Potty Training & Activities for Week Off

Hi
The only thing that worked for my daughter was a tape called "Once Upon A Potty". They have a different version for both boys and girls; we had it for the vcr but I would think that you could find it on disc now... :)
Hope this helps

I have heard of this approach. I was told that potty training could be done in one day. I have not tried it myself. I started potty training for my son several months before I heard of this method. My way is taking a little while.
Lots of salty snacks and sweets, child will drink a lot of liquids. Just make sure you put him on a potty every two hours. As he seats on a toilet, read him book, show him pictures.
Hope it works for you. Let me know if you try it.

Just because he is talking and knows what he is doing doesn't mean he is READY for potty training. My son is really smart too and knows exactly what he is doing, but he just isn't interested in the toilet. He has been going on the potty for over a year now, just not consistently. My best suggestion for you is to take a basket of things into the bathroom like books, toys, etc...and let him play with them while he goes. This got my son to go more frequently. He goes every morning after he wakes up and every afternoon after nap. I am a working mom too and so is my husband, but it is just hard to get this done. Also, start with a certain time that you will do it every day and set the timer for when he has to go next. If he is screaming his head off and not wanting to go, don't make him because it will make him hate the bathroom. I have talked with a lot of moms and teachers that I teach with that have boys, and they all said that 3 yrs is the best time, at 2 they don't care about the toilet, they are too busy playing and doing other things. Also, I have bribed my son to go by asking him if he wants a m&m, if he says yes, I tell him he has to go potty first. If he just won't go, bribe him. :) Good luck!

Firstly, don't let anyone tell you your son is too young. i have two boys, my first was trained by age 2 and my youngest was trained by 21 months. They both were fairly easy to train at this age. You know if he is ready or not so please don't listen to people who say boys train later. I will say though both my boys still have accidents at night time (and my eldest is 6 which is pretty old I know) but they have little control over their bladders at night and both are very heavy sleepers. So just don't be surprised if the nighttime dryness takes a little longer, they can be dry during the daytime even if they're having trouble with nightimes still.
Put the potty in the bathroom a few days before you start the training to get his interest a little.
The way I started was to put them on the potty as soon as they woke up. I would then put them on about once every hour. Definitely after every meal and always before a nap or before I went out anywhere with them. When they went pee or poop we would all make a huge fuss of him singing and dancing which he loved and as time went on the huge fuss was gradually toned down until it was just a case of telling him good job. Sometimes kids take a step backwards after a few days or even weeks or months and you just have to keep encouraging them until they get back on track. If you are going to do this be consistent and the training will be easier than if you keep stopping and starting or changing your method. If you are having trouble keeping him on the potty you could read to him.
With my first son I used pull ups but I now realise this prolonged the process and he would have been trained quicker without them. With my second son I only used pull ups if we went out for a longer period of time and I only used them for a couple of weeks because he really didn't have any accidents it was more for my peace of mind whilst out. My second son trained in about 3 days, having no accidents. I remember training him in the summer and taking the potty outside with us so he could just hop on it when he needed to. With my oldest I kept the potty in the lounge so he could see it but with my second son being easier to train I just had him use it in the bathroom (and in the yard)
I would say just do all the fun stuff you would usually do whilst home like playdoh, painting, baking etc. Get outside and play in the snow (just put him on the potty before he goes out).
Hope there was something helpful amongst my rambling. Good luck, it can be frustrating at times but will be fantastic when he is trained. :)

I would let your son take the lead. I had great success with my daughter telling me when she wanted to go to the potty herself. She had very few accidents and totally potty trained herself.

You didn't say which one you want to train...but I think they are both too young to even consider it. I am assuming you mean the 2 year old. From what I understand boys train later than girls. I had 3 girls and didn't start til they were 2 1/2 . Two of them took just a few days...#3 was a late bloomer at 3 1/2, :(
Just because he knows what he is doing and talks about it doesn't mean he is ready.
My first training hint was always totally dry at night, then go cold turkey...no pants, no pull-ups (they weren't invented yet) dedicated time so you can be consistent. The no pants thing worked really well. We trained in the summer and spent alot of time outside 1/2 naked. If you start too early, it will be more frustrating for both of you. I would wait til he is a little older. No rush...no worries!
I hope some moms with boys can give more advice!

Hi R.,

I think it is great that you want to spend your week off training your son, but I have to warn you: no matter what approach you take, children will train on their own timetable, not yours. So don't be too hard on yourself or them if it doesn't happen in a week. Keep your expectations real. After 3 kids that were very difficult to train, I would expect that Michelle's method would have the highest success rate. By putting them on the potty every hour, you are making it part of their routine. And they are bound to have to actually go on the potty at that rate at least once, so you can really push the praise or reward. Good luck!

Hi R.,

Just from my personal experience, I had NO luck with "aggresive training",(tried this on my first 2) however, I do believe that if your child is ready, this task can be accomplished quite easily, and in short time. No real words of wisdom, but I can tell you what worked for me with my third child. Keep in mind, my son was almost 3 when I did this.

My son had NO interest in "being a big boy",but I was more than over the whole diaper thing, so I got what I consider "a little creative". I stripped him of his diaper and let him run "butt naked", explaining to him that he couldn't pee on my couch. Now, I will tell you, that he didn't pee on my couch...he headed for the kitchen floor and let it "rip"!! Ok, not what I had in mind...but certainly what I had said. So, while cleaning up the mess, I praised him for literally doing what he was told, and then mentioned that the potty would be a better and more pleasing alternative. Next thing I know, he's in the bathroom doing what I had only hoped for. He watched me dump it, and then we washed hands.(oh yeah..the praise flew here too!!) An hour or so later, I hear the toilet flush. I went to see what was going on (figuring he had a found a new hobby) and found that he was taking care of his "mess". He washed his hands and headed back to the family room, giving me a look like "what"??? Pretty much...he was trained right there. I did diaper him for naps, trips away from home and nighttime, but with-in the week..that was all done too.

Now I know, this sounds too good to be true, but this is factual. I did use a potty chair, and kept it in the bathroom, but you may choose to use one in the room he spends the most time in. Just let him know, that he isn't wearing a diaper and he can't go just anywhere...but the potty is good. (thinking most kids shold get this....if he doesn't, don't despair, just reiterate) Mention from time to time "do you need to go...just remember, you can't pee on the couch (or whatever)".

Sounds simplistic, I know, but hey...it could just work as well for your son as it did for mine, or at least by the end of your week off. Plan on "whooping it up" everytime you son "complies". And remember, kids DO have their own time table. I obviously nailed my son's on the head (oh yay...lucky me!) But it isn't always that easy. Trust me though, as one who has done it the "hard way", while diaper-less children are wonderful...letting them do it on their terms is a whole lot easier.

If at first you don't succeed...try try again. Good advice...especially for the "potty-training mom"!

Good luck!

J.

Just an FYI....boys usually aren't physiologically able to be potty trained until they are almost 3 years old. Girls usually around 2. There are simply physical things that need to happen so I hope you don't push too much as it might get very frustrating for you son.