2.5 Year Old Loves Her Diapers! Trying to Potty Train!!!

I had similar issues with my daughter. I finally just took the diapers away. 3 days later--trained. It's work, but it doesn't last that long. Good luck!

I've been there and it's not easy, but...I agree - take those diapers away and just deal with the mess for a day or two (I bet that is all it will take). Also give her a prize for using the toilet. Good luck!

We just went thru this (my daughter is also 2.5) and it was tough at first. We chose a long weekend when we could stay home and "practice" going potty. I kept her in cotton training undies and we kept the potty chair in whatever room we played in. If she wet the undies, I'd clean her up and try again. If she wet a few pairs, I'd say, ok, we're out of dry undies, now you need to have a bare bottom (I put a blanket on the floor for her to sit on and play). Sure enough, she would NOT pee or poop when she had a bare bottom unless she was on the potty. So after a few days of this she really got the idea (we used M & M's for a reward along with lots of praise). Now when we're at home, she always wears big girl undies, and when we go out she wears a Pull-Up "just in case", but she tells me at stores when she needs to go, and almost always keeps the Pull-Up dry. Trust me, it was hard in the beginning and we were having a power struggle, BUT if you show her that you're not giving in, and there are no more diapers, she will come around. Good luck!

Put her big girl underwear on first and then her diaper. That will give her more of the sensation of wetting her pants and that maybe enough of a turn off for her, for her to want to start going on the potty. I know that it is a big mess for you to clean up but, hopefully, this won't be an issue for very long. Sounds like she is nearly at that point anyway.

Maybe sitting on the potty for 1/2 an hour is too long. I suggest that after dinner, you take her diaper off her and the two of you hang out in the bathroom with a basket of toys and books that she really, really likes and has never seen before. Just let her sit down here and there during your potty play break and let her know that when she starts to feel like she needs to pee or poop, she should sit on the potty. After a couple of times of doing this and her being successful, I'm sure that you won't need to do this any longer.

Hope these strategies help.

I agree that she may be doing this so that she feels that she has some control over when she pees. Thirty minutes on the potty is much too long. Are you insisting that she sit that long? If so, let her decide how long it take to pee.

Take her to the store and let her pick out her big girl panties. Then let her choose which one she's going to wear. I agree, that it sounds like she's ready to not need the diaper and so I'd put the diapers out of sight. Perhaps have a little ceremony graduating her from diapers to panties. Have her wear panties for a few days and see what happens.

Be sure to praise her when she goes in the potty. And pay little attention to her when she wets her panties. Just clean her up and put on a dry pair. Don't scold. Give her the most attention when she does what you want her to do.

I wonder about having 4 potties. Is this because you have 4 bathrooms or you have them in the bathrooms and her room? I suggest that having 4 might be confusing. Which one do I use? sort of focus.

If she's truly ready to be out of diapers I doubt that she'll pee her panties all day long. Make staying dry a fun game. Do this with a positive attitude. Find a way to accept this process without feeling angry enough to have to count to 10. Your daughter does pick up on your attitude and this makes the process more difficult.

she is telling you loud and clear that she is not ready. being ABLE and being WILLING are 2 different things. just back off the pressure for a while & wait for her to come to you. it'll happen sooner than you think.

Her diaper is her safety net. The first day we put my son in big boy undies he has 13 accidents, and was begging for his pull up. I said no, that he was a big boy now and there was no going back. The next day he had 2 accidents, he just had to know that one, he had to do it, and two, he could do it. By the third day it was down to one or two accidents a week, and that lasted about a month, with no further issue. It may be time to just go for it.

both my son and daughter were trained in 3 days in cotton trianing pants.. they do not like the yucky wet pants..

buy some of the gerber coton trainers at target or walmart.. tell her she is a big girl and change her as necessary.. both my kids got it on the 3rd day..

I say let it go. My son was about that age and could definitely go if he wanted to, but you know what, he didn't want to!! So I told him we were just going back to diapers until he was ready and if he ever did want to sit on the potty to just let me know and he could. He would do it from time to time just for kicks:) I had some Toy Story underwear for him and when was just over three he said he wanted to wear it. I told him that if he wore these thick cloth trainers I had and had a couple accident free days he could go to underwear. He said "OK!" He was trained in three days and that was about 3 months ago now and he is doing awesome, very rarely an accident. The other day I walked by the bathroom and he was on the potty. I said "what are you doing?" He very non-chalantly goes "pooping" and he did! I think when he was 2.5 yrs he had the ability to go to the potty if I caught him and asked him right before, but he couldn't really identify it coming on so he felt much more secure in a diaper. When I told him we were going back to diapers he was very relieved and the pressure was just off. I personally decided if it took him until he was four, so be it. When I switched and wasn't worried about it, he just sailed right through it. This time I did not do pull-ups at all and I did not associate treats with the potty. The only "treat" was getting to wear all his cool underwear. So that is what I did. Maybe just let it go for awhile, she will get it! 2.5 is still really young and their little bods and brains take time to get everything working together when it comes to potty training. My son was three and I know tons of people who's kids are 3+ before they are good to go. Hang in there!!

No worries. She's not ready. Keep asking in a casual way every once in a while and she'll get there. No pressure and it'll be easy once she's truly ready. They all get there eventually :)

do you have one of the adapter seats for the big potty? She might do better on there after mommy gets up from it and it's her turn.
Other than that she is just showing you she has some control over what she wants to do...
The reward system for peeing on the potty is the best way to go.... it's good to dangle the carrot so they can make the choice. Dont give the prize if she doesnt do the pee pee.

My two year old did the same thing at one point. What worked for him was we actually had a lil graduation ceremony from diapers to pullups. and that did it! give it a shot and best of luck to you and yours....

Kimmie

Just adding what I haven't seen posted yet. We waited til my daughter was almost 3. She showed readiness at 2, but then I could see it was leaning towards a power struggle and so we let it go - plus we travel on planes quite a bit and I was waiting for the perfect 3 day weekend to Potty train (it never presented itself!) . In the meantime at 2.5 we incorporated mandatory bedtime reading 2 books Princess & the Potty and No more diapers from Sesame street (she was allowed 1 book that she wanted - fortunately she really liked those 2 potty books!)

We also have the potty time video from Sesame street and she watched that several times....but I'm not big on tv - so she didn't watch it more than 5 times over 2 months. Once I was brave enough to say bye bye diapers, it was surprisingly easy - she had a couple of accidents the first week (my fault because i only asked 99 times instead of 100 whether she needed to use the potty) and then she was daytime potty trained! I think it was so easy because she was older and the books brainwashed her to be inclined to go in the potty. Oh yah, we also bought a singing potty from target - so it was super fun to hear her go!

Good luck.

Hi K.! I have a home-based preschool and here is what has worked for me (with my own 2 daughters & my school children) : First, you must make it easy on yourself & your daughter. Don't go crazy putting her on the potty 20 times a day, for long stints. It becomes frustating for both of you. Work going potty, into your normal daily routine. She wakes up dry, so have her go potty after she wakes up. Sometimes giving her a little sip of water might help. Then go potty before she puts on her jammies at bedtime. Once you start this routine, then you can add in: going potty before or after lunch. Then add in going potty before or after snack. You are in the bathroom washing your hands before & after she eats anyway, so mix in going potty. It is a slower process, but it becomes very natural to your daughter. It allows her to focus on what her body is doing and she can begin to understand the process & how she feels right before she needs to go potty. (and she isn't focused on, "oh, here we are in the bathroom again!") Also, your daughter is becoming independent. Every time you tell her to go potty, it is you telling her one more thing to do & she has the opportunity to tell you no. Don't create a battle neither of you need. It is just part of the routine, "it's just what we do". As for loving the diaper, it is ok to say, "You wear your diaper to bed, and when we are in the car", or whatever works for you. That way you are not eliminating it completely, and upsetting her, but you are able to wean her from the diaper, so to speak. Then pretty soon, the diaper is just for bedtime. Please do not buy pull-ups as they are too much like a diaper and can be confusing to your daughter. Lastly, if you try these things and she is still resistant, take a break. Revisit this adventure in a few months. Best to both of you! B.

My son turned 3 in September.. last week.. I just took the diaper off. You have to make sure you aren't going anywhere. We had some accidents.... but we got through it... and now... he's doing really well!! He gets a pull-up for nap and bedtime only. We struggle a bit when he wakes up to get it off, but he let me... and yesterday I was able to run 4 errands (continually asking if he had to go) and we had no accidents!! We even went out to lunch! :) Good Luck!

Hi, Yes if she can tell you that you need to change her she need to be using the potty, i would try this it will take all weekend but it will work. Start on a Saturday morning when she wakes up take her right to the potty turn the water on this sometimes helps the flow of things. then put on big girl panties with the plastic pants over them (yes they still sell them) and every 30min to hour ask her if she need to go potty use only 1 potty the others may confuse her use the one she like the most. if she says no she doesn't have to go put her on it any way. this will take some patients but by Sunday night she'll be going in the potty more often. I'm not saying she won't have any accidents but this will help you get on the right track. also when you go to use the bathroom i would take her with you. that would also include in the middle of the night.

Shoot me an email at ____@____.com, and I will forward an on-line book about potty training.

My DD was the same way! So I just put her in big girl undies and let her get used to not having diapers. We actually "threw" them away together and I let her pick out underwear and her potty chairs (we have 3). The first week I was cleaning up a lot of accidents but as she started to not like the wet feeling she was more willing to use her chair. We still have little accidents here and there but we are having more dry days then wet. We use pull ups for when we go out only and at night.
Also we put a big piece of cardboard up on the bathroom wall and every time she uses the potty chair she gets stickers. Plus a sticker for washing her hands and helping flush the toilet. Little toys work wonders too!

Good luck!!!!

just take her diapers away..by giving in to her want for a diaper you are just enabling the issue to keep happening. put her big girl panties on and if she wets them, make her wash them out in the tub.