Potty Training - Schererville,IN

I know I will catch flack from some other moms for saying this, but in other countries around the world kids potty train by 18 months. My son was potty trained before he was 2 and I started the process because he complained about being in a wet/messy diaper and I wanted to give him an alternative. My question to you is how well does your son communicate? If he can say potty and if he can communicate to you when he's hungry/thirsty/tired/etc then he is capable of telling you he needs to go to the bathroom. We used a 3 day method with my son, which focuses on having them recognize the sensation of having to go before they go. This method puts most of the work on the parent and you will have to work at it to be successful, but my son was telling me he had to go by the end of the first day. You have him go without pants for the first day and stick to him like glue. As soon as he starts to pee you move him to the potty and say "potty, potty, potty". You can also give him more liquids than normal if you think he will just hold it. The first pee did not make it into his little potty, the second and third were about half and half and by the fourth pee of the day he was telling me "potty" and I had about 3 seconds to get him on the potty. So in order for this to work you need to be attentive, no phone, no email, no TV-just you focused on him all day. Day 2 we added pants, but no underwear. I know that sounds weird, but it's a whole lot easier to get a pair of sweatpants down than underwear, plus imagine how it feels to have an accident with no undies. The first pee of the day he seemed to totally forget what we'd done the day before, but after that he was fine and as the days went on I could be less attentive and had slightly more warning. We never used pull ups, even when traveling or in stores. I always carry a little potty in the car so that we can pull over if he needs to go. Keep in mind that at 2 years old his bladder is still pretty small and he won't always be able to hold it for very long, so it's on you to get him to a bathroom when he needs to go. If you want to potty train at a young age, then more responsibility falls on you because he will have accidents. You'll learn to recognize his nonverbal cues and prompt him to go and he'll get distracted if he's really into his play and have accidents. Just like he still falls sometimes when he walks, it's a learning process. The most important thing is to be positive. Lots of cheering when he has successes (although we didn't do any rewards-just like we didn't when he learned to walk) and no punishment or scolding ever.

If he is ready you will know it by the end of the first day. If you feel like you've caught him mid-pee for every pee and he's still showing no sign of recognizing he has to go then stop and try again in a few months. Good luck!

First off boys generally take longer... sounds like he is not ready.
And to be honest not sure when you are due, but he will just revert back when baby comes. I say just let it ride a bit and see when he starts giving more signs.
The more you push and make it an issue the harder it will be! Trust me.... 2 is young for a boy. Give it time. He won't be in diapers forever!

GrammaRocks has a great input. Just wanted to add I really really wanted my daughter to be potty trained at age 3 (so start at age 2 1/2), not progress so I stopped... well finally around age 4 she would use the toliet but still had to wear a pull up during nap and bedtime. At age five dry all day and all night (still wears a pull up at night BUT will be trying out underwear since it has been 3 months now of waking up dry ever morning). My daughter was not emotional or physically ready yet till she was age 4 to use the toliet with little reminders from me, then at age 5 she uses it without any reminders from me. Every child will learn at their own time and pace, so really do check out the site GrammaRocks sent.

I would not pressure him too much because #2 is on the way, if you tell him that it might but some resentment on the baby for coming. Also he may have many accidents when the baby does come because it is a big change which will throw the "training" off. Personally I hate calling it training, the body already knows how to "go" it is just learning to know the signs which every child does not develope at the same age and honestly you can only teach so much how to recognize the signs.

Yes, I waited until my daughter was ready to potty train before starting the process.

If your mom had only paid for a stroller until your son was 6 months old would you have tried to get him to walk before he was ready?

Potty training is the same thing. It is a PHYSICAL and MENTAL developmental process. There are TONS of checklists out there to assess potty training readiness. Look through them and determine if you think he is ready. It doesn't sound like it.

You can potty train YOURSELF if YOU are ready. That would be putting him on the potty on a regular schedule so that it increases the amount of time he is dry in his diaper. It would be altering where you go so that you are near a potty when it is time for him to go. It might also be managing a reward or discipline process that you think will be effective - and then managing the fall out when it's not.

OR - you can wait until he's ready and then transition him over a couple days.

It's up to you.

My Philosophy - Potty training

I fully believe in early training. Since I do home daycare I have trained LOTS of kids, more then the Duggars, so I have developed some strong opinions on the matter. I try to start as soon as the child is able to sit solidly. At first I just have them sit often at set times, like when they wake, before or after we go outside, after lunch, after nap. The parent can sit them upon waking in the morning, before dinner and before bed.

Since I often run into people saying you have to wait till the child is ready I have researched this. I have found that lots of people ignore signs of readiness that happen between 14 and 18 months old thinking no child could possibly be ready that young. So the window is missed and the child gets in the habit of using their diaper and being lazy.

In potty training you must remember that sleep dryness is different then awake dryness. There is a chemical that makes your body not pee or poop while you are sleeping. Some children do not get this chemical in their body until they are as old as 8 years old. So do not push sleeping dryness or expect it. Use a pull up/diaper until they are dry for a while.

I did some research and found that "stool toileting refusal" has been linked to late training (Taubman 1997). "Of the 19 participating children who trained by 24 months, none refused to poop in the toilet. Only 4 of the 90 kids who finished training between 24 and 30 months were “refusers.” The vast majority of refusers (101) came from the remaining 373 kids who finished training after 30 months."

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Early Potty Training Key to Success
John K. Rosemond

What's it going to take for American parents to realize that just as it's far easier to house train a 4-month-old puppy than a one-year-old dog, it's far easier to toilet train a 20-month-old child than a 3-year-old?

Fifty-four years ago, according to a study conducted at the time by Harvard University, nearly 90 percent of America's children had been successfully trained before they reached their second birthday. Today, courtesy of several decades of toilet-babble issuing primarily from pediatrician/author T. Berry Brazelton, parents wrongly think training a child under age two is psychologically harmful, if not impossible.

So, they wait. And they wait. And they wait. They're waiting, they tell me, for their children to show some of Brazelton's "readiness signs," which he snatched out of the thinnest of air to make it appear that his "child-centered" (a euphemism for upside-down) recommendations were based on solid science.

As a consequence of this waiting for the Godot of potties, children become ever more accustomed to and oblivious of letting go in their diapers. When their parents finally make the attempt to entice them to use the potty, all manner of resistance develops, including a problem that was rare fifty-plus years ago but is ubiquitous today: refusing to use the toilet for bowel movements.

Several weeks ago, a mother asked me for advice concerning her 4-year-old who was "absolutely refusing to poop in the potty." The child's resistance had been ongoing for some time and was associated with late training. Mom was obviously ready to pack it in and run away from home, so I went into my top-secret phone booth, changed into my Parentman costume, and gave Mom a set of instructions that have proved helpful to lots of other parents in the same fix:

Stop talking to your son about using the potty. Don't even ask "Do you want to try and poop in the potty today?" or other equally counterproductive questions.

Get rid of the diapers, pull-ups, and all associated things and resolve to never use them again.

Every day, right after your son eats a high fiber breakfast, gate him in the bathroom, naked from the waist down, and tell him his doctor said he has to stay there until he poops in the potty.

Don't stay in the bathroom with him. Don't offer incentives, or even encouragements. After putting him in the bathroom, make yourself scarce. Simply tell your son to call you when he poops or if he needs help.

Respond "coolly" to success, as if it's no big deal. Say no more than "That's good, you can come out now." Do not give a reward or even lots of praise.

Gate him in the bathroom every day until he's having regular bowel movements in the potty.

A week later, Mom wrote, "We have success." When she introduced the plan, the little guy cried and generally acted like he was being traumatized, but Mom stayed the course.

"You will poop in the potty," she told him, and he did; and he has been ever since.

Lesson: The mistake of late training is correctable, and my experience is that, as in this case, the correction usually takes less than a couple of weeks. But the wear and tear in the meantime!

Copyright 2009, John K. Rosemond

*About the Author: Rosemond has written nine best-selling parenting books and is one of America's busiest and most popular speakers, known for his sound advice, humor and easy, relaxed, engaging style. In the past few years, John has appeared on numerous national television programs including 20/20, Good Morning America, The View, Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect, Public Eye, The Today Show, CNN, and CBS Later Today.

Click here to visit Rosemond's Web site, www.rosemond.com

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Toilet Training Success Stories
John K. Rosemond

I've said many, many times that letting a child older than 30 months soil and wet herself several times a day is an insult to the child's intelligence. Actually, I absolutely know, and historical evidence confirms, that it is easier to train a child at 20 months than it is to wait much past the child's second birthday. (Ask yourself: Is it easier to house-train a 6-month-old puppy or a one-year-old dog?) As the age at which toilet-training begins has increased (by nearly a year in the last 50 years), so have toilet-training problems. In the mid-1950s, researchers at Harvard determined that nearly 90 percent of 24-month-olds in the USA had been successfully trained. That so many of today's 3-year-olds are still in diapers and "pull-ups" can only mean that today's kids aren't half as smart as kids were in my generation (and our parents never claimed we were gifted!). I am cheered, however, to learn that there are still intelligent children in the world, as evidenced by the following story:

The mother of a 27-month-old reads a magazine article about "readiness signs" and noting that her son displays none of them, decides to toilet train him. Yes, you read that right. She correctly ascertained that the writer of said article was simply engaging in "parenting correctness." Mom promptly announced to her son that they had no more diapers; therefore, he would have to use a potty from then on. They went out together and bought a potty and big-boy underwear.

She writes, "I didn't hover, nor did I ask or remind him to use the potty. I was training him, not me. I was prepared for plenty of accidents, and figured each one would be a lesson in cause and effect. When he wet, I said something like 'Gosh! That looks uncomfortable. Let's get you changed.' I didn't force him to clean up by himself, or scold him. I just responded matter-of-factly. He got stickers to put on the potty and some mild praise each time he was successful, but not a party."

Three days later, the child was accident-free. His mother thought she'd been lucky, but has since had the same experience with two subsequent children, none of whom have, she admits, "gifted and talented bladders."

Her third child, a girl, insisted upon using the potty at 18 months. Mom was a bit skeptical, but had another accident-free child within three days. Several weeks later, the parents decided to have her use the big toilet. Since she couldn't get up on her own, Mom or Dad had to help. Eighteen months later, the child was still demanding assistance, and the parents were still helping. Enough is enough, they decided. Mom demonstrated how to attach the potty seat to the big toilet and mount it using a stepstool. Mom then told the child that there would be no more help, even if she became hysterical. Mom also informed her daughter that if she wet herself she would clean the mess up on her own. The little girl recently told her teacher, who had offered to help her go potty, "My mommy says I have to do it all by myself, and I ab-so-lute-ly can!"

There is no mystery to this success story. First, the mother began training before her kids got so used to messing themselves that it was no big deal. Second, she conveyed clear expectations and equally clear instructions. Third, she responded to mistakes with a calm, matter-of-fact attitude. Most importantly, however, she approached toilet-training with no apprehension, as if it was the most natural thing in the world -- which, in fact, it is.

Copyright 2008, John K. Rosemond

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http://faircompanies.com/blogs/view/whocides-when-to-pott... was the following: "One of the moms lured into the training philosophy of "don't force it... when he's ready it will happen practically overnight" had emailed the group that she's now dealing with a "strong-minded 3-year-old who really seems to enjoy resisting the process". She sent along a link to an article as well as her advice: "Start now, don't wait, even if he doesn't prefect the process until he's three or more. Set the groundwork as early as possible."
I clicked on the link as quickly as I could and found the Mommy Files blogger Amy Graff explaining how she had potty trained her 2-year-old son in 3 days. Using advice from potty training guru and ex-nurse Julie Fellom, she explained, "Children are typically ready between 15 to 27 months. This is a great age because toddlers are compliant but ready for some independence. If you wait longer, you'll be dealing with a temperamental, strong-minded 2-year-old who will likely resist the process."

It was a book recommendation from one of the moms that finally clued me in to the disposable-diaper industry's role in convincing American parents to wait and wait and wait (in their disposables) until their kid was good and ready. Linda Sonna, author of "Early Start Potty Training" explains that the "child-oriented approach" to training began in 1961 when Procter & Gamble started test-marketing the first disposable diaper. "The company began looking for a pediatrician to promote them", she explains in her book, "it signed up T. Berry Brazelton, who began extolling the merits of the company's product and recommending that parents not begin potty training before children are physically, mentally, and emotionally ready."
Even child-raising guru Dr. Benjamin Spock fell into line with the Pampers-pitching Brazelton. "Spock used to say younger was better, 14 months was considered late for training," Sonna discovered while researching for her book. "In 1961 everything changed and Spock began quoting Brazelton. That was the year Brazelton signed up with Procter & Gamble. He came out saying it was cruel to train babies too early."
With the power of P&G advertising budgets behind him, Hazelton's advice began to change the nation's ideas about when a child was ready for the toilet. For one Pamper's ad, he extolled what has now become a common concept among mothers: "Don't rush your toddler into toilet training or let anyone else tell you it's time! It's got to be his choice!"

Many parents 'encourage' walking, talking, AND potty-time. I have read, and been told by pediatricians, that encouragement is perfectly acceptable for age-appropriate milestones. I have never once heard of a mother who didn't clap and squeal when her child was first learning to walk. That is as much a reward as a sticker is for a child who pees in his/her potty.

No, you can't make a child do anything they truly don't want to do. But there is nothing wrong with encouraging a behavior they are already working on.

These are some things I believe encourage positive potty-time:

-Potty Books; He loved to read about the potty while he was physically sitting on it. I think of it like learning about a city you're going to visit- it makes the experience more interesting. We got him one that had a button on it to "flush" the toilet, which he loved to do! And then we let him flush the big potty when he actually pee'd, so that encouraged him to go. The potty books stayed with the potty and were only read during potty-time.

-Stickers; He got to pick a sticker every time he went in the potty and then put it on the Potty Chart- which he also helped make. (a colorful piece of paper on his wall that said "Arthur's Potty Chart"... Nothing fancy...) He LOVED putting stickers on the chart and then counting them and picking his favorites. It made potty-time an interactive experience.

-We made potty-time a routine; Every morning when he woke up, we'd go straight to the bathroom. We'd both sit on our potties together and talk about what we would have for breakfast. We'd listen for the pee and then high-five afterwards and go about our morning routine. We also did a variation of this before lunch, before and after nap-time, etc. As many times a day as I went to the bathroom, he went with me. It was a fun, team thing we did. (Being a stay-at-home-mom made this possible.)

-He picked his undies; We took a trip to Target (which he loves for some reason. He always wants to go to "Taaar-get" lol) and let him pick out the pack of big-boy undies. He was really excited about wearing them when we got home because they were Thomas (his favorite) and didn't like messing them up with pee and poo.

-Musical Potty; This was more exciting for him the first few times and then became a helpful indicator thereafter. I don't remember the official name of the potty chair, but it has a little sensor in the bowl that goes off when the child pees or poos. Super happy, celebratory songs. He was so excited to hear these songs for the first few days, I think it really helped him enjoy the potty process. After he got in the routine of sitting on it and going, he was more excited about the stickers and big-boy undies. But it was helpful for me to hear when he went so the positive reinforcement was well timed.

Obviously, we didn't attack him with all these new things at once. We added things to the process as he progressed on his own. We never pressured him to go, never waived the rewards in his face, and never punished him for mistakes. Just talked everything out with him and moved on.
Eventually he was telling us "let's go potty" and taking off his own pants before we ever showed him or asked him. He was excited about learning to use the big-boy potty. Sometimes, he even asked to sit on "daddy's potty" just because. It took over 6mo for the whole transition, but that was fine with us because we never pressured him to do anything he didn't want to.

Sorry for the novel! Hope something from that helps you out!
Good Luck!

So sorry about some of the comments you got. We all just do the best we can so don't let it get you down. As for your question- all kids are different as someone mentioned so it is not necessarily too soon or too late. I potty trained my daughter at 2 months shy of 3. She went straight from being soaked through every morning to wearing underwear at night in 3 days. A lot of accidents the first 2 months (mostly in the middle of the night). But if you don't take the diapers away they won't recognize the sensations that come with having to go. I used the method at www.3daypottytraining.com. It was amazing. As an aside I too wanted to have it done before my son was born but was put on bedrest, so I waited until he was about 5 months old. That was perfect because he wasn't mobile so I could just put him down any time she needed to go. Please check out this method and feel free to PM me if you have any questions. Good luck and congrats on #2.

C.

This site will take you through what you need to consider before beginning to potty train your son, from readiness signs to strategies, etc.:
http://www.parentingscience.com/potty-training-tips.html

It isn't as important that he "wants" to be potty trained as if he's physically and emotionally ready, yet it doesn't sound as if he's quite there yet to learn, or as if he understands why he's even on the potty and sitting, or telling you or signaling to you that he has to go before he does. Which doesn't mean you can't begin potty training, simply that it will more than likely take much longer to accomplish. Typically training takes 3-6 months, any longer than that and you're wasting time, which with baby #2 on the way you may not want to do. Also know that little ones trained before the birth of a new sibling typically regress after the birth, so you may be doing it all over again after that anyway. BTW, our pediatrician said my little guy (3 in April) could learn to pee sitting down as it would be easier for him, and that he would learn to do it standing up when he saw other little boys doing so, and she was right.

Best wishes to you and your growing family!

Well me personally I was pregnant with my daughter and my son was turning two... I trained him before I went in to the hospital for delivery that took a month... I don't believe their are any tricks to potty training but I do believe that have to be ready... Putting him on every once in a while after he eats to let him expierence the feeling of potty... Cheering when he does a little something also let's them know its okay.. I must admit boys seem a bit harder and stubborn to train but all in time they will get the picture... Giving them drinks and waiting for 5 to 10 minutes and letting them sit for awhile they will soon get it the more you do it the more they understand...with a new on the way its all worth it much less work then changing two diapers!! I also learned that every child is different so they learn at different speeds. Push the potty but not to the extreme because soon they will not attempt to go..good luck and congrats!!

2 is really young to start potty training. Kids generally aren't even capable of knowing that have-to-go feeling until they're 3 or later. Keep encouraging the potty and putting him on it, there's certainly no harm in that but don't expect much. Make a big deal about it if he goes.

Our pediatrician advised us to start putting our daughter on the potty at 6 months old. I thought she was out of her mind! We did it though and our daughter was never afraid of the potty which, as I understand it, is a common fear for kids and that strange feeling of voiding their bladder without something close to their bodies (diaper) to catch it. Whenever she did happen to go on the potty we made a big deal of it. You're lucky, sounds like your son isn't afraid of the potty at all! :) I think you've made it through half the battle. Just keep at it and when he's ready he'll go.

As far as other countries and potty training by 18 months, that's garbage. At that young an age it's the PARENT who is trained as to when their child needs to go, the child isn't able to know until closer to 3. I'm not saying that NO child is capable of potty training before 3, I'm saying it's rare. It's just a natural process that takes time and they don't know until they're older. This isn't just my opinion but fact based upon reading info and talking to doctors, nurses and parents from other countries. Follow your child's lead. Good luck!

He is to young, his will train himself when he and his body are ready. Please Please Please stock pushing him. You should have budgeted for diapers past 2, sounds like you will just have to start buying. Having your mom pay for diapers for the first 2 years is a god sent but you still should have bought some and stocked for later, bad planning on your part.

Congrats on the 2nd baby, I hope you start stocking diapers for him/her.