Potty Training - Little Elm,TX

It doesn't sound like he's ready, so don't push it. My ped. told me "you can start when he is two, battle it for a year and have him trained at 3 1/2 or you can wait that year until he's ready and have him trained at 3 1/2". Both my boys weren't potty trained until 3 (almost 4). My older one especially didn't care about wet or poops in his diaper/underwear. Take it from me, there is NO way to make them care!!

I did use a reward system for my youngest at 3 1/2, but he was ready, just not that into it!!

Relax and don't worry about it. Sometimes diapers are easier than running to find a potty in a store or dealing with accidents while you are out!! Good luck!!

First of all, you can't "force" a child to be potty trained. It will not work. Give up for now. My son wasn't trained until right after his 4th b'day. Your son isn't ready right now. Don't worry what others think or say. He's your child and it is none of their business. Put back on the diapers and think about it next year this time or before, if he wants to be trained.

Don't push him! If he's not ready, he's not ready. If you try too hard, then it will take forever to potty train him. I was a preschool teacher for several years, and the boys were always the last ones to potty train. Have your husband take him to the bathroom with him (you can too), just so he sees and understands how it's done. Be patient, and try again in a few months.

Of all the things I've had to do as a mother, potty training has been the most frusterating. I have a DS who is just a little more than 3 1/2 who could have cared less about going on the potty. He would go on the potty at daycare bit didn't want to do it at home. I did my best to stay positive and encouraging. We had all kinds of different rewards...cars, plastic animals, M&M's. Nothing worked. I mentioned my frusteration to another mom in my mom's group and she said I just hadn't found the right bribe yet. But what it really came down to was him being ready to do it himself. Even though I never voiced it, it almost became a test of wills. I wanted him to go and he didn't want to. Finally, one day not too long ago he just started doing it himself. So what I've learned from this little experiment is they'll do it when they're ready. Don't force the issue or it becomes a nightmare for everyone involved. He may not be ready yet. I would just let nature take its course. Good luck!

I too have the same problem. My 2 1/2 year old son will go if I put him on the potty, but he will not tell me. He is starting to take his diapers off wet, poppy and dry. If he's in underwear he will go and not tell me where he went...After reading these comments I am going to give up for a little bit.

It wasn't too long ago that I commented on mamasource that I was discouraged by my son's inability to catch on to the whole potty training thing. We put him in pull-ups a little after age 3 but it was nothing for him to do his business in his pull-up. We put him in big boy underpants after his teacher in preschool said he was going all day with no accidents which was when he was a little over 3 1/2. He turned 4 in November and still was pooping, and occasionally peeing, in his pants, but pretty much only at home. I assume this was because they have set potty breaks at school and he would get so caught up in playing at home that he would just forget to go. Also, like your son, he too had no problem with wet or messy underpants.

At his 4 year check-up, I asked the doctor about it and he said to not force it, especially the pooping part. He said it's sometimes "a deep seeded issue" for some kids and when you try to force it, the kid can try to hold it in causing impactions which can be very bad.

My husband and I tried very hard to be patient, keeping him in big boy underpants and changing poopy ones on a daily basis. A couple times, we caught him right before he was going to poop and got him to go to the potty on time. Then, one day not too long after that, he just started going by himself. It's like all of a sudden, he could tell when he needed to pee and poop and we didn't even have to remind him anymore. We did have "big" rewards (2 different Lightening McQueen matchbox type cars) for the first 2 times he pooped on his own and then "benems" (what he calls m&ms) for each time after that for about a week or so. He hasn't had a poop accident in several weeks and he only asks for "benems" on occasion now after he poops. He did pee in his pants just a couple days ago, but I think that was because my husband forgot to dump the potty out from the last time my son pooped (I wasn't home) and he didn't want to use it. After I cleaned it out, he went just fine again.

My point is that all children are different. My daughter trained well before she was 3 and only had a few accidents before she was fully trained. My nephew just turned 3 at the end of October and he's been peeing in the potty for at least a few months. He's still working on he pooping thing, but he tells my sister-in-law when he needs to poop so they can put a diaper on him and then he poops so at least he can tell when he needs to go. My son wasn't even interested until most kids are already trained, but when it clicks, it clicks. Just be patient and encouraging. They will do it in their own time.

Good luck! :-)

Wait a while and start over. He's not ready yet. Pushing him will become a war of wills.

Mine is the same age as yours and shows absolutely no signs that he is interested. He is aware of what the potty is and what it's for, but he doesn't mind walking around in dirty pants, so he never tells me when he has to go. I'll ask him, "is it time for potty?" and he responds,"all done". Which means, he already pottied in his pants. :/ He begins preschool in August so I'd like for him to be potty trained by then. I ordered the sesame street potty dvd and hope it will excite him in the potty area and encourage him to want to go. Little boys have a hard time wanting to stop what they're doing to do something as boring as using the potty.
Good luck to you! I look forward to reading your responses so that I can get some advice too!
I'm in the exact same boat.