Question on Potty Training

J.,
You have already started. That's basically all you can is tell her this is where you potty and you sit her on it as often as you can. You try to get her to stay there for as long as she can w/o her getting frustrated. And when she goes, make a big deal out of it. You're off to a great start.

My son is 26 months old and well on his way to be potty trained. What worked for us is we had naked time everynight after bath were he would run around naked and I would tell him don't pee-pee or poo-poo on the floor we only do that in the potty. Then when I thought he was ready I let him run around the house naked leaving his potty in the living room where he ould get to it fast and i kept reminding him no pee-pee or poo-poo on the floor. After he use the bathroom (pee-pee) we did a potty dance and I gave him an M&M as a reward. After he went poo-poo in the potty he got a balloon which is his favorite thing. After doing the naked thing for a week at home I put him in big boy underware, no pull-up they are too much like diaper. The only time we have accidents are if he is outside playing and just don't want to come in. I still use a diaper at bedtime but not nap time. Just a note that 1st week it is best if you can stay at home because they will pee-pee a-lot, usually little dribbles at a time but within the next couple week they leave to hold it longer and longer. I hope this helps, feel free to contact me if you want to.

Several years ago I read a book (after all mine were trained!) that suggested taking 2-3 days and giving your child all the fluids they can hold in the form of juices, kool-aid, popsicles, etc. and have the potty handy whether it's in the dining room or wherever your child can get to it quickly. That way they will recognize the urge to void over and over in that 2-3 day period with you giving lots of positive reinforcement. You also use whatever catch phrase you're going to use for them whether it's "use the bathroom" or "pee-pee". With my children I preferred "use the bathroom" as it's more socially correct in public settings. A friend of mine used this technique and it worked extremely well.

My son would not use a potty chair. I bought a seat that fit onto the toilet. He liked that idea much better. Training him to pee was a breeze. He was 3 by the time he was fully trained.
when she does go you can reward her with words hugs and an m&m don't hurt either!
Good luck!!

J.,
We started working on potty training my daughter when she was about 30 months old. If I could catch her before she went and get her on the potty, she would go, but if not, she would treat her pull-up as a diaper and think nothing of it. The Cool Alert pull-ups had no affect on her at all. She just wasn't realizing when she went. She would also get frustrated and cry when I would put her on the potty. So when she was 32 months old, which was about 3 weeks ago, I put regular "big girl" panties on her and a tee shirt and told her that if she needed to go pee-pee or poo-poo that she has to do it in the potty, which became my every half hour reminder. That day I had to clean urine up out of our floor I don't know how many times, but by the end of that day she was realizing when she had to go and was trying to make it to her potty. I stopped putting panties on her and let her go bare bottomed. The second day I only had to clean urine from the floor 3 times. The third day, none. I let her go bare bottomed for about a week and a half, then put panties back on her. She has had a couple of accidents where she was playing and wasn't paying attention and didn't quite make it, which is absolutely to be expected. And for the past few days I haven't had to go with her to the bathroom when she urinates because she is able to do it all, including wiping herself and washing her hands. Now, we are still having some trouble with going number 2. Sometimes she will go to the potty, but most of the time she will hide and go in her panties. I told her that when she poo-poos in her panties that we have to throw them in the trash and the trash truck will take them away and she can't wear them anymore, which she didn't like at all. I wouldn't have went there at all if she didn't realize when she had to go and just had an accident, but when she runs all the way back to her bedroom and hides instead of going to the bathroom which is closer, she knows when she had to go and that's when they are thrown away. I've had to throw away 2 pairs of panties and that's all! My problem is that now she waits until nap time or bed time to go #2. We still use pull-ups at those times especially at night time. I am going to start giving her a balloon when she goes #2 in the potty and hopefully that will work.

So long story short: we had her go bare bottomed so she realized when she is going, then introduced panties. Also, make sure they are big enough on her so she can get them up and down easily. My half hour reminder has turned into a kind of game. I say "If you need to go pee pee or poo poo, where do you go?" and she'll say "In the potty!" and throw her hands up in a ta-daaa pose! it is very cute!

I hope this is helpful. Good Luck!

with my oldest som i just took him to the potty about 10 minutes after he eats or drinks or anytime we are leaving to go some where. i big thing was i quit buying pull-ups. he was getting used to the fact that he could just go in them... after a couple of times going in his underwear he started learning. he pick it up pretty quickly you have to be firm, not scary and consistent...
as for life changing. i feel you. i just relocated recently here for my husbands new job. although this is the 2nd time we've relocated. the frist time was from indiana to Dallas/ft worth and now from DFW to Byram. i went from working full time to staying to home with my oldest son. it was extremely hard at first. the second move was better, my husband and i lived apart for 4 months. i stayed in texas, trying to sell the home and he here in mississippi working...my advice seek the lord find a church and exercise...

If you can go back to the Mamasource archives if there is such a thing, there were some great tips on the April 15, 2008 post. One source mention a book "Potty Training in One Day". It shocked me, I certainly wasn't that good when I little ones but when I went on line to see about it there were several one day titles. I might just get it (I am a grandmother) just to see what it says. I can't remember if 22 months is to early or not but for girls about 2 years seems right and she is not far from that. The main thing is no stress for her or you. It will happen. Good luck.

My daughter was about 2 1/2 before she started potty training though we had a potty chair for about a year before that and we would sit her on it when I was in the bathroom. She actually never used the potty chair but it also attatched to the potty and she liked that. We used a reward system. She got a small toy for a certain number of stickers she got on her chart. I gave her one sticker for pee pee and two for the other. We started out only having to have four or five stickers to get a toy and moved it up till she was fully trained. This worked really well. The toys came from the dollar tree so it wasn't a huge investment. After that I just asked her a lot if she needed to potty and would put her on the potty several times throughout the day but not at any time intervals. She eventually got the hang of it because I told her if she didn't use her pullups for a couple of weeks she could have her fave princess ariel panties. Now at 3 1/2 she is fully potty trained even at night b ecause she does not want to wear pull ups like a baby anymore. I say don't stress about it. Let them show interest in it and it be their idea...its much easier that way.

Hey J.! Congrats on the move! You must be excited to be with your hubby, I bet the girls are glad too! You know, I would wait til you get all settled in and she is comfortable in the new place. Sometimes changes can be a set back, so it is good that you have not started yet. I would wait then once things settle down then have her sit on the potty with out the diaper on. I just stared doing it when I go. Talk to her about being a big girl and using the potty and then start taking her like every 20 mins. Alot of people use a reward system. That is a great way to motivate! Talk with her about being a big girl. That is a place to start. BUT be consistant!!!! IF you start don't go backwards! You have to be ready to go with it. I started with pullups til he understood what I was wanting adn then put her in underwear! She will not like being wet if she is ready! I am NOT A PRO! But let us know how it goes!

22 months is rather young to start potty training. Sometimes I think we moms are just so ready to get them out of diapers we tell ourselves our babies are ready :-). Your little one should be able to articulate somewhat as to her needing to use the potty. I wouldn't worry too much about it. 2 1/2 to 3 is a more usual age for starting this - I waited until then for all mine and they trained within 6 weeks. Good luck.

J.,

First every child has their own time frame for milestones. I have four kids my oldest potty trained right at 2 next was just before the age of 2. my last two were not ready till about 28 months. But then they trained super easy and super fast. I just potty trained my youngest(she is very sure of her own self!) who turned two in january. I waited till she started telling me when she had gone potty in her diaper. Than I set the timer on my microwave for every 10 min. I know it might seem like a lot, but it works. Every time the timer went off we would spend a few min. on the potty. Most times nothing happens but you will catch it every so often. And once she makes the conection its all down hill from there. In four days she has not had an accident, or wet the bed at night. I still put pull ups on her just incase. This also worked for my son who is 3 1/2 now. And he has had no problems. Just remember to start when your child is ready not when you are ready. And to stay layed back about it. If you start stressing over it she will feel the pressure and not want to use the potty.

Hope this Helps
P.
Slumber parties by P.
____@____.com

I might wait until your baby is a little older also. But when you're ready, I can tell you what worked for me. I must start with giving proper credit. This idea is from my mom.

When I was ready to help my son learn how to use the potty, I bit the bullet and changed to regular underwear. Whenever he was home, he ran bare to the breeze. He never peed on the floor or anywhere. He pooped in his pants twice, while in his crib getting ready for a nap. He never did it again.

We did have a few peeing accidents once I thought he was trained. I found that offering reminders was enough to get us through that.

So, while we hate to admit our mothers were right, in this case, mine was. Jack was potty trained in about two weeks.

You potty train with patience, and love.

Go to Toys R Us they have potty training videos, and potty training books.

Also, put her in pull ups and two piece outfits that make it easy to get her pants down.

With my boys, I would pour a little warm water on there peepee and this would usually get them to going. Then we would do what I called a peepee dance and clap and say yeah.

There will be lots of accidents along the way, but she will get it eventually.

Good luck, and once you have this one trained the second child will be easier.

Hey J.! It doesn't sound strange at all. Lots of moms have no clue as to how to begin potty training. It's most commendable of you to ask for assistance. My babies were potty-training at early ages of 9 mths and 10 mths, which happened to be when they were off of their bottles, walking, and learning to speak. EAch one completed his/her course prior to turning one yr old! They've always been ahead of themselves in everything, which can be both blessing and torture for me as the mom! lol...
Ok so you have already begun by having her sit on the potty when you go into the bthrm. Now you remove diapers. Do not switch back and forth from training panties in the daytime, to diapers in the night. That is confusing for little minds! It's training panties all the time from here on out! Use plastic panties over the trainers for nighttime or a plastic sheet cover under the bedsheet, for mattress protection purposes. The child will become wet during the night at times and that's ok. Second step is to take her into the bthrm several times a day. And ask often are you wet or are you dry? Demonstrate which is wet and which is dry by having her feel her panties. IF she is dry, say something like, "Oh my goodness you are DRY! What a big girl you are. YOU are DRY!" Emphasis on dry...Then take her into the potty to sit for some minutes asking if she needs to make pee-pee. It may take time for something to trickle out. Regardless if it's one drop or alot, praise praise praise! Clap hands, congratulate, reward with hugs and kisses. Wipe with tissue, empty potty into big potty Together, then wash hands together! All of this is reinforcing the procedure to follow for being a big girl. Talk as you work together, reminding her she was a big girl for making her peepee in the potty.

Bring books into the bthrm and leave them there to be used while she sits and waits for peepee to arrive! My kids were so advanced, by the grace of GOD, I had to have books and some small toys in the bthrm. WE learned the animal names and sounds they make reading the same book over and over again. WE also learned to open and close the barrel that contained the smaller barrel, that contained the smaller barrel and so on down to the tiny monkey in the smallest barrel. That was a twist on, twist off lesson. It was fun, challenging, and kept the mind occupied so the peepee would flow without effort. Time flies when you're having fun while you wait for the peepee. WE said good bye to the peepee as we flushed it also. It was a fun experience everytime.

When you discover them wet, do not fuss to humilate! Simply ask are you wet or are you dry? Make her touch her panties and tell you Wet or Dry. Then say, "Oh my you are wet. Feel these panties. They are wet with peepee. The peepee must go in the potty like a big girl, not in your pretty big-girl panties. Now let's change into some dry panties and go to the potty."
Never assume just because the panties were found wet there is no more peepee to follow for awhile. Chances are she found herself unable to hold all of it so she wet her panties. THERe is always a trickle more to come into the potty. Just take her there and be patient. If too much time seems to have passed and NOTHING, then leave the bthrm, but return shortly thereafter. Making regular trips and small intervals of time throughout the day will ensure rapid training success!

A child this age should be in bed for the night by no later than 8 p.m. So I strongly suggest she not have anything to drink beyond 7:00 - 7:30 pm and is brought to the potty no less than 3 times between the hours of 7 and 8 p.m. before being placed in her bed for the night. That will help to ensure a dry mattress in the morning! Remember to praise the dry panties you may find in the morning. Praise the dry panties whenever you find them dry! I've potty trained not only my 3 now grown children, but also my two cousins daughters! They call me the PottyTraining Queen for my successses! I have also been a preschool teacher of 3 yr olds in a school for gifted and talented children. And I was teacher of 2 yr olds in another preschool when my babies were preschool ages. I've had lots of experience with babies and often times wish I could have more babies. I love them so much! Mine are ages 25, 27 and 32 yrs old.

GOOD LUCK! If you need help throughout the process feel free to contact me directly. ____@____.com take care and GOD BLESS YOU and the fmly!

With our girls, now 25 yrs old and 21 yrs. old, it was a little easier than our son, now 14. Both of the girls enjoyed having books read to them. I would set a timer in order to get me on a schedule as to when I thought they would need to go to the bathroom. If they were still dry, the timer method worked. Once she sat on the potty, I would read a book. Sometimes we would be in 'there' for a while.

Another method is just carrying on a conversation with them...anything they wanted to jabber about...if it is their idea being discussed, let them have your full attention.

I didn't use 'Pull Ups' when our girls were young. We used the terry cloth pants with the plastic pants that went over them. The Pull Ups are a good thing, but the terry pants held the wetness to them, which they didn't like!

Good Luck...before you know it, the child will be going to potty without you even having to ask.

Summer is the perfect time to potty train! Get a few books (my daughter's favorite was "Bye Bye Diapers") to introduce the concept. Since you're home, spend a lot of time outside playing with fun summer toys (bubbles, sidewalk chalk, etc.), and let her go naked from the waist down. When she starts to urinate, say something like, "Oh, it's time to go potty," and rush her to the bathroom to finish. After a few times, she'll get the big picture and learn to associate the sensation of having to go with the action itself. Also, take her shopping and pick out some "big girl panties". Praise her for being old enough to wear them, and tell her that now her "tinkles" (or whatever name you use) belong in the potty and not in her panties. My daughter would have done anything not to "tinkle on Barney" and get her big-girl panties wet. If she has an accident, say something like, "Oops. Next time you'll make it to the potty, right?" and don't punish or belittle her if she has an accident. Daughter Katie was completely potty trained at 26 months - would go by herself to the bathroom without asking for help. She's now a well-adjusted teenager. Don't listen to others tell you when your child "should" be ready - listen to your daughter. Good luck!

Hi J.,

I had to potty train my son who has autistic tendencies many years ago. I put him on the potty every hour to get him familiar with it. He eventually started going on his own. It can be frustrating, but your efforts will pay off.

K. C.
http://www.Health4URFamily.com

My first daughter potty trained at 15 mos. and my second at 27 mos., so there is no set age that is too early to potty train. You know if your child is ready! If she is, then I think my best advice to give you is to completely forget Pull-Ups because most kids just treat them like a diaper. Pick a weekend that you will be home at least one whole day and put her in "big girl panties" and tell her she can't potty in her panties because that is what babies do, or whatever positive encouragement you want to say to her. Take her to the potty often to encourage her to use it, but expect to still have many accidents the first day...she will be realizing what it feels like to wet all over herself and she'll start to associate it with the urge to go that preceeds it. You may have to clean urine off the floor 50 times, but by the end of the day she should be getting the hang of it. Be sure to explain to her every time she wets herself that this is pee-pee (or whatever word you want to use) and big girls pee-pee in the potty, not in their pants.