Potty Training - Culloden, WV

S.---all I can say is go to pottytrainingsolutions.com---and look for these things called PODS. They will change the potty thing immediately. My daughter was potty trained in 4 days!!!

My son is almost 3 too and we're struggling with potty training also. He wears underwear with plastic pants and we have thrown out the diapers. Sometimes it's frustrating when he goes in his pants all day (I'm tired of poop!) but seeing little improvements at a time keeps me going. Just don't give up. Kids don't go in their pants forever!

You might consider rewarding him.Like for example tell him that if he goes to potty for you get will get him a toy or a sucker,or whatever his favorite thing is.That just might make him more enthusiastic about getting it done faster.Hopefully this will help you out greatly.Take care Good luck your friend:S.

Hmmm...this sounds familiar. Make sure he knows where the potty is and how to use it...then stop trying. If he poops in his pants, teach him how to clean his own bottom and scrub out his own pants the best he can...fact...you didn't poop in his pants, so why should you have to do it? Don't get angry with him...once he knows how to clean him self up and clean out his own pants, then just look him with no expression and say, "well then go clean yourself up" and then just drop it. I've learned that once they get sick of having to scrub out their own pants (usually takes a couple weeks), they stop pooping in their pants. The more you try and harder you work to make them stop, the more they want to potty in their pants...they don't care if it's negative attention as long as it's attention...and they like to see all of mommy's funny angry faces and how many colors mommy's face can turn when she's angry. The object is to focus as little attention as possable on their "accidents" and give tons of attention on their successes. If it don't bother you then it bugs the heck out of them. And one more thing...pull-ups are only for bedtime...when they're not so likely to wake up to go to the bathroom. You don't want to put them in pull-ups during the day because it feels to much like a pamper.

MUCH SYMPATHY! If it makes you feel any better, my *FOUR* year-old refuses to potty-train.

In our case a combination of circumstances resulted in us missing a window of opportunity to train. Last year, just past his third birthday, Nick was showing an interest -- wanting to read potty books, sitting on the potty, showing an interest in Thomas the Tank Engine underpants. My 7-year-old went through the same stage and with the help of a system of rewards he day-trained in a week and night-trained within a month.

Then we moved from California to Indiana and the stress of the move, the new house, leaving his friends behind and so on, resulted in some regression. He didn't want to sleep in his own bed, and refused to use the potty. I didn't want to stress him out even more by making a big thing of it so we let him sleep in our bed and backed off on the potty. Then a few months later he had to have some surgery, so it still didn't seem like to right time to insist that he use a potty. Unfortunately and in retrospect that was not the best way to handle things. He now totally refuses to use a potty, but at the same time he hates being interrupted in what he's doing to have his diaper changed. We have these ridiculous conversations:

Nick: I don't want a diaper change!
Me: Then you need to use the potty.
Nick: I don't want to use the potty!
Me: Then you have to have diaper changes.
Nick: I don't want a diaper change!
Me: Then you need to use the potty.
Nick: I don't want to use the potty!
Me: Then you have to stop peeing and pooping!
Nick: [confused silence]

I don't want to make it into a huge power struggle. Nick was born with a cleft lip and palate, so surgeries, frequent medical checkups, and speech/oral-motor therapy are non-negotiable things. Consequently he has a need to exert control over other things in his life, and I try to respect that. Kids with medical needs which can make them feel powerless and require them to put up with things that they don't enjoy, need to feel that they can control other parts of their lives. Unfortunately, Nick has made not using the potty one of his points of control :-(

If he doesn't come around by next summer, then I guess I will have to get tough, because he needs to be trained to go to kindergarten. Right now I'm trying the soft approach -- telling him that if he gives up the diapers, at least during the day, he will be rewarded with some Thomas toys, reading the potty books, talking up the joy of using the toilet :-) etc. I'm trying to convince him that using the potty isn't giving up control, but will instead give him the power to aquire new Thomas toys.

If that doesn't work then during the next summer vacation, I may just have to do the old 7-days-and-$100 routine -- take away the diapers, make him sit on the potty at regular intervals, give rewards for going in the potty. The theory is that this all-or-nothing approach should work within a week, and the $100 is to get your carpets cleaned after the week is up :-) The exact number of days and the amount of money for cleaning are variable, but you get the idea.

Any other suggestions would be most welcome!

consistancy is the key. We used to take all four of our kids when we were training them with us everytime we went.try using a reward system. If all else fails keep trying and pray.

I have a girl who turned three at the end of July. For the most part, she goes pee on the pottty. It has been a power struggle gettting her to have a bm there. She has done it, so I know she can. I have tried everything in the book. Potty training a three year old can be especially difficult. I nearly had her in underpants last Feb, but something traumatic happened with our family. For now, my husband and I are putting the task in her hands and are hoping that she will decide she can have a bm in the potty. Strong willed children.... seems nearly everthing must be on their terms. Frustrating, but having a bm on the potty is one area I haven't had much success tackling. I wish you the best of luck.

If you are using pullup's get rid of them. put underwear and plactic paints on him, then take him about every hour to the bath room and tell him to try to go potty. Reward him every time time he goe's. If he is ready he will go, don't give up little boys are strong willed and they will do things at their own pace. good luck