toilet training my 2 year 8 month old daughter

Maria - posted on 01/28/2010

My daughter is the same age as yours, Donna. We find that she is more likely to use the potty chair normally if we put her in cloth training underpants than if she's wearing disposable training pants.

I'd recommend you explain to your daughter that she can no longer use a diaper or nappy during the day while at home, and she'll be expected to use the potty. She'll scream about it, sure. But just let her scream and go through her anxiety about the change, and she'll probably calm down about it within a few days, then she'll accept and adapt to wearing real underpants.

Laurin - posted on 01/27/2010

get her some pantiesr that she likes and a potty she likes also and constantly ask her if she has to go potty through out the day and even if she says no take her and sit her on her the potty trust me it works i got my daughter potty trained like that before she turned two she loves her elmo big girl panties and potty!! the key is consistancy!!

Sarah - posted on 01/19/2010

I started toilet training my daughter when she was 2 and she is also 3 in April, i got the techinique from my sister in law who toilet trained her son in a day (still with the occasional accident). We didnt go straight to using the toilet but instead got them use to the idea of what the toilet was and when we use it. We did this by reading a book about going to the toilet every day until they pretty much knew the book back to front. It explained that Maddison was a big girl now because she went to the toilet, it explained that she went to the toilet after breaky, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and then we have a bath brush our teeth and got to the toilet before bed. If she went to the toilet she got a star on her chart and when she got 5 stars she got a special treat. At the end it told her how proud and happy mummy and daddy were that she went to the toilet on her own.
During this time of reading the book we also let her come to the toilet while mummy went and let her praise me when i did go.
Next was toilet training day....make sure you dont have any destractions and that they have your full attention for the day. Make sure you have plenty of salty snacks like chips or popcorn as this will encourage then to drink more and therefore need to go to the toilet more.
I used a potty in the living area and got one of Maddisons dolls and put knickers on it. I started off by letting Maddison put her dolly on the potty and using a cup of water to pour some water into the potty. Then we praised Dolly for going to the toilet and explained that dolly was good for keeping her knicker clean and dry. Then i told Maddison it was her turn to sit on the potty, at first she didnt do anything but i was happy that she was just happy sitting on the toilet. Then i got dolly's knickers and wet them a little and asked Maddison if they were wet or dry. Then telling her that it wasnt good that dolly wet her knickers and put dolly on the potty, explaining that we need to do wee's on the toilet not in our knickers.
Did this for most of the morning and by about 10 o'clock Maddi did her first wee on the potty :) i was so excited that it was working. She got a star on her chart and by dinner time she was able to have a special treat.

They say that if they have an accident and wet themself that the first thing you do it put them on the potty/toilet and explain to them that they need to do wee's there. Sometimes you may find that they have started and realised and that they will finish on the toilet.
If you are using a potty get them to empty the potty into the toilet with you and as they get better slowly move the potty closer and closer to the toilet and then get them going on the toilet.
I found with Maddison she didnt want to use the potty and prefered to go to the toilet instead, we used a toilet seat for a little while until she was 2 1/2 and then she was able to get on the normal seat with out it .
You still will have occasional days where they will have accidents, it might be because they are distracted by playing with their friends or in a new place, but dont give up. I have heard it takes a little longer for boys to be toilet trained. My sister in law who used the same technique tried it with her boy at 2 but found he wasnt getting it so she waited till he was 2 1/2
:) I hope this helps everyone...Good luck

Gopa - posted on 01/18/2010

same problem with my daughter,she tells me she has to go, but has already done it by then...i have given up...

Jasmine - posted on 01/17/2010

My daughter is turning 3 in April and i am having a smiliar problem...we have been trying to toilet train her for a yr now...and we r still having no luck. She has been to the potty a few times...but everytime i put her in undies...she says i gotta go 2 the toilet, but she has already done it in her undies...its the same with pull-ups!!!! Im out of ideas and im getting frustrated!!! So if u have any helpful hints for me that would be great!!!!

Elke - posted on 01/16/2010

My daughter turn 3 in april too. I started in the summer to potty train. I only gave her a t shirt, skirt and no undies... So she felt that she was wetting herself... 2 days and she sat on her potty doing nr 1 & 2. I know it's a bit difficult in the winter to do this.

But now I can't complain, she is 100% dry day (since july) and night (november).



Ps: Now I use a seat that you can put in the 'adult' toilet, so it's narrow the 'hole' for your child. She love's it, and is proud to go to the grand toilet too.

Tamra - posted on 01/08/2010

I am sorry but I have no advice either...I am having a problem with my daughter who will be 3 in April. She has NO desire to use the potty or even go near one. She does go in the bathroom with me and I tell her I am going peepee or poopoo (sorry tmi) and then I let her see me flush the toilet and I say bye by to it and then she says bye bye too. I am hoping this will start getting her used to know that it is ok to go potty. Of course it is harder for us because hse is not talking much and sometimes does not understand but we are working on that.



EDITED: My daughter will be 3 in April not 4.

Katie - posted on 01/06/2010

It has already been said but we just got rid of diapers one day. That was that. I didn't let the accidents get to me, just cleaned them up, had protective sheets on the bed, and she did great. I didn't tell her that she had to go on the toilet i just took the diapers away and the rest worked itself out.

Charlotte - posted on 01/06/2010

well my little girl will be 3 in april also and she now uses the potty and tells us but when she first started she wouldn't poo-poo in the potty...so one day she got on the potty and said she needed to poo-poo and needed a "diapy" and i said "no your a big girl now" well anyway i know this is probably sad BUT she started screaming and fighting me to get off the potty and i wouldn't let her i literally held her down till she got done pooping in the potty and she cried....(she was scared) and afterwards she looked in the potty and i told her what a good job she did and after that she was never scared to poo-poo in the potty!!

now i have a friend who had a hard time potty training so she got her kids favorited pop like orange or something they can't usually have...and let them run around ALL DAY naked and pumped them full of pop and by the second day they were potty trained bc they didn't like the warmness all over them....of course what a mess it would be....but anyway keep trying i mean literally giving them the panties and making them wear them with no other choice is the best and there will be accidents but less and less! Good Luck!

Denise - posted on 01/06/2010

Every kid is different but with my 2 year old we just decided to put him in underwear one day and he did horribly for a few days but he hated being wet so he just started using the potty we still have an occaisional accident here and there but we just didnt give him a choice and now he loves being a big boy!

Vierna - posted on 01/06/2010

omg.. i have e same problem

Inky - posted on 01/06/2010

My boy sat on a potty twice. He didnt like it,he peed in it once. I bought a kiddies toilet seat to put on the toilet....he sat on it once....he removed the kiddie seat and wanted to sit on the toilet himself. I was worried he was going to fall down into the loo, but he held on tight and has been toilet trained ever since. Just try and stay calm, praise your child...i bribed mine with a sweet everytime he went to the toilet for a week-it worked!
Good luck!

Donna - posted on 01/05/2010

Ha its nice to know Im not alone! I
have heard a trick with boys but having no boys I've never tried it out myself. Put a pingpon ball in the toilet and they try to hit the ball!!! It becomes a bit of a game I guess, but it may work??? Worth a try??

Michelle - posted on 01/05/2010

i am having trouble with my son too....he takes his diaper off and clothes, runs in the bathroom but wont let me in the bathroom, screams when i open the door, but he is using the potty alittle but also goes on the floor

Mendy - posted on 01/05/2010

Im having the same problem w/mt twins and dont know what to do. My mom said they will when they are ready.. I have tryed the samethings you have and they wont stick w/it so I guess I will wait.. Sorry thats not really helping you out, hear anything plz let me know I will do the same.

Erin - posted on 01/04/2010

Well at least you know she has good bladder control! You can either wait until she decides she is ready or do what we did. Nappies were only for night and pants went on during the day. The first day she held out for 6 hours before going to the toilet but after that she has been fine apart from the occasional accident. She now hates putting her nappy on at night!

Jennifer - posted on 01/04/2010

no help, sorry. but i have the same problem. i have a boy the same age and screams everytime i make him go to the potty. i don't know what to do, so if you hear of any suggestions i would love to know too. thanks.