Potty Training

Lindsay - posted on 06/02/2011

i agree w kimberly. watching my niece start to potty train when she wasnt ready was a fight and ultimately resulted in her being scared to go potty. then one day she decided she was ready and has used the potty since. i have introduced it to my daughter who will be 2 in august and i dont think she is ready at this time. i see she has no control of her bladder bc she peed in the potty then peed on the floor a few more times after that. and it was when she was bending over so i see how they see how they dont have that control. all children are diff. as much as we would likr to compare. good luck w potty training. i am going to still introduce the potty and wait a little longer. io dont wanna rush my baby anyways

Sherry - posted on 05/28/2011

every child is different i agree but every parenting skill is also different. My little girl will be 2 in august and i really do not feel the need to potty train her until that time were as my sister in law has her little girl who is 22 days older then my little girl already trained. Im sorry but my thought is i want her to enjoy being a child and i also want to enjoy it so i am not going to force her to do something that i know is going to make both of us miserable if shes not ready. So all in all EVERYONE is different and things will happen when they are ready to happen, Until then just enjoy your time while they are small....it goes REALLY REALLY fast......

Kimberly - posted on 05/28/2011

Melissa, I was 20 when my brothers were potty training and still living at home, so I didn't watch them, I was an active participant in the process. My parents were going through hard times financially at that point so I was the "SAHM" for them while both my parents had to work...so please don't assume I don't know what I'm talking about...I've also worked in childcare for 7 years before having my daughter and have several qualifications in child development. I worked with the 6 month - 2 year age range, so have helped potty train MANY children. Congratulations for getting your children potty trained by 18 months! You have a problem with people waiting, I have a problem with people pushing their children and giving them sweets as a reward for something that if introduced when they're ready, needs no reward other than praise. I'll say it again, most child don't even have control of their bladders until they're 2.

Brooke, I wish you luck! I hope the potty training works out the way you want it to :)

Melissa - posted on 05/28/2011

Kimberly, I am sorry you don't agree with me, but watching your brothers as opposed to actually going through it is very different. I had all 4 of my children trained by the time they were 18 months. I think the problem with this world these days is we think that the kids should tell us when they are ready. When potty training young, you just have to be prepared for them to have accidents. If you go into it thinking that you child will be completely trained in no time with no accidents, that is entirely unrealistic. I have many friends who saw that I potty trained my children so quickly so they wanted to do the same. They were not consistant and gave up after a short time. The next time they went to try, their kids were even more reluctant, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE OLDER. and all my friends wished they would have stuck to it the first time. Keep going Brooke! you can do it!!!

Eunece - posted on 05/28/2011

How old is your baby? Mine will be 2 in Aug and he is not yet getting it either! My mom has done daycare for 15 years and says he is still too young to stress over this right now it should just be the intro of it, is what she says! hmmm I do understand your struggle tho! I really would like my baby to have it by his bday!! Keep us posted on you guy's journey!:-)

Kimberly - posted on 05/27/2011

I very much disagree with Melissa. This isn't a power struggle, most children can't even control their bladders until they're 2 anyway. If you push her to do it before she's ready you'll have more problems than if you just wait and let her show you she's ready. I have two little brothers, 11 and 10. The 11 year old was potty trained in less than a week at just over 2 years old. My 10 year old brother wasn't interested and wasn't potty trained until he was 3 1/2. My mom has worked with children for 25 years, has a degree in child development and potty trained 5 of her own children, so she knows what she's doing...just be patient and she'll get it when she's ready.

Melissa - posted on 05/26/2011

Be consistant. You have to be trained before she will be. Take her to the bathroom on a regular basis. Start out every 20 minutes and then increase the time as she starts to have success. Little treats help to (m&m's, smarties) If she does have an accident, take her by the hand, make her get some toilet paper. This part is important, make HER clean it up. Take the toilet paper back to the toilet and explain to her that the "potty goes in the toilet" Once she starts having successes, it goes a lot smoother. Don't give up now. If you stop and wait for a while, she will know that she has won and the next time you start it will be a lot harder. And get rid of the pull ups. In my opinion, those were the worst thing ever invented. Keep it up! You can do it!

Kimberly - posted on 05/24/2011

She's showing you she's not ready...give her a break for a couple months then try again.

Erica - posted on 05/23/2011

I'm sure you will hear this alot but "Every child is different" GOOD LUCK!