HELP!!! Is This How It Is Supposed to Go? Potty Training Questions

First, mom, you don't ASK him anything! You tell him firmly that it's time to go potty and you take him and sit him there. You will probably have to sit with him for the time being. You can chat with him, you can sing songs with him, or read to him. If you do this on a regular basis, you will eventually *catch* him and then you'll need to give him lots of praise....even a treat. I give my daycare children a sticker for their *potty report* that hangs on my door....one they can take home each day. Some parents give a piece of candy. You can use fruit. Just whatever you have on hand that you can give him each time he succeeds....but *only* if he succeeds. He's old enough that he should understand and it should take just a few days, if you stay consistent and focus on it until it's done. You don't punish him for an accident at this time, nor do you scold him. You explain that it goes in the potty.

Now, I realize you'd like him potty trained before the baby comes, and it's possible; but, some siblings regress for a short time when a new baby comes. Not always.

There will be lots of accidents over the next year or so; but the older a child is when you potty train, the easier it is and the better they remember.

The daycare/mdo staff take the children to potty on a regular basis as part of their routine. It will help them, if you can get him started at home, doing it the same way, once he shows he understands.

Good luck and God Bless..

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Here is my opinion only, as I have not potty trained a boy yet. But I say, let him be naked. He is still comforted by the underwear being there, but they are shocked when the pee and they are naked. And, make him clean it up! Dont however, make this about him being the big boy now, and that diapers are for babies, he may resent that. I would be pretty matter of fact about it. There are no more diapers, he needs to go potty, and that until he can show you that he wont pee in his underwear, he wont get to have them yet. Most likely he knows it is getting under your skin, and it is just not inconveniencing him enough for him to care. Give him a T shirt, and if that does not work, I would confine him to the kitchen for a day or two, with activities of course, and that when he can go on the potty rather than on your carpet, he is welcome to do so. Again, no promises of proven success here, it is just what I think I would do at that point. Good luck with the big changes ~A.~

I have to agree with Jennifer. I would wait until after the baby is born to pursue it. If he is not ready, he is not ready. The daycare pushed my 3 year old and he potty-trained in February, but I got put on bedrest the end of March (had baby April 7th). We are having more "accidents" now than ever before. He has turned it into attention getting and will actually laugh about it when he goes in his pants. I don't know how to turn it around at this point. If I had it to do over, I would wait until after the baby, then he could get positive attention for pottytraining after the baby.

i know this isn't what you want to hear, but if you are expecting so soon, i would wait a few months. he is VERY likely going to regress back to diapers when the baby gets here, so why waste the time, effort, and energy? from what you have said, he is not ready - i'd just stop and pick it up in a few months when you get settled in with the new baby. good luck!

EDITED TO ADD: in my opinion, if you're going through multiple days of many accidents, your child isn't ready - and even "frequent" accidents for up to a year??? again, that child isn't ready. my son potty trained at 3.5 and NEVER had an accident, that's a child that's ready. we did pull ups at night for a month, but he never wet in them, so we went ahead to underwear at night too at that point.

Hey D., good luck I feel for you -- this is a difficult process for many of us and not fun! I recently wrote a long message back on this topic about the struggles with my 3 year old son and what finally worked, so I won't repeat it all but you can read back on it. But the two suggestions I would add is MAKE him go to the potty several times per hour for a while (don't just ask --- make him go). He probably doesn't want to stop playing, but if you make him it's not his decision. He can decide when to go later once he gets the hang of it. And if possible, at least confine him to a smaller space for a couple of days to make the messes easier to clean up. I would probably stay in the kitchen as much as humanly possible. Set up some fun games in there or whatever else may work to keep him there. Good luck!

Yes that is the way it is suppose to go. I don't know about letting him run around naked, but do not use anything except big boy underwear. He will pee on himself for probably 2 or 3 days, but then it will just click and he start going. It took me 3 days to potty train my daugher and a dozen loads of laundry :). Just hang in there don't go back now he will catch on soon enough. Whatever you do keep him in underwear even at night. You will probably have one accident at night it is a mess, but it usually only takes one time.

Boys are usually more stubborn the one major thing I would change instead of asking him if he needs to potty, it's to make it potty time every 15 minutes. You send him to the bathroom every 15 minutes. With kids they like to copy what they see others doing so that is why the daycare probably had success with him, whereas at home there is no one to copy or follow, remember all kids want to do is please.
To help with the carpet pour apple cidar vinegar over the spot and baking soda let it sit for about 3-5 minutes it will pull it completely to the top and clean.
Just give it a double dose you can clean (mop) the carpet with warm water and apple cider vineger just a little, wet the very end of the mop and then clean the carpet. It will leave it smelling very fresh.

If you decide to make him clean one of his accidents (or pretend to clean his accidents) then I would give him an area next to the spot with a little water and vinger and have hime come help momma.

Oh yeah keep in his underwear let him help you take the dirty clothes to the laundry.

Let him assist him in every part.