What are some tips on how to potty train my 1 1/2 year old son?

Melissa - posted on 11/13/2008

Some children will not be trained at night even if they are trained during the day (as was the case with my son). As a very experienced mother of five, I have found that getting up every now and then at night and placing your child on the potty ensures that they will be trained for both at the same time. Potty training is not about just training your child, it's about training yourself, as a parent, to not get lazy and let it go. I've known so many parents that gave in too early and put the diapers back on their child b/c it took too much committment. That sends mixed messages. Now, I'm not saying it's not okay to use diapers in your training, because I have used them myself, but when a parent says "okay, we're only using underwear." and then gives in and puts the diaper back in the mix, it gets tough. I definately agree that the water thing is tough b/c I hate punishing for something that is a very natural thing. After a couple nights of placing your child on the potty every couple of hours, you can back off, and see the magic happen. When they all of a sudden start getting up and either letting you know they have to go, or if they are old enough, just going themselves, it's wonderful. Training myself to commit fully to my children was a wonderful experience, and it guaranteed that they would be night trained as well as day trained.

Terri - posted on 11/13/2008

Follow his lead. I began training my daughter at 1.5 and tried every method out there - every reward system, every idea. But in the end it was about when she was ready and she wasn't trained till the week after her third birthday. So give it a go with whatever method you think may be best for your child's personality, but if it doesn't work out right away, take a break for a month or two and then revisit it again. I learned early on that putting pressure on a child to potty train does not work!

Lee - posted on 11/13/2008

With Both my boys who are now 16 and 13, i started about 2 years of age going in the bath room with their daddy and he would tell them big boys start using the potty and I told them when they started feeling like big boys to throw away their pull-ups themselves and pick which big boy undies they wanted to wear, I just let them have some independence of making the decsion themselves they loved that!!

Susan - posted on 11/13/2008

The method in the book, Toilet Training in Less Than a Day, is similar to the advice given by Amy Tucker a few posts above. It works GREAT!!!

Susan - posted on 11/13/2008

The method found in this book (http://www.amazon.com/Toilet-Training-Le...) has worked **really** well and QUICKLY for 3 of my kids. Good luck.

Sarah - posted on 11/12/2008

This worked great for my son (now 9) because he didn't go to daycare - I was home with him. I started putting underwear on him - he wore just a shirt and underwear around the house. He knew right away when he wet and that encouraged him to start using the potty. I also rewarded him with M&M's for pee and a Hot Wheels car for poop. (he referred to those as "poop cars" :) It did not take long at all for him to be accident free since he did not like the feeling of wet underwear! Now I have a 2 1/2 year old who is not potty trained yet. He goes to daycare and I dont think they'd appreciate my method too much -- so, I'll have to find a new method with my youngest son.

Melissa - posted on 11/12/2008

My son just turned 2. He started showing an interest in the potty a few months ago. He still wears diapers, but knows that he's supposed to go in the potty. He tells us when he has to go, and we rush him to the potty. Sometimes it's too late, and then we just change his diaper. I dont believe in pressuring kids to use the potty because they will do it when they are ready. I dont at all believe that using the diapers is hindering him from knowing he's supposed to go in the potty. Maybe for some kids, but not for my son. He started on his own telling us that he has to use it (around 20 months or so) and so we just try every time he says so. Since he is telling us, he is understanding the idea of it, but just not catching it in time all the time. Why have a big mess to clean up all the time when it's inevitable that they will have 'accidents'? We did just get some pull-ups for him so he can get used to the idea of pulling it up and down. When he starts to use the potty more regularly and goes a couple days with no accidents, then I plan to switch him to regular underwear. Until then, i'm just letting him take the lead. I do use a lot of praise or stickers when he does go in the potty, so it shouldnt be long. I dont believe in punishing them for having accidents, such as throwing them in a cold shower as one mom suggested. I dont care if it works or not, that is just cruel.

Stacey - posted on 11/12/2008

Ive heard that placing a ping pong ball in the bowl and telling him to aim for it is quite effective. It makes it fun so he keen to try again. A small reward for good 'shooting' would be added incentive, maybe a sticker or something...

Sheryl - posted on 11/12/2008

I have also heard that if a child wakes up in the morning and their diaper is dry than it is okay to start training.....you can not expect a young child to wake themselves at night to go to the bathroom. If you have to wake up at night to put your child on the toliet than you are the one "trained" not the child!

Melissa - posted on 11/11/2008

It seems that every parent has a different method. I'm sure all are great and worked for them. However, every child is different, and none of those things worked for my children. I have five children and all (including my boy) were fully trained by the age of two. By fully trained I mean day and night. I feel it is important to do both at the same time b/c both require a lot of committment from the parents, and why not commit fully and all at once? For daytime training I tried treats, stickers, all kinds of things. The only thing that worked consistently for all five of my children was a potty piggy. We bought a plastic piggy bank and wrote "-name of your child-'s potty piggy" on the side. Every time they went pee, we gave them a penny and they got to "feed" the piggy. For poop we gave a quarter. I don't like food treats b/c it can teach a child to reward themselves with food which can lead to issues later on in life. I'm sure everyone understands the obesity epidemic we have in America. I don't knock anyone who uses that, but I liked letting my little ones earn some money. Bedtime potty training is great when you use waterproof pads over their sheets (and keep a couple handy) b/c you can just switch out the pad when there is a late night accident. It's much easier than changing sheets over and over b/c there is a lot of unnecessary sleep loss with all the sheet changes. I recommend keeping a lot of spare sheets, pads, blankets, and such on hand just in case. Occasionally the pad shifts and you'll have to change the sheets anyway. I trained my son for daytime and nighttime separately, and it was a nightmare. All the rest were done simultaneously. It worked fabulously. Some of my girls were fully trained by 15 and 18 months!!! Pull ups are terrible b/c they use them like diapers and it causes confusion. Panties or underwear are great, but require a lot of committment from the parents. Commit and go for it!!!

Donita - posted on 11/11/2008

My son is almost 2 1/2 and he's still having accidents, but we do set an alarm for every 28 minutes and he knows when he hears it he has to go to the potty. Good luck!! I had a friend who had her boy PT'd at 18 months. It's not impossible!

Dawn - posted on 11/11/2008

I think that is is toooo young too but never to young to start familiarizing it! I bought a potty and he would play with it,put toys in it and then finally before he was two he pee in it lots and only number 2 once. I now do not have a potty but put a potty seat on our toilet with a stool for his size. He loves it and wears diapers sometimes (at night) and big boy underwear during the day. Yes, there has been many accidents but that is what it is all about.

Amy - posted on 11/11/2008

I had the hardest time potty training my oldest son (now 8), it literally took a year to master for him. When I had a second child, I was anticipating another horror show, so I started asking for advice on message boards like this. The most common thing I heard was wait until he is ready and showing interest (which did happen by about his 3rd birthday). But the best advice I got is the trick that worked... Dedicate a full day (or 2 as it may be necessary). Start out first thing in the day by setting a kitchen timer to go off every 30 minutes. When it goes off, proceed directly to the bathroom (sometimes with struggle but do not give in). If he goes reward him with praise and excitement. If he doesn't go, give encouragement. Regardless of what happens set the kitchen timer for another 30 minutes and keep repeating the process throughout the day. Also important and helpful encourage him to drinks lots of liquids. This worked so well for us that after just one day he was fully potty trained! In fact a few months later when my older child was having trouble rushing through his homework, the teacher recommended using a kitchen timer. Well needless to say everytime that kitchen timer went off, the little one ran to use the potty!

Jennifer - posted on 11/11/2008

Boys take longer to potty train than girls....usually much longer. I have 4 boys and my 3 year old is not trained yet. My other boys all were totally ready by 31/2 years old.....in about a week they were set. My sister had 3 girls and they were trained by age 2. I know so many moms of boys and boys just need more time. Let them do it when they are ready. Trying to force it will be a big frustration to everyone....especially to your little guy. As my mother said I don't know of any child who starts kindergarden still wearing a diaper. Honestly, I think 11/2 is too youg,,,,,,for a boy.

Stacey - posted on 11/11/2008

Potty training is 100% up to the child. You will know when they are ready. My oldest son was trained by 3. I would ask him at each diaper change if he needed to use the potty. If he did great and if he said no I would leave it at that. Then one day he woke up and said he was ready for big boy underwear and we never looked back. My youngest is 2 1/2 and I am doin the same thing with him. Why struggle when you don't have to just let them lead. My 21/2 year old could be competly trained if he wanted too, but he doesn't so we don't pressure him.

Sheryl - posted on 11/11/2008

I agree I think that 1&1/2 is too young to push the potty traing issue. I think that having a potty in the bathroom and teaching is fine but pressuring him to perform could backfire on you. We started arouns 2&1/2 and my son was trained at 3. I never pushed him ....I just let him take the lead but I offered incentives and NEVER punished for accidents. Once trained he never wet the bed at night.

Misty - posted on 11/11/2008

I truly believe that potty training is really more parent training. If you are diligent enough to take them all of the time and stay consistent, 1 1/2 is not too early. You just have to stick it out for 2 weeks or so. All 3 of mine trained in 2 weeks. We never used pull-ups, only "real" training pants and just had to wash a lot, but it works. Another trick we did was face our son backwards on the toilet...don't know why, but it worked.

Renee - posted on 11/11/2008

don't worry!!!! It will happen, I promise! My oldest boy was potty trained by time he turned 2 and now my 3 year old Boy just got it down about 2 weeks ago. You will know when he is ready, just don't Stress!! One mom told me he will go to school potty trained and wont be 16 year old still in pull-ups! Just do what works for you and him!

Jennifer - posted on 11/11/2008

I think you should wait. 1 1/2 is a little young especially for boys. You don't want to turn it into a huge issue with him and a battle you won't win right now. If he has indicated he's ready great! But usually at 1 1/2 their still busy exploring their world and don't have much cordination over their body let alon their bladder. I have 3 boys myself and the potty wars are never fun, but if he's not ready you'll just end of frustrated and he'll preceive the potty as his enemy.

Brooke - posted on 11/11/2008

in my experience my son was a little harder than my daughter. however him being 14 now and her 6 i think it's just that he is a little more stubborn lol. it was great at first with him cause you can peepee on a tree (we lived way out in the country) NOT SO CUTE WHEN THEY TRY AND DO IT IN PUBLIC!!!!! just thought i would share that funny story with you guys

User - posted on 11/11/2008

Ok, I have heard, many times, that boys are harder to potty train than girls. I had 2 boys so I could not tell you for sure. I don't like the pull ups. They keep the child feeling too dry. I purchased those padded underwear that have a waffle look to them. I didn't attempt the night time potty training until we passed the ability to poop and pee in the potty during the day! For night time, yes, I used pull ups. I have read that it is not too unusual for boys to have night time accidents even up to the age of 12. I got lucky and it was not the case for us. Oh yes, less liquid after dinner when attempting the night time. Hold in there and good luck!

Christina - posted on 11/11/2008

Hello! My son is now 3 and when I started to potty train him I did something most moms dont do. I decided that I would no longer have diapers and pull ups only at night ( but I called the pull ups underwear) so during the day I would put him on the potty about every 1/2 hour and the first time he went pee I jumped up and down and danced (making it very exciting) The first day was awful...But when he went poo the first time I bought him a thomas train (he loves them) the 2 time I bought him a thomas coloring book and the 3rd time I got him stickers... After the 3rd time nothing. 3 times and they understand. I only used 1 box of pull ups. Hope this or whatever you choose works. Best of luck.

Janel - posted on 11/11/2008

Sounds awful but it worked. If it doesn't work after 4 days, STOP.....talk to him about going on the potty....let him go w/o diaper, when he wets, put him in a cold shower for 5 seconds. My son was late on potty training, this worked ater literally 2 times. He's 6 now and still loves to swim, water etc. it's hard but it works for someone who may be desperate......

Brooke - posted on 11/11/2008

hi britni...in response to your question about potty training your son...it may be a little too early for him to potty train. we started my son at about 2 yrs 3 mo...daddy would take him everytime he had to go to get familier. he was great about going for about a week except poo and then when the newness wore off he went back to having accidents. he was completly potty trained by 3 though. treats and rewards are great...we tried by letting him throw a cheerio into the potty and tinkle on it...he thought this was just hilarious and got him interested....also the big boy undies. let him pick his own undies and it might give him a little extra incentive. whatever you do, DO NOT FORCE HIM, it's proven that it can cause psycological issues!!! it really should be on his terms however their is nothing wrong with constant encouragment....we have a 2 yr old little girl right now who is on the verge of wanting to potty train and her bday is the 25th of this month. one of her presents will be danty little frilly panties to encourage....best of luck to you

Rebecca - posted on 11/11/2008

Boys usually potty train later than girls. I have 3 boys (10, 7 and 3). My 3 year old is just beginning to get interested in the potty.The two older boys pretty much potty trained themselves when they were ready. I wouldn't stress out too much about it. Enjoy this time. They grow up very fast.

AnnMarie - posted on 11/11/2008

my son will be three in December, i started potty training him at 2 1/2 and he did good for a boy, boys usually take longer to potty train then girls and sometimes don't get it until 3years old. all that to say if he is not showing signs of readiness don't stress your self out. The work is so much harder for you. it may be easier to wait until he is 2. you don't want it to turn into a potty training nightmare.

Faith - posted on 11/11/2008

I trained my girls in 2 weeks using stickers. I gave them stickers when they went. I kept a cardboard square taped next to the potty chair so they could see it when they sat down. It worked for both kids.

Chelsey - posted on 11/11/2008

For my girl i let her go without a diaper and pull up while at home to get her use to cloth so she could get out of comfort zone of having something to rely on. So it would give her a chance to feel what it's like to be wet when she did have an accident. Entertainment set beside the potty helped too, it gave her something to look at like fav books. It takes time but sometimes they will only start when they are really ready then they are more willing to enjoy the learning proccess. My girl is 3 1/2 now and finally got the hang of it in the spring we started when she was 2 but she was not interested because she was to use to the feeling of the diaper thats why i don't even like using pull ups they feel just like diapers to them i think. we even tried given them a different name but she still relied on them as a diaper. so we just got her panties to wear instead. Good luck i hope i helped.

Kara - posted on 11/11/2008

For my little boy I would pour a little warm water on his privates and it made him go every time. It was nice when you start using underwear and need to go to the store or something. Pretty soon all I had to do was turn on the water and he had to go pee, good Luck.

Marie - posted on 11/11/2008

Take him to the potty every hour and a half or so. Use small rewards, stickers, smiley face drawn on his hand with magic marker, as incentive to go in the potty. When he is dry for a few hours at a time, several days in a row, switch to underwear. Don't get mad when he has accidents, it WILL happen. He can't help it. Just encourage him to change himself and then go potty in the potty again. Encouragement and maintaining a schedule and are key!