So my daycare tells me my son's diaper is dry for extended periods of time. they think he's ready for potty training.
I've had my son peeing in the toilet before bathtime since before he was 2. He's 2yrs and 2months now.
I know he won't do this unless he wants to do it. So, I how do I help him to decide he wants to use the potty like the big boys.
Note there are 8month old twins at home too, so sometimes I think he continues with diapers just for the attention?
Or maybe I am just supposed to wait until he tells me when he is about to poop or pee... he doesn't do that, but he does seem to step into another room when he pees or poops in his diaper. Maybe I need some incentives?
Thank you for all the great tips on potty training my 2yr old son. After all the great suggestions, I'm now giving him "Thomas the train" stickers as a reward, when he pees in the potty...So far, if I tell him it's time to go use the potty, he's sort-of agreeable and pees in it. (he was doing this at 18months, but recently says NO to any potty visits). I am quite happy with the results so far...It's only been a few days, BUT All this praise from mom and dad, plus a few stickers, is definitely getting a different reaction out of him. Apparently, he's decided to stick the stickers to the toilet tank, with a big grin.
I'll give another update soon. I want to pull one of those "potty training in a day" efforts, as suggested by many. So, I will keep up the praise and stickers, then plan the big training day soon.
Thank you all... what a nice group of moms.
When I potty trained my son I had a calendar taped to the wall with a box full of stickers. Everytime he went he got a sticker for that day. I also made a game out of it by throwing cherrios in the toilet and having him aim for them. It won't clog the toilet - I only used a few at a time. He enjoyed that game although it sometimes got messy when he missed! Hope that helps.
Hi M.,
I just read something about potting training in a day. I know all children are different. But,this is what I read. They say load up on salty snacks and juices. Give it to them for one day. In that day they will have to pee a lot. So you have to put aside a day to do this. It will be all day. They say it works. Mostly from 2 1/2 years old. Some say they it sooner. They recommend 2 yrs. 6 months. Good Luck! :)
Set a timer and take him to the toilet every hour. Have him sit for about 5 minutes and then let him up. Since he already knows how to go in the toilet he should have the concept. Its hard for them to tell you at this age. By the time they realize they have to go its too late. I would also buy training pant and let him run around in them, so he feels the pee. Pull-ups are a waste, kids think of them as diapers.
Hi M.,
I agree with Nan, take him regularly during the day. Don't ask if he has to or wants to. Don't wait for him to say he has to go, I made this mistake with my first kid when I didn't know that saying she had to was a LATE step in the process rather than the first stop
Also, if you use cloth diapers or training pants, it helps him to learn what happens when you pee - you get very wet, and how it feels just before that.
Be patient, boys notoriously train later than girls usually around the 3 year mark. Try rewarding the good tries and ignoring the misses and lots of luck with it.
I bought the book, "Toilet Training In Less Than A Day" by Dr. Azrin and Dr. Fox...I wish I had known about it with my oldest! It totally worked...my daughter was trained in less than 2 hours! She is 27 months old and I trained her last month. If you have a few hours that you can get someone to watch the twins so it's just you, him, and a doll, potty, drinks and snacks, you should be able to do it. She is now doing it ALL herself, including discarding into the big toilet. Two nights ago she stayed dry all night. I would highly recommend this book! Good luck!
M.,
Just sit him down, and have a chat with him about what goes where, how it happens, what older children do and where and how they do it, give him a thought on what cues to look for when he goes in his diaper to help him connect his feeling to where he needs to go.
You obviously won't have this conversation just once, so maybe make a list of what you want to cover so you don't forget each time. Make a check list and you can go over it with him if you think he might connect with that.
It's not treating him like a small adult, it's treating him like a like a person who is learning something new, which he is.
Most people don't know, use or just forget the piece of research that shoes MOST people, when learning something new, need to hear it 47 times before they remember it. Habits need to happen regularly for 21 days consecutively for them to take and last for a long time.
He'll get it. He might get it on the first try. Just talk to him.
Good luck,
M.
If he's having success before baths, perhaps try introducing one more time during the day. Maybe before his nap or right after lunch or something you try everyday. It will become part of his routine.
My daughter started potty training prior to 2, also. She's almost 25 months now and goes on the potty whenever we're home. We put her back in diapers when we go out or for bed or nap times.
We reward with chocolate milk or sugar-free jello. I hear stickers or M&M's work well :)
We keep a kiddie potty in our living room and one in our basement (our two playing areas), and she just stops playing, runs over and goes, and goes back to playing. We're hoping to have her day trained by September, when my hubby and I go back to work.
We just offered the potty every once and while, and she would sit on it and never go. Finally she just started going. I tried the 'once every...' 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, etc. but she doesn't need to go nearly as often as I thought.
Have patience! And good luck!
Here's what I did with my boy when he was little:
1. Explained what a "poopoo belly" feels like, so he knows when he has to go.
2. Not only tell him "it's what big boys and adults do," but also let him see Daddy go potty.
3. Let him pick out regular boy's underwear to wear when he keeps completely dry. (Big incentive, especially if they have their favorite cartoon character on it.)
4. Gave out gummy sharks only for "deposits" in the potty. 1 shark = pee and 2 sharks = poop.
5. We were completely done in 1-2 weeks, including night time.
This is one thing that was easy with my boy...as soon as I took him to the store and let him pick out his own big boy underwear he wore them regularly without incident...I wish you the same!
I ended up getting one of those 3 day programs. This one in particular http://1bfb477wk54cfw3dzw-e4edk25.hop.clickbank.net/ It was amazing not only did we have a potty trained toddler withing a few days but this program has a "bumps in the road" section with all sorts of great help and advice like night training, stubborness, outings, travel, fears, and a bunch more. Basically anything you may and and will come across during potty training. Highly recommend it, I got other programs they don't even compare this one.
