I know everyone has heard this before, but here it goes. My son turned 3 years old in May and refuses to use the toilet. He has not gone to the bathroom on the toilet not even one time. He is physically and mentally able to do it, and has been advanced in most everything else in his life. I have literally tried EVERYTHING. I let him go around the house with underwear on, with nothing on, all to no avail. He'll hold it until he gets into the shower in the everning, and he'll urinate there. I'm almost positive that once he goes one time on the toilet, he'll be fine, but it's like he's afraid to just let it go. He says it's scary to go to the bathroom on the toilet. Not sure why he thinks that. ANY ideas? I'm hoping that someone can give me some ideas that I haven't heard and tried. He's starting preschool in September and he has to be potty trained, which I doubt he'll be at this rate. Help??
Well, the way I FINALLY made him go to the bathroom was to give him a LOT (and I mean a LOT) of liquids while he had his underwear on for school. He WON'T have an accident, so when he had to go to the bathroom horribly, I just picked him up and put him on the toilet. There was no way he could hold it in, so he went. He's been going both #1 and #2 on the toilet, now, which is great. Thanks for everyone's replies!
E. - Hang in there, my son finally decided to potty train at 3 years and 4 months old. After he decided, he has had only one accident. I believe kids will do it when they are ready....
Hi~
I read once about a little boy who would NOT go on the potty and mom was going crazy! Finally they figured out that he was super afraid of the toilet (who knows why?) so when that was finally addressed and his fears were calmed, he was potty trained instantly. Since your son has verbalized that the bathroom is scary, I would dive deeper into that issue and try to pull some more information out of him. He may just decide its not so scary if you can help him figure out exactly what it is he is afraid of. Good luck!
~L.
peeing on the cheerios was one of my sons favorite things. He thought it was so funny. He would stand on a small stool and stand to pee on them. We made up songs to dance to before and after bathroom time. It was also a big deal for my son to pick out his own underwear and I would take them away if he messed in them. He would have to wear the ones I picked and of course mine were not his favorite. Anyway I am not sure any of these ideas would help, so good luck
Well you might want to try pottying with him, even when you dont have to go just sit his potty in front of your toilet so he will know that adults have to go potty too. Sometimes you have to make him feel like he is a big boy just to make him do things that big kids do, and compromise. thats how I taught my daughter and thats how my cousin taught her son he was very stubborn, so it came a time where she had to take somethings from him to make him understand that it is a must that you learn how to go to the potty. And she would sit on the toilet right along with him on his toilet and they sat there together until he used the bathroom. But you have to time it just right like after he eats or drinks. And be consistant thats all.
Ms. JOnes
I have a little guy that didn't potty train until he was 3 years and 8 months. We tried everything. I really think there were two things going on. One was he was just not ready and the second was he knew I wanted him to go on the potty. It was his way of controlling his environment. The one thing that really helped get us through that time was to not push the subject and make it a fun experience when we could. The turning point for us was this spring when we were up at our cabin. We told him that he could go potty outside and not have to go in and he thought that was awesome! Good luck!
have you tried bribery? no, seriously
I have four daughters (hear say, they are easier to train), with girl three it was a qauestion of asking her what she wanted more than anything else,( in her case it was roller skates)and making a deal that, if she used the potty for a set amount of time(say a week) she could have the prize! and agree that once the prize is received keep going forever!
good luck
K. (used to be SAHM, eight years)
My daughter is 3 and didn't potty train easily either. We had her pick out her own panties, which didn't work. Grandma bought her pretty panties, which didn't work. I bought special candies that she enjoys and used them to bribe her to use the potty, which didn't work. I took her to the store to let her pick out a big girl bike and then told her we would buy it when she potty trained, which didn't work. We discussed the potty. She watched me use the potty. I struggled with this for months before I finally got hardcore and just set her on the potty and left her there until she peed in it. I began doling out punishments for not using the potty (take away her tv privileges until she used the potty, etc) and then I told her that if she didn't potty train I was going to put her back in diapers and one day after she hid in a corner and had a bowel movement, I put a diaper on her, and I think that all of together finally worked for her. She still has the occasional accident, but usually when she is running to get to the potty on time. She is no longer hiding in corners and peeing on the floor, thank goodness.
Of course, each child is different and what works for one child may not work for another. I think that consistency is really the key. Just pick a day to be potty training day, have the whole day be about using the potty and then never move backwards. From that day forward the child is expected to always use the potty.
Good luck.
My son is three and the way we got him to use the potty, was by daddy showing him how to do it standing up. He never once toched the potty before this time. All it took was one time of my husband showing him, and now he goes all the time. Plus we keep on telling him that he can not go to school until he is potty trained. Well he really wants to go to school like his sister, so that helped too. lol Wish you the best!
P.S.~ My two are the same age as yours. My daughter is 6 and my son is 3 about to be 4 September 2.
