Potty training advice ?

[MommytoB]

I wish I would have started elimation communication when my ds was a baby but i didn't know of this . When he hit his first b-day he went to the bathroom in the toliet a few times but then when we had that overhogging that i thought i was helping but she just turned around & took advantage of me thinking i would never get rid of her & that she would live here for free . So at the time of potty training i was letting him roam naked but then since that hogger was here for 3 months I couldn't do it. So this was from late august to almost early october.

So now recently he been dressing himself & undressing himself if he's wet or poopy he will change himself into new clean diapers.

He is knowing what he has done say mom it's just pee or mom it's pee and poop .


He don't sit on his potty chair because it's a stool of fun for him to stand up to turn on/off lights , i tried the big potty with the toliet seat for kids - he gets so scared and cries & screams.

I don't want to make him fear the toliet but wondering if there are any other ideas that would make a 2 1/2 yr old to want to go pee / poop in toliet.

I tried stickers, i have done underwear buying - he just pees & poops in his underwear . I even have tried redirected him to the toilet as soon as he has an accident on the floor - he stops in midstream then holds it until i put a diaper on him then he goes 'sigh'

[lexmas]

I've potty trained a few kids (two of them boys, none of them mine, which I've heard is easier) so maybe I have a few suggestions, although, EC has changed my perspective a little.

Firstly, the fact that he's talking to you about it is a very good sign, and normally one that people look to for a sign that their child is "ready" after being diaper trained for all that time. And his fear of the potty is definately normal, because he's used to going to the bathroom with clothing on. That said, ditch the diapers. I assume you're using disposibles because he can put them on himself, and its important that he associates going with clothes on with being wet (and therefore somewhat uncomfortable). I know its messy, but training pants can sop up some of the mess if you want to use them instead. Sweatpants will also contain the mess, and kind of add to the ick factor for him. Funny that he changes himself though, I always used that as insentive...ie. "okay, I know you have to potty, but if you think playing is more important, then you have to rinse out your own clothes and get dry ones on." Only if I knew it was deliberate, of course, but it was useful...often once *they* had to clean it up, going in the potty was much more important. But I digress...that's once they were already sitting on the potty.

This is where my EC experience takes over. I think the most important thing right now is for him to realize how much more comfortable it is to go to the bathroom out of his clothing. I would start with peeing, and probably doing that standing up since the potty frightens him. You could help him stand on a stool infront of the toilet, and teach him to aim into it (some people use cheerios as "target practice", although I never liked the idea of teaching them to put food into the toilet, cuz I figured they would take that too far..."what ELSE can I pee at?!?" ) But anyway, that way, its not as scary, but you're getting him to pee in the right place. If that's too much for him, I'd try for getting the pee into somewhat of a correct location, just not in his pants (like the shower, or outside, if its warm). Poop is much trickier, but not as abundant anyway. Once peeing into the toilet is old hat, he probably won't be as scared of it anyway.
Does he have stuffed animals or anything that he plays with? I always found that a toy modeling peeing or pooping into the potty was fun, and kept reminding them that that's where it went. ("Oh, giraffe went pee pee in the potty! Yay for giraffe! Can you go pee pee in the potty too?" Haha, okay, so its a little rediculous, but you do what you have to do! I've peed everything in the potty...stuffed bears, action figures, toy cars... )

I would also keep the conversation up, like when he says "it's just pee mom!' (: by the way...) say "Yes, and there's nothing wrong with it, but pee goes in the potty, not in your pants. Doesn't it feel much better when you're dry and your pee goes in the potty?" Try to be positive about it, reacting angrily may just encourage it, because its still attention. I would act casual, like "Oh, so you had an accident, that's okay, it happens sometimes. Maybe next time your pee pee will go into the potty, since that's where it goes." No shame, just matter of factly state it.

Did it go well when you did naked time before? Maybe you could try that again. Really, I would just try to find a way that shows him that its more comfortable to go outside of his clothing, and that the potty isn't something to be afraid of. Maybe get a potty that he can't use as a stepstool, if you want to use a little potty...I know people who just let their kids sit on their little potty and watch TV or something, so that elimination "accidently" happened into the potty, because they were relaxed and not worrying about it.

Another suggestion is letting him sit on the potty with a diaper on and go to the bathroom in his diaper, and then slowly transition, like move to sitting ON the diaper, not wearing it, or moving from having the lid closed to having it open...baby steps.

Okay, sorry to write you a book! Sounds like he's probably ready, its just that the big toilet can be a scary place, and he's used to eliminating in his pants...asking him to do so otherwise is hard for him. (I heard someone put it once that it would be like someone asking you to go in your pants...you would have a hard time doing it) Keep talking to him about it though, I do really believe that's the key. Good luck, and let us know how it goes...I hope something here could be of help!