Any tips for potty training?

Shova - posted 3 hours ago

I am also training my boy! i am just starting, so i put a potty chair available for him, and started playing games witht the potty, and also started reading him stories about the potty...by the way, i found a great app called potty training learing with the animals... where the kids play with the animals and the toilet!...it works very well!...

Sue - posted on 11/17/2009

If you have 1 day that you can spend in your home with your child, ALONE, this will work.... bring the potty in the kitchen w/ you, a doll that pees when you feed it a bottle, some activities to do w/ your child & your child. Dress the top part of your child (if a girl no underwear & NO PULL-UPS for either sex). Encourage your child to drink fluids (favorite drink works great) Show your child how to feed the baby doll, when the dolly starts to "pee" place her on the potty, tell the dolly good job. Then have your child do the same w/ the dolly, continue to push fluids w/ your child. Tell them it's their turn to try, if no success tell them nice try, if child starts to pee have them sit on the potty, continue through the course of the day- stay in that room or take everything w/ you but do not lose focus or start to do other things & get side-tracked, it may seem inconvenient but so is carrying a diaper bag & this will work, do not use pull-ups if you can, this prolongs the process. Good Luck :)

Jessica - posted on 11/16/2009

You can use pull ups, i did with my oldest son! I used to put fruit loops in toilet for him and told him to pee on them he did it worked..lol..then with my 2year old we are potty training now..and he is just fascinated with peeing and pooping in the water..so its a lil easier..with him,,

Danette - posted on 11/16/2009

I had the hardest time with my son he was 3 and a half when he was finally broke but what worked for me was the outside method. We would tell him to pee off the deck and try to hit Kipper (the dog) I know it's not the best thing but it worked for us and also if your child is a boy I was told to put cheerios in the toilet and tell him to see if he could try and pee on the Cheerios. I kinda thought that was gross not that our way wasn't but I guess you have to find what will work for yours but that's a couple of suggestions good luck!!!

Danielle - posted on 11/16/2009

Consistancy is key! use a reward system. m&ms work great. one for pee pee, two for poo poo and three for doing both. passing gas does not count! pullups DONT WORK. Girls are easier than boys. However my son will be 20 months on the 28th and doing very well but i stay home and spend A LOT of time with him. training underwear is best. They feel so big! Dont push, and dont be negative! he/she will get it eventually. hope this helps :)

Cindy - posted on 11/16/2009

they sear that it works, but potty training is a very individual experience. the movie once upon a a potty (sold in toys r us) worked well for my son and just patience and persisitance worked with my twin girls. going ot the store letting them pick out their own underwear was very exciting for all my kids and it helped with the process. i also waited until all my kids were about 2 1/2 years old when i started the process. i felt them to be more mature and understanding of the potty concept. it took my son a week to train and it took my twin girls almost 3 weeks to completely train. every child is different and training times may vary, and you may get very frustrated, but they will be out of diapers before kindergarten!! good luck

Cindy - posted on 11/16/2009

i agree setting a timer ever 30 minutes or so and then take them to the potty when the timer goes off. there is a thing called a potty watch that you can get at potty watch.com. they wear the watch and you set the time & when the timer goes off, your child will be excited and run to the potty! i did not use it with my twin girl, i waited until they were just over 2 1/2 yers old and then i started potty training. let me tell you, with in a week they were both potty trained. patience and persistance is all you need and never yell if htey have an accident. my friend swears by the potty watch though. you may hve to try a few different methods fo potty training before you get the one that works. good luck

Joan - posted on 11/15/2009

Yes! I bought it and it worked for my 2yr 7month old. She is very hard headed. Didn't follow it exactly to a "T" because we got sick with a stomach bug during the training phase, day 2. It does work! Just go buy lots of underwear together. Let the child pick it out. My daughter really enjoyed the "throwing the diapers away" part. Good luck!

Barb - posted on 11/15/2009

Like someone else posted. Use the cheerios trick. I used them in my preschool class for some of my boys and told them to shoot the cheerios.
They think this is funny. Also lots and lots of praise! If they go potty on the toilet make a huge deal out of it. Jump up and down, clap and any thing else you can think of.

Jennifer - posted on 11/14/2009

With my son I made it into a game. I put cherios into the toilet bowl and told him to aim for them. When he figured out it was fun he did it all the time. He was a little too short to pee in the toilet bowl so I got him a little step stool...he loves peeing from heights...so my advice is, make it a fun experience and they should do the rest on their own.

Ursula - posted on 11/14/2009

When mine were ready, I devoted an entire weekend, and if possible longer to training. No diapers, no pull ups, no underwear, just sweatpants for the day. I bought a lot of pairs at Target, 5-6 pairs (which I used again with each of my 4 children). I also always used the regular toilet with a little seat you can put on it, mine was actually just a little padded ring with handles. I figured sitting on the real potty saved me a step. Then, throughout the day at 1/2 hour intervals I would set a timer, when it beeped off to the potty we'd go. I would sing a little potty song, clapping my hands to make a big deal of it. Each time they even just sat on the potty, they would get a sticker for their poster I made I wrote at the top: Ava Went Potty! So every time she sat sticker for the poster (so we could show daddy!) and sticker for her shirt. The key though, is that I would let them drink as much juice (I always mix with water) as they wanted throughout the day. So of course, we wouldn't get to the potty in time and they would wet themselves, very uncomfortable. When that happened, I did not make a big deal, just would say, we want to pee on the potty, let's try and off we would go. Pretty soon they figure out it doesn't feel good to pee in their pants! I would start extending the time until we used the potty too, so they would go longer, and frankly so they would have an accident and know how that felt. I continued this through out the weekend--lots of laundry, kinda stuck at home, but well worth it. It worked with all of my kids! What is the potty song...well it went like this..."Potty, potty, sittin' on the potty! Look at Ava-roo! See what she can do! Yaaahhhh Ava!" clapping throughout, and then at the Yah part, shaking my hands in the air. : )

Leslie - posted on 11/14/2009

I used the last diaper and told her it was time to use the potty. We bought her pretty "Princess" underwear and made her wear them. She had a few accidents but when she did I'd take her to the potty, cheer for her being such a big girl, clean her up and wait. Seriously, it took about 1 1/2 days and she was done peeing in her panties. I also carried her portable potty in my car and no matter where we were, if she said she needed to "go potty" I pulled over and put her on it. I still carry it with me on long distances, just in case, but haven't had to use it.

Wendy - posted on 11/14/2009

Thank you Maggie. Will try that this week

Maggie - posted on 11/13/2009

I put my daughter in cloth training pants at first, then I out her on the potty every 10-15 min and before & after meals before and after naps & trips out of the house. She had few accidents at first but because of the "creepy" feeling of wetting herself she started asking to use the potty and even just going by herself ans was potty trained before her second birthday. I think pull-ups confuse them and I think age play a large part, my daughter talk very early and we have had a few challenges along the way

Wendy - posted on 11/13/2009

My daughter is 2 years old. I am trying to potty train her now. She tells me "poo poo" and when I rushed her to the toilet she sits there and pretend something is happening and in a few minute she tells me she wants to come down. When I checked the diaper she peed already. Is it possible that kids do it the other way? Tell you they want to when they already made? Her potty is the Dora toilet seat which she likes but I don't know when she will wait until she sits on the seat. Please advise...Thank you

Ursula - posted on 11/13/2009

As a mother of 4, my best advice is to not start too early. I waited until mine were 3 years old to train them. Did it in a weekend, no pull ups at night,no night time bed wetting, of course we had a few accidents here and there during the day, my daughter mainly, but really, none of them back tracked. I truly believe it is because I waited. If they showed interest earlier, I would of course let them sit on the potty, but no pressure,no big deal. But, I did not officially get rid of diapers until they were three. The more pressure you put on yourself, that creates stress, and then they feel pressured and stressed too. I knew they were physically ready when their diapers were dry in the morning when they woke up, that was one sign they were close to being ready. But, still I waited until they were near their 3rd birthday, my 4th child was ready before he turned 3, but just a few months before he was 3. So, good luck, don't rush it.

Caroline - posted on 11/13/2009

I think every child is different so really there is no set way my little boy wasnt potty trained till he was three i felt a complete failure and that he would never do it and suddenly it happened over night he just seemed to get it and since that day i can count his accidents on one hand i know this isnt ereally a tip but they ae ready when they are ready

Devi - posted on 11/13/2009

Does the 3 Day Potty Training e-book work really well?

Joey - posted on 11/13/2009

This was the only time we've ever used food as a reward, and it has never backfired on us! All 3 kids trained quick and easy with this method:

(1) M&M for trying
(3) M&Ms for tee tee
(5) M&Ms for poo

Worked like a charm. Also, no pull-ups -- go straight to training pants (or bare naked).

Farzana - posted on 11/13/2009

use any "reward" method that your child can understand. I used sticker charts where my daughter (then 3yrs) was rewarded for other activities as well as the potty. This way she could see her progress and was rewarded when a column from any category filled up. Also, very importantly, be patient, persevere and make sure you can devote your time to the task at hand. Good luck!

Lori - posted on 11/13/2009

Yes, tell Joe you refuse to wipe the seat and for goodness sake put the seat down when your done! LOL

Sarah - posted on 11/13/2009

My suggestion for you is what I tried because I had done almost everything with my daughter. i used to work in daycare so I tried a ton of tricks. I did the sticker or treat reward system, I put her on the toilet every hour (she would pee right after I put the diaper or pull up back on her). I tried the cold sensation pull ups, I thought I had tried everything with no avail. I was getting frustrated because she was 3 and nothing I was doing worked. Then a friend of mine said she got her 2 year old completely potty trained in three days. I said it would never work then I tried it and after three days no more diapers or pull ups. YAY! What I did was I put her in big girl underwear all day for 3 days (you will go through alot of underwear in 3 days but it's worth it) I still took her to the potty about every hour but I did not put her back in a diaper or pull up. There were alot of accidents the first day and only a few the second day and maybe only 1 or 2 the third day. After the third day she was completely potty trained. I put her in pull ups at night because otherwise she would have sat in it all night, but after the first 2 nights she wasn't going at night either. Another suggestion is to stay are hard floors for easier clean up or go outside if the weather permits. Good luck!

Sadie - posted on 11/13/2009

I put a potty in the living room each evening before bed to start with and my daughter used to play with no nappy on for that hour and when she started to have a wee i would put the pot under her we also tried reading on the pot a well so i would give her a small drink and then about 10 minutes later we would sit and read while she was on the pot. I would say though once they get the gist I wouldn't keep asking them if they need to toilet or taking them all the time because they then rely on you asking /taking them and then never learn to recognise the signs.

Dagmar - posted on 11/13/2009

Joy this is such practical advice!

Lorra - posted on 11/13/2009

Persistance, once you start, keep going til they are trained. I took mine every 20-30 min. til they went. Sometimes they have accidents, don't get angry. Encourage them, tell them they'll get it next time. Offering a reward works sometimes too. And do not use pull ups, they are glorified diapers and they don't work because they know they can go in them and not feel it.....hope this helps

Joy - posted on 11/13/2009

I had 2 boys & 2 girls. The boys are def slower to potty train. Best thing I found was lots of time outside with no pants on. Until then they don't seem to understand what it's all about. For girls, sitting on the potty feels lots better than having wee run down the legs. Boys get a surprise to see what happens when their wee comes out, and then you can explain the best place to point it! Be patient, and good luck!

Melissa - posted on 11/12/2009

Thank you everyone for your comments. This helps me so much. I can't thank you all enough. I love belonging to this Circle of Moms thing. It is so helpful. I cant tell you enough.

Melissa - posted on 11/12/2009

Quoting Emmi:

We put out a potty chair in plain site for her. Somewhere where my daughter would see it frequently so it would trigger a reaction saying "Oh there's the potty, maybe I'll try to go." Keeping it out of site and in the bathroom doesn't help (unless that's where they spend most of their time playing! LOL).

We also never did pull-ups, training pants or anything. We just told her 'No more diapers," let her pick out some pretty panties and went from there. She of course had accidents, but she was trained in about 1 week with peeing and 2 weeks for pooping.

There was an overload of laundry for a bit, but that's what worked the fastest for us.

Good luck to you! :)

yes, this helps me a buch thank you so much.

Melissa - posted on 11/12/2009

Quoting Kimberly:

I never used pull ups or anything like that unless we were going in the car or at nap/bed time because I found that when he had them on he felt more comfortable and would pee in them. I put the potty in my living room and let him sit on it fully clothed for a week or so just to get him used to staying on it for more than 30 seconds. When I decided to go for it I let him be naked and just reminded him every so often that if he needed to pee he had to go on the potty. I never set a timer or anything because I wanted him to learn the sensation and go on his own. If he did have an accident I would pick him up and put him on the potty so that he would still learn that that is where he goes. We did a dance, clapping lots of hugs and kisses and phone grandma, auntie etc when he did go. I slowly added underwear and then pants. Some people make a sticker chart and give them a sticker for every time they go or some sort of small treat.

thank you. this helps a lot. it really does!! thank you so so very much.

Crystal - posted on 11/12/2009

Don't force it! Most kids are not ready till around 3 years old! They need to physically have that feeling! If they are ready it will be fast and easy! No Pull Ups, just put big kid underwear on and away you go! I have potty trained over 30 kids! If it is not easy they are not ready!

Joan - posted on 11/12/2009

I let my daughter wake up in the morming ( the day I decided to potty train her) and put her on the potty to pee. We put the pull up back on that she had slept in. Then, she and I went through the whole house with the trash can and "threw away" all the diapers and pullups, even the ones in the car and diaper bag. She had to be the one to do it though. I carried the can. After that, we put brand new panties in her diaper bag and in the drawer where the diapers used to be. Since she saw Mommy "throw away" her diapers, she knew she had to go to the potty. Also, I purchased the 3 day potty training e book online by Lori Jenson and bought a portable potty for the car. It really did work! Was kind of a bad experience though, because on day 2 she got sick with a stomach bug and had lots of diarrhea. Needless to say, she had lots of opportunities to get used to doing #2 in the potty. I couldn't go back to diapers because she was "almost there." Gonna take alot of patience on your part! also, during the training phase, try not to get mad or act disappointed when the child has an accident. Hope this helps.

Emmi - posted on 11/12/2009

We put out a potty chair in plain site for her. Somewhere where my daughter would see it frequently so it would trigger a reaction saying "Oh there's the potty, maybe I'll try to go." Keeping it out of site and in the bathroom doesn't help (unless that's where they spend most of their time playing! LOL).

We also never did pull-ups, training pants or anything. We just told her 'No more diapers," let her pick out some pretty panties and went from there. She of course had accidents, but she was trained in about 1 week with peeing and 2 weeks for pooping.

There was an overload of laundry for a bit, but that's what worked the fastest for us.

Good luck to you! :)

Irene - posted on 11/12/2009

Ive found while toilet training my twin girls that it is best to let them go bare bummed if i try to put nickers on them they still feel they have a nappy on so now i have them toilet trained with no accidents for a week or so i just have to try and figure out how to get them wearing something on the bottom half

Carol - posted on 11/12/2009

Quoting Janet:

With boys, sometimes it helps to put cheerios in the bowl and get them to try to "drown" the cheerios. Also sometimes taking them in at least every hour and try for a minute or two, whether or not they say they have to go. Reward with a penny, M & M or small prize each time they go (no negative complaints if they have accidents in between). When they are ready, they will start going in a week or two. If they aren't ready, put them back in the diaper and try again later. Good Luck and remember, there is no "right" time that they have to potty train.

lol, i have never heard of the cheerios in the toilet. that is funny XD

Cindy - posted on 11/12/2009

My daycare provider used a simple method. She would take Sicily to the potty every 10 minutes. If she went then she would get a special treat or sticker. We also used a potty at home that would play music every time she went to the potty and we made a huge deal out of her going. She always sat on her potty when I went to the bathroom which also reinforced that this is what "big girls" do. I used pull ups at home but the daycare provider only used regular underwear and plastic pants. She felt that pullups were too close to diapers and was confusing to the children. Either way just use positive reinforcement, lots of praise and patience. One word of advice...most children are not ready for potty training until they are at least 18 months old (girls) and 24-30 months old (boys). They just do not have the muscle control to be trained until that age. A lot of moms will say that their child was trained before they were 1 but that is just false memories. Waiting until your daughter is at least 18 months old will be easier on the child and on you.

Cj - posted on 11/12/2009

i haven't ptty trained mine yet but i grew up with 8 siblings and i have 12 neices and nephews who are almost all potty trained. what my family does is buy a potty chair with a lid and puts it infront of the big toilet. then whenever you have to go to the bathroom tell your child that momy has to go potty and ask them to go with you, then lift the toilet lid and tell them to do the same and then tell them to sit on the toilet when your done tell them to put the lid down. it just introduces the idea of going potty to them and using yourself as an example but dont expect them to really use the potty until they can sense that they are going potty in their diaper. when they can tell you that they feel it or try to take their own diaper off after using it then you can ask them to pull their pants down and help them with taking of their diaper after lifing the lid up. it takes time so be patient and offer them a reward for using the potty make the reward a little bigger for going #2 in the toilet

Janet - posted on 11/12/2009

With boys, sometimes it helps to put cheerios in the bowl and get them to try to "drown" the cheerios. Also sometimes taking them in at least every hour and try for a minute or two, whether or not they say they have to go. Reward with a penny, M & M or small prize each time they go (no negative complaints if they have accidents in between). When they are ready, they will start going in a week or two. If they aren't ready, put them back in the diaper and try again later. Good Luck and remember, there is no "right" time that they have to potty train.

Shawna - posted on 11/12/2009

my daughter is successfully potty trained even with pull ups. i used positive reinforcements after she goes, clapping, a sticker, toy or a lolli to show her she has accomplished something. she uses the potty for 1 and toilet for 2. i actually stated taking her with me to the bathroom and saying mommy gotta go make pee pee on the potty about 5 months ago. i agree with kimberly pull ups only outside on the go and when company comes over. when you see them squatting grab them and run for the potty or tell them pee pee potty and make sure you kee it i the same room. i knwo tedious but they feel better without a wet diaper on. also you can use a timer but every 20 to 30 min should do it.

Nancy - posted on 11/12/2009

sometimes kids are just not ready to be potty trained. Give it a couple weeks then try again. I put mine on the toilet every half hour to 45 minutes. When they "went" I would give them lots of praise. I also bought big girl/boy underwear and told them if they went to the potty, they could wear them and throw the diapers out. As for potty training pants: they are so thick they're almost like a diaper. Children need to feel the uncomfortable wetness. Sometimes thats all it takes to get them to go on the toilet. There is no easy answer to this one because all kids are different. If your child is not interested or ready to be toilet trained, wait about a week and try, try again

Kimberly - posted on 11/12/2009

Oh, and maybe letting them pick up their own special underwear will help too.

Kimberly - posted on 11/12/2009

I never used pull ups or anything like that unless we were going in the car or at nap/bed time because I found that when he had them on he felt more comfortable and would pee in them. I put the potty in my living room and let him sit on it fully clothed for a week or so just to get him used to staying on it for more than 30 seconds. When I decided to go for it I let him be naked and just reminded him every so often that if he needed to pee he had to go on the potty. I never set a timer or anything because I wanted him to learn the sensation and go on his own. If he did have an accident I would pick him up and put him on the potty so that he would still learn that that is where he goes. We did a dance, clapping lots of hugs and kisses and phone grandma, auntie etc when he did go. I slowly added underwear and then pants. Some people make a sticker chart and give them a sticker for every time they go or some sort of small treat.

Barbara - posted on 11/12/2009

how i got my son to potty train after being tired of him crying cuz he wanted a diaper back on. i told him that the store ran out of his diapers so he had to become a big boy and where his underwear and he has been a big boy since we've had a few accidents but not to many since then. not sure if it works all the time but thats an idea.

THAVARY - posted on 11/12/2009

i cant get mine to the toilet!