two with any of them -- by that time, they were trained. Two of the three were dry at night within a week or two.

This worked for all three my boys. I did have to spend a lot of time those two or three days. They were three, though -- how old is your little guy?

Remember -- Use underwear, not Pull-Ups if you are serious about potty training.

 

[kimwim8]

OK, I went to the dollar store at lunch for rewards, I've read up what Dr. Phil has to say (basically drown them in fluids so they have to go a lot).....and I'm doing it on Saturday......no turning back now!

 

[Hillbeans]

My son dislikes stickers, so that didn't work for us. We even got a really cute thing from Charmin with a wheel chart and stickers.

My son was a little older though, and obsessed with Thomas Trains, so we got him a new train and only let him play with it for 5 minutes after each successful trip to the bathroom, then we'd put it back on top of the sink. That lasted one week only (he wanted the trains so badly) and we never looked back. He was almost 3 and 3/4 though, so he was beyond ready. He was just always too busy to take a break or perhaps a little lazy, but it finally worked.

Edit to add I tried the "i'm not buying pull-ups" route a few times however it just resulted in a ton of laundry and lots of middle of the night clean-ups.

Good luck to you.

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

We used the candy bribe. A couple of M&Ms for peeing in the potty; a Hershey Kiss or minature for pooping.

DD1 turned 3 just 5 weeks after DD2 was born. About 2 weeks after DD2 was born, I was putting her diaper on her for daycare, and she declared she was wearing panties. I was too tired to argue, so I packed an extra set of clothes and sent her to daycare. That was it for her. It did take another 18 months after that before she was overnight trained.

I truly thought DD2 would never be trained. Never really showed and interest and didn't care that she was still in diapers. Then just shy of her third b-day, she was staying consistently dry at daycare. So one weekend, she ran around in nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of panties. 2 accidents on Sat; none on Sunday. Done! She was overnight trained less than a month later.

My best advice is to find the bribe that works best for your child!

 

[danacara]

At two years, eight months, I think the chart will be over his head. He's little, you can keep it really simple. Just hand him a Hot Wheels when he uses the potty. You use the potty, you get a toy. Done deal. He's little, too, you can probably keep giving him the same ones so long as you don't repeat too often.

My brother resisted, resisted, resisted potty training. It came to the point where my mom would give him a BIG TOY every time. It turned out he had IBS - he was just an uncomfortable little dude! All cured now. (luckily - he's 20! and a stud!)

 

[Hillbeans]

My brother resisted, resisted, resisted potty training. It came to the point where my mom would give him a BIG TOY every time. It turned out he had IBS - he was just an uncomfortable little dude! All cured now. (luckily - he's 20! and a stud!)

LOL - be sure to share that story with all of his girlfriends....

 

[danacara]

LOL - be sure to share that story with all of his girlfriends....

Ya, I threaten him with that one ... I also threaten to tell the one where my mother found his bong, filled it with tulips, and made it the kitchen table centerpiece, so she could watch him have a heart attack when he figured it out ...

My family's all good fun.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

Dollar store or discount store.

I'm at a loss. My 2 years 10 months DS has decided for the past 3 days that he doesn't want to wear "IPERS" anymore. He's only gone in the potty once.

I so tired of cleaning up messes around the house. Thank godness we have hardwood floors. I'm getting tired of being the . I wish it were warm enough outside to just let him go commando all day.

Lori

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

Sticker charts don't work for us. My kids just don't care about them. My ds has been successfully (99% of the time ) in underwear since Monday. He will be 3 in July. He had 1 accident yesterday evening while playing with Grampa, and 1 the day before but that was while he was napping. So far, so good for today but its not even noon yet. We talked to him about how Buzz doesn't wear diapers, and Peter Pan doesn't etc, etc. Even called Grampa on the phone and Grampa told him he wears big boy underwear and goes pee on the potty, LOL. DS really wants to go to Mouse camp (a Disney themed day camp our parks and rec is putting on) with his sister and friends this summer and to the kids club on the cruise, so we explained that only big boys with dry underwear can go. That seems to be working to get him on the potty. The problem I am having is he will not tell me when he has to go. He will happily go when I put him on the potty (and is fine with both #1 and #2, which according to my friends is usually more of a struggle with boys), but he will not initiate it. Not sure how to change that. DD trained in one day (before the Dr. Phil method, LOL) and as soon as she knew what to do she did it, even at night. DS definitely has the control and understanding but like I said he waits to be brought to the potty, does not tell me he needs to go, and does not try to go by himself. I also have no clue how to go about nightime training. With dd on day 1 of PT she insisted on going to bed in her underwear and kept them dry and has ever since. With DS, since he won't tell me when he has to go and more often then not still wakes with a full diaper (although its getting more common for it to be dry), I have no clue how to start that process. Btw we also never used pull ups just personal experience with friends who used them and it took much longer to get their kids trained. I'd rather deal with more laundry short term, then potty training long term. Good Luck to you!

 

[KristiKelly]

Don't use pull-ups or diapers. Buy the cloth training pants so that when they are wet they KNOW they are wet. DS was so easy, I put the training pants on him & told him "if you peepee, you'll be wet." He was 25 monthes & is now almost 8 years old & I can count on 2 hands the # of accidents he has had.

DD, now she was a different story. I put training pants on her & it was like having a puppy in the house. 2 or 3 times a day I was cleaning puddles up off the floor and DS thought this was funny as well - that didn't help matters. I got a gift bag & filled it with different kinds of candy & cheap toys. Everytime DD used the potty, she & DS both got to go to the surprise bag. If DD went in the floor, neither of them got to go. After about 2 weeks she was pretty much potty trained. I did use pull-ups at night though. I'm not a big fan of changing sheets in the middle of the night. Good luck!!!

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

I didn't read all the replies, but in my experience be careful with the Hotwheels cars.

I did this and I let DS pick which one he wanted each time he earned one. Once he came to the end of the cars (about 10) that was it. He stopped going on the potty! I should have known when at 3 he announced to me that he didn't want to go on the potty, that he liked doing it in his diaper.....end of story Mom!!

Don't worry my DS was almost 4. I was freaking out. But they truly go when they are ready. Once I stopped worrying about it, he went.

His sister before him was a breeze - 2 weeks training, done! So you never know!

Good Luck!