On and off again, the perils of potty-training boys?

Question

A year and a half ago, I traveled 800 miles to visit my grandparents for a few months. My grandmother had bought a potty for my older son. Surprisingly, he was immediately potty trained... I could not believe it. He literally trained himself in a day (or less). 

When we got home, we had the same potty with us. He decided he was not potty trained. A few months ago we went back to visit and brought the potty with us. Again, potty trained. 

Now that we are home, he will only go on the potty if he is in the bath tub and realizes he has to poop. Any suggestions? 

I'd like to start him in preschool but he has to be potty trained. When we visit my grandparents, I don't have to ask him if he has to potty or anything. I do this (ask him) here where I live, because that is the only way I can get him to sit on it (the potty). 

He will be 3 in mid-March. He wears Pull-Ups.. the Cool Alert ones. He doesn't care if the designs fade. He used to care if the Pull-Ups felt funny when he peed in them, but now he doesn't care. He wears Night Time Pull Ups at night. AKA, he does not wear regular diapers, only I think Pull Ups are just diapers for big kids. He does have big-boy underpants, and training pants, but he will just pee straight through them and not even seem to care.

jns · Accepted Answer

My son is day trained (including nap time) but not at night. I am going to wait until the summer (he just turned 3) before I night train him. 

My son learned how to stay dry first. I literally gave him juice, water, and milk all day long and took him to the bathroom every 30 minutes. Whenever he went in the toilet and not in his underwear I would give him a treat. It did not take long for him to stay dry. He also likes to stand like his big cousins and his dad.  

Poop is a whole other issue. He just recently mastered pooping on the potty. He eventually decided after I took away all pull ups during the day and after reading the poop book over and over again and Potty power (a potty training DVD) that he was a big kid and wanted to poop in the potty too. We use a sticker chart and for every 7 times he poops he gets a hot wheels car. 

Seems to be working. I have not had to clean out poop underwear in a couple of weeks! ;)

You may be doing a lot of laundry in the beginning but I strongly believe that pull ups just delay the process. Also, stay positive and try to not make it a power struggle. I was about to pull my hair out with the poop issue, but as soon as I stopped asking him if he had to poop and stopped trying to force him to sit on the potty, he decided that he was going to do it himself.

Jennifer P · Answer

I went 'round and 'round with my Son and the potty. I finally put him in underwear during the day and a pullup at night and it worked! He still has some accidents but he is doing so good. Sometimes he gets busy and will not want to go to the bathroom, and I have to physically put him on the potty. I just keep telling him that he is a big boy and that I am so proud of him. Some kids are just especially stubborn about it and will sometimes do things (like behave or go potty) for people they arent around every day. Who knows why! Be patient but firm and keep reminding him of what you want.

khamillt · Answer

I know what your saying we just accomplished potty training at my house. My son turned three on jan 13 and we had been trying since he turned 2.  It seems as though as soon as he turned 3 he was potty trained. Just keep working at it but he will go when he is ready to go.

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On and off again, the perils of potty-training boys?

3 Answers