Seeking More Help with Potty-training

I would keep encouraging her, set the timer so you can remind yourself to take her to try. With my daughter, I always told her she had to try even if it didn't work, we knew she sat down and made an attempt to go.

You have a new baby in the house, and I had the same situation, 2 in diapers and couldn't wait for the oldest to be potty trained. She may just not be quite ready with all the changes at home right now.

When my daughter was 2 1/2 she bacame severely constipated while I was out of town for 4 days. This cycle lasted for 8 months. We stopped potty training at that point until she turned 3, at the advice of the doctor. I kept the potty chair in the bathroom, if she asked to use it, we put her on it. But it was pretty much back to diapers. This happened before I had her sister. Anyway, I just wanted to say sometimes it is one step forward, two steps back with the potty training. My second daughter would go on the potty at 18 mos. though we knew she was no where near being ready to potty train. Then we tried when she was older, forget it. One day, she had just turned 3, she walks downstairs and announces "I think I will wear panties today" and that was it. No accidents, in fact we left town 5 days later and she made it to the airport, and the plane ride with no problems. Good luck, it will happen, be patient, expect there will be setbacks but do consider she may not be quite ready to be a big girl right now with a newborn in the house.

This will probably sound weird to many, but this is what has always worked for me (and all six of my mom's kids!)...
Keep the potty chair in whichever room your children are in the most, tucked in a corner. We always used one of the "splat mats" sold for highchairs underneath the potty because, well, you know! Now here's the step that I haven't read from anyone else on here...remove the diaper/pull-up and let the little ones do their usual day sans bottoms. My first three were trained this way and we never had an accident (other than on the splat mat when they just didn't quite make it). After about 2 weeks break out the underwear. Or, as my sons called them, the man pants! By this time they are used to using the potty and you no longer have to watch a half naked child cavort all day. Another week and the chair moves (thank God) to the bathroom. As my mother explained this to me 9 years ago my mouth hung open in disbelief too! What made sense is that when the child is wearing the diaper or pull-up they are used to utilizing it! If they do not feel it there they are aware (after a demonstration of course) that it's got to go somewhere. We always made a big deal about how well they would do as they first started to use the potty chair. The first week was like a series of small parties throughout the day! Then we slowly got less excited (sort of a slow withdraw) as the days passed until it was just a normal part of each day. I know it's different! My daughter was in underwear by her 2nd birthday and my sons by 2 1/2. Of course now that I've shared this highly unusual technique that I swear by, my fourth child will probably rebel and wear diapers to prom! Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

Hello, I am a stay at home mother of three. Ages 14, 9, 3. First of all you can not potty train a child in 3 days. Each child is different, what works for one may not work for another. Each of my kids were very different. My first child I waited until age 2 1/2 to potty train. He was much like your daughter and had good days and bad (this really confused me). I was at a loss. Then my brother in law stepped in. When ever he would visit he would let my son empty the change out of his pockets to keep. Well when my brother in law heard we were having trouble with the potty he made a deal with my son. We would make a chart with stickers. Each time my son pottied in the potty he got to put a sticker on the chart. My brother in law stopped by everyday to count and pay my son for his stickers. This chart is untimately what potty trained my son. We went with the chart until my son lost interest ( about a month). He was finaly potty trained.

With my middle daughter, I started potty training her much earlier. She was a little over 1 1/2. This was a much better experience. She had not set into rebellion yet. So there was no battle of the wills. She was at an age that she was happy to do anything that got a positive reaction. So we started with taking her shopping for a potty and some pretty panties. We put her in the panties, we then explained that we would set a potty timer. When the timer went off she would have to take time out from what she was doing and sit on the potty(this avoided the fight to sit on the potty). We set it for every hour at first. Sometimes she would potty and other times she wouldn't. She did have a few accidents, but not many. We extened the time on the timer gradually as we began to know her schedule. Sometimes potty traing a child is more like training yourself to their schedule and making sure a potty is available.

I potty trained my youngest daughter much the same way as my middle daughter. And at the same age. My youngest daughter had trouble making it though the night for awhile, so we didn't make a big deal about it and put her in pull ups at night. It was probably about 6 months or so when she started waking up dry in the mornings all on her own. She just needed more time.

Hope this is helpful in some way. Good Luck and stay positive!

My son just did it on his own just before his 3rd birthday. You have introduced it to her wait and see if she just does it now. Another Story I have...I am a Police Officer and a woman came into the Police Dept with her daughter in the same boat you are in. I told the little girl if she could starting going potty on her own and no more pull ups her Mom could call me and I would come to her house. I told her I have stuffed animals in my squad and I would give her one if she could do that for me and potty on her own. The next morning the dispatch sent me a message (we have computers in our squads) asking me to go to that little girls house. Once I was there, her Mom told me she came right home, took off the pull up and went all day without an accident. That night she did great, woke up and said..."Mommy call the Police Lady I am done with diapers".....to this day whenever I run into them her Mom thanks me for the assistance.

L.

Relax! Step back for a few days, or even weeks, and wait until she approaches you about the potty. I know lots of books and helpful people tell you girls should be potty trained by 2 or 2 1/2, but every little girl (and boy) is different. I personally take care of 3 little boys (27 months, 24 months and 21 months) and will not attempt to potty train them at all until next fall/winter. It sounds as if you are doing your best to care for your children, keep up the great work, Mom!

I think we all want our kids to be potty trained in 3 days or generally as fast as possible, but your daughter might just not be ready. Or she might not accept a change that big of any sort in that amount of time. In that amount of time, considering how big the change you're imposing on her is, she is no doubt scared and wanting to be in control...even if her form of control is refusing the potty and going in her pants. Relax, take it easy, and with guidance, let her gradually make the transition. You want her to feel good about it, not scared or forced or intimidated or threatened. When my daughter was 2, she had signs of readiness and I pushed and pushed, trying several "get potty trained quick" books only to find her overwhelmed, scared, and ready to push back. I decided they are like those "get rich quick schemes"...they probably work for a FEW people, but not me! After I gave up the fight - which is totally what it had become - she was eager to please me and ready to earn my positive attention. It was as if she potty trained herself. It took more like 2 months to go everywhere in just underwear and always sleep with no accidents, but it was well worth it. Neither of us were frustrated or stressed out. Try to step back and reassess the situation. You also have a new baby right now, and your daughter just might not be ready to be that "big" at this time. But she will be. Good luck! :)