Mom Needs Potty Training Advice

My friend told me an idea that worked great for my daughter who was not really interested in potty training but she was 3.5 and was going to start school so she needed to be. I made up a chart to put on the fridge with five spaces across and seven rows down. Everytime she went potty she could put a sticker in one box and once she filled up a row she could pick a prize for the prize basket. She was very into princess stuff so I went to the dollor store spent about $10.00 filled up the basket and then I showed her all of the stuff and explained to her once she filled up one row she could pick one thing from the princess basket. This gave her great motivation, plus she loved putting the sticker on her chart and we cheered everytime she put a sticker on. It worked great. I did the same thing when it came to going numbr two in the potty. She felt like such a big girl when it came to night training she told me one night she wanted to sleep in her painties not the diaper and every since no problem. Good luck. I hope this helps.
C. Williams

My son just turned 3 in February, and he's just now doing really well! He still wears a pull-up at night, but for the most part he hasn't had any accidents in a while! Yea! But let me tell you, bribery works very well at that age!!! I have a prize box that has little prizes in it (from the $1 store) which includes stickers, bubbles, candy, fruit snacks, small toys, etc. He knows he gets a prize if he goes in the potty all day at school and doesn't have an accident. This works wonders!!! And 1-2 times a month, if he's done really good, he gets to pick out a toy from Toys R Us or Target-$10 or less. So, he definitely has the motivation to keep doin good and having no accidents. He gets sooo excited when either my husband or I pick him up from preschool, and he gets to tell us that "he went peepee and poopoo in the potty!!! and he gets a PRIZE!!! lol It's so funny! Hope this helps!

T. - Jennifer has the right idea. (At least it worked for me). My son is 3.5, and I bribed him the whole time for potty training. The kid did outsmart me a little, though, by only going a little bit, then getting a prize, then going more....it cost me a hefty sum at the dollar store on weekends. But it was about a two week ordeal and then he was pretty much there without "requiring" a prize afer every trip.

I wish I could have stuck to a once a day prize but it didn't offer enough instant gratification for my greedy son, hence the prize everytime. Incidentally, our first foray into training was a disaster, we though he had it down and then he just regressed all the way. The second time around, we just really talked up big boy stuff, big boy underwear, and all the things we'd "let him do" when he became a big boy. (That didn't work alone, though - had to bribe.)

I would say not to be too freaked out over it yet. All kids learn at their own pace and as long as you are just consistently talking about it and creating a system to reward him, he'll get there.

I don't have any recommendations on portable toilet seats....when he's had to go #2 in public, I've used a cover and then just kinda held him on there. Not fun. If you find a portable seat, let us ALL know about it!

Good luck! S.

The best/strangest advice I recieved....was to let my little one run around around the house "free willy." The constant breeze made him much more aware of things and needs "down there." We only had a couple of accidents on the floor but lets face it...that can happen even with training pants on. :)Good luck

I have a 5 yr old, 3 yr old and 4 month old. All boys!!! With my oldest I had a prize bowl with little items from the Dollar Store in it and when he went potty in the toilet he got to pick a prize. He stared at that bowl for about a week though before he finally went. I also would take him every hour to sit on the potty. I wouldn't ask him I would tell him that we were going to go to the potty and sit him on it, if he would resist I wouldn't force it. During that time he would wear big boy underwear that he got to pick out. I only put on a pull-up at nap and night time. Hang in there because it does feel like forever when you are going through it. I don't know if anyone has said anything about this yet, but I start out with them sitting on the potty not standing like dad. Too Much Mess!! Good Luck!!

I have tried everything to get my daughter to be potty trained and she would be ok for a couple of days and then go right back to wetting herself. We did the treat thing and she was not consistent at all. I finally told her that I was not buying anymore diapers and bought some new painties and she wears her younger sisters diapers to bed. She still gets treats sometimes when she goes but for the most part she is just happy with the praise I give her. In less than a week she is potty trained and has had only one accident this week!!!! She is 3 1/2yrs old and I think what it really comes down to is when they are ready. I think taking her around other kids that were potty trained helped also because she got to see other little kids that went on the big potty. Well not sure if this helps but it sure did work for me!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

~C.

try floating a few cheerios in the potty and letting him have target practice This will make him want to go potty and get excited about it. Also offer rewards- have a basket of small items he can earn. Keep them small- like stickers or a couple m&ms.
I used to have a portable potty seat that folded up and fit into my diaper bag. I think I bought it at Target. It even fit in some of my larger purses. It was awesome!

POTTY TREATS!!!

I'm telling you, I was pulling my hair out with my older DD, now 5, until we spent the weekend with a friend who had kids about the same age. My friend was so funny--she would get SO excited when my DD pottied, and hauled out the little candies.
My DD responded so well to that, I overcame my objection to using candy as a reward.

We had "little" potty treats, and "big" potty treats. She'd get a little one when she proactively used the potty w/out fussing about going. I'd save the ones she liked best for when she had a BM in the potty because that is what she had the hardest time with.

Then, we'd get a treat for a whole morning or afternoon w/out an accident, then a whole day, then a whole week.
The first week she went w/out an accident we took her to ChuckECheese and played games. What a hit!
That has become our ultimate reward for several goals we've set.
For a whole dry day, the potty treat would be something a little bigger like a lollipop.
Once we had done a week, we started putting stickers on a chart I made in Excel for each time she pottied at home and for when she came home from pre-school dry.

Hope you get great ideas you can use.
I am enjoying what I read here.

~K.

Put them in regular underwear during the day and let them feel it when they go. They will have to stop what they are doing when they have an accident to get cleaned up so it will be less troublesome for them to just go in the potty.

Do not reprimand or lecture them. Just state in a calm, informative voice that they need to go pee pee in the potty or whatever phrase you use and not their pants. Repeat the phrase each time and hold back on that lecture. Even if it means steam cleaning the carpet (we have one at home) for the um-teenth time.

And even when you want to give up... don't! Really, don't give up. They will get it. Send me a PM if you need to.... hang in there, T.. I've been there.

Good luck and they do get there.

My daycare does one "m&m" for pee-pee and 2 "m&m"'s for #2. The kids love going potty because of the reward.

We tried everything. The running around naked...he'd just hold it until we put clothes on (we were in Utah, it was cold!). Big Boy underwear...he didn't care if he was wet or dirty, so it didn't slow him down. Bribery...he didn't care. The one day method...HORRIBLE, worst day of our lives! We ended up leaving his potty set up and just dropping it. We left the books where he could look at them and just didn't even mention it. In the middle of this we moved and were living in a temporary apartment. We made sure his potty was there, even though it was set up as a step for brushing his teeth. One afternoon, out of the blue, he went in, set up the potty and used it! All on his own. I just waited until he was done and told him how proud I was of him. We've had a couple of accidents after that, but within 3 days he was in underwear all day with no problems. He had just turned 3. Good luck and really, don't stress about it. Make it available and then let him decide.