How did you get your toddler to potty train?

[MamaToGoose]

My three year old has been refusing to use the potty. She use to use the potty some of the time but than we moved a few months ago and than she stopped. I haven't been pushing it but she is getting older and I think it is time. I sit her on the potty when I think she needs to go and she resists and gets very upset. I don't want her to associate the potty with getting upset, so like I said I haven't been pushing it.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[Freud]

How long was she using the potty before you moved? How long ago did you move? Moving can be a pretty big deal for little ones and you can sometime see some regression or unwillingness to learn new things.

[COgirl19]

when we moved, DD also lost total interest in the potty. We let it go until I found out I was pregnant with #2 and decided to try again. We instituted a couple of things that have helped:

1. Small rewards (i.e.-stickers, M&Ms) for each successful potty.
2. A potty chart- she get's a smiley face on her chart, for every time she reaches a star on the chart she get's a small slightly more big of a deal reward (i.e.-new coloring book, new box of crayons ect.) The chart really helps because even at 2 and a half she can also see her own progress which gives her a sense of accomplishment.

I know not everyone agrees with rewards but it has worked wonders for us. The more she has gotten used to going, she even forgets about a reward. When that happens we don't give one and just tell her Good Job! and she is satisifed with that. So don't worry about having to give treats or presents for going potty when they are 40.

[sapphire_chan]

Books about other kids using potties, when you play pretend with her and her dolls have the dolls eat stuff and have to go potty.

[JBaxter]

I gave all mine a weeks notice that the diapers would be going bye bye on "X" day. On that day we put away. We did a week of naked and we managed to "find" a diaper for night time. I approched it with them not IF but that WE were going to do this now. All mine were showing signs of knowing they were peeing. Mine raged from 25 to 30 months.

[GoBecGo]

I tried rewards, charts, no pressure, pressure, books, chats, doll demo's, constant company to the loo when I went and everything and anything else i could think of.

One day she just said she wasn't going to wear nappies anymore (i tried "we're putting them away on x-day" and she pee'd in her pants 5-6 times a day for 4 weeks before i accepted she wasn't ready) and she has been dry day and night ever since. She was showing signs of control from 26months, she was 35months when she finally ditched the dipes.

[Rowansmama]

I got this book called Potty Train your child in just one day"

http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Train-Yo.../dp/0743273133

The premise is that you spend a whole day doing a "potty party." You decorate in a theme, plan snacks and fun activities, etc. During the first part of the day, the child focuses on teaching a doll to potty. Then, during the afternoon, the child uses the potty. It seems really hokey and I was sceptical, but it seemed to work for my 2 year old. She's not fully potty trained by any means, but before we did the potty day she wasn't using the potty at all and now she does almost every time. You might want to check th ebook out from the library.

[MammaFaith]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

Books about other kids using potties, when you play pretend with her and her dolls have the dolls eat stuff and have to go potty.

Whoa. Your LO is 3 days older than my DD. Is he/she potty trained at 17 mos!?

[SweetPea&Me]

I just potty trained my DD who will be 3 in April this weekend. On Friday night the diaper fairy came and took the diapers. We put out cookies and milk along with the diapers before she went to bed. I said to her maybe she'll bring you a treat. When I was laying with her she said to me, "Mama, I hope the fairy comes to my house" It was so cute. I told her that she'll come if she thinks you are ready. Anyway, I used a reward system too. I had the diaper fairy leave a basket of small toys so that every time she used the potty she could pick one from the basket. I left her a note from the diaper fairy that was really encouraging. It was nice to be able to have it not come from me as we are in the No's right now KWIM. I put her in undies on Sat which she was one for one and then she's had 1 accident since.

[Michigan Mama]

Originally Posted by Rowansmama

I got this book called Potty Train your child in just one day"

http://www.amazon.com/Potty-Train-Yo.../dp/0743273133

The premise is that you spend a whole day doing a "potty party." You decorate in a theme, plan snacks and fun activities, etc. During the first part of the day, the child focuses on teaching a doll to potty. Then, during the afternoon, the child uses the potty. It seems really hokey and I was sceptical, but it seemed to work for my 2 year old. She's not fully potty trained by any means, but before we did the potty day she wasn't using the potty at all and now she does almost every time. You might want to check th ebook out from the library.

This is what we did - my ds1 will be 3 on Saturday. All was going really well until we all got the stomach flu...and now we're just finally starting to get back on track where he can sometimes tell us he needs to go and it doesn't take him 10 or 15 min. to go pee.

The party worked pretty nicely and it was fun to have a special day where he got lots of extra attention and loving.

[elf_babykins]

My 3 yo uses the potty consistently at home but I put her in a dipe for naps/bedtime and when we're going out. I'm not sure how to take the next step for these times when she's 'less aware'.

[Gena 22]

Is it bad to pressure your kids about the potty?

We've tried to be open and laid back about potty learning, and had some hits and misses with our twins and the potty. They know what it's for and how to use it, but just aren't very engaged. They couldn't care less about panties vs. diapers vs. voiding naked on the floor. Well, they know the last of those bothers their parents! Praise and stickers don't seem to have an effect either.

I need a new tack, and I think I'll abandon my high ideals and try giving out jellybeans.

Is it bad to talk about what "big girls" do, or say that only "babies" wear diapers during the day, etc. Now that my girls are two I'm tempted to start lines with "big girls do this," but I have a nagging suspicion that's not a good tack to take.

I'm all for child-led-weaning, but I want my twins out of diapers now! They're so close, just need a little motivation and I'm so lost. Help!

[angelachristin]

my advice is WAIT until they are ready.

I tried with my son at 2 yo. He wanted NO part of it. He would scream if you even SUGGESTED the potty. Yet, he wanted to watch "Elmo's Potty Time" over and over; however, if you said "Want to try that?" He was like NO WAY. Others (like DH and MIL) wanted to press the issue with him but I said no...leave him alone. He will do it when he is ready.

About a week after he turned 3, he said to DH out of the blue, "Can I go peepee in the potty and wear big kid underwear?" and that was it. THAT WAS ALL, PEOPLE! He's been 100% potty trained ever since. NO accidents except one time when I think a fart gave him a bit more than he bargained for...LOL...but other than that...he's 100%. He wears regular underwear, not pullups. He is fine all night long, still cosleeps so believe me, I trust him big time! Fine when out and about. I never even have to remind him to go, he just goes when he's gotta, the only times I request that he tries to go are before leaving the house (although sometimes I forget and he's never ever had an accident) and before bedtime. It was SO EASY...all because he was ready.

[JBaxter]

I do give mine a push. 2 1/2 is my limit I know not everyone agrees with my philosophy but it works for my guys. My boys have all be developmentally typical and have not had issue with our week of naked ( kind of potty boot camp). They get a sense of accomplishment by being "big boys" and diaper free.

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by MammaFaith

Whoa. Your LO is 3 days older than my DD. Is he/she potty trained at 17 mos!?

no I just read an article about getting toddlers interested in trying the potty.

Lina's only aware of needing to poop, pee's all by timing.

[Thalia]

We did EC early on, so she was pretty comfortable with the potty all along. After we moved, she stopped using it. We tried a potty party in the summer but we'd just had a miscarriage and it was too hard to maintain the excitement and energy required. I also had mixed feelings about using food as a reward (I have food issues that I would rather not pass on to her).

We just started again after reading Diaper Free before 3. We put the potty books back out, got her some easy to pull down pants, and just started wearing underpants during the day and taking her to the potty more frequently. She picked it right back up again. We do make potty time fun by reading lots of stories and sometimes blowing bubbles on the potty.

She is still having accidents as we both learn (found out the other day that if she drinks orange juice she can pee three times in 30 minutes!), but I'm really glad that we're doing this without explicit rewards. She seems to be very happy about wearing underwear and gets a lot of satisfaction from just using the potty.

[SweetPea&Me]

I didn't push my DD either. She has showed signs of being interested and ready since right around 2, so I have been talking about it with her for roughly 9-10 months now. Some times she would use it, other days I would ask her if she wanted to try wearing big girl undies and using the potty and she'd say NO WAY! So we didn't do it. Then I figured I would try just taking the diapers away in a fun way to see what happened. If it didn't work, then I'd wait. So far so good though and she's very proud of herself. But we've been talking about for so long and her communication hit a different level in the last month so I think that helped as well. She's really changed lately.

ETA: Also she was interested in getting a toy, like play dough or stickers, for a day and a half. She's completely forgotten about the basket from the diaper fairy and I don't bring it up.

[Harmony96]

Originally Posted by angelachristin

my advice is WAIT until they are ready.

I tried with my son at 2 yo. He wanted NO part of it. He would scream if you even SUGGESTED the potty. Yet, he wanted to watch "Elmo's Potty Time" over and over; however, if you said "Want to try that?" He was like NO WAY. Others (like DH and MIL) wanted to press the issue with him but I said no...leave him alone. He will do it when he is ready.

About a week after he turned 3, he said to DH out of the blue, "Can I go peepee in the potty and wear big kid underwear?" and that was it. THAT WAS ALL, PEOPLE! He's been 100% potty trained ever since. NO accidents except one time when I think a fart gave him a bit more than he bargained for...LOL...but other than that...he's 100%. He wears regular underwear, not pullups. He is fine all night long, still cosleeps so believe me, I trust him big time! Fine when out and about. I never even have to remind him to go, he just goes when he's gotta, the only times I request that he tries to go are before leaving the house (although sometimes I forget and he's never ever had an accident) and before bedtime. It was SO EASY...all because he was ready.

I'm glad that waiting worked out so well for you, but I've found that your story is not typical. It sure wasn't (isn't?) for my DD. If I just sat around waiting for her to be "ready" (and "ready" was a struggle in and of itself b/c she had some of the readiness signs for years and years before others showed up, and she STILL doesn't have "all" of them) then she'd still be in diapers full time, day and night, now at nearly 38 months old.

I can't remember when she first asked for the potty, but she was introduced to it sometime before she was 18 months old, and we'd talk about it now and then. Shortly before this past Thanksgiving, she demonstrated that she could pee on the potty upon request (prior to that, she'd sit there over and over and do nothing). Now, I can count on one hand the number of times she has taken herself to the potty. If I remind her several times a day, she's fine and can stay dry, but if I don't take her, then she does not take herself and will just pee in whatever she has on, be it a paper Pullup, a cloth trainer, or whatever.

Poop is another story and aside from yesterday and today, there hasn't been a single day where I've not had to clean poop off her bottom. I'm hoping that she's finally gotten it though.

[sparklett]

DS was 25 months when he potty trained (potty learned, whatever). We didn't do rewards, stickers, cookies, or anything like that. Just lots of verbal praise. And no punishment, either, just simple comments whenever there was an accident. We would say things like, "doesn't poop go in the toilet?"

We let him be naked for three days. It was incredibly messy- lots of poop on the floor, but after three days, he figured out what was going on and started running to the toilet. Then we started using underwear (no trainers, no pull-ups) and for a few days, he had accidents in his underwear, then it was fine.

I think a lot of PLing is giving kids a chance to SEE what is going on with their bodies. DS spent his three naked days learning where his poop and pee comes from, and also learning that it is mighty uncomfortable if there's nothing there to catch it. Plus, those three naked days also allowed DS to learn how to squat, then sit to poop, rather than stand (as he did in a diaper).

[djenya]

We waited until DS was ready. I would ask on occasion and had let him pick out his own potties when he was 2, but it wasn't until about a month before his 3rd bday that he pee trained himself. He just peed on the potty one morning and has since. Waiting was great because we've rarely had any accidents. Yesterday was the first day with multiple accidents and all involved washing hands, which triggered the pee. So now we pee before we wash our hands. lol.

Of course, he still won't poop on the potty, but he doesn't wear diapers anymore. he simply asks for one when he needs to poop.