Potty Training Help! - Edmond, OK

C.,
I have three boys,(age 4, 2 1/2 and 16 mos) and I've been through potty training son #1 and son #2. First of all, every kid is different--I put my oldest in underwear and after a week he was fully potty trained. My second started at about 21 months (because he wanted to) and he'll still have occasional accidents. But I think that you need to put the underwear on and NOT GO BACK to the diapers or pull-ups. I also found that using a timer set every 15 minutes to remind me to take him to the potty helped a lot. We made it a game (who can make it to the potty the fastest when the timer goes off!!) Also, at first, I found that doing things like calling Daddy at work or Grandmommy and Granddaddy just to tell them that he had success worked better than the tangible rewards. It boosted his self confidence. Also, keep him off the carpet at first :) Good luck and remember that this too shall pass....

my son is the same he just turned 3 years old. i heard for boys its much later in 3 to 4. im not rushing but remind him sometimes that he need to go potty and make sure to change all the time when hes wet and make him to clean the mess but do not get too mean about it just act like its ok and he will hate to clean up after himself and will start to like dryness.

Don't go back to diapers (except for sleeping times)once you switch to underwear. That's what worked for my daughter, we also did potty charts, an M&M for going potty etc... but the thing that really did it was putting her in panties and not going back to diapers. Yes it is a lot of laundry and stinky and frustrating-but it got the job done in about a week! She's had her share of accidents at bad times and had trouble stopping play to go #2 but we've got those worked out now as well. BTW to get all the pee smell out of his clothes you can put baking soda in the wash water or soak them in water and Borax for 30 min before putting them in the washer. I'm starting to potty train my 22 month old, haven't had much success yet, but were working on it!! Good Luck!

Hi C.,
Oh, boys are so stubborn about some things - being dirty or stinky for one just doesn't seem to bother them. Very unlike little girls! My advice, get a potty chart going. Everytime he goes in the potty he gets a sticker or star or whatever. Tape the chart on the bathroom door for all to see his wonderful progress! Create a reward system, something that works for you. Example: if you get stickers for 3 days in a row, with no wet undies, you get to pick out 1 new toy or go to the ice cream store, etc..etc... I found it worked very well for both my boys. They were so motivated to get stars on their charts. I printed the potty charts off the internet, just Google: "potty charts" and lots of sites will come up with charts and certificates that you can print off on your printer for free.
Best of Luck with this!

C., I struggled with my son it seemed like forever (and he's only 3 1/2). The only thing that worked for him was when I fly up to Ohio to see my mother-in-law (who he only gets to see a few times a year) and she did all the techniques - the poster board/stickers/promise of new toy + the aim for the cheerio. Took her about a half a day and he's never looked back (now I'm just talking about #1). So if you have a family member or close friend that your son loves and doesn't see as much - see if they can wing it for you. I know this sounds absurd, but I swear it worked. I'm honestly taking a vacation soon so that she can coax him into #2 regularly.

I was a single mom when I potty trained my first son( whom is now 12). We came up with putting cheerios in the toilet and telling him to try to sink them. He absolutely loved it. Also, we kept a chart and if he did good all week, we would do something special just him and i that weekend. Worked like a charm! hope this helps. Good luck!!