Help Potty Training a 3 Year Old

I would try forgetting about potty training for a while. Take the potty away and put it in a closet where she can't see it and don't even mention it again for a month or two.

I would probably bring it back out in about a month and set it by the tub and after taking all of her clothes off for a bath, tell her, "since you are already undressed, let's just sit for a minute". If she is not receptive, put it away for another month.

She will go on the potty but it has to be her idea.

Good luck.

Have you tried a reward chart? At 2 and a half you would have to keep it simple. A good one would be where she gets stickers on it for evreytime she uses the potty. At the end of the day you can count up the stickers and based on the number she can pick a prize. You can get stuff from the dollar store that is age appropriate and she would like. Once she gets the hang of it you can just start decreasing the use of the chart or better yet move on to a diffrent goal. For example picking up her toys. Be sure to give LOTS of praise when she gets it right. Children thrive on praise and approvement from their parents. Another thing that in the end always eventually worked was just switch to underwear and get rid of the diapers. Consistency is the key to that one. I know it will be frustrating for awhile and you will always have to have a few extra changes of clothes with you but in the end it will be worth it. I used to just bring along a couple of matching pairs of pants to go with whatever shirt she was wearing. That way I only had to change her from the waist down. I have 4 children and not one was trained befroe the age of 2 and for the most part closer to three. Rest assured when she is ready it will happen. Until then Good luck! It will all work out in the end. Just hang in there!

just some friendly advice. we started the potty process a few months before my daughter turned 3, and it wasnt very successful. we had some successess but nothing on a regular basis. and she too, was ready... then her 3rd b-day hit... 2 weeks later, she was fully trained. i will give you the same helpful advice that was given to me... dont rush it.. dont panic, and dont get frustrated.. she wont be in diapers when she is 18. it will happen.. i have heard that 3 is the magic age and i saw proof of that.. especially if you see signs of being ready.

Well I will tell you what, I have a 4 1/2 stubbron girl. She is potty trained only because of being at a daycare. They are consistant ever since my daughter was 9 months old they either had diaper time or potty time at 9am, befor lunch 11:30 and after nap say at 2:45. I think the consistancy is what did it. So maybe try doing that with miss stubbron (ha ha). I wish you the best of luck. I know from experience that potty training is not easy they will go on the potty when they are ready, not when we are ready for them to.

Good luck,
B. sue A.
PS. Please visit my business webpage at www.MaryKay.com/B..A. anything you purchase I will deliver/ship to you free. Also, great business op too!!!

It absolutely sounds like she's ready, but hasn't decided she's ready. She is still young. I'd say just drop it for now. Maybe leave the little potty out and available and just don't say anything. Don't pressure her into it or make her feel guilty either. You want her to decide she's ready. If she feels like it's her choice, it sounds like she won't have issues with the physical aspects of it. Therefore it should be an easy process - basically done (at least during the day) once she decides she is ready. Good luck

I know when potty training my son at about the same age, he was very stubborn with it also..
I tried a skittle and m&m's thing. If he sat and peed on the potty he got 1 skittle and then if he did a BM he got 2 ..But also , constant trips to the potty like every 30 minutes at first, to let him know hey this is soemthing we are doing, the more he realized this is the new routine, he didn't have a chance to have an accident because we were in the potty often. Good luck!!

I had the same issue with my son (age 3). We finally got him trained several months ago. He showed that he was ready around 2 yrs old, however, wasn't trained until 3. People kept telling me that it is a "control" thing and when we give up some of the control and stop the pressure is when it will happen. Believe me we tried the same things as you, sticker charts, prizes,wearing undies in hopes that he would not like to be wet...he did not care. My son loves Big Bird and Sesame Street so I found little sesame characters and every time he used the potty he got to play with the characters for 5 min. After awhile I increased the play time and when he was doing well he got to keep the characters. At that point he was going without a problem and didn't need them anymore anyway. I am not sure if this is why he actually got trained. I think it helped but I think he just liked the fact that he had more control. Good luck. I thought it would never happen. It will =)
Maybe you could try something that your daughter wants that is dog related. Only let her play with it after she uses the potty and for a few min. Then she must give it back. Maybe she will be eager to use the potty.
J.

With my first daugther, a few weeks after her second birthday I informed her that she was not allowed to wear daipers anymore and we threw them all away. That worked beautifully. She was potty trained around the clock within 5 five days. I really did not understand why my sister, whose daugther was a year older than my daugther, could not get her child potty trained. I was convinced I had the answer to potty training.

Then, my second child came along. When she turned two I tried the same thing and it was an absolute disaster. She, like your daugther, is extremely stubborn. She knew what to do but wasn't about to do until SHE was ready. I finally just left her alone and all of a sudden she just did it. You would think that that experience would have taught me a lesson but it didn't. When my son turned two and a half, I gave him some extra time because he was a boy,I did the same thing I did with the girls. I was convinced that because he was more easy going like my oldest, he would simply start using the potty when I told him it was time. Unfortunately, it did not work. I then went to reward charts, M&M's and finally out-and-out bribes. I really wanted him to start preschool this fall. When mid-July hit and he was still wetting his pants, I gave up and left hime alone. By the second week of August, he informed me he was ready to use the potty and has been dry, other an accident here and there, since. He will be three tomorrow.

Before my second and third children, I didn't believe in the theory that they "have to be ready" but now I am. She is still young. Does she play with children her age? Are they potty trained? My middle child became motivated when her best friend start using the potty. I don't know if this was helpful but I thought I'd share my experience. Good luck.
-Barbara

My daughter turned 3 in August and I had the same problem. I used some of the suggestions I got on here and she's only had two accidents in a week. What I did was let her run around the house with no diaper and no underware on. I put her potty chair int eh living room since that's where she is most of the day. I told her when she had to pee to sit on the potty. She started doing it right away. I think taking her to the bathroom to do it was disturbing her "playing" so having the potty right in the middle of her play area made it easier for her. Then whenever she would use it I made a "HUGE" deal over it and she would get all excited. Just a suggestion, but doing the rewards thing, and the whole big girl undies didnt work. I had to let her run around naked. Hope this helps.

I"m going through the exact same thing... my 2 1/2 year old daughter will not potty train.. i have her sitting on the potty all day every day and she won't do a thing... only exception is i haven't purchased any underwear.. i did buy training pants which she'll pee in and not say anything. So if u find out what to do can u let me in on it?? thanks!

I went through this with my daughter who is the same age as yours (she'll be 3 on Friday) over the summer. I got tired of her peeing all over the apartment, so one day I woke up and spent the next 2 days putting her on the potty every 10 minutes and made her sit there for 5 minutes. I did nothing but make her sit on the potty. My hubby made dinner and did the dishes so all I did was concentrate on her going on the potty. I would give her 2 stickers everytime she peed and a beaded necklace anytime she did a poop on it. After 2 days she was accident free (for the most part). I was working with her for 2 months prior to this.

Rhonda,
I was reading your post and for a second I thought I had written it and forgot!! My son will also be three (Oct 25) and still refuses to go potty. He will go if I MAKE him. I have tried underoos (his words) and he just goes right in them. He will sit in a wet pull up all day if I let him. Reward charts don't work for me on the potty issue. I have read all of your responses so far, tried it all. Let me know how you make out!!