Has anyone used those potty training dolls? If so, which ones have worked best for you? I have a toddler boy and would like to start training him this summer. One of the books I have been reading suggested using a doll.
My husband and I tried the boy potty training doll, but our son didn't seem too interested in it. I think you will find that your child will determine how he gets potty trained. We have trained a boy and a girl, and our boy responded to bribes, but our girl was a little more stubborn. She was only going to go on the potty when she was ready. So, we laid off and she sneaked onto the potty when we weren't looking. Good luck!
I just used a regular doll and poured some water into the potty or onto the doll's underwear when my child was distracted. It worked just fine. This method of potty training worked very well with four of my five children. I didn't learn about it with my first child until after I'd tried some other things and he just couldn't grasp it. The thing I would stress the most is to be consistent with the practice runs after an accident. This is the most powerful message to the child. It's a pain for the adult who's doing the training, but it is essential for success.
We had an Elmo doll that promoted potty training. We also had a teddy bear accompanied by a video. Quite frankly, they had no affect on my son's potty training. There are lots of strategies out there, but boys will do it on their own terms. Have a potty chair available to him. Let him watch you and your husband use the potty. Let him run around naked from the waist down. When he's successful, celebrate! But don't pressure him or acknowledge failures. How old is he? Boys tend to potty train later than girls and take longer. Good luck.
CB-
I went very low-tech for my two girls; might be different for a little boy. We talked a lot about how exciting it is to use the big-girl toilet, etc. The "big day" called for a potty party held in honor of their little dollie. I held Dollie in sitting position on the special potty seat with a wet sponge in my hand. With encouragement from my daughters, (take as long as you need, dollie; i'm so excited for you!) I pressed the sponge against her back and Voila! Potty in the Toilet!! We had a big cheer right there in the bathroom, celebrating, clapping and even enlisted Grandma and Grandpa to hear the good news. (Dollie just went potty in the TOILET, and it's my turn NEXT!!) Repeated the process with my well-hydrated daughter(s) and the party was even bigger for them. Confetti, nearly a dozen family and friend phone calls (thanks for the enthusiasm, all :) to congratulate the big girls. . .
Good luck!
I also read a book that suggested a special doll - I didn't want to spend the money! Instead I used a regular doll and a medicine syringe. You could put a drop of yellow food coloring in the water before putting it in the syringe for the real effect but this worked well with my son. I was able to hide it behind the doll and he ended up being really impressed that doll went potty and wanted to do it too.
Good luck.
I used a simple doll with just a simple hole for the water to come out. It was nothing fancy, just a dollar store plastic, hollow doll. I thought it a great way to introduce the whole toilet idea in a way the kids could understand.
We used this potty training doll to train our son. http://www.amazon.com/Corolle-Special-Feature-Baby-Drink/...
We used it along with the "potty train your child in one day" method and it worked. Although we did need to find what would motivate him, which was going to preschool. I liked that this doll was anatomically correct because it looked like him. He thought it was cool and he played with the doll for about a year afterwards and now our 3-year old daughter plays with it.
