Potty Training Tips - Chicago, IL

What I did with my daughter is take her to the store to pick out some "big girl panties" and told her she can only wear them if she keeps them dry. They had all her favorite characters and she had such fun picking them out and it worked very well. She still had an accident here and there a few times but it did work out. Good luck!

Potty training takes so much committment from you for it to be successful with her. My daughter was easier than my son. With him he had the skill but not the will so what worked was to say, "You know, one day you just won't wear diapers anymore." We mentioned it nearly every day for 3 weeks and then with no warning we dressed him in undies and said, "Today's the day, no more diapers." And we never went back. You have to be totally committed to this idea though and follow through. They have some accidents but eventually you'll find your rhythm.

My daughter hated diapers so it was easy to get her in undies. But she would tinkle a little in her panties before making it to the potty and then think she was done. What worked for her was to literally set a timer and take her to the bathroom every hour. No, "Do you need to go?" Just a cheerful "potty time!". All she had to do was try. Once we got used to it as a couple we extended the time to 2 hours, then 3 and through all that she realized how it all worked on her own.

But you have to make it a huge priority. Plan bathroom trips before you leave. Find the bathrooms in all the places you go, change your routine so that the places you go do have bathrooms or bring a potty in the car. It doesn't require all that work once they get it but it takes a few weeks of major potty awareness on your part for it to stick.

Good luck!

I didn't read the other responses so I'm sorry if this is a duplicate. I suggest putting her in underwear at home. I did this w/ my son & after the 2nd pee accident, he was saying "pee-pee" b/4 he went so I could take him to the potty. It's been 3 weeks, and partially b/c I took the plunge to put him in underwear at home, he has only had 1 wet diaper in 1 week (he wears diapers when we leave the house). He has also stayed dry at night for a full week. I really think underwear was the turning point to help him realize he should only go pee pee on the potty. Also, you really have to be consistent w/ asking her if she needs to go pee-pee...at first every 1/2 hr, then every hr. Set a timer if you need to. At first she'll need to be reminded, but she'll get the hang of it on her own pretty soon. Good luck.

I was a full time nanny for twin girls from birth to age 5 and they ran into the same problem. They had to be potty trained in about a month for pre-school. What we did worked like a charm but it will require a little bit of commitment and change of lifestyle on your part for the next few weeks. We put sundresses on the girls with no undies, diaper or pull-up. Because there was nothing to "go in" the girls went to the potty every time. Of course, we were confined to the house for a few weeks, but it definitly worked.

I know potty training is hard and frustrating at times. I think you need to put her in underwear full time. It might be confusing for her to have pull-ups or diapers on - she probably knows that if she doesn't make it to the toilet on time she still won't get wet because of the pull-up. Usually if they wet themselves when they are wearing underwear they don't like the feeling of being wet and if you keep putting underwear on maybe it will click. I know this will probably be hard at first because you will frequently be changing clothes, but hopefully it will help - good luck!

Get that girl out of diapers and pullups!!!!!! You need to commit to putting her in undies. There will be lots of accidents in the beginning, but they will taper off. My doc says it should take about <1-2 weeks to fully train this way. However, she does add, once you put a diaper or pullup on her, it brings you back to square one. If you're serious about it, let her go bottomless at home so that she can learn about her body functions. Diapers and pullups don't allow them to feel when they've urinated / are wet. Once you let her go bottomless, she will be forced to see and feel when she's wet. In a couple of days she should figure it out because she won't like being covered in urine!

Take away the diapers and pull ups for good (except naps and nighttime)! Think about it- the worst that will happen is that she will have an accident. Just make sure you always bring extra clothes when you go out. I took the laid back approach with my son and didn't bother him with asking if he had to go all the time. I told him to just tell me when he needed to go. Sometimes he made it in time, sometimes he didn't. Again, worst that will happen is an accident. Good luck.

N. S,

First off, get rid of the pull-ups, use them only for naptime/bedtime. Underwear only.

I had trouble w/ the potty training for the longest time, Mika has her occassional accidents here and there, but really, she does better when she's away from me! Sticker chart worked for a while, so you can try that if you haven't already. I also have a gum ball machine that I had filled with M&Ms and jelly beans, she got to put a coin in every time she peed and 2 when she pooped. I just kept praising Mika and telling her how proud I was of her but mainly how proud she should be of herself.

The big thing here, though, is to ditch the pull ups, full time underwear only and let her run around in a t-shirt and undies, it will make it easier for her to get to the potty and go by herself, making her feel more accomplished. Oh yeah, don't ask your daughter "If" she has to go to the bathroom, that was and sometimes is still, my biggest mistake. Just say "it's time to go to the bathroom" and if she fights you, pick her up, take her, pull down the pants and plop her onto the toliet and say "now, please try for me, once you try, you can be done" Remember YOU are the parent and not your daughter. She does not have an opinion or say in the matter right now, that is for you to help her make the right decisions.

Well, good luck!

I am in the same situation as you. My son starts preschool in less than a month and a few weeks ago was still in diapers. He knew how to go, but wouldn't go on the potty. I just bought the underwear and put them on him except at night or when we went out (now, two weeks later, we can go out and he tells me if he has to go). I had to really commit to reminding him (I set an egg timer to go off each hour to have him try). All of a sudden he was running to the bathroom on his own each time, and now without the egg timer. I was babysitting full-time before and it was hard to remind him and make him try with the business of the day, but I have stopped babysitting and was able to be on him constantly and that worked. I think the underwear and not diapers are key. He has had a couple of accidents, but he doesn't like how it feels. I think the one wet accident was we were in the basement playing and he couldn't get upstairs in time.

Good luck!

Kim

I just recently potty trained my 3 year old. I was totally unsuccessful with pull ups. I put him in underwear and took him to the potty religiously until he got it. I found that when he was naked he more readily realized his urge and was more aware of his body - this helped a great deal. I only use pull ups at sleeping time because the urge does not wake him.

You can also try a book called "Potty Training in a Day." It worked with my older son because I followed the procedure. I know others who have used the procedure successfully as well. It is a very positive experience if you do what the book says.

Ditto what Emi said!

Additionally, make sure Daddy and all of her caregivers -- sitters, grandparents, et cetera -- are on the same page with this. We tried the "potty at home, pull-ups when we go out" approach and then we're wondering why our 3 1/2 year old won't "get it".

Oh, and get rid of the diapers, except at night. Invest in training underwear. Luvable Friends makes a great pair, with cotton padding in the crotch. Gerber also makes them up to 3T. You can get vinyl pants to go over them if you're worried about your furniture.

Good luck!