Potty Training in Someone Else's Home

S.-
I am a SAHM of 2 year old twin girls. One is potty trained, and the other is not. I learned quickly that you can't teach them to potty, they will do it when they are ready. I bought some big kid elmo panties one day at the store, and said to her-"don't go pee-pee on elmo". From then on out, she has done great-as long as she has panties on. She uses a pull-up just like a diaper. Try the panty thing but with a pull-up/diaper over it. There is also the gerber training pants that you can buy the plastic liners for. She didn't do well with those, but they may be able to help you avoid the mess situation a little better. Good Luck!!!

The one thing I've learned with potty training is to keep the whole thing positive. If the child has any negative experiences, it is likely to stall the entire process for months. If Grandpa is going to be upset, I would either wait, or use pull-ups until you are sure there will be no accidents. Good luck!

i would take the stress off of you and him. my first trained himself at his own pace and it was such a non issue. i told him he could pee in the potty, in his diaper, or outside. well, he loved outside. that may freak your parents out. for his first poop in the potty - totally his initiative - he carried his little potty to the front porch and sat naked (after dark) and pooped outside. it was hilarious. i would let him take the lead and then the pressure is off of everyone. he can use his diapers til he doesn't need them. my son pooped in his diapers for a long time after he started peeing in the potty. until one day it grossed him out and that was it. i think when potty "training" is initiated by the kid they tend to have a lot less accidents because they are more aware of when they need to go and excited. also, potty training is not linear, (like most things with kids), they are interested and do it and then may not again for 2 months and then do it only pee or poop and not every time, etc. i think the cost of diapers is worth your peace of mind in your parents' home! oh yeah, ny son read the potty book for boys over and over, again we only read it when he chose to, and he loved it. that really got him excited to use the pot!

The whinne the pooh potty had been recalled lead paint in the picture on the back of the seat. That is the same potty my little girl had is why I know so you might want to check into that.

I think it's important to talk to your parents, to see if they would be willing to work with you on this. Being in their home, it would be very difficult to make potty training work without their support. It definitely sounds like your son is ready to take the plunge and get training. If you wait too long, you might miss that "window of opportunity" and make potty training much more difficult when it does happen. Make sure your parents understand that potty training is important and necessary, and that you will take responsibility for cleaning up any messes that will occur. Good luck with everything!

I'm in the same position. I asked my parents how they felt about it, and they appreciated the gesture. Luckily, they've been supportive. Also, pull-ups keep it off the carpet. When I can tell that my dad is at the end of his rope, it's pull-up time. I've also discovered Nature's Miracle (the orange kind) for dog messes works miracles so that my dad has yet to discover the little pools of love that my son has left. Good luck.

I would buy rugs and cover the carpet. Tell your parents they will be there for a couple of months.
I would ask your son every half hour to sit on the potty, and if you give him lots of drinks you can probably start regulating his successes.
I would let the kid run around outside naked from the waist down, and have his potty seat somewhere private but convenient.
And I would use night time/his bed to your advantage. Use his old crib mattress or buy very large crib waterproof cover things (like lap pads) and cover the bed. Don't use pull-ups.

I feel for you having to live w/your parents w/two young boys, but they are your parents and should understand every single thing you're going thru. If you are apprehensive and afraid then your 22 mo. old will sense this and feel uneasy about the whole thing and may take longer to train. He is giving you the signs and if he sees that his older brother is going in the big boy pot, then he will be more apt to follow suit. It may take him longer to train because he is younger, but as long as this is your focus, then he should do ok. Just stay consistent and talk to your parents and let them know that this is the stage you are at and I'm sure if you clean the carpet when you can, they will appreciate that.

Try pull-ups on your son for a while. Have him practice pulling them up and down so that he has the hang of it. That way he can go when he wants, but he won't mess the house.

Hi S.. Living with parents can be tough enough as it is (Iknow) even though you all love each other tremendously, nerves can get a little edgy. They key word here is LOVE. the next word is UNDERSTANDING. Your parents have been through the "potty training" stages with you when you were small, so they really should understand how important it is to NOT HOLD YOUR CHILD BACK. This is a critical time for him to know that you are there to support and help him through this exciting (and sometimes frustrating) stage in his progress. I have 12 children and have NEVER trained them with the "run around naked" way of doing it. My brother done it and says it's quite easy, but I am one that personally can't stand the "messes" on the floor either. If you're going to have to clean it up, it may as well be right where you know it is--in a diaper. I have twins right now that are turning three tomorrow and they are almost completely trained. (It took me longer to get them done because there were two of them this time! :) LOL) Anyway, what I do is watch for the signs, for instance, my little boy will just up and disappear, he hides in a corner or under the table or something when he needs to go. So I remind him that he needs to do that in the potty. My little girl, on the other hand, is very independant and will go without telling me (which can be a pretty big mess if I don't catch her soon enough), but I started trying this new thing and it is working VERY well...the new thing is this, every time they "go" in the potty, they get a penny. One penny for #1 and 2 pennies for #2...after they flush and wash, I give them the pennies and they put them in their cans (it's a formula can for each of them that i glued a picture of them on--one for him, one for her) Their favorite thing about doing this is that when they put the money in, I let them shake the can and make a little noise with the money that they've earned. It is working SO FAST!I've only been doing this for about 2 days and today my son came and told me he needed to go potty and yes, he kept his diaper clean! As soon as my daughter saw that he was telling me about it, she decided to tell me too! I hope this helps! Good Luck

Dear S. L.
It must be tough raising young kids in your parents' home. Most modern child development specialists don't recommend potty training until your child is at least 3 years old. Before then, interest in bodily functions is a normal part of development, but not necessarily a sign they are ready to use the potty. One sign of readiness is when they can keep a dry diaper through a nap or overnight. Until then, they don't have the control to hold it, causing a lot of frustration on the part of parents and children. T. Berry Brazelton has some great books that you might be interested in, the one I have is called Touchpoints. Good luck, and hope this helps.

Hi, S.:

I don't know that I have any sage advice especially since I had girls and not boys but I'll share what worked for me. When my girls were exhibiting signs that they were ready for potty training, as your son is doing, I took them shopping for underwear. We looked at all the cool stuff out there, I'm thinking for your son you could let him pick between the Spongebob, Spider-Man, Transformers, etc. underwear that's out there. And then, I kept after them. I'd say things like, "Do you need to go potty? Remember to tell Mama because we don't want to mess up the pretty panties." While patting them on the bottom. This made them take notice of the difference they felt between underwear and diapers and reminded them that they needed to go on the potty. I don't know what else to advise you except to share that I lived with my in-laws for a year when I was first married and it was pretty tough. I didn't have kids at the time so I guess that was a blessing. Another suggestion might be to talk to your parents about this next stage in their grandson's life and solicit their advice. That will make them feel more included, if nothing else.

HTH,
MBM

If you spend ALL day, for about 4 days just in the bathroom...I mean playing, reading books, even eating lunch...he'll be potty trained, and you won't have to worry about any dirty carpets. I did this with my 20 month old daughter and she was potty trained in 4 days. COMPLETELY!!!
This was about 8 months ago, and she has only had 5 accidents ever and those were my fault because I was stupid and put her in clothes that she couldn't get off by herself.

Talk with your parents, I can't see where they would have an issue with you potty training. I have always believed the earlier you start the better they are at it and they are less resistant to the whole process. Mine are all done by just after their 2nd b-day. I hate pull-ups but this could be a complication, I too vacuum 3-4 times a day, so I am with your dad, but I also have a carpet cleaner that i use twice a month, we live in the country and with 7 kids I struggle to keep mine clean! Start slow with just using it right after he wakes up then start to throw in the days, nights always take a little longer so I wouldn't worry there. Offer little rewards afterward he goes and of course don't forget the pee-pee dance, thats my kids favorite...how often do they see mom make a fool of herself?:). Good luck I think your parents will be more receptive then you think.

S.-
Normally, I would say don't use Pull-ups because it can actually slow the process down, but since he's obviously interested in going potty and sitting on while going in his diaper - use pull-ups.

It's not a diaper, although it will protect from accidents like a diaper does, and he'll be able to pull them down to go on the potty when he wants to instead of going in his diaper! AND - depending on how much he goes at night, you can use them at night as well (they have special nighttime ones too if you need more protection) :)

Good luck!!
C.

1-Start telling him when you're going pee pee in the potty. "oh, I have to go pee pee in the potty."...and when daddy gets back from going potty, say "oh, daddy just went pee pee in the potty. Let's tell him 'good job'".
2.let him play Elmo's potty time game online: http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/games/pottytim...
adopt some of elmo's vocab for talking about potty stuff.
3.Tell him that when he turns 3 years old, he won't have diapers any more and he'll need to go in the potty every time.

until then, it's just practice.
you can give him a piece of candy (or a multivitamin like scooby or bugs bunny or whatever he's into. I give my son gummy scooby vitamins - just one per day.)

4.When you take off his diaper to change him (especially first thing in the morning and the last change before bed) ask him if he wants to go pee pee in the potty before you put the new diaper on. "Do you want to go pee pee in the potty and get a piece of candy?"

if he says no, that's ok. If he says yes ...and does go in the potty, give him the candy, cheer for him, make happy faces, lots of good attention, etc.

anytime he wants to go potty, take off his diaper and let him. Use small pieces of candy like skittles or tic-tacs. 2 pieces of candy if he does a poop in the potty.

teach him to flush, put the seat down, and wash his hands. Then give him the candy. Then put his new diaper on.

two years old is young to potty train - esp for a boy. But peeing in the potty at diaper changes is good practice for him and will help stretch your diaper budget.

good luck :)

I wouldn't test your parent's patience with all the carpet.

He is young so accidents are very likely to happen. At 2 he needs to be able to wake up dry from naps and hopefully from bedtime, be able to pull up and down his pants and know when he has the urge to really start potty training. His interest is GREAT!
I would start with pullups and just set him on the potty (never ask if he has to go as it will be no most of of the time as the answer).
See how he does.
I am not a believer in letting them go without diapers and letting accidents happen on the carpets at all. I potty trained two children without one accident on the floor as I waited until they were truly ready and worked a lot on just setting them on the potty very frequently and DID not use underwear until they were really 100% ready.
I would start with pullups, give it some time and let him wear underwear when there are no accidents for days in a row.
It isn't worth the stress it may cause your parents or yourself.