Potty Training Difficulties

that is the first step to potty training.

take her every 20 min or so use a timer for her pee pee timer. We did this for a few days and my son just turned two has almost no accidents. It takes time, don't rush her.

I wouldn't use pullup though unless it is for sleeping times. They slow things down.

Hi E.- I’m a mom of 3. Potty training has become my expertise b/c I managed to train all my kids before 2 and my friends all thought I knew a trick. The trick is- you have to take your child to the potty about every hour when you are potty training and sit her on the potty, reward her (we used little jelly beans) and make a big deal when she goes (jump up and down, call grandma etc). Even if she does not go, praise her. I worked with neurologists (in my profession) who shared with me that children's pathways to their bowels are fully developed by the time they are 2- so they know that feeling its just a matter of training them to act on it. The diaper industry on the other hand would like to keep you as a customer for 3 or 4 years not just 2- so the overwhelming message we get is it’s OK to keep kids in diapers longer in this country. But it is not better to keep kids in diapers longer; in fact it may prove to be harder to un-train kids from using their diaper. So, don’t wait, it not only can be done it is not as hard as you think. Don’t give up, don’t go back. Expect accidents, for the first year, and prevent them by bringing your child to the potty frequently. You can do it. Remember you are not only are helping your child master another skill, you are saving the planet by reducing your diapers, saving your family money, and making your life so much nicer!!

Hi E.,
Change over to just panties. At night time put the pullup on over the panties. This will give her the feeling, but not get stuff all over your beds. Basically you've done everything right, except set a time table. You will need to take her into the bathroom every 30m or so. When she is playing, make her take a break and go into the bathroom to try and go. Kids tend to get caught up in playing and such. They don't want to miss something while they are going potty. You can also try a reward. If she is accident free for a week, then she can have $5.00 to buy a toy at the store.
Good luck
M.

Instead of letting her run around in panties let her run around naked. That's what we had to do with our son because he treated everything like it was a diaper. When he was naked it was so much easier, I had him naked all the time and when we went our he wore underwear but had an accident every time. Finally after a few months of nakedness he started to do really well with letting us know even when we are out. Girls are supposed to be easier to train though, so maybe she will learn quickly. Also I found that pull ups are the same to my son as a diaper he uses them at night but before he was trained during the day he treated them like a diaper.

Try a phrase for her to say. I told my son if he felt like he was going to go, we had to RUN TO THE POTTY and would practice running around like crazy. One day he peed on the carpet and said the phrase at the same time and it was a huge breakthrough for him. We just potty trained over the last week and he's only told us two or three times that he has to go, I take him the rest of the time. It's a skill...at first he couldn't go when we sat there, but after two or three days, he could go on command. It took me having no plans for a week and stickers and little wrapped toys which he held while on the potty while I read a book, that's how I kept him there long enough to go in the beginning. He got the potty prize for sitting through a book weather he went or not. The prizes naturally subside after a week because he's proud of being a big boy and gets up and runs to do something else instead of hanging out in the bathroom. I agree with the previous note about being able to do it young...my son is 26 months. Good luck! Oh - I also gave him more freedom while training him so that we could talk about him being a big boy and it wasn't just going on the potty. He gets to walk at Target instead of ride in the card, decide which books to take back to the library, etc. Also, before I started we had a Sit on the Toilet Journey (he loves Thomas) and he sat on the potty at Target and the Library so he got used to sitting on toilets with no pressure to go. He's now gone on the potty at Target and other places and I was glad he got used to the concept beforehand.

She just needs to understand the "feeling" of having to do. And Mom and Dad have to learn her little "potty dance" that she will most likely do when she has to go so that you can get here there on time. For now, just put her on the potty often -- between every 30 - 60 minutes. We used a sticker chart for #1. My kids got to pick out their favorite stickers and put them on the chart for each time they went. For #2 they got some treat - like M&M's or jelly beans. After a successful week - they would get a small toy or something special (like a movie). Also, since #2 was much more traumatic for my kids - we had a "Poopy Party" at Chuck E Cheese. We celebrated the success and they were so proud that they kept doing it. I'm having a harder time nighttime training them, but that will come. Just be consistent with her. Never scold for accidents. Let her come to the potty with you as often as you can. When she is ready - she'll do it. Don't force it on her too much. If you make it a chore instead of something "fun" - she will rebel against it. Good luck and have fun!