Potty Training - Brownsville, TX

I am wondering, with you being a sahm (which is great!) if Jaime gets to be around other 3 yr olds very often? I had this same problem with my now 5 yr old daughter when she was 3 (& still in pull-ups). What worked for me is daycare. I put her in daycare (as a working single mom, I had to) & they told me that she had to be in the 2 yr old class so they could potty train her before moving her up. I know, it sounded bad to me at the time too, but it worked! In less than 2 months she was completely potty trained. No matter what you decide, GOOD LUCK!

I gave my son a "reward" when he went. I bought some Cars fruit snacks (he loves the movie) and I would give him a couple if he went to the potty. I tried stickers and stamps but those didn't work for me. I would put all the prizes in a jar and he would always pick the fruit snacks.

Sorry about your husband. I am a widow of 3 years, fortunitly my children are grown, however, I do have one of my grandchildren living with me. Addressing the potty, have you tried reading the books to him while he is setting on the potty? That worked for my grandson and latter he was reading to others while they sat on the pot. If you haven't already tried this I hope it works for you.

S.Ray

you can't push potty training, and you can never judge one child by what another one has done. start by tossing out the fact that your other two started so early. your first did it early, and your second had an early role model in the older, but close in age, sibling. Your youngest has an entirely new situation. My son is now 7, and wouldn't even try until 2. Then he was doing great by 3, but then we had 2 big moves within the next 2 years, and it all went to heck. potty training can be a very emotional thing, and if any "traumatic" events have taken place, this may slow down the process, or even reverse it for a while. and remember, what we consider a trauma, and what your little one may consider a trauma are very different things...don't push and it'll come around....

This is probably the number one post on this site. The number one answer is continue to work with your son, but don't push him.

He will get trained when he is ready.

Kids are all different and you can't compare yours. My 1st daughter was trained by her 2nd birthday, my 2nd, not until she was 3 1/2. My son is 2 1/2 and is very close, but pullups, marshmallow rewards, big boy underwear...nothing is cutting it. Just find something and stick to it and eventually he will do it.

Hello!
I had such a time with my 3yr old that I just dropped the subject and about every 2wks I would ask again for her to try! She has her own mind so no matter what I said, seemed to backfire. I tried everything, she wanted to take dancing class, and gymnastics, but I explained that she needed to wear her "big girl pants". She came back with "I don't want to take class anymore, now". Finally at 3 1/2 she just decided she wanted to do #1 and #2! I was relieved and we threw a "Potty Party" and called all the relatives.
I had no such challenge with my 1st child, he pottied trained right on his 3rd birthday with not one accident afterthat, she on the other hand had alot of accidents, whether it be out shopping or at home. Best of luck to you, I remember many times she would tell me ,"I'm still little mom" so I guess she was letting me know she's still my little baby and wasn't ready yet.
C.

Hi S. -

Boys do usually take longer and around 3 years old is not unusual for them. I have seen the charts you make up and they get a sticker for each day they use the potty, then a reward when they have a certain amount of stickers. Otherwise, try to let go of some of your anxiousness on this and then maybe he will relax about it more too - the little ones sense so much from us! Yes, it is inconvenient for us moms but you are almost there with him - be patient. He will do this in his own time. Good luck to you!
Alli

I feel your pain!! My son was 3 years and 4 months before the whole potty thing "clicked" for him. (I was up to size 6 Pampers...you can't find those just anywhere!!)

Of all things it was a fluke that got him trained...I was putting him in big boy underwear with Thomas or Spiderman, and he was peeing and pooping in them like crazy. And I thought my hair was about to fall out...I HATE poop!

We were down to our last pair of undies a pair my SIL had send in a gift. They had alligators and frogs on them. I told my son he had animals on his undies today and showed them to him. He gasped and said "I can't peepee or poop on my animals!!" There you go! Right to the potty every time. I raced to gymboree to buy more lizard/frog/alligator underwear. (Of course the only place I could find undies with animals!!) He will to this day have accidents in his character undies but not his "animals". So, I have been secretly getting rid of old Spidey and Thomas.

I have no idea what exactly will help with your son, but I do understand the frustration and exasperation of trying to potty train and getting no or very little results. Especially after trying/buying every potty training trick/technique in the world...only to have it come down to having an animal on your underpants.

Sending you a great big HUG...{{{hug}}}

I just wanted to share with you on how I got my son to potty trained, and its going to sound a little crazy but everyone I know that has done this with a boy as worked. Put regular underwear on him during the day, then tell him as soon as he gets up its time to go potty. Through out the day do not give him the option of "Do you need to potty?" instead tell him it is time to go potty. My son also liked to stand on a stool at the big potty and lean foward some and hold the back on the potty. When you are outside and it is pretty let him pee on trees and on a rock stuff that he thinks is fun. Get rid of the diapers!!! Regular underwear during the day and a pull-up only at night. Hope this helps, good luck, He will be potty trained before you know it.

S. C,

I know how you feel. My son took forever to potty train. He was 2 when he started using the potty to tinkle but I could not get him for love or money or even candy to go poo in the potty. I was starting to wonder if I was going to have to change his diapers until he was 30. But magically one day...he was ready on his own. He was closer to 4 but finally he has done it. They are on their own time table and you can encourage it as much as you want but they won't go until they are ready. Good luck and it'll happen.

Hi S.. Im J.. My son was the same way. He finally got it by the time he was 4. I just let time prevail after trying different tactics, because nothing was working and I was sort of getting worried as well. He slowly started by 3 and a 1/2 and came into his own by his fourth birthday. I just kept reminding him to use the potty day by day and he got it.

I had the same problem with my youngest son. He didn't potty train until he was almost 4!!

It seemed to work better once my husband and older son took over. We started leaving the bathroom door open, and inviting my little one to watch. They would tell him, "This is how big guys go to the potty." He was more interested in it then, b/c he wanted to be like his dad and brother. Moms just aren't equipped for the demonstration! :)

S.,
Have you tried rewarding him with a treat? So that every time he goes he will have the incentive of a starburst or something waiting for him.
Just a thought...good luck!

I would say your first boy was easy because he had his big sister to look up to you might try not even talking about it for a month or two and then let him be naked for the most part of the day so when he has to go nothing is covering his penis that reminds him of a diper
J. sahm of 4 elaine 13 gary 11 matthew 7 and sean5
good luck

My first was almost 3 1/2 before she was potty-trained, much later than anyone else in my family. Right after she turned 3, we went to the pediatrician, to whom I voiced my concerns. His advice: Quit stressing out over it. By obsessing on it, I was going to end up possibly making things worse. At that point he turned to my daughter and asked, "Cammie. When do you think you want to start using the potty like a big girl?" And she said, "Oh in a couple of months." He asked for an exact day, naming the Months & major holidays for her so she could pick. She decided on Thanksgiving Day. Within a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, she decided one day to start using the potty & that was the end of diapers...& more importantly, no accidents....EVER. When I called our pediatrician, I asked how after months & months of me coaxing, she decided one day to just go 'cold turkey.' His response, because we made it HER DECISION. She set the day & THAT empowered her.

I use pull-ups with my 3 year old daughter, they have all different kinds that make him feel wet, that tell him when he wet the desgins on the front etc...I also take her in the bathroom once an hour and sit her down on the toilet, after she goes we sing the "pee-pee" song in celebration, wash her hands and let her flush...it's working (during the day so far)nighttime is a whole different animal!!! Good luck!

Have you tried the "Cherrios" game? Place several in the bowl and have him aim for them.

I found that the more children I had, the more to cheer on the success. 4 of mine are out of the nest, and my 5th is 16. We would whoop and holler, and cheer each time the toddler went potty. It boosted self-esteem, was fun for all, etc. We were homeschooling, so the gang was home all day. However, make a big deal. Taking the plunge without a Pampers is the most difficult. Try to be positive with accidents..."Next time we're going to make it", etc. Watch the timing of when you expect them to need to go, and whisk them off to sit on the pot. Cheer like crazy when it happens.

Also, to kick things off, clear your schedule, so you can concentrate on the child alone. Give him lots of juices, calculate when he would go. If he drinks a lot, set him on there every 30 minutes, and have a potty party.

My daughter showed me she was capable of going potty, but she wasn't consistant, so I made her want it as much as me. I just told her that I didn't like cleaning icky diapers anymore and that she was big enough to use the potty like everyone else. i told her that she could choose to go in her pants, but if she made that choice, then she couldn't have chocolate milk (her favorite drink) which is a big girl drink until she chose to act like a big girl and use the potty all the time. She chose to go in her pants for 4 days and continuously asked for the chocolate milk and each time, I told her the same thing. When your a big girl and go on the potty all the time, then you can have that big girl drink. Then I gave her a choice of plain milk or water. I never got upset that she was choosing to go in her pants. I did have her help clean everything up including the carpets, with this method, you are giving them the right to choose. So, let nature take its course teach them what is the best choice. Now, if they have no interest in the pay off you have picked, then you have to up the anty and add to it until you find what they can't or don't want to live without, but only luxury things. After the 4th day she was accident free for 2 days and regressed and again the choco milk was taken away. That is all it took. She has been accident free since 10/07 and she turned 3 on 2/08. I now allow her to have 1 cup of choco milk a day because she chooses to be a big girl. Your son needs a pay off that means as much to him as it does to you that is all. Some see this as bribing, but lets face it, no one does anything without getting some kind of pay off in this world. I believe she was taught that you reap rewards when you earn them. She earned that drink and still does everyday because you and I both know how hard it is to break a habit and going in their pants is a habit. Good luck.

I am in the same boat..have an almost 2 yr old and he wanted to start at 18 months. He was very interrested in the potty chair and started to say "poo poo" and "pee pee", but then just stopped. He is normally a little cooperative and very happy when he wakes up. He just stopped being that way too. "Terrible 2's hit early" Now I am just trying to get him to go everytime he waked up. That is what my mom said to do. When he gets that down, start asking every hour. When putting him on the chair, insist he stays. I really am looking for ideas too. I dont want to frustrate him either. I think I will start using his big influences in his life, ie. Barney, Elmo and Big cousins. hope thishelps..good luck

S.,
Have you tried the Cheerios target game? My sons loved it and it worked for them. Tell him you have a new game to play and he's going to spray the Cheerios while they float on the water in the toilet. Then reward him with a special treat that he loves. Perhaps your son Justin would show Jamie what to do as big brothers can be a huge influence and positive force. Hope this helps and good luck!
A.

even among siblings, no 2 people are alike. potty trng will happen when the child's bladder is mature - not necessarily on your time table. talk to his doctor, but otherwise back off bec. your attitude may make the child feel there is something wrong w/ him and it may affect him so stop pushing. it'll happen when it happens!

I just sat my son down when he was 3 1/2 and told him that mama didn't have anymore money in the budget for his diapers. So he had a choice, either go potty in the toilet or go potty in his pants and then he would be wet. His first accident was 2 weeks later.

Try letting him go outside. Make a game out ouf aiming. Put a sheet of toilet paper in the potty and tell him to tee tee on the toilet paper. Then when he goes make a fool out of yourself. We made M&M's a special treat that he only got when he pottied. 3 M&M's when he tee teed and 5 when he pooped. When he new it was wrong to poop in his pants I made him wash his own underwear out in the toilet. He hated that and so he started going in the potty. Hope this helps.

I'm right there with you. My 6 yr old daughter was out of diapers almost over night at the age of 2. Younger daughter who is 3 doesn't want to have anything to do without a diaper on. I tried cool/pretty panties, diaper a little too snug, big girl potty seat, rewards and the list goes on. Finally found that she prefers to wear nothing if she can't have a diaper on. So in the morning, first thing, we take the diaper off and pull the pajama pants back up. Then when we put on shorts we don't wear anything under them. Figured if she would do it this way then I would work my way into panties. And it has worked. She is using the potty chair on her own, still has an accident once in a while but she goes the day without wearing a diaper. It's been about two weeks and we are just starting with the panties, it's slow but at least she is potty trained for the most part. Maybe something like this will help you too.

HI....Does Justin take an interest in Jaime? If he does, you might try this. Have him start taking Jaime to the bathroom with him, that is what my husband did with out son at 11 months. He was potty trained in days!!! He started fighting me at night when I tried putting a diaper on him, my husband said try just putting his training pants on under his pj's and it worked. lots of luck L.

The only advice I want to share is do not compare your son to your other children. Each child is different and unique, and each child learns new things at different ages. I have friends that have sons and they all were potty trained at different ages. Some were age three and four. Just be patient and it will happen.

Toss a couple of Cheerios or Fruit Loops in the potty and have him "aim" for them. Also, make him run around without a diaper for a day. When he has the urge to go, he'll go to the pot. Never know till you try!

My son is almost 3, and what has worked (partially) for him is peer pressure. He goes to "school" (a Mom's day out program) 4 times a week for 6 hours a day. Although we had a training potty at home and had been talking to him about potty training, he showed absolutely no interest. Imagine my surprise when I picked him up from school one day and his teacher mentioned off-handedly that he was doing very well with going to the potty! While he'd had no interest at home, once he saw all of his friends going he wanted to try as well. Once I knew they were working on potty training at school, I switched him to pull ups to make it easier.

I said "partially" earlier because while he's doing very well at school, he has almost no interest at home. I've gotten him the pull ups where he feels wet, but he's overflowed his pull ups and soaked the entire back of his shorts without caring how it felt. I made him a sticker chart, complete with a picture of him going potty on top (they took it at school) and Dora the Explorer stickers. He loves the stickers, but he won't go potty for them! So we're letting school take the lead, and they actually want him in regular underwear starting next week--there are only 2 boys in the class still in diapers/pull ups, and they're going to shift them to underwear together for some team training. They know it's going to be messy, but they just asked me to bring in extra shorts and socks. So the key might be to see if you can get your son into some peer program, like a Mother's Day Out program, to see if seeing other little ones his age go potty is the encouragement he needs. And if not, the other posters might be right that he's not developmentally ready. All children develop at their own speed, so comparing your youngest to your older children is only going to stress you out. Good luck!

he will do it when he is ready. my oldest on was 3 1/2 before he decided he wanted to be a big boy. my little girl was potty trained by 18 months and my 18 month old son is not ready at all. they all develop differently and we just have to be patient and keep working with them. keep introducing it and praise, praise, praise him for when he does it. you are on the right track!!!

Have a blessed day!

D. Mattern-Muck
The MOM Team
Raise your income and your rugrats at the same time!
www.formyrugrats.com
"The only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love." Galatians 5:6

try putting a jar of his favorite candy (ie. M&M's, Skittles, or something else small) in the bathroom and tell him he can have one piece if he goes in the potty. It worked for my little boy, and my neighbors little girl.

the only thing that worked on my son was bribery. i tried the books, the sticker chart, small toys, everything, but he was still not using the potty everytime. the thing that eventually worked was purchasing a semi-expensive ($20) matchbox playset that he really wanted and telling him that if he went a whole week without an accident, he could have it. it worked like a charm. it was maybe not the best way to teach him, but it saved me from buying any more expensive pull ups! good luck!

try cloth diapers it worked for me, my sweet little boy like the pampers never felt wet! lrt him get socky a few time then say if you used the pottie you would not be like this. when he asks to be change and he will say oh sweetie i am so busy right now please wait. tokk my guy 1 week. and never went back in to diapers, i would like to say i did this idea on my own, my mom thought it up and it worked. D. mom of 6 all pottie trained thank good ness.

I have heard to try to stay at home for a few days straight and have a "naked weekend". You keep him naked and set a timer and try and get him to drink a lot and get on the potty lots and praise praise praise! Hope it helps...

I would only use the diapers at night. I know it is a pain with all the clean up but that whole process helps kids get the idea that Mommy is really not happy with it and the child gets to the point that they don't like how it feels and really doesn't like all that drama either.
~ Tess

Whenever someone asks about potty training, I say use the Peter Potty! It's what worked for me and my resistant 4 year old! It's a standing urinal. He liked that it actually flushed. They have them at Walmart and online. Hope this helps. :-)

I did what Staci H did. My oldest son was 2 1/2 when he decided he wanted to go. I just took him every 30 min-1hour to the bathroom and said lets go potty, if he went i danced around the room, and he got a piece of candy. But, we had him go to the bathroom with daddy to "see" how it was done, and we tried for a while to get him to go, and he wouldnt, then just one day while i was running water for his bath he was using the potty on his own (he would be on the toilet on his knees backwards holding on to the back of the toilet), then we started going every 30 min-1 hour, he will be 4 in July and we still cant do the night time though, alot has to do with the sleeping pills he has to take though. Anyway, something i noticed with him was he was "chunky" in his legs and when he sat on a potty chair or on the toilet seat adapter thing (whatever that thingy is called) his "buisness" would get squashed between his legs, and standing on the floor he was too short to reach over the toilet, so he had to find what worked for him. Acctually i just saw this at walmart and i plan on getting one for my youngest son (who is now 18 months and doest seem interested either ugg will pampers ever end?? LOL) anyway, its a urinal its in the kids potty section, but you put water in it and they go pee and push the button on the top to "flush" and the water runs down to "clean" it and then just like a regular potty chair you take the container and dump it out, you dont have to connect it to plumbing or anything, i thought it was pretty neat. Ohh and when he gets older (because im not sure what age is a good age to give them to younger kids) but there is a homeopathic med you can get at sunharvest that is called endiurine it just goes under the tounge and disolves, but it helps with bed wetting, my sister had this problem and that is what my mom got for her, helped alot. I hope this is understandable, and helpful, good luck in the potty training adventure.

S., I had five children in six years, all single births. My first child was completely trained by two when the next one came. I admit to having little to do but get her trained before her brother got here. After that it was a little slower. Take the diapers off and let him play outside in his shorts or underwear. He will know when he pees and will not like it. That is recognition. If he still is slow he will have to miss out on some outtings because a child has to be potty trained before he can participate. That is the truth. Let him know why he can't participate and what the consequences are. Missing a fun day out will not affect his phyche or break his heart for too long.
Intisement: put just a few cheerios in the potty and ask him to see if he can hit them with his pee. That is gamey. After that it will all be a plesant game at which he will enjoy winning. If he doesn't get the idea there might be something a miss.
I am the grandmother of nine grandsons and at long last had two grand daughters....and have helped with them all. The most important thing is not to get your dander up over it. It will come. Oh, and what little boy doesn't love to pee on a tree! Teaches control.
You will laugh at this problem soon, I hope. Just relax and enjoy yourself.
C. L

My advice is to stay away from the diaper isle!! QUIT buying the diapers!!

Work with him, watch his liquids, watch the time he is peeing after a drink, take him and ask him to try every hour maybe more. Be observant with his potty routine. Allow him to feel what it is like in his underwear when he pees, dont make him feel bad about it just ask him to tell you when he has to go. Make it a huge deal when he tries without a fuss :-D.
Dont know any special tricks, besides the cheerio's as target practice for boys..I've only had to potty train a girl. Hope this helps.

Hi S.,

I have 2 girls 4 & 8 that both balked at potty training until 3 1/2. They gave me what I thought we signs that they were ready but they were not. You can really stress out your kids rushing them through this big step in their lives. My Pediatrician said if they have 3-4 dry nights and show desire, try. If it fails, let them do it at their own pace. Will 6 more months in diapers hurt? I switched to pull ups to ready them and it made trips in the car easier as they got trained as well.
Hope it helps and good luck.
S. C.

I remember stressing out because my daughter chose not to potty train until she was three and it finally took my mother visiting to get her to do it. My mom potty trained her. Rewards worked. We had a bowl of M&M's in the bathroom and after she washed her hands (of course) she could have a treat. We also used a sticker chart. She was so funny because she was so smart.....she just chose to go in her pants. She even responded once to her dad when he asked her if she needed to go with "no that's okay, I'll just poop in my pants!" We still laugh about that. My friend at work has a granddaughter who will not potty train also and she is so funny because she will stop what she is doing for a minute and stand really still and then say "Okay, I will need my pull up changed now". hahahaha!
Everyone always says.....don't worry , they will not go to kindergarten in their diapers.....and its usually true. He'll get there! Hope this help or at least gives you a few smiles. God Bless,

Put that "favorite underwear" on him you purchased. Diapers keep a child too dry and comfortable. He won't like wet or dirty underwear and my bet is he'll be going to a real potty like a "big boy" in a matter of days.

If he's been squatting in a corner or behind a chair and going in his diaper when he needs to poop, that's proof he feels the urge and goes somewhere to do his thing.

Possibly you've both been a little lazy on the potty training. Messy underwear is awful to clean and no one wants the sofa wet or to change bed sheets...but think of the money you will be saving on diapers!