Potty trainig please help me with any tips you might have

Sarah - posted on 02/10/2009

Noella

Both of my children were trained by the age of two.  We had a nanny with 30 years of experience who helped us.  We had more than one potty.  We had one in the bathroom, one in their bedroom, and one in the living room and we would move one to the car wherever we were going.  That way, you aren't stuck with a child ready to go without a potty.  We gave our kids one m & m for peeing, and two for #2 as a positive reinforcement.  They were in a clear jar near the potty in the bathroom, out of reach, but noticeable.  If candy treats aren't an optoin, you could use really neat stickers or something.  Also, when you are home, let your child wear big gir/boy panties or underwear so that they get a feel for what it feels like to be wet or dirty.  Soon, they realize they don't like the feeling.  Lastly, try to hydrate them well around supper time and let them use the potty as much as possible before bed so that they don't have to pee all night long.   Always carry a clean set of pants and underwear, because accidents are normal.  We found that both of our children took longer to train for #2.   It looks like you have lots of good advise..........Good Luck!

Noella - posted on 02/10/2009

Thanks to everyone for their help i was scared that if i completely took away his nappies i mite be pushing him to hard but as he already uses the potty sometimes of his own choice i think its time to be a little tougher for both our sakes because our next baby is due in july thanks everyone xxx

Michelle - posted on 02/10/2009

COLD TURKEY .....just take the diaper off, lots of praise and make a big deal about them being a big kid in underware....for the first few weeks until he got it Only when I went into public I used pull ups but still in public took him regularly to the bathroom......they will just get it after lots of accidents....its consistency...HOPE THIS HELPS

Angela - posted on 02/10/2009

Once you have determined that your little person is ready for potty training buckle up and get ready to stand firm.  Once I knew it was time for my son to get on the potty I picked a weekend and took the diapers and pull-ups out of the equation.  Lets just say there were a lot of messes and a lot of cleaning up, even some tears.  The key is consistency and not just giving up and putting them back in pull ups.  He had a potty seat but ultiately prefered the toilet with a little seat on it so he won't fall in.  I basically put him on the potty every hour on the hour the first day and watched him very closely the second day.  By Monday I sent my little man to day care with several changes of clothes, again there were accidents but by Wednesday we had a dry day.  After that there were a few accidents but mostly because of misunderstandings.  Now he has totally taken over the potty thing and we just have pull ups at night but that is a different issue for my particular child.

The long and the short of it is, your child has to be ready and sometimes they are but they need a little push, like my kid.  Once you make the decision it is best to go full emersion, I really don't think pull ups help because they are basically diapers, the child needs to feel the icky sensation of being wet.  They should get it in a few days, if not they really weren't ready.

Tanya - posted on 02/10/2009

We potty trained our 2 yr 3 month old in a week using the 3 day method (we started a bit late, so I'd say complete success took about a week, with no more wetting the bed after 1 1/2 weeks). "Throw out" the diapers (ours are actually tucked away for the next baby) and put her in panties only (no pants). Gave her lots to drink (but stopped liquids 2 - 3 hours before bed). You have to stay on top of them all day and when they start to pee run them to the potty. The first few days will be full of accidents, but don't get discouraged, by day 4 we were accident free for the most part (maybe once a day, and then not a full on accident, but just enough to wet the panties slightly). Be constantly reminding them to tell you before they have to go to the potty - but don't ask if they have to go because that undermines their confidence.



There's more information on line at http://www.3daypottytraining.com/

Danielle - posted on 02/10/2009

I started my daughter on a potty chair. I got her the fisher price learn to potty chair. it's a little more pricier than the regular ones, but it worked great for her! I took her potty with me every time i went. i pulled her pants down and she sat on her potty while i used the bathroom. always praise them! now that she is 2 I have a kids toilet seat that goes over the regular one. You have to time between them drinking and when they pee. From there, just give them something to drink wait a few minutes and take them potty. You can almost always tell when they are getting ready to poop. So in to get her started I would rip her diaper off and sit her on the toilet and she would poop on the potty. it was hard in the beginning, but it helped her understand when to head to the bathroom. I have also come to find that pull ups do not work! they cost so much money and my daughter just always pottied in them. i think it is hard for beginner potty trainers to pull them down, so then instead of buying huggies, i switched to target brand diapers...for when we are home. they work great because she just tears the diaper off and goes to the potty, she does not like peeing in them because the diapers do not have the dry tech like huggies, so they let her know that she is wet. (they are also only $14 for a box, so they will last a while too.) throw in a reward. I normally do 3 m&m's. i hope this helps you a little. it's hard in the beginning, and when they are ready they will do it...but they need lots of help from mom! it's kind of like teaching them to walk.

Danielle - posted on 02/10/2009

I started my daughter on a potty chair. I got her the fisher price learn to potty chair. it's a little more pricier than the regular ones, but it worked great for her! I took her potty with me every time i went. i pulled her pants down and she sat on her potty while i used the bathroom. always praise them! now that she is 2 I have a kids toilet seat that goes over the regular one. You have to time between them drinking and when they pee. From there, just give them something to drink wait a few minutes and take them potty. You can almost always tell when they are getting ready to poop. So in to get her started I would rip her diaper off and sit her on the toilet and she would poop on the potty. it was hard in the beginning, but it helped her understand when to head to the bathroom. I have also come to find that pull ups do not work! they cost so much money and my daughter just always pottied in them. i think it is hard for beginner potty trainers to pull them down, so then instead of buying huggies, i switched to target brand diapers...for when we are home. they work great because she just tears the diaper off and goes to the potty, she does not like peeing in them because the diapers do not have the dry tech like huggies, so they let her know that she is wet. (they are also only $14 for a box, so they will last a while too.) throw in a reward. I normally do 3 m&m's. i hope this helps you a little. it's hard in the beginning, and when they are ready they will do it...but they need lots of help from mom! it's kind of like teaching them to walk.

Danielle - posted on 02/10/2009

I started my daughter on a potty chair. I got her the fisher price learn to potty chair. it's a little more pricier than the regular ones, but it worked great for her! I took her potty with me every time i went. i pulled her pants down and she sat on her potty while i used the bathroom. always praise them! now that she is 2 I have a kids toilet seat that goes over the regular one. You have to time between them drinking and when they pee. From there, just give them something to drink wait a few minutes and take them potty. You can almost always tell when they are getting ready to poop. So in to get her started I would rip her diaper off and sit her on the toilet and she would poop on the potty. it was hard in the beginning, but it helped her understand when to head to the bathroom. I have also come to find that pull ups do not work! they cost so much money and my daughter just always pottied in them. i think it is hard for beginner potty trainers to pull them down, so then instead of buying huggies, i switched to target brand diapers...for when we are home. they work great because she just tears the diaper off and goes to the potty, she does not like peeing in them because the diapers do not have the dry tech like huggies, so they let her know that she is wet. (they are also only $14 for a box, so they will last a while too.) throw in a reward. I normally do 3 m&m's. i hope this helps you a little. it's hard in the beginning, and when they are ready they will do it...but they need lots of help from mom! it's kind of like teaching them to walk.

Danielle - posted on 02/10/2009

I started my daughter on a potty chair. I got her the fisher price learn to potty chair. it's a little more pricier than the regular ones, but it worked great for her! I took her potty with me every time i went. i pulled her pants down and she sat on her potty while i used the bathroom. always praise them! now that she is 2 I have a kids toilet seat that goes over the regular one. You have to time between them drinking and when they pee. From there, just give them something to drink wait a few minutes and take them potty. You can almost always tell when they are getting ready to poop. So in to get her started I would rip her diaper off and sit her on the toilet and she would poop on the potty. it was hard in the beginning, but it helped her understand when to head to the bathroom. I have also come to find that pull ups do not work! they cost so much money and my daughter just always pottied in them. i think it is hard for beginner potty trainers to pull them down, so then instead of buying huggies, i switched to target brand diapers...for when we are home. they work great because she just tears the diaper off and goes to the potty, she does not like peeing in them because the diapers do not have the dry tech like huggies, so they let her know that she is wet. (they are also only $14 for a box, so they will last a while too.) throw in a reward. I normally do 3 m&m's. i hope this helps you a little. it's hard in the beginning, and when they are ready they will do it...but they need lots of help from mom! it's kind of like teaching them to walk.