Potty Trainning Troubles

I had the same problem with my son--he was that age when we started seriously potty training too. First off, I learned not to ask if he needed to go--he would never say yes and then have an accident. I set the timer on my phone (I let him pick the tone/alarm sound) for 30 minutes at first and then upped it every day or so. When the timer went off, he knew it was time to go potty--at least try. Typically he would go and if he didn't, I set the timer for 5 more minutes and we would try again. It probably only took a couple days before he had the routine down. As he got better and more comfortable, I could ask him if he needed to go and typically tell if he was lying (dancing around, holding himself). And no pull ups (except we still need them at night), those just made him feel comfortable enough to have an accident. We probably only had 5 accidents the whole time we were potty training.

Also, ask the sitter what she did to make him go all day and try to both be doing the same thing, whatever it is that works best for him.

We did do the rewards thing for my son...he got a sticker and an M&M every time he pottied. When the sticker chart was full, he could get a cheap DVD ($5) or hot wheel car or something. We tapered that off once he had the peeing down and only used it when he pooped in the potty (that took longer).

Hope this helps--good luck. It is super nice having him potty trained and if he's ready and willing, then it should be easy. If it is stressful on either of you, it won't work--I've seen it firsthand with close friends and their kids.

What you're doing to make him resist is simply wanting it too badly, feeling upset and frustrated, and expecting that he'll keep doing what the babysitter was successful in getting him to do. He may well be completely annoyed with the whole process by the time you pick him up.

This is true of ALMOST every child – when they are truly ready, physically and emotionally, they will potty train just as readily as they learned to walk and talk. At that point, it may take only a couple of days or a couple of weeks, with accidents diminishing by the day. When kids are ready, they are enthusiastic about it.

Pushing the issue before then won't achieve faster success; if anything it will slow it down. Rewards will tip the balance only if the child is on the verge of succeeding anyway, and you've discovered the downside of using rewards. A child who's ready will not need rewards, he will only need his parents' cheerful support and confidence.

Your son is about at the youngest age for success for boys. Many will need another several months to a year to get all their ducks in a row – nervous system signals, bladder capacity, and willingness to accept the ongoing responsibility.

Here's a "radical" idea ... STOP TRYING TO "TRAIN HIM"!! My son started daycare at 22 months. He was in the "Potty Training Class" - where all the kids were put on potties after meals, before and after "nap time" and other regular intervals during the day. When I fetched him I put a "Pull Up" on him for the ride home "just in case". Then totally ignored the whole thing. I made no comment if he went in his Pull Up and simply said "Wow, what a clever boy for remembering to use the potty" (if he happened to use it). At night I put a diaper on him. One night he fought me and said that he was a big boy, diapers are for babies and he doesn't want me to put it on him. So I made a deal with him - I told him that if the bed was wet or soiled in the morning, I'd put him back in the nappy at night because I did not like washing wet and/or dirty sheets. From that day on he was "trained" - no accidents cos it was HIS decision! Try taking the pressure off both of you and see what happens! Good luck! :)

Here's what worked for me. All toddlers want to make decisions. Instead of giving the option of "yes" or "no", let him choose between potty types. I had a little potty chair (the Bjorn one) and also a soft ring insert for our big potty, with a step stool so he could climb up easier. Tell him, it's time to use the potty, but ask him which one he wants to use. That might totally solve your problem, or not, but it's worth a try!

my two boys are 11 months apart in age so i know how you feel about the potty training thing goes. what helped my boys [and i know this is weird] is i kept a box of cherrios by the potty and would put a handful in the potty and told them to sink it trust me they loved it and no time at all they were potty trained