My 2 yr old son is still in daipers and on bottle...please help!!

Hannah - posted on 01/16/2010

With my daughter who is now 17 months old. I simply threw all the bottles away, only using sippy cups. If you can since you are going to need those bottles put them away where the lil guy cant see and only offer the cups. If he is thristy he will drink from them. I hope it doesnt sound mean, but if they arent in sight they will soon be forgotten. Hope this helped.

Kristy - posted on 01/14/2010

the best thing about boys is that they can free ball at home. Put the potty where you can supervise him like in the lounge room allow him to run around naked and watch for his signs than get him to sit on the Potty for 5 minutes get him to stay there buy reading a book and remember to praise him.
As for the bottle give him to Easter, Get him to give all of his bottle to the Easter bunny for the bunny babies and for each bottle he gives up make sure there is a treat in the place of the bottle.
I'm due the month before my sons 3rd birthday(3 in June) he's been fully toilet trained for nearly 8 months and of bottles for 10 months.
Don't stress over toilet training 93% of children are not ready before their 3rd birthday

Jenny - posted on 01/13/2010

We are doing pretty good tackling the bottle issue!! He only has it now when he sleeps and we only allow him to have water in it. We also only allow him to have one bottle full of water at night. He wants to chug it as fast as possible and have it filled up continuously which in turn ends up with 2 or 3 wet diapers at night or a soaked bed so he's only allowed 1 now. I had quite a fit yesterday, after getting him back from my mother's house, about him wanting milk in his bottle. He finally settled on water with just a little juice in it to flavor it. But for the most part he's been using his cup during day except for at naptime and bedtime!!!

Wendy - posted on 01/11/2010

I agree that you need to tackle one issue at a time. The bottle has to be first especially if you let him have it all day long. Start by limiting it to meals and snacks. Then get him some cups you can even take him on a special mommy and me trip to the store to let him pick some out. Show him the ones he can choose from because lets face it some are ridiculously espensive, then let him choose a couple one of the 2pks to start would be great. Then he gets a choice and that ties into the big boy routine. The cups should be for meals and snacks you can keep onein the fridge for when he just needs a quick drink in between playing but don't let him just have it. This will help with the potty training. I have 3 boys(15,8,&6) and 1 girl(22mos) the boys all trained at diff. times and with diff levels of difficulty. I have tried with my daughter because I am 36wks. but she is just not ready. My 8yr old was 4 before he decided he was done, and that is just what he di one day he was just ready and that was it. the 15 yr old was almost 3 when he was done training. the 6 yr old was 18-20mos. I worked with him and brother. He had some regression occasionally but that is normal. Stickers and single pieces of candy can help though. Best advice for me was they will go when THEY are ready not when you are. LOL Best of Luck Keep us posted.

Molly - posted on 01/11/2010

i know for my son who is two and a half (and was very attached to his bottle) that one night i just took it away and replaced it with a brand new thomas cuppy. (from his fav cartoon) he asked for a bottle that night and i said no youre a big boy now and i got you this very special big boy cuppy. no more bottles. and that was that. but i also never ever let him have a bottle when it wasnt a nap or bed time. so i think that is why it was so easy.... if he is your "baby" until the new baby gets here maybe he;s clinging to "baby" things like the bottle b.c he feels he's being replaced as your special baby. i'd emphasize how special it is to be a big boy and focus on that instead of saying only babies use bottles ect.. that way it takes the focus off what he is "loosing" and instead he's gaining all this great stuff as a big boy! and once you take it you can never give it back. but lots of hugs and kisses and understanding will help. i think parents focus on the physical aspect of bottles binkies and diapers and forget to look at it from a psychological point of view. its like giving up smoking or some other "comfort" habit. its a huge change but a good one.

as for the diaper thing. if he is telling you once he is done peeing or pooping that is a huge step! boys take longer than girls ( so ive heard.i have one boy and am due any day now also with another boy) if your lil guy is busy busy busy he may not be able to take the time right now to notice that he has to go, but once its over the uncomfortable feeling bothers him. Jude (my son) will tell me now "dont touch me mommy im pooping" but he will absolutely not tell me before. but he gives visual cues like he;s face will get red and he will go over by his self and squat so i know he knows whats coming he just isnt ready. so i would focus on how great it is that he is telling you that he has pottyed first. that way its a reward to let you in on his secret. and eventually he will get to the before hand telling. also with jude is i let him go naked but have his potty ready he will some times start to touch his penis or get really antsy right before he has to pee and thats when i rush him to the potty but i identify in a non embarrassing way whats going on... "oh jude i think you have to pee lets go try!" then he gets a sticker on his potty chart for going and washing his hands ect. but even if you get him trained and bottle broke b4 the new baby gets here expect regression!

Jenny - posted on 01/11/2010

ty so much....yeah i guess i'm trying to juggle a lot at one time....probably too much for him at one time too.

Kristal - posted on 01/11/2010

you gotta work on one issue at a time. I would start with the bottle since its pretty common for boys to be harder to potty train than girls. Does he understand that bottles are for babies?? You can start by having him put away all his bottles to 'save for the baby'. ONLY give him a sippy cup, and when he gets upset about it explain to him that 'bottles are for babies and your a big boy now'. It's going to take a little time and some temper tantrums I"m sure, but if you stand your ground he will get over it soon. Once the baby comes he may show some jealousy issues with the baby getting to use a bottle. You can 'help' him with that by offering him the bottle with ONLY WATER and not all the time, only say, when the baby is eating.. and tell him that if he's going to take a bottle like a baby then that's what he gets to drink. If he says ok to that then you might have to go back to just taking it away and telling him he's too big for it.

As far as the potty training, I would't worry about it if he's not telling you before he has to go. Kids all learn at different ages and while he's recognizing that he's done something down there, he might not be ready just yet to try the potty. I would wait until the new baby is here and things have settled down and you've established a routine in the house again before attempting something like that. Trying to change too many things at once, especially with the added stress of adding another child to the mix, might make him more resistant to change anything and cause you more stress. Minimize your stress levels until you are adjusted!