Learning to Use the Potty at 3+ yo - Page 3

[angela&avery]

we had a 3 1/2 year old (going on four) at my daycare/preschool that was completely trained for us (never fought underwear, went when we brought him to the toilet, etc) but would not go at home.. mom knew he could hold it, etc.. the reason we trained him was bc he would hold it all morning and then pee all at once and flood his diaper...so we knew he had control too..

so one day she bought him a pack of diapers and told him it was going to be the last one... he was old enough to understand what she meant, which is why i think it worked.. she said this is the last pack of diapers i am going to buy.. when they are all gone, you are going to wear your underwear and pee on the potty.... and let me tell ya, it worked!! She said he found every last and spare diaper around the house and she would put it on, and when they were gone she put underwear on him.. he didnt fight, he went on the potty np!!

i think it worked bc it kind of gave him a tangible timing as to when it was going to be over... he was able to have some warning and prepare for that change at home... he was able to say goodbye to his diapers, if you will....

[tausborn]

My daughter was partially potty trained from 2.5 to 4 yo. As late as 3 yrs 9 months, she was still "partial." But, by the time she was hit 4 yo, she suddenly became completely potty trained. So, I would say sit back and don't worry about it. Of course, that is hard to do when you feel like everyone is judging your mothering skills by the age at which your daughter is potty trained. Sheesh, what a wonderful world we live in!

My daughter is still not nighttime safe. She is almost 5 and still wears pull ups to bed. Which, btw, she loves... But, her daytime potty use has been perfect since she was 4 yo.

[leavesarebrown]

Well, ds's willingness to potty train has resumed after a conversaton I initiated about his concerns about potty training. I asked what his concerns were and what I could do to help him learn to use the potty successfullly. He said it makes him nervous when the water goes down, and didn't like itchy tags on the training pants. Also didn't want to be alone. Hey, those are all things we can fix or deal with! I also brought up accidents, since I guessed that he was concerned about those. And he expressed relief that I expect lots of accidents while he's learning and that's no big deal (even told him that's what we have carpet cleaner for if necessary). So he decided to start on Christmas day(turned 4 on the 12th of Dec) and has been in cloth training pants since yesterday morning. Yeah! Couple hits, mostly misses, but he's doing it!!!

[Richie'sMama]

DS didn't use the potty till 3 1/2+. I just took the diapers away (except at night). We had a bunch of accidents, but we endured. To get him to poop, we used a chart and reward. After 20 poops on the potty (a sticker for each), he got a Thomas train. It's been about six weeks and we haven't had an accident in two weeks. (knock on wood).

So, if you're up to cleaning up accidents, just say, Bye Bye Diapers. We also had a Bye Bye diapers ceremony singing No More Diapers for you and eating a cup cake with candle. I think that's Dr. Phil's suggestion.

Good luck!

[martinanne]

We used stickers as rewards, too. But we used a blank poster, not a "chart". We didn't take the diapers away, but offered panties as well. No pressure, but lots of praise when they would choose panties, and/or use the potty. This worked beautifully with all three of my dd's.

Once they had shown the ability to use the potty, we increased their interest in using it by letting them pick out stickers at the store and promising to put one on the poster (large paper on the wall in the bathroom) every time they use the potty. Two stickers for a bm. We used the same procedure with each dd. They each started training around the age of 3. They each loved seeing the poster fill up with stickers. This has been especially gratifying for my youngest (3 yrs 3 mos) since she also has her older sisters cheering her on, as well as her Daddy and me.

I think the poster on the wall (right across from the potty) is a great motivator. My dd likes to pick out the specific spot on the poster where I will put the newly earned sticker. I let her pick out her sticker, too.

I never stressed about when they would potty train. They each started showing a little interest in it in the months before they turned 3. So I would show them how to use it (with a seat insert on the full sized potty, and a stepstool to get up there). Once they had done it a few times (could be once every few weeks), then we'd make the trip to the store to buy stickers and a poster and talk about learning to use the potty and how I wanted to reward them for their progress and that's what the stickers are for.

Anyway, that's what worked for us.

[leavesarebrown]

Yeah, we have a little potty COVERED in stickers. That lost its appeal. But we're doing well now with training pants during the day, diapers at night and during outings. Reuben's okay w/ "accidents" now, and has actually predicted when he's needed to pee and gotten to the potty "in time". :-)

[joesmom]

My Advice Is...

just be patient like you are & wait for Iris to train herself. It is SO much easier, Joe was over four when he trained & I know some of my family thpught he would always be in pullups, but I didn't care. I had the confidence in him to know that he would learn when HE was ready to learn. I never belittled him & would not have permitted anyone else to do so. He has been 100% trained for close to a year; he will be FIVE in February. He wears a pullup at night but it is always dry. He has had TWO accidents, in the first week & that is it. No tears, no frustration, no energy wasted. He pees before he goes to bed around 10 or 11pm & doesn't pee until 11:00 the next morning. He has an iron bladder!

Iris is a smart girl, if she was ready to be out of diapers, she would be, kwim? If YOU do not have a problem changing her etc, then it is my opinion to just wait for her to decide. Joe was afraid to poop on the potty, had I forced him, I believe we would have had all sorts of control issues & years of bowel trouble.

I hope this reassures you. For a time I was SURE Joe would never train, as I was also sure he would never wean! :LOL Now I struggle to remember those moments...

Hope you are doing well, I think of you often!

[leavesarebrown]

Our son has an iron bladder, too. Things are going really well now that we got Dad on board, too (w/ not nagging, leaving it up tp Reuben, not showing any impatience, etc.) Lots of "leaks" as ds calls them, but several successful tries, too. He'll figure out when to get to the potty soon enough.

[imakebelieve]

Does Luke Skywalker wear diapers?

We decided to let ds go totally on his own. He was interested at 2 so I went out and bought the potty seat, and made a big deal. Then nothing. We let it go, I never intended to start this early anyways.

I think my mom might of put a little pressure or something, though I'm usually always around and he's never spent much time alone with her. Suddenly he has a potty aversion. So we let it go again.

Then, he's 3.5 and still in diapers. I offer a choice some days, diapers, pull ups or undies and he says diapers. So, we let it go. Once at the playground, he's with a group of kids.

I overhear them saying, "hey, you stink".
He says, "that's not me, it's the poop in my diaper that stinks"
Other kid "you still wear diapers? How come?"
Ben, "Well, I do right now, I won't always, but I do right now. It's no big deal you know. I'll be right back, my mom will change me and I won't stink anymore".

So basically he didn't care.

Finally, two weeks before his FOURTH birthday, he comes in and says, "Does Luke Skywalker wear diapers? no Pull ups? no Underwear? yes, Then I am through with diapers, I'm moving on now.

And that was it. Very few accidents, mostly me not getting him there quickly enough. Never a nighttime accident the whole time (good thing since we co-sleep)

I think he will wean this way as well. Someday. He's 4.75 and still nursing. So, he takes his time on things. Which is fine with me. They all eventually do it. No one goes to college in diapers. I got some pressure from others, but I knew it was better to just let him do it himself. I didn't potty train him, I had nothing to do with it. He did it totally by himself.