Potty Training a 2.5 Y/o Boy

My son is 2 years and 8 months and he just go tthe hang of going to the bathroom like a big boy! i tried when he was a little under 2 and a hlaf years and it just wasnt clicking. he didint care if he had amessy diaper, and honestly, i think it is the diaper. he is in a daycare where he cant progress up to the preschool class if he isnt potty trained and they gave us some excellent advice. Before sticking him in big boy underwear, i bought the plastic underwear; where it is padded underwear and a waterproof pant all in one. and then some padded training underwear. i started training him on the weekend and put them on and told him he had to start going in the big boy potty. he was pretty blaissez about it, but that changed when he realized he couldnt pee in them like a diaper! he peeed and a little bit went on my kitchen floor. he was a little upset and i told him he had to go upstairs and change himself. You will probably find that your son wont like the uncomfortable feeling or having to touch it himself. I agree with the waiting a couple minutes until they are uncomfortable. its a reminder for next time. i took him upstairs and he tried and tried to get me to change his underwear for him. i kept telling him he was a big boy and if he was going to pee in his pant then he had to change it. he only had one more accident and he is potty trained! he still wears diapers to bed, but he wakes up once a night to go use the potty and his diapers are completely dry every morning. now, number twos are littl emore difficult because he waits until he is saying that his booty hurts to go in the toilet! for some reason, he doesnt like it! but ive noticed his cues, he grabs his crotch or his butt, like a typical boy! you can also try letting him potty with you. mine likes to flush the toilet, and he always has to "see" what mommy did. might sound a little gross, but this is all a learning experience for them. You can do games, like see who is going to finish first, and rewards. i didnt have to use that system, which i am glad or i would have a house full of matchbox cars! GOOD LUCK!!

Hi,

The most effective way is to completely take the diapers off, and no pull-ups thoughout the day (at night yu can until he master's the day). It's a lot of work and messy. Take him to the potty every 1/2 hour to 1 hour within 3-4 days he will start telling you when he needs to go. Some take a bit longer for #2 like my son, but I never gave up to putting on a diaper or pull-up. You will need to keep him home that whole week. Good luck.

Try making a game out of it such as dunking cheerios. Put 3 - 5 cheerios in the toilet and have him dunk um. This will work very well if his father teaches him the game.

I trained my nephew this way when he was 20 months old in one weekend. My husband showed him how to play the game. I remember how much fun he had playing the dunking game. I kept giving him water so that he could play this game continuously. By the time he grew tired of the game he was potty trained.

I hope this works for you. Good luck!

I used to use a timer with my younger son, to remember to have him go try. Maybe you can get a small alarm clock and set it for every 20 or 30 minutes. With my son, he learned to hear it and go without me saying anything.

Funny word of caution though: Do NOT use a microwave timer. I had tried that. Then, one night I was making a large dinner and couldn't figure out why my son was running up and down the hall so much. That sweet little guy tried to go to the bathroom when the water boiled, when the peas were done... ;-) you get the idea.

But, I also offer this: I know I'd like to see my (now 16 mo old) daughter potty trained before my 4th child is born in June. But, as much as we're all tired of changing the 'big & *stinky*' diapers- don't put too much pressure on yourself or your son. You have alot to keep up with right now & each child progresses differently. My older son was trained ON his 2nd B-day! My younger son wasn't trained until he was around 4!!

I believe you are already doing a fine job. Sometimes, however, you may just have to wait until it really "clicks"
in your son to say he need to visit the potty. Don't be discouraged. Many others have had the same journey. Be patient. God bless you and your family.
B. W.

My son went through the same thing. He just didn't care. He was good and excited at first, but we had some bad experiences in public bathrooms and he stopped trying and caring. The daycare finally suggested moving him to real underware. We went to the store and we picked them out together. We picked out cool ones. I bought a ton of the same kind. I didn't want a fight over which ones he would wear ... ' No I want the Wiggles today, not Thomas!'.

That did the trick. I picked a long weekend, stocked up on food and such so that I wouldn't need to go anywhere. By the end of the second day, he had the pee part down. The other piece took a bit longer, but at least he was trying. When he did mess, I tried not to freak out, and I didn't run to change him. I waited about 5 minutes until he got really uncomfortable. Even if he whinned to be changed. I would just tell him that if he had gone in the potty that he wouldn't be uncomfortable. I also had to keep reminding him. Almost like 'playtime intermissions'. Lets take a break, do you need to go?

I also gave him and incentive. Every day he went without an accident, he got a sticker on the calendar. 7 stickers and he got to go to the toy store.

Hope this helps.