My boy is 2 years and 2 months, needv to start potty training where do I start?

Yvette - posted on 06/25/2009

My two year old has been potty trainer for the last month. I followed the book and advice of this site. It worked great and recommend it to everyone! www.thepottytrainer.com. The first week that we started potty training he did not have any accidents for the first 6 days. On day 3 we were able to run errands and shop. It is a no stress or pressure approach.

Amanda - posted on 06/24/2009

My son is 27 months old. He has been potty trained, throught the night and everything, since 2 weeks before his 2nd birthday! I know some people might just say I'm lucky, but he is my second one to respond to potty training this way. I swear by the method I used. I recommend it to all my mommy friends because I truly believe in it! Its called 3 day potty training. You can find it on 3daypottytraining dot com. I don't even know the lady, just stumbled upon it with my first child. It's only $24, and comes with complete online support. The only thing is, you have to do EXACTLY what it says. If you waiver from it, you won't get the same results. You are stuck to following it, and being at home completely for 3 days, but when you are done- NO MORE DIAPERS! Not even over night. Trust me, it works. Hope it helps you, too!

Samira - posted on 06/17/2009

I agree with Alice about making it a game and yes you do watse a lot of water. But also be mindful two yr olds are very curious as well as busy. Between my son and niece who is two but a few months older than him was playing games running back and forth as kids often do. But this time was different because they both are potty training and I noticed the toilet flushing more than normal. Well I found out two days later why the toilet kept flooding. One of them put a toy in the toilet before I got to them.... So, yes it is good to aloow them to play games but we as parents have to give them direction... Unfortunately, at the time I gave too much freedom with the game.

Alice - posted on 06/17/2009

Quoting Alice:

Well this is what I have always been told, a boy develops slower than girls so start potty training them at 3. That is when they should really be ready. Start earlier if they show signs though. Once again it's just an opionion. My son was pottied trained at 18 months. He had an older sister though and that is why he was eager to learn so early. Maybe this is crazy but I allowed him to sit like a girl (man will freak out over this) on the big potty (he wanted to be like every one else). When he was ready to stand (he was also short and refused to use the training potty, I held him up facing the potty, I put cheerios in the toilet and allowed him to pee in it trying to aim for the cereal and made it into a game. He took a liking to it and bam he became potty trained. I hope this helps out. Also if you think about it..get him a sticker book and every time he tinkles a lil bit reward him with a sticker and than reward him differently when he poos in the potty aswell. If he tells he he has to go reward him with his favorite snack or something..just an idea.

Ohhh before I forget to tell you I wasted alot of water.  I got the children use to the flushing.  I would sit on the toilet and allow them to flush the toilet becasue it seemed that would scare them the most.  So I showed them it wouldn't hurt them, it could be fun and than we said bye bye mr. poo and bye bye mrs. pee.  than allowed them to flush.  THEY LOVE GAMES so that is something to think about.  I had to struggle  with my daughter because I put her on her potty chair and than out of no where she had a seizure and fell face first into the floor and turned her blue.  I think the stress of something different caused her to have it.  but not to worry my daughter is an epileptic.  So just let him tell you when he is ready.  I hope this also helps you. Alice

Alice - posted on 06/17/2009

Well this is what I have always been told, a boy develops slower than girls so start potty training them at 3. That is when they should really be ready. Start earlier if they show signs though. Once again it's just an opionion. My son was pottied trained at 18 months. He had an older sister though and that is why he was eager to learn so early. Maybe this is crazy but I allowed him to sit like a girl (man will freak out over this) on the big potty (he wanted to be like every one else). When he was ready to stand (he was also short and refused to use the training potty, I held him up facing the potty, I put cheerios in the toilet and allowed him to pee in it trying to aim for the cereal and made it into a game. He took a liking to it and bam he became potty trained. I hope this helps out. Also if you think about it..get him a sticker book and every time he tinkles a lil bit reward him with a sticker and than reward him differently when he poos in the potty aswell. If he tells he he has to go reward him with his favorite snack or something..just an idea.

Samira - posted on 06/15/2009

For me it starts with the introduction to the toilet or potty (which ever you have decided to use). It takes a lot of patience because the child may be afraid, especially if they aren't used to sitting in or on a small space. Get the child used to sitting on a chair, then used to sitting on a potty, then allow them to sit on the potty while watching tv or the elmo potty dvd by sesame street. Take everything step by sep, truly introducing everything some days or weeks apart. Once the child is finally able to sit without crying take the diaper or pull up off moving the potty to the bathroom or have them already sitting on the toilet. Now my son is not fully potty trained but is very close to it. I often run him to the bathroom saying wait put it in the toilet. So now he is telling my that he has to go. He doesn't tell me all the time, he has gone a day without a pullup and slept overnight without wetting them. So something I'm doing is working. Another techinque is to let him or her watch you using the toilet. It is said that if you have a boy it's best or easier for him to watch his fater (or male figure) so that he is aware of how to use the toilet. If you have a girl allow her to see the mother use the toilet.

Jolanta - posted on 06/14/2009

My daughter, same age as your son, has to start potty training too. My oldest who is 3 1/2 has been fully potty trained for 4 months. She would run around the house with no diapers or underwear. You might have some accidents on the carpet/floor, but this works. We started to put the potty chair in the living room, where if I see any signs she has to go, I'd put her on the chair. I would, of course, explain why the potty chair is in the living room. This took 4 months, before she went in her potty chair in the bathroom. For boys, they say to throw cheerios in the toilet and tell your son to try and aim at the cheerios. (Friends of mine who have sons, talked about doing that a few times). Hope this might help. Some may refrain on putting the potty chair in the living room, but that worked for me!!

Aimee - posted on 06/12/2009

Hi Ladies! Prepare yourself, this is a little long, but I just wrote this response in an email to my sister-n-law and thought I'd share my experience w/ you. Just this week, our son has attended daycare in his "big boy undies" for the first time. He wore them all week and never once had an accident. He still wears pull-ups for nap and overnight.

First (about 4 months ago) we bought him his own potty and encouraged him to use it at a time that he almost always went: bath time. He always peed immediately when he got into the tub, so we just started there before we put him in the water. After about a week, he would go on it regularly before his bath. We gave him stickers to put on his potty (they came with it) and just gave him LOTS of praise, singing, clapping, etc. After a few weeks of that, I started asking him in the morning, when he woke up, "do you want me to change your diaper or do you have to go potty?" for whatever reason...he liked to use the potty instead of be changed right away. He'd already started developing an aversion to being changed at home - at daycare, he'd let them change his diaper no problem - but at home it was a lot of fussing and whining about it. Not sure why, but I just started to take advantage of it and gave him the choice: change your diaper or use the potty? Even if he didn't pee on the potty, he'd sit there and after that was willing to put a clean diaper on.

Next, we brought his potty out into the living room too and told him if he wanted to go, he just needed to tell us, "POTTY!!!" And, when my husband and I had to go, we'd yell "POTTY!!!" and run to the bathroom. Around the first part of April we started letting him run around naked in the house, which seemed to encourage him to use his potty. He had accidents, but we never got mad. We just sat him on the potty, and asked him, "where do we pee-pee?" and he'd answer, "potty". So he knew, but sometimes it's hard to stop playing. ;)

We graduated into pull-ups around that time too, and he seemed to like those. It was getting difficult to put his diaper on (or back on) after taking it off to use the potty.

At beginning or so of May we bought him some "big boy undies" and let him run around in those at home and tried to keep him in them whenever we were home. After work/school I'd try to bring him in and put his undies on; that way if he did have an accident, he'd know it immediately. After a couple of weeks, I started noticing him holding it longer, not needing to be changed as often, and he was becoming very consistent with when he'd go and even showed interest in using the big potty.

I'd ask him all the time - even wearing a pull up and when we were out - if he had to go. If we went to someone's house, I'd show him the potty and tell him if we need to go, let me know and we'll come in here and use their potty! (made it exciting to go somewhere else).

We tried to let him develop at his own pace, and it's been relatively painless. Several accidents of course, to be expected, but for the most part, we've let him lead the way. It's a lot easier than trying to hold him down to change his diaper!!

Oh! Toilet paper was a big thing too. Charlie liked putting the TP in the potty, so if he went, he got 2 squares, if he didn't, he only got one. I just made a big deal out of it...OHHH You get TWO SQUARES because you POTTIED!!!! =-)

Hope this helps!! Good luck!!



PS: Forgot to mention, my son is 2 years and almost 3 months old

Melissa - posted on 06/11/2009

I feel the same way; I heard the same thing.

Melissa - posted on 06/11/2009

Quoting Nikki:

My HV tells me that its best to wait till they are ready to avoid the stress, my son is 2yrs 3 months and we have a potty and he has pants, he knows what they are for but doesnt fully understand the concept yet.. when he wants to sit on the potty he does but we dont push it if he doesnt... im told thats the best way to avoid the stress.. Apparantly boys also can be as late as 3 when they are ready but by then if they arent interested you just have to go for it anyway... just something i was informed this morning :o) xx

Nikki - posted on 06/10/2009

My HV tells me that its best to wait till they are ready to avoid the stress, my son is 2yrs 3 months and we have a potty and he has pants, he knows what they are for but doesnt fully understand the concept yet.. when he wants to sit on the potty he does but we dont push it if he doesnt... im told thats the best way to avoid the stress.. Apparantly boys also can be as late as 3 when they are ready but by then if they arent interested you just have to go for it anyway... just something i was informed this morning :o) xx

Ginny - posted on 06/10/2009

Same here. My son loves this book called Zack's Potty and it helps because he will stay sitting on the potty for a while when we read it a couple of times. It also comes with a sticker chart that he likes. I guess it is a good start...

Heather - posted on 06/09/2009

this is a good question, my son is the same age and i have no idea what to do. i try putting him on the potty but nothing. its frustrating lol