Potty Training! Son Will Not Go #2 on Potty! Help!

Have you tried watching him really closely, then when you see him start to go hide/grimace/or stand really still go scoop him up and TAKE him and place him on the potty?

It doesn't have to be a negative experience. And if he is already READY TO GO RIGHT THEN in his diaper or whatever, then you pop him onto the potty, it will come on out and he'll have done it. Yippeee!! Time to Party!! Sing and dance... carry on!

Then, don't tell him to do it... just watch him. When you see the signs, scoop him up and dash him into the bathroom, pop him onto the potty and voila! Success again! Yippeee! You DID it!!! WOW! I'm so proud of you!!!

A few successes, and he will be well on his way...

I know you are working hard on this and how frustrating it is! But I am going to give you the advice my mom gave ME when my son was potty training- He will do it when he is ready.

Seriously- it all just boiled down to that. I was going crazy with a schedule, and I knew he knew WHAT to do, etc. but he just was not ready to do it!

For us, it worked out like this: my son really liked pirate stuff. After a visit to grandma and grandpa's house, my mom told him that if he would go #2 in the potty for a whole week, she would send him a special pirate gift in the mail. It worked! She sent a Playmobile pirate ship that came in a huge box and made a big impression on my son. Subsequent weeks had follow-up bribes of a cool pirate hat and a stuffed parrot puppet.

So bribes help= but for us little things like m&ms totally didn't work. He just did it when he was ready. It took longer than I wanted, definitely, but pushing him before he was ready only made it worse, not better. Just hang in there!

Tell him he is a big boy so he doesn't need diapers anymore. Have him help you throw them all away, and then tell him repeatedly how proud you are of him. Without a diaper as a crutch (for mommy and son!) it may take a couple days but he will catch on quickly if he knows the diapers are all gone. Plan a weekend when you don't have anything else going on and try it then. That is what worked for my son... GOOD LUCK!

Sounds like you are ready (what Mom isn't) but he's not. Save yourselves a lot of unnecessary stress and give it a little more time. He'll get there soon and be very proud of himself for it.

Sounds like your son is still a ways from being ready to train, and you are both burned out from the drawn-out process of trying anyway. When he's ready, the whole process will come together quickly, without bribes, begging, or frustration for either of you.

A year and a half is on the early end of when most kids have the physical and emotional maturity to succeed at potty training. Many kids need another several months, or more, to really have the capacity. Boys often need several months longer than girls to be able to recognize the urges and be able to trigger elimination at the right time and in the right receptacle.

For a little encouragement and insight, check out these stories from potty-training moms who waited till their kids were really ready: http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/6651391040949452801#re...

#2 is always the challenge, you are not alone. You didn't mention if he is using a little training potty or the toilet with a training seat? When they are training, it's all new to them, and they have fears. Through my research I came across the advice of honing into their fear and reassuring that fear, explaining that it happens to everyone, even Mommy etc.. Because what they are feeling is very real and a big deal, even if we think it's silly.With my daughter, she was training on the toilet and went poop only once, then was too scared to want to go again. I was able to find out from her, that she was afraid of the water splashing. So I borrowed a Potty chair from a friend, and explained to her it had no water and wouldn't splash. That worked, but honestly for me cleaning out the potty chair was worse than changing a diaper, it made me gag! So I was determined to get her on the toilet. We did a lot of talking about the water splashing, and how it happens to everyone, but not all of the time etc.. I even got out a big pot of water and put it in the tub and let her throw a toy in it, so she could see how the water splashes up, she thought that was funny. Within 2 weeks, she no longer needed the potty chair. When she was on the toilet, she would ask me, "does the water splash on you too Mommy?" I would say "yes, sometimes" she always felt much better knowing it wasn't only her. So, try to find out what he is afraid of, it could be anything, does it hurt (is he constipated?) Is he afraid of the poop flushing away? When he knows that you understand his fear and you are there to help him, it will get much easier. Well, that's what worked for us :) Good luck!

Lots of kids do that and that's ok for now. Separation from a body part is hard for 2 yr olds. At least he's telling you and don't feel bad if you have to put newspaper down in the bathroom and he will squat and poop. It's left over from our ancestors...I mean indoor plumbing is a relatively new thing for the human race when you really think about it. He will transfer just fine to the toilet one day.

This is a little bit different, but being a boy it might work. My son loves to gross mommy out (or anyone for that matter) I would stand in the bathroom and pretend it was so stinky I just couldn't take it, gag, cough, cry.... He got such a thrill out of it he still calls me in to "smell the stinky". He's 4 now. We also looked at in the toilet and made comments on how big and stinky it was. I know, I know, gross- but it worked like a charm he's never had a problem going poop in the toilet after that. Good Luck!
Just remember you won't be changing diapers at Harvard- he will get it :)

Try some of these ideas from other parenting experiences with the potty..might spark an idea you haven't tried yet:

http://www.theskinnyscoop.com/search/potty+training?utm_c...