Toilet Training Help

Hi C.,

I have a couple of friends that had the same problem with their boys. One loves Thomas the train, so she told him that if he "pooped" in the potty he would get one. Once he saw the prize he could get, he started doing it more often. My other friend told her son she would take him to Chuck E Cheese (that wouldn't have worked for my daughter, she's deathly afraid of the rat :) Both boys went back and forth, but my friends just kept on them. They are now both completely potty trained!

Something similar happened with our 2 year old. He was really excited about the potty and always wanted to sit on it and actually went #2 one day. All of a sudden out of nowhere he told us he was scared and refused to sit on the potty. We have just gone back to diapers to let him tell us when he is ready. Our ped told us not to push because it will become a power struggle and to always let them set the pace. One day they will just get it apparently. So we are waiting until he is ready again. Good luck!

Hi C., we went thru a big #2(pooping) regression with my son. He wouldn't poop on the potty only in his "poopy spot" in a diaper under the dining room table( of all places). I talked w/ my pediatrician about it and he told me to leave him alone for a while and try again.When I started to notice he was "holding" it until he got home to poop, I talked to the pediatrician again. He precscribed a stool softener and said he went thru the same thing with his son. He said if you try to push them to go on the potty when their stools are a little hard or they are witholding them, you will have a nightmare on your hands. I would normally be against using medicine for this, but it was an absolute godsend and the best advice I have gotten yet. It was tasteless, so I would just put it in his drink, within 2-3 days he was pooping on the potty and no more diaper or dining room table!!! good luck

From what you said his age is, he is still young and will get it. Here are a couple of high level suggestions:
1. Do not get upset with him or have this turn into a power struggle---it is not easy to do, but once the struggle is on----good luck.
2. When he does have an accident, have him change his own clothes---be prepared to have to clean up a little behind him, but it puts ALL the responsibility on him.
3. Relax, take a deep breath. Look for the successes and PRAISE him. He will get it. Number 1 and Number 2 are separate learning experiences. The sensations are different and so is the process. It is not a package deal.
4. If he was consistently going Number 2 and now won't, consider the following: have there been any new stresses at home/daycare, etc. Has there been any changes to his diet? Is he constipated---that can be a whole other problem if he starts to hold it?

I don't know if any of this helps. Feel free to email me if you have questions or just need support. I have potty trained more than my share of kiddos, so any tricks I can share I will. Hang in there.
K.

I potty trained my child with the book "Toilet training in Less Than a Day" by Drs. Nathan Azrin & Richard Foxx. It was a little hokey (as it was written in the 1970's), but I did the program exactly as they directed and sure enough smy daughter went both #1 & #2 that day and has been trained ever since! It may be that your child is not ready to be trained yet (I waited until my daughter was 3) and the book gives you a list of questions that you must answer "yes" to before they believe that your child is ready for the program. It doesn't have alot to do with age---there are many other factors they consider. I bought my copy at Babies R Us. Good luck!

It is a very normal thing for them to regress temporarily. I would give it no attention and just remind him that he is supposed to use the potty. We experienced this (with two different kids)about 6 months after potty training had been completed.
It lasted about a week for us.