Potty Training - Sugar Land,TX

I haven't started potty training yet either, but what worked for my friend with her 3 1/2 year old daughter was to start taking away privileges. She knew her daugher could go in the potty, but she was stubborn and didn't want to. Her daughter had a favorite Dora computer game that she absolutely loved! My friend said that if she used the potty, she could have some time playing the Dora game. If she went in the diaper, no game. It only took a day or two for her daughter to start using the potty.

Hope this helps!

Well I am no expert but I recently started taking my 2 year old to a new day care and his teacher wanted to work on potty training him right away. Seeing how I had no clue as of how to begin I decided since she was interested in working with me, I was super excited. She basically told me, when you potty train, make sure to take sippy cups away also. If they carry around a sippy cup they are more likely to have accidents. So to make it short and simple, here is what we did. No more diapers, pull ups, no matter what. Not even at night time, (that will only confuse them!) During the day for the first 3 weeks have them in pants that are easy to come on and off, no zippers, buttons or snaps! Start every morning when they wake up making them sit on the potty for "potty time." Read them a short book and then when/if they go, do a little cheer and potty dance! During the day for the first few weeks make them what they normally drink however put it in a spot where they have to ask you for it. That way you can monitor how much they drink and they won't just do it out of habit. Every 2 hours or so have a 10 minute potty break. If you leave the house, make sure they go or at least try before you leave, no drinks in the car. If they normally go "#2" around the same time everyday, make sure to have a potty break around that time too! Night time, if they normally have sometime to drink when they go to bed, try something new, give them a LITTLE drink (a few swallows) before bed and read them a story, make sure to have potty break before you lay them down. Put plastic underwear on over regular underwear/panties (you can find at walmart in infant section). Should be fine through night after just a couple days if not the first! As soon as they wake up, potty break and start over!!! Sorry this is so long... hope it helps! It worked for us!

Hi S.,

If your niece is 4 years old and not using the potty I would discuss this with the child's pediatrician. If she holds on for 4 or 5 hours it sounds like she is physically matured, perhaps there is a psychological reason (fear, stress, attention, etc) that needs to be addressed.

In addition to looking at more serious causes this is something that the child might find motivating, (our 26 month old trained herself to this, she loved it so much) and something I learned through reading up on Maria Montessori teaching methods. Teach handwashing in conjunction with potty training by setting up a small table (about waist-height to the child) with a bowl, and pitcher with water (I use stainless steel). Provide either a small bar of soap (hotel sizes are great for small hands) or a plastic pump handsoap bottle. Hang a small mirror above the table at her height so she can see herself. A small towel bar and shelf add delightfully to this miniature set up, (I found wooden ones at local hobby stores). Let her brush her teeth in front of her own table and mirror, provide her with her own little chapstick with her name on it. Let her feel special - and grown up.

I prefer to avoid bribing - it may work for the moment, but it teaches the child that he or she can demand a reward for anything you want them to do and that can become a viscious cycle with the child controlling you. It is healthier to let them experience the pride of simple self accomplishment.

The best to you, her parents and your little one.

~G.

My son is going to be 4 shortly and is just now pooping in the potty. Peeing wasn't a problem but he refused to poop so I resorted to good old fashioned bribery. I made a chart and posted it on the bathroom wall. After two weeks of consistently pooping, with reminding of course, he was rewarded with opening a Thomas toy he received for Christmas. Two weeks after that he was rewarded with a Webkinz toy he wanted. Now, one month later, we have had no accidents and he is fully trained.

Our next problem is his freaking out with tub baths. The chart/reward system worked so well with potty training that I am planning to use it for tub baths also. Hope this helps.

Wow ... we're approaching this soon, too, and I've been thinking about it myself. I think it's best to remain positive. Too much negative attention could make the whole potty training thing a negative event and make it worse.

I agree with a sticker chart or some way of charting her progress. She should have small goals and some kind of non-food reward when she reaches them (maybe an extra book at night or getting to watch a special movie). We have an Elmo DVD all about potty training and there's also a book that we're using called "No More Diapers for Ducky" if she likes reading. We've even done the pee pee dance every time he's gone to the potty on the toilet. Has your niece been allowed to choose her own potty? If she's a "princess" type this might help. :-)

I plan on working more on it this summer with my son when he's 2 1/2. I plan to roll up the rugs and take the diaper off all day for a few days until he gets the hang of it. I think if he sees what's happening when he feeling starts coming on, he'll connect the two.

If you have any great ideas I'd love to hear about them!

What we did for my son when he was 2 was to buy him a potty just like the one he was introduced to at the playgroup/sitter he occasionally went to. It was a plain Graco soft seat potty. I didn't want him to have one that made noise that he might be scared of. We used a reward system with stickers for peeing and M&Ms candy for pooping. You have to be consistent with it and tell them how proud you are of them when they do it in the potty. Also, tell them you will sit in there with them and possibly read a book to them. Tell them it's not scary and that all their friends do this. I read that at age 3, kids are always looking for parental approval and helping out. My son is 3 and we are still working with him with pooping in the potty, but he consistently pees in the potty all the time. We travel often to visit family and in the beginning of the training those were the times of relapses and setbacks, but you have to be consistent with it. My pediatrician said she's not worried that my son isn't pooping in the potty yet because boys often are potty trained later. She also said don't punish them for not doing it because it can make them scared and hold it and become constipated or get urinary tract infections. Good luck with it. I hope this helps. Happy Valentine's Day!

I thought my daughter would never get potty trained!

She would run around the house without a diaper on and when she needed to go to the bathroom, lay on the floor and put a diaper on!

Nothing we did worked!

What did I learn? It's not going to happen until the child wants it to happen. It's one of the first things that a child can has total control over & they know it!

Eventually I put her in mom's day out program. She was the last kid to be potty trained! Peer pressure finally worked! When she finally figured out she was the only kid not in "big kid pants" she finally asked for them!

best advice is the throw away all diapers and pull ups. Put her in underwear and don't give in. If she goes potty, make a huge deal out of it.

Hi S.,

I have to agree with Bobbie, throw away all diapers, put her in underwear everyday, use a rewards system, like everytime she goes, she gets to put a sticker on her potty so that she can see how many times she's accomplished using the potty (that's what I did) and like Bobbie said, make a huge deal out of it when she does go. My husband and I would do this really goofy "pee pee in the potty" song and dance that would make my daughter crack up laughing. Sometime I think she went just to see us look as foolish as we did because she got such kick out of it! But seriously, at her age, toss all diapers and say, here's the deal, use the potty or deal with the accidents. It's not going to be fun but I bet it will be QUICK!!

Truly Best of luck to your sister!

BTW, my daughter practically potty trained herself, she just decided one day she didn't want to wear diaper anymore, so having a 10 month old, don't let it scare you for one second. I was scared to death of how in the world I was going to get my daughter potty trained because I had heard the way you are "supposed" to do it is keep them in the house for about three days (sometimes preferably when they're sick) and then put them on the potty whether they have to go or not every 20 MINUTES!!!! I thought NO WAY am I going to be able to do that!! Well, I didn't have to, every child is different, and no one goes to college in diapers, so don't worry about it!

Take care,

S.

I tried everything for about 2 years with my son, but the reality was, he did it when he was ready. One thing that I think got him interested was knowing someone older then him, that he looked up to, did it. So we would talk about it a lot. Just be patient and don't pull all of your hair out yet :) Good luck!!!