[gretelmom]

Okay we're in a bad cycle here with PL. DS is 3 yrs 5 months, he started peeing in the potty at 2.5yrs but always just peed on the floor and sometimes would push some out into the potty. we didn't do rewards because i wanted him to PL on self-motivation and when he was ready. a few weeks into this peeing all over the place business (he won't go on potty with dipe or undies on), he just refused to even LOOK at the potty so i figured he wasn't ready.

fast forward to this summer... he's starting a preschool in one month where he needs to be "in the process of" PL. so we have been doing naked waist down at home again, and we tried a sticker chart, then we tried a jelly bean for each deposit. nothing else would make him even LOOK at the potty.

okay, so now he squeezes out a little puddle when he wants a treat, but also tinkles all over the place. it's been about a week of this. he seems to be manipulating me to get the candy... duh. should have seen this coming.

he seems to know when pee is going to come out, maybe two seconds in advance, looks down at his penis, then dribbles pee. i am TRYING not to be discouraging but it's hard not to yell "not on the couch!" and i try to just say "go to the potty go to the potty"

what do i do now? i don't think i can take away the treat reward system... and yet he also doesn't seem to have any desire to hold it until he is ready to really empty his bladder.

last summer when we had this problem, the ped said he probably isn't physiologically ready for PL and to hold off.. but now he's 3.5 years old and is physically very capable of every other thing in the world, and is verbally, intellectually, socially every other thing totally on track.

so WHAT DO I DO????? keep letting him tinkle everywhere Dr Sears-style for weeks until he gets it? or wait again? or keep giving him treats???

anyone BTDT like this??????

 

[aiea]

Hi there,

I have not BTDT, but my sister's son is the same age as yours and has just "graduated" as a potty pro. They had lots of inconsistencies and failed reward systems, but what ended up working for them was this -

They went with big kid undies and regularly asked him if he was dry. If he was dry, he got a treat. They also regularly asked him if he needed to use the potty and magically he began putting pee & poo where it belonged. I think it was a combination of (finally) getting some consistency + using a system that worked on rewarding positive beh + he was just ready.

They had the deadline of preschool coming up too, so the heat was on (unfortunately) but he came through. HTH!

 

[heidirk]

My DS pees on the floor a lot. I think if it starts too fast, he just kind of freezes, and pees where he is. He doesn't recon=gnize the urge early enough, most times. It does seem to help if we have big boy pants on him, and I do have to ask, 'are you dry?' several times. I have also picked him up and whisked him over to the potty while he's peeing, but at least a little gets in there!

We are using mini marshmallows for a reward, but no reward if he pees on the floor.

A freind who has 8 kids suggested making him help clean it up after an accident, but DS is only two, so I thought that was a bit excessive. Maybe that would be an added incentive, for your DS?