Potty learning...will it ever really happen? - Page 2

[Carolinamidwife]

I have come to the belief that you cannot "train" kids, they will just do it when they are ready. I nearly lost my mind with my first child who did not pee train until he was 4 and poop took even longer. It was just the way he was and no amount of coercion was going to change it, he was also very busy and couldn't be bothered to stop to go to the bathroom. Even at 8 he will wait and wait and wait so he can keep doing whatever he's doing. I regret the time and energy I forced my whole family to spend on it.

With dd I vowed to not even think the word "potty" and then it turned out I didn't need to bother. She PT'd herself right after she turned two, it took about 1 week and she had maybe 2 accidents.

They're all different and it will happen, don't torture yourself just try to make changing them as pleasant as can possibly be (for yourself) and hang in there!

[Fiddlemom]

Originally Posted by greenmansions

Do you all think it's harder for the first kid anyway? No older sib to model after, and perhaps a younger sib making the older want to stay "babylike" longer? I think that is a bit of what's going on at our house.

Definitely!

[Ruthla]

DD was 3 3/4 when she finally started using the toilet consistently!

If I was changing soaking wet clothes 3+ times a day, several days in a row, and getting frustrated with it, I'd probably put the child back in diapers to take some of the stress of both of us. Definitely keep the potty chair in a convenient spot, but maybe take a break from active potty teaching for a while.

[happiestmomma]

The light is there at the end of the tunnel...it could be feet away, it could be miles away. I'm a firm believer that kids do what they're ready to do when THEY are ready to do it. I used to teach inner city Head Start and all my kids were supposedly "trained" at 18 months...or was it the parents that were trained to run them to the potty?
DS wouldn't even USE the toilet until after his 4th birthday. I mean, wouldn't even sit on it, hardly even would go INTO the potty. He was so happy in his pull-ups and had no drive or desire to wear underwear.
We went for his 4 year old checkup and the DR seemed hardly concerned, but reminded him that he needed to get moving on it.
I was truly confident he'd go at some point; I just know he couldn't go off to Harvard wearing Pull-up's. Although, I did take a moment to consider how his tux would look with diaper butt at his wedding.
On persistence of the ped, who really thought the potty training needed to be completed, I bought some incentive charts and stickers at the teacher's store. Underwear went on, and something "clicked" and he started to use the potty. Stickers for pee pee and poo poo and the promises of wonderful treats (something that I, as a teacher, am adamantly opposed to...after all, pottying is a natural body function and NEED...why be rewarded for it?!?!? went right out the window with my own kid, didn't it!!!) like an ice cream cone or a new matchbox car seems to be all it took.
The potty chair didn't work at all for us, besides collecting dust in the bathroom. The only thing that DS would use was one of those toilet seat inserts with the squishy small seat.
Again, if he's not ready, his body most likely knows best. It all comes in time...hang in there.
We really like Mo Willem's book "Time to Pee," too, especially for illustrating it's okay to leave your game, toys, etc... to go pee, because they'll be right there waiting for you. I must've read that book a thousand times in the last few weeks.

[KatWrangler]

: Add my son to the list. He will be 3 years and 2 months on the 27th. He shows very little interest in wanting to use the potty. He is still waking up in the morning wet too.

I get so frustrated with other people asking why he isn't on the potty yet. I am like...uh, I wish I knew, but he doesn't seem to be ready yet.

I talked with our Ped back in February about this. He said not to worry about and try this spring/summer. I hope so...