Regarding my 2 1/2 year old and potty training?

Hi again. I am soooo with you on the potty training. I have trained my 4 boys and 1 of my 2 daughters. It can be very frustrating. Some parents will take a week off of work to teach their child how to potty in the toilet. I admire that, but it rarely works.

What I personally found that works for me is time. When my kids were ready, they did it literally overnight. All of them. I would try and try and try and try. Nothing. They would have a good few hours sometimes. But, for the larger part...nothing. Then, out of the blue, one day they all just did it. It was like something "clicked". Go figure. They were all about 3 1/2 when they caught on. I know there are many children thattrain much earlier than that and they so it well. For me andd my children, that's what happened.

So, keep at it. But just don't make him feel as though you are upset with accidents. Many boys like to pee on a cheerio that you drop into the potty. There are other fun tricks that really work. Good luck!!

He has to be showing some signs of readiness, such as staying dry during naps, knowing when his diaper is dirty. My suggestion if he is showing those signs, especially staying dry, then he is ready. There is something called the 3 day potty training method, which I have done with several children where I work. It will work better if the children are at home with just you, the children in my daycare took longer than three days. You have to put him in underwear and stick to it. Make him sit on the potty every 20 min. Do not give up. There will be lots and lots of accidents. but give it at least a week and he will begin to understand. If he is not one of the kids that will just do it on there own that is what you are going to have to do. It is a big pain in the but, I have seen it work many times!

These things have to happen before you can be successful potty training:

1. The child has to be able to communicate that he needs to use the potty. Sounds like your child can do that.

2. The potty has to be comfortable and convenient.

3. The kid needs to have to pee.

4. The kid needs incentive.

5. role models

Here is what worked for me, at about age 2 and a 1/2 for my kids:

1. potty chair was in the main part of the house

2. we watched the kids to see when they usually peed, such as right after eating, etc.

3. we "fed and watered" the kids and then put them on the potty chair and read to them while they were on the chair

4. they stayed on the chair while receiving attention from us, eating a treat that made them thirsty (in this case, Cheetos, which we would normally not feed our kids) and drinking lots of juice because the snack made them thirsty

5. as soon as the liquid sound came out in the potty chair, we made a big deal of it, clapping, hugging and telling them how great that was

6. they stayed on the chair, still eating and drinking, until more came out (they got the idea of what it feels like to need to pee, to pee, and where the pee should go--and same with poop)

7. We did this several times a day for about two or three days. And even after that, every time they went in the chair, they got lots of positive reinforcement, and the diapers got no attention and weren't changed quite as promptly as they could have been (maybe a 20 minute wait?) Poop got a greater reward than pee. In our case, it was double cheetos, starting with maybe 4-5 the first day and ending week later with 1 for pee and 2 for poop.

8. we read stories about kids who used the potty and how big kids can wear pullups and not diapers. We got the book from the pullup company.

9. they saw mom and dad use the toilet

You will have to modify this to fit your family, but the main point is that YOU have to be committed to the time and effort. If you are, it will work. Remember, that YOU are the parent and should be the one to control the situation, not in a mean way, but to be firm and consistent. If you only do this part of the day, it won't work. Make it fun for your son to stay on the seat until something happens.

P.S . What worked for my sister was a combination of letting the kids run around wearing nothing at all from the waist down, and in letting them wear underpants so that they had to wear wet pants and had more incentive to pee elsewhere. Kids who are having fun playing find diapers more convenient than going to the potty. You have to make the potty the most convenient and the rest inconvenient.

I would say it sound like your son is not quite ready for potty training. With my son i first tried at 2 1/2 and he wasn't ready i stopped trying for about a month then tried again and this time he took to it within a week and he was also dry at night to. Don't try and rush him he will do it when he is ready. Make sure you praise him for any time he uses the potty no matter how small and may be try a sticker chart giving him a sticker each time he uses the potty.

Funny we are going through the exact same thing and he is 2. He did go a couple of times and then... sit there for 20 min. ,get up and run around the house. I read a child psychologist magazine that kids are afraid to grow up. dont know. what seems to work for us so far is three things. 1 potty time with elmo(favorite character). 2 act like its no big deal when he goes. 3 take his diaper off and watch him. He will probably go poo on the floor first but pick it up and show him where it goes.

well my son is almost 3 and im still going through the same thing.. ive been trying since he was 2 and a half.. it must be a boy thing lol. if he dosent have his diaper on he will go in the potty.. but when he has his diaper on he never says anything or hass any signs to let me know when he has to go as well.. i got a dvd called potty power that seems to do a little help with him, he watches it everyday and i think he may be starting to understand the whole potty thing.. maybe you should try that?

You're going to have to sit there and keep him on the potty and wait for him to do his business. Take him to the potty literally every ten minutes. You'll catch him at the right time eventually. We also played a game with my son where we put fruit loops and cheerios in the toilet, and had him aim for them. He started peeing right away when he thought it was a game. He also thought it was super neat that the outdoors is one giant potty for him. We live over a mile from the nearest neighbor, and we're in the woods, so no one will see him.

Also make sure to make the biggest deal out of it possible. I mean, make SUCH a deal out of it that you feel like a total idiot because you're jumping around and yelling "GOOD JOB! YOU DID IT!" At the top of your lungs. Good luck!

hi :)

only advice i can offer to you is don't put him into pull-ups, as they are too similar to diapers and children know this, so straight into underpants. this way they can feel when they have wet themselves and know something is different.

also i would recommend not using a potty - just go straight on to the toilet. this is because the child may be used to using the potty and not want to use the toilet which would mean u would need to repeat this phase over again but only on the toilet! hope i helped x

he may not be quite ready yet to be potty trained...although we would all like to have our children potty trained at this age, it can take longer for little boys to get ready to do it than it does for little boys

i do have a suggestion though since you have a little boy...when first potty training you should have him sit down to do it...that way he will do both in the toilet and not just number 1....i know a little boy that will do number 1 standing up but doesnt understand that he has to sit for number 2 so he goes in his pants alot...they dont understand yet when they have to do one over the other...once you get him use to go in the potty....you can change him over to standing up while he is going

-He might be to interested in what he's doing to "use the potty"

-He might not be ready

these are my two best guesses.

Go to www.pull-ups.com

they have alot of tips to make potty training more fun for the child

(and makes things alot easier for you!)

check out the videos they have up on the site called the "potty project"

Works for me at my daycare center.

Hope this helps!!