Potty Training Tips - Bethpage,NY

This worked with all 5 of my kids. Once I had decided it was time to potty train I explained to the child that when they get up the next day we were going to be a big girl/boy and learn how to go potty on the toilet like mommy and daddy do. Then as soon as they got up in the next morning I took them right to the bathroom and put them on the toilet. Then every hour I would put them on it again. If they had something to drink during the day I would wait only a half hour and try again, then go back on the 1 hour schedule. Sometimes they actually went potty, and sometimes they didn't, but sooner or later they learned what had to be done. If they did manage to "go" we always made a big deal about it (clapping, cheering, and a treat of some sort).

After 2 days each of them was potty trained. Yes, it was a lot of work for me, but it worked so it was worth it. And my kids are now using this same method with their kids with very good success.

I used a 1 hour cooking timer so I didn't get too busy and go off schedule. After 3 or 4 times even the kids knew what it meant when the timer went off and would head to the bathroom! My son, who is now 29 years old, jokes that even now every time he hears the timer go off he has to go to the bathroom. haha

my daughter was easy. we lived in a warm climate and she wanted to run naked all the time. i told her fine as long as she used the potty. and she did from that day forward.
my son, on the other hand, was very challenging. at 3 i'd had it and knew he knew better. so i resorted to bribery. i'm not ashamed. the kid LOVES chocolate, so i bought many bags of hershey kisses and put them in a big tall glass vase. we told him every time he peed or pooped in the toilet, he'd get one. let me tell you, day one he must have peed and pooped about 20 times! i didn't care if it was a drop, he got a treat. after about 10 days, the last kiss was eaten. he was very concerned and told me the vase was empty! i told him that must mean he's potty trained now! and he was like "Oh! Wow!" and again, no accidents since. (though i have caught him peeing in the backyard a time or two, but not in his pants!) i call it bribery, others more academically atuned may call it 'positive rewards.' in the end, it worked!

With my oldest, he's now 4, I had to try once and then again a month later since he wasn't getting it the first time, but caught on very quickly the second time around. We took him to the toilet every 30 minutes and did no diaper at home. You have to be very consistant whatever method you decide. It took 4 days of consistant, time consuming training, but he was potty trained in 4 days, with few accidents after that. My youngest who is going to be 26 months likes to sit on the potty, flush the toilet and tells us when he goes poop in his diaper, but has yet to go in the toilet. I'm not going to push it, as I learned, when they are ready, you will know. So, getting him used to it and comfortable is a great way to start and when you feel it's time, make sure you stay consistant and don't get discouraged if it doesn't go smoothly the first time and you have to take a break and then try again. That's our next step is to schedule a long weekend and take the plunge...again. Good luck

We trained DS when he was 25 months - and he was not self dressing at the time. We just put him in underwear and sat him on the toilet (we got the Bjorn cover that fits over the toilet seat, cleaning a potty - yuck) frequently. We got the Tari Gomi book 'Everyone Poops' to make the boredom of somewhat more bearable. We had him try when he woke up, after meals and if we noticed it had been a couple of hours. He had frequent accidents for a couple of days, occasional accidents for a week or two and rare accidents after that (almost always because he was running around playing and couldn't be bothered). We did not do stickers, rewards or anything else. We just told him pee and poop go in the toilet. Good luck, it is so much better than diapers. And I wouldn't worry about the people who think 2 is too young for boys.

We tried the naked all the time method briefly but DS enjoyed peeing on our floors and it was the middle of the winter. We tried pull ups briefly -waste of time and money - he viewed them as diapers - made to pee and poop in.

maybe check out 'Potty Training Solutions' at http://www.justgreatkidswear.com/OtherFavorites.html. They have articles, videos, training supplies and so much more. Hope this helps.

i have yet to try this w/ my daughter (she's 20 mo) but my girlfriend swore by "no pants" time. if you've got any uncarpeted area in your home, let your some go w/o pants or diaper for an hour or so. it will be very obvious to him when he "goes" & he'll start to learn & recognize "the urge" to go. hope that helps & good luck!