Potty Training - What Worked and What Didn't

lol i had to come on here a few times and ask for advice for my son. he knew what going to the bathroom meant but it was like he just wouldn't go to save his life!!! and i lost my job so diapers were getting quite expensive all of a suddena nd i was just tired of him playing me so one day i took his diaper off and told him don't pee on my ploor and and that he had to use the bathroom.and he just started going. he had a few floor accidents trying to get there but that was o.k. and it worked. i tried every piece of advice other moms gave to me on the site and they just wouldn't work. and to let you know how my son played me when he did go to the bathroom i never told him or shoed him that boys stand up to use the toilet but when he first went he knew to lift the seat and aim!!!! and knew to get on the seat to do number 2. lol I wish you all the luck and hope this goes smooth for you.

Stickers worked great at my house.... buy in bulk, you'll be surprised how excited he will get about new stickers each week, etc. OOOOO look, mommy got dinosaurs this week...how many dinosaurs do you think you can collect by the end of the week? etc. Make it a game, make it fun, and keep the frustration out of it. Sounds like you are ready for the challenge, and know when to back off if he isn't ready. Good Luck

We recently had the conversation with our pediatrician at our daughter's 2 year well-baby visit.

His biggest point to stress was to wait until the child is ready and is giving you overt cues. Our daughter is not. If you push on your terms instead of theirs, you run a bigger risk of regression down the road and accidents.

In our case with our soon-to-be 4 year-old son, he had no interest until after his 3rd birthday. We talked to the pediatrician at that appointment, too, and he said boys tend not to have the physical ability to sense bladder fullness as early as girls, which is why they tend to be potty-trained much later - it's physiological not psychological.

We had to use a reward system to get our son interested. He was already going extended periods of time without wetting his diaper, but he wasn't recognizing when he needed to go. We started with a chart and a goal of trying 5 times/day. He got a sticker for each time he tried.
We did that for a few weeks and always celebrated the accomplishments, but inevitably, when we put him in a pair of underwear, he'd wet himself within 5 minutes.

We had to up the ante eventually. M&Ms, Stickers, didn't work. But, cars from the movie Cars did. So we set goals, and when he hit them, he got a car. At first it was going 3 times/day. Get a car. Then it was 3/day for a week, get a car, then 5 times/day, etc.

Eventually, he had it. Because we did it on his terms, we've had only a handful of accidents - most because he gets preoccupied and doesn't go soon enough.

Good luck.

I echo the other posters. Don't try it before he is ready. With my first -- my son -- I was told he should be potty trained at 2 years old (by my MIL and babysitter). Well, my babysitter was trained to take my son to the potty every two hours and that worked, but by son really didn't have a clue. I finally convinced them to let it go for a few months and he was much better around 3. My daughter was around 3 when she asked for Little Mermaid undies. She had potty training done in a day because she didn't want to mess up the undies.

Potty training shoudn't be a battle or too frustrating. Good luck

The best advice I can give to you is to NOT use pull-ups!! I trained my 2 year old son in less than two weeks, ( he was already interested in the potty) by just allowing him to either go commando or by wearing underwear. I am a SAHM so this was a little easier to do than if I were a working mom. If you are a working mom, I would say let him go commando or in underwear when you are home. Be prepared to clean up a few messes, but in about a week and a half, my son was tired of wetting himself. I put an all-in-one cloth diaper on him at night so he can still feel if he wets himself. So far, (it's been about 2 months) we've not had any accidents at night, and within the last two weeks he's been taking himself to the potty!!

Good luck and let us know how things turn out.

I trained all of my boys right around their third birthday. My second son trained in less than two days and he told me when he was ready. I had taken him out of the bath one night and he said, "hurry up! I need a diaper". Then I just put him on the toilet and that was how it started. I have never been in a hurry with my kids I have always waited until they were ready. And I'll tell you, potty training was so simple for us! I have never had to constantly remind them about the potty. I have never had to make them sit on the potty and I have never told them that they had to try to go potty. I waited until they were at the point where they were more than ready to train. They all trained easy and in three days at the most. They were all night trained in less than a week. I put them to bed in underwear and after they are sleeping, I would sneak a diaper on over their underwear and take it off right before I woke them. If I had put them to bed in a diaper it would be soaked in the morning. If they go to bed knowing in their mind that they have underwear on it's a huge difference. I didn't need to do the diaper after about a week.
Two huge peices of advice...
Don't train before they are really ready. You are setting both of you up for some real frustrating times. And really, for what? No medals or scholarships for early trainers :-)
Number two...Do not use pull-ups! They are absolutely diapers! And although the child gets to pull them on they forget that part about 7 seconds later. It helps them much quicker when they are wetting down their leg and have to stop playing to go change clothes. That will get pretty old, pretty quick! Pull ups are a gimick that the diaper companies are making HUGE money off of parents with. Your better off buying undies with your sons favorite character on them. He is not going to want to pee on "Handy Manny" because you will have to put them in the wash. This is insentive to keep them dry. Good luck!

First, how 2 is he. Just turned 2 or .coming up on 3. If he is just 2 you
might want to wait a bit. If you feel he is ready, my favorite was putting
cheerios in the toilet bowl and having them aim LOL. Sounds nuts, but
it worked. Also, we I potty trained everyone, I did not use training pants
or pull ups. Underwear only. Also I got rid of diapers when we were
potty training. Nightime is another issue. Keep some pull ups with the
understanding that they are only for bedtime. Good luck.

All three of my boys were and are different. My oldest was freaking out just the thought of sitting on potty. two months after 2 1/2 yo, he was potty trained through day and night. My second who is only a year and 3 weeks younger was watching his brother and potty trained himself two months before 2 1/2 yo. Now, my third is 2 1/2 yo and is potty trained (but has occasionally accidents) but is not potty trained through the night like the others did. So, that is something different and new. I watched signs and signs like, taking his diaper off as soon as it's wet and/or pooped, and when my third accidently peed on the kitchen floor, he cried and cried because he knew that is not where it's supposed to go and I told him, it's okay, it was an accident and I cleaned it up. Well, that was one of the signs. He keeps saying potty and I put him on the potty right away. It took some time and trainings, but he got the idea. You can encourage if he is showing signs and if you have a husband or his father is there, he can show what we women can't show. It takes time for different children. What I have learned and heard that boys take longer than girls because girls only have one muscle and boys have more than one muscle to develop. So that seems to make sense. Once that day comes, congratulate him and buy him something that encourages him to keep doing it and then before you know it it will seem natural to him to keep doing it. Congratulations, Mommy, you're at that new chapter, new journey with him!!

The best advice I can give you is to make sure your son has an interest in learning. to potty. He needs to recognize that his body is sending him signs. If you begin and then realize your child just dose not get it, there is nothing wrong with giving it a break and trying again in a few months, when he initiates the use of the potty. .

When a child tells you "Pee, pee in my diaper, poo, in my diaper", this is one sign. Also if they want to get on the potty, or want to try to pee like dad. These are the first signs..

There are people who take years to train their children.. I feel bad that they spent all of that time when really a child that is ready can be potty trained in 2 to 4 weeks at the longest..

Having your son in the bathroom with his father is a huge help for boys. They need to see what it takes to get through the process.
Having lots of potty books also helps. Having your son around other boys his age that are potty trained helps.

In daycare, they have the potties lined up with the door open so all of the kids are exposed to the process..

I am sure you all will do great. Just keep in mind, this is all new to him, so it will not become a battle.
He is growing up! Very exciting!

My situation is a little unusual, but I'll share anyways. My son has sensory processing disorder. This can make it really hard for him to sense when he needs to go and when he doesn't need to go. I was freaking out so much because we did everything and he turned 4 still not potty trained. My son wanted to use the potty so badly, he would go sit on the potty and refuse to get off until he peed which was a whole hour one time (with both of us sobbing!). I even had him checked out for bladder issues, etc. I got some expert, medical advice, which ended up being, "follow his lead, it's okay..." sure enough....one evening he said he wanted to wear his underwear (which we had tried many times). He wanted to go outside for a walk. On a whim, I told him that if he needed to pee to tell me and we'd RUN to the bushes to pee. This sounded fun to him. I kept asking him if he needed to pee...no, no, no then all of a sudden "I need to pee! I need to pee!" And he peed in the bushes. From that day on, he is completely potty trained day and night! If only I had known peeing in the bushes would have been so miraculous!
I guess the message is to follow all the good advice (most of it tends to be the same no matter the source) and try different things, but if it's not working, then back off for a few weeks and then try again. But most of all relax..it will happen. And don't worry about what other people think!

p.s. I also heard once that your child will NOT use the potty until HE is ready so you can spend a year trying to potty train or if you wait until he's ready, you can do it in 2 days, it's still going to happen when the child is ready, not when you are ready.

I have 3 boys and all of them were trained on or by their 2nd birthday. We are big fans of John Rosemond - he recommends just letting them be naked, put the potty where they will see it (in the living room if that is where they play) that way, when they get the urge, they will see the potty & they will have a better chance of getting to it. We didn't wait for signs they were ready. We told them it was time to start putting their pee-pee & poopy in the potty because they were big boys. The end. There were a few accidents for a few weeks but that is part of the process. We didn't use pull ups because they are just diapers that go on differently. Good luck, however you choose to potty train.

I always recommend Lora Jensen's 3 day potty training program: http://www.3daypottytraining.com/

It's a rough few days, but well worth it! It's not worth dragging the process on and on for months with pull-ups, in my opinion. You put them right in underwear so they learn the sensation of needing to urinate.

Good luck with whatever you decide! :)

Dear E., Has your son showed any signs of readiness?? does he wake up dry from a nap or in the morning. Does he tell you he is wet? Ready for potty training is a maturity level, not an age. You need to follow his lead or you will waste a lot of time. My boys started by going into the bathroom with dad. Each one was different but we waited to see interest. My best, Grandma Mary (mom or 5)

Hi E.,
It's important to wait until he is showing some signs of readiness and not just train because mom/dad feel it is time.
I agree with those who say don't use pullups. They feel like a diaper, absorb the wetness like a diaper and if your child isnt already using the toilet, they aren't going to suddenly stop going in their pullup.
When my youngest was about a month short of three, I did the training by getting numerous pairs of multilayer cloth training pants with waterproof outer layer (sometimes you can't find with the waterproof and need to get plastic pants like for oldschool cloth diapers). I took him to the bathroom about every hour and a half. For 2-3 weeks, he wet/dirtied the training pants all day and after that, he would just stopped and would not go til I had brought him to the bathroom. We just used diapers for naps/bedtime/out of the house. It still took another month or month and a half for him to initiate going to the bathroom on his own.
I never used any rewards for my kids - I didn't believe in bribing, making them think using the toilet was something they could choose to do or not do, or something they were doing to please me. It was just expected behavior.
When you start, don't ask him if he wants to or has to go to the bathroom. Just take him.
Also, my kids never made a deposit in a pottie. We had one and they played around with it but never actually figured out using it. They trained right to the big toilet.

If you get the sense at all that he's not ready, just stop. I waited with all three of my kids (a girl and then twin boys) until they were 3 to potty train. I was lucky b/c their preschool allowed diapers so I had no urgent need to get them potty trained sooner. I waited until their 3rd bday because I knew they would definitely be ready by then and then there were no power struggles. They were trained within a day.
I told them that the diaper fairy came and took away the diapers. They totally bought it! We went right from diapers to underwear and I knew the first day would be a mess (which it was). I just kept taking them to the potty every hour or so and gave an M&M if they were dry or if they went in the potty.
To deal with a nighttime pullup, which obviously, they still needed, I hid them in the closet and said "oh, look what the diaper fairy left you... a nighttime diaper!!"

hey E., sounds like you've got a pretty good plan. actually, my daughter just got potty trained and she's 3 1/2 .....basically if they follow u to the bathroom when you use the toilet it atleast shows they are curious. with my daughter though, pull-ups were total hell....she got used to being wet with them and it didn't bother her. so what i did was take her to the disney store and have her pick out some panties. then the next day i kept her in panties all day and it took about a week for her to get trained. she didn't like the feeling of her pee running down her legs....but we were always positive with her and telling her it's ok to have accidents and next time she'll use the potty. anyways, that's what did the trick!! good luck! -M.