Seeking Advice on Potty Training My 2 Yr Old Son

I am a mom with 2 small children and my son was pooping on the toilet at 14 months old and fully potty trained at 2 1/2. My daughter was also potty trained by 2 1/2 years old. The only thing I did was take them to the bathroom with me every time no matter if I was in a rush or not so they could see that this is some thing people do everyday many times a day. I always kept their potty chairs in the bathroom to show them this is where and the only place in the house we make potty. I always showed them that it was a good thing and would give them lots of prise when they would go to the bathroom and they got to wash their hands with the special soap. After about a week it was just a daily thing.

I would have to say he's not ready yet. I tried to train my now 6 y.o. when he between ages of 2 - 2 1/2, (he was showing the typical signs). I knew everyone said not to push him, let him decide when he's ready, but I just wanted him out of diapers. He still has pee accidents occasionally although he has never had a poop one since. With my 3YO, I let him tell me when he was ready, he's been so good! No accidents of any kind, and goes all by himself, very modest. Door must be shut for him and nobody can watch. That's fine with us, he's trained and that's all that counts;-)
My daughter is starting to show some interest too now, and I will let her decide when it's time.

my son is 18 months and i am going to be trying the 'run around outside naked' idea. LOL. will see how it works. obviously the only thing he will be wearing is sunscreen LOL :D maybe you coudl try it too. i will also bring his little potty chair outside!

he has been talking about the potty, sitting on the potty and really interested in the whole process for about 8 months. LOL. so ive been kinda using some cloth diapers, elimination communication (if he talks about the potty or anything, he sits on the potty. sometimes he goes sometimes he doesnt) i try to get him on the potty in the morning, or after a meal if i have time to get him there right away. also if i am running a bath he sits on the potty cuz it seems like he pees if the water is running. good thing to try when your kid is sitting on the potty is simply running water.

dont let anyone tell you your son isnt ready. if you think he is, and you dont expect him to learn it overnight, it is just fine to start talking about it and learning about it. people always say they wont even try until they are 3... well, by that age, they dont know anything else if they havent been talking about it and doing it! they actually get to the point where they LIKE being in the diaper.

a friend of mine started elimination communication when her son was 3 months old. he is now 19 months old, and although he isnt completely 100% trained, he knows about potty, he knows to tell mom and dad when he needs to go, and he will go excitedly. he hates being in a dirty or wet diaper - they use mostly cloth diapers, so its been easier for him to feel wet.

anyway, if you think your son is ready, and you have the patience and time, GO FOR IT! theres nothing wrong with introducing the idea. just dont get frustrated and disappointed. just yesterday my son told me 2 times he had poopy, but he wouldnt go until 5 minutes after the 2nd time he was on the potty (and in his diaper - bummer!) but he KNEW he had to go... theres just something there that interrupts him when switching the diaper off and getting onto the potty. so i know he KNOWS whats going on. dont let people tell you that your kid isnt ready because of age. every kid is different, but you have to be willing to put in the time and communication.

this works best in kids who have a healthy connection to their moms and dads, cuz you can read them. it sounds like you can read your son pretty well, so just go for it! :D theres nothing wrong with following your instincts and your sons! :D good luck!

this will sound silly but it worked for me I would put fruit loops in the toilet and make a game out of it and see if he could hit the ceral. It worked for me just a thought.

Read to him:

Once Upon a Potty and Everybody Poops. These books will get him more interested. Still, 2 is quite young to train a boy. Patience will definitely be your best approach.

When my firstborn son was 2, I tried so hard to get him interested in potty training. I finally gave up as it was just frustrating both of us. When he was just past three, all of the sudden he was interested, and was trained in two days. I think that boys generally take longer to train than girls. I am sure that there are ways to get him trained even when he is not interested, however, if you are trying to go the low frustration route, keep talking positively about it, but wait until he is ready.

My second son is now two about a month younger than your son, and his pediatrician told me not to rush it, he will be trained when he is ready.

Best of luck to you, I am sure someone will give you great advice on how to get this done sooner. Whichever way you go has to be right for you and your son.

I personally think if you wait until they are ready, two is still pretty young, potty training is easier and less stressful. I waited until my children showed more interest and they were trained within a week during the day. There may still be some accidents at night. I had two hard sleepers of my five children, and occational bed wetting continued for quite some time. Now my almost 3 year old grandson, still has little interest in using the potty chair, though his mom says he does at home sometimes. So I am just being patient until he seems more prepared. Children development at different rates.

After working with tots for over 2 years here is my advice. Take it or leave it. :)
Encourage him to use the potty, nothing to strong. Just an occasional "Do you need to pee?". I've even made mention to the kids where I'm going when another staff member comes to take over so I can go. :D "Sorry -name- I have to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!" It reminds the kids that as adults we go potty too.
Lastly, we can't "force" kids to go to the potty. This is one of those quirky things that they have to WANT to do. And your son will too.

I am going to tell you what I tell everyone. Get the book, (you can get it from the library) Toilet Training in less than a day. The book works if they are ready. Otherwise you will have to go at the day to day pace. Sometimes they are not ready. It worked for my oldest two and now a women has used it to develop a business and charges people to do it when all you have to do is follow the book. Good Luck

Your son really doesn't have to be potty trained at any certain age. Sounds like you have a good system going right now. I'd just continue w/ that and let him take the lead a little more as he wishes.

In my experience, girls show more interest (in general) in potty training at 2 but boys wait til closer to 3 or beyond. Course if the boy is the oldest sometimes they show an interest earlier.

Right now, you have a little boy who is not afraid or intimidated by that "big bad potty". LOL. Let him continue on his own path.

Hi M.
It sounds like you are doing great. Keep it up and if he does go just make a huge deal out of it it will encourage him to go more often. :)T.

I had 4 children all in the potty training stages long before pull-ups. We used training pants and bought lots of extra pants/shorts at the second hand store. Children do not like the feel of wet clothes. You can use plastic over pants if you want, but I never had to. When my kids could go all on their own-they thought it was cool and they didn't have wet pants to deal with. As they got proficient at it, they were able to graduate to fancy 'big kid' pants. They all, 2 boys & 2 girls, were able to wear big kid pants before they were 2. No pressure from us. When my granddaughter started showing interest in the potty, we did the same thing with a twist-fruit snacks every time she went in the potty. She was accident free after the first day (mom was able to stay home with her that day) and did not wear night diapers much after that. In my opinion, pull-ups are very overrated and just prolong the toilet training process. If your child is truly not ready, it's ok to wait. There should never be any pressure for him.

I would refer you to Jocelyn K's posted question today in response to your wondering whether you ought to continue to be patient with your son. I think he's very young to be potty training. I think you need to wait at least another year.

With boys you can try putting cheerios in the big toilet and have them practice aiming at them when he is going. Use a step stool so he can use the big potty like Dad. Makes it more fun for them and he feels like one of the fammily. You can buy one of those child seats that you put on your toilet so he can poop like Dad too. Sometimes this helps more than we know.

Good Luck,
L. B

Sounds like his making progress. Most kids are potty trained around the age of 3 and boys tend to take longer than girls. Trying harder may discourage him and you'll have to start all over.

It's common for kids to refuse pooping in the toilet. Some kids are scared because they think it is part of them.

Some parents have had success using a star chart. Every time he uses the potty chair to do his thing, put a sticker on a peice of paper. When he has earned say 10 stars, you can do a fun activity like going to the zoo.

It's been awile since I have potty trained any boys, but I have been told about the reward system. Each times he potties in the toilet, give him a small toy or a snack item.

Otherwise, kids will start on their own. They have their own clock built in, just be patient, one day he will go and surprise you!! Good Luck.