So a few months ago, we started trying to potty train DD. She showed all the signs of being ready. However, it soon become abundantly clear that she was very stubborn about not going in the potty....she only wanted to pee in her diaper. After an hour and a half of drinking fluids and constantly sitting on the potty, she was crying for her diaper. We tried giving her underwear, but she would just pee on her underwear as if it were a diaper (she would hold it if she was naked). We chalked it up to being too early and decided to postone for a while.
Now that she's almost 2, many of her "classmates" in daycare are going on the potty. We've decided to try potty training again, but I"m worred about the scenario repeating itself. I've armed myself with stickers (a recent fascination for her) and treats, but I'm not sure what I can do to convince her it's ok to go on the potty and not her diaper. She's seen that mommy and daddy go pee/poo on the potty, and she'll sit on it with no problem...she just refuses to "go" in her potty.
She's had a few successes with going pee on the potty at daycare (maybe once a week) but most of the time, she'll just hold it until we get a diaper on her. I know that pooping on the potty is a separate issue...I just want her to pee on the potty! Any suggestions on how to get her to go on the potty?
You said she's almost 2, that's really really young! She's not ready, give her time, be patient and don't push it. Just give her lots of positive reinforcement when she does go and she'll get it soon enough. My son is 3 and is just getting the hang of it. Some of my friends who have girls seem to get them potty trained a little sooner. She's her own person so don't worry what her "classmates" are doing! She'll get there.
My son was not ready until a few months after he turned 4.
Hi Mama,
It does sound to me like things became a power struggle during the last round. I'm inserting a link that's meant for early childhood ed students, for their work with youngsters and their parents. I have found this child-led approach works well for me and the children I have cared for.
http://www.betterkidcare.psu.edu/AngelUnits/OneHour/Toile...
Just my two cents here: I've found over the time I've worked with kids that children can do well with incentives for a while, but they aren't infallible. Some children who didn't really need the incentive will do great with them, and be fine when they stop. Other children will tire of the incentive and stop using the toilet again.
When I was nannying, and with my own son, I really listened to what the children were wanting. So often, when they are saying "diapers" to us, it's not always to *fight* us on it. What they are saying is "this is more than what I can do right now". Some kids are in underwear for a while, then ask to go back to diapers within a few months of a big change: moving, new sibling, starting preschool, family changes. This sort of regression is common.
If it were me, personally, I'd wait until she's interested. This might happens sooner than later, especially if her peers are going to the bathroom on the toilet. Girls are typically more socially oriented and like to be part of the group. You might find that just waiting a little while and dropping the subject entirely will do the trick. They're only ready when they're ready!
Try... at home leaving her naked on the bottom.
Put a potty chair near her wherever she is.
Oh sorry you have tried leaving her naked.
Or she is just not ready.
It is not by age.
The child needs to be ready.
Or it will be a long drawn out frustrating thing.
If she holds in her pee, this is not good. She can get an infection or kidney problems.
She is not ready for underwear yet. That juncture, is not present yet.
She is still very young.
It's a control issue. My DD is almost 3 and knows what she needs to do but doesn't want to do it. There was a phase where the mere sight of the potty made her scream so I backed off. It's hard, I think, when you see other kids pottying and you also feel pressured by the daycare. Remember that being trained in the 3rd year is entirely normal. Not yet 2 is still very young. I try to sit DD on the potty when she gets up, after meals and while I run water for her bath. If she pees, yay! If she doesn't she gets "good try". It's eliminated the fight to actually get her to sit down. One step at a time. My DD is often dry overnight. It's just daytime....Stickers didn't help us. DD will go when she wants to go. She knows what to do. She has to be ready to do it. I would also not let the daycare push you if she's not ready. Your DD knows, but for some reason isn't quite ready. It's easier on them, but she's not abnormal by ANY means.
Our daughter was not ready until she was 3 and a half. It did not matter what the other kids did in her daycare class..
FYI, she walked unassisted at 6 months. Spoke in sentences at 1 and was an early reader..
She was always an honor student in school and is now a double major in college.. Let HER lead the way on potty training. Holding off until SHE was really ready did in no way make her inferior in any way.
I think it clicked with our daughter finally, when she saw so many potty chairs all lined up and her little classmates would sit on the potties with a book and read while using the little potties. She hated the big potty, she always felt like she was going to fall in. Even with the adapters.. She just needed to want to do this on her own. Once she started it only took her a few days.. no accidents, no drama.
Here's an idea to try:
Let her run around naked. Put an open diaper on the floor. Tell her she can sit down on the diaper to pee whenever she needs to. Don't put it on her, just tell her she can sit on it to pee.
When and if she becomes comfortable sitting on the diaper to pee, put the diaper on top of a low potty. The baby Bjorn little potty might work well. Let her pee into the diaper sitting on the potty.
Slowly transition from there.
Good luck.
My DD is 3 and we're experiencing the same thing. She wears undies most of the time, but asks for a diaper when she's ready to pee or poop. I have her sit on the potty with the diaper on so that at least she can practice doing her business sitting down on the pot. This has been going on for 2 weeks now. Hopefully she will ditch the dipe soon. With my DD I've realized (the hard way) that the more I push, the more she resists, so I'm letting her lead, even though it's DRIVING ME CRAZY! Sitting down on the potty with a diaper is at least an improvement, so I"m going with it for now. Best of luck with your daughter!
Is she staying dry all night? I didn't even try until our kids were dry all night. Our son was almost 3 and our twins were 3 and 3 1/2. If you really feel she is ready, great but if you are doing this because her friends in preschool are using the potty, maybe wait a little longer.
