Help! I have a 2 1/2 year old boy who i have been trying to potty train for some time now. at first i tried the little potty chair but it soon became a toy to put his cars in and ripping up paper towels and toilet paper to fill the bowl! he never took it seriously or had any interest in using it for its intended purpose. so i took the seat from his potty chair and snapped it on the regular toilet. he loves to use it because its like mommy and daddy. the only problem is he is too small(and clumsy!)to use it by himself so i have to sit in there with him. that wouldnt be a problem if he didnt want to pee every 2 seconds! even after sitting on the potty for over 30mins he puts on his big boy underwear and immediatly pees wherever he is standing. he is fascinated with the feeling of peeing. how can i encourage him to use the potty only when he needs to instead of every 2 minutes all day long? i cant get anything done while sittin in the bathroom!
Thank you all so much for your advice! After talking to my fiance and some friends and family I have decided to put off the potty training for a few months. In the meantime I will still make the potty available when he wants to use it but I am just not sure he is 100% ready for the full on potty training. I think its better to let him take the lead. Thanks again for all your advice!
Don't stress about it. He may not be ready yet.
A friend whose child had similar issues had the right attitude: "I'll let his wife train him"
I hate to tell you this but, he is a boy and may not be ready to fully train yet. Just keep at it, and keep POSITIVE. Try not to show frustration because at 2 1/2 they still have immature bladders. Anyone that tells you their kid was trained at 18 mos. is lying girl! They may potty most of the time but not all and sometimes it seems like they have accidents just for the heck of it....it's ok they are learning and the more you push the further they will back away from it. Potty training and eating are the only things they have control over and man do they work it! You may want to try a nice fat step stool in front of the potty to foster a little independance but lets face it do you really want a 2 1/2 year old trying to use the potty without supervision? Good luck and keep a sense of humor this time will go quickly if you do :)
I quickly learned with my first... I put her up on the potty, gave her a book to read and told her to call for me when she was done.
Hey. I have no advice for you (sorry). My daughter is 16 mths so I haven't been through this yet. I just wanted to make sure you send back a reply after you get everyones feedback because I just bought a little potty and it seems like it's turning into a toy as well. Hope and pray you get some great advice. I can tell you "This will pass." It all does. So hang in there.
He's just been playing with the idea of potty training. Yes, sit him on the seat and open a faucet. The sound of water will do the rest. Do this when he wakes up in the morning, and about once every hour till you get his timing. Just don't keep him there too long, 5 mins tops. Good luck
I had to keep my now 3 yo naked. I wouldn't recommend pull-ups if he likes the feeling b/c my son would pee into them, and probably thought the cold sensation was entertainment. so, assuming your household embraces nakedness, I would do that. Shirt and no undies all day, and he would go to the potty. the minute i put undies on, he would prefer to pee or especially poop in them. also, peeing outside was pretty fun for him, and initially he prefered to run outside to pee on the grass than to run into the bathroom. don't worry, he'll train. I thought mine would never train and he is now 3. Stickers, rewards, taking away items, nothing worked. but no undies did. he sleeps in a pull-up and i yank it off the minute he's up.
btw, in school, they do well b/c they see the other children going, so they are less resistant. hope this helps, and good luck. don't worry, he won't be 13 and still peeing in his undies!
If he's going that often I would have him checked by a doctor. Sounds to me like he has possibly bladder or kidney infection. It is not normal to pee that often.
I see that you are a SAHM. Get all of your grocery shopping and other errands done... then literally do not leave the house for a week and let him be naked. Grab him the second he starts to pee and take him to teh bathroom
We are potty training our 2 and 1/2 year old too. I found that having him naked makes him know when he has to go. I do naked time (for him) at home and then transition to boxers and then to underwear. And I just bring a change of clothes wherever we go.
So far so good. And he just gets on the big boy potty. I found that it was harder with the potty-topper and he has to know how to go when we are away from home!
Good Luck! Potty training is the hardest thing about parenting thus far!
I agree with tammi f., if he is ready, a solid week should be all it takes to get him basically trained. With my daughter I would set a timer every 20 min (stretched it longer as she got better at holding it) and when the timer would beep, she would have to go sit on the potty. This may give you a chance to get a few things done while still giving him the "control" of going ALL the time. After about 4 days I was able to forgo the timer but I still have to remind her sometimes when it's time to go. Just be glad you're making progress and he WANTS to sit on that potty! Good luck.
I think he might be too young.....I would have him wear pull ups for a couple of months and don't mention the potty at all; then reintroduce it when he is a little more mature. Some parents rush into this but the child has to be ready....boys often later than girls.
I wasn't able to read all the responses, but I suggest to have him clean up his pee if he pees in his underwear. Have him take off his dirty underwear and put it in the laundry room, then have him clean it up with paper towels. I did this with my daughter and it worked wonders!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25057503/
I got the idea from this segment.
Also you didn't mention if you ask him. This is what she says about asking the child:
Her No. 1 rule for one-day potty training? “Never ask if they have to go,” she said. “If you ask them if they have to go potty, then you are the one who is in charge of their body. We’re trying to transfer that responsibility over to them. So we just tell them if you have to go potty, go in the potty.”
Good luck!
I agree with the naked posts. Naked is the way to go. Even in the back yard with the little potty.
Good luck,
S.
