Trying to Potty Train

My daughter is also 2 1/2. She tells my husband and I most of the time but won't tell daycare but will go when they tell her. They think it has to do with too many distractions to think about going to the potty. So we haven't perfected it yet either but here are some ideas and i will watch the responses to get some more ideas that might work when other people watch her.

I try not to bribe but this worked for potty training for us.I told her, "This is the piece of candy you get when you tell me you have to go potty" I think you need the reward visible while she's playing so she remembers about it at first. Different things motivate different kids - a sticker, a fruit loop, candy. Just reward for telling you even if she doesn't quite make it to the toilet. Lots of verbal praise when she tells you.

My husband and I make big announcements when we have to go potty and then we play run off to the bathroom. I guess it's modelling the behavior for her. We just have to remember to keep it down when we have company. They give you strange looks when you make such announcements.

I put her straight into panties and just cleaned up some messes. So she knows when she has gone and she didn't like the idea of a big mess of the floor and her clothes. So that also motivated her to tell me. I didn't rush her in on a regular schedule. I allowed her to have a few accidents that I just casually cleaned up. So she got used to the feeling of really having to go. (Plus personally I couldn't keep up with regularly scheduled bathroom trips)

When she tells me she has to go I make an exaggerated game of racing her to the bathroom. (At first it made her laugh too much and she peed on the floor in front of the toilet) It's still fun to race but not hysterical anymore so it works for us. She feels the need to go and gets excited about the racing to the bathroom game.

Sorry I ramble. Like I said we are still a work in progress ourselves. Hope something from here helps. Good luck! Have fun with it. I try to laugh when I want to pull my hair out it saves on the hair dresser bills. And remember as a friend told me just today, all the college kids are potty trained.

In my personal experience, when the child can use the potty, knows they can use the potty, sometimes does it and sometimes doesn't, they just need to make their mind up that is what is done. What worked for us was to let them run around with no bottoms on. We had one pee on the floor but when they realized there was nothing to go in, sometimes big kid underpants can feel just like having a diaper on, they went and used the potty every time. Once we decided no pants, and this works better in the summer and when you can be home all day, it took only one day to be fully potty trained. Good luck!

this is normal..you have to remind her and take her to the potty for a good while- until she develops teh skill to identify what it feels like to have to go potty.

someday she will get it. until then just watch that clock and take her to the potty every hour or every 2 hours whatever schedule works for her.. one day like magic she will tell you that she has to go.. you cant make that milestone happen any sooner.

I started trying to potty train at about 2, way to young for me. She would go poo on the potty, but she wouldn't pee on it. I tried offering her candy after she'd go but that back fired on me, she stopped using it all together. I left her alone about it, she'd go on the potty when she wanted to, especially poo. When she was about 2 1/2, give or take a month or so, she came up to me and said she was a big girl and no more pullups. Since that minute, I think she's only had 5 accidents and very shortly after she declared she was a big girl, I think she has only wet her bed 5 times since she's been wearing underpants to bed which came shortly after she said she was a big girl.
My suggestion to you is to buy her some big girl panties and tell her when she goes potty on the toilet she can wear them and see how she does. My daughter much preferred the big girl panties to the bulkier pullups. I bought a book, toilet training without tears, but never got around to reading it before she said she was ready. I'm hoping my now 16 month old little girl is just as easy. :)
Good luck
J.

I am right there with you. My daughter has been training since she was 2 and has been ready since then. I say this because she would be dry after a 2 hr nap and she would go at the sitter's no questions asked. I feel it is a control issue with her because I have to fight every time I tell her to go potty. Very rarely does she go on her own unless it's #2. Backwards, I know, but I have been told by many to be consistent and not give up. So, it has been what feels like a lifetime and I continue to wash lots of underwear(rubber pants are the best) and use pull ups when away from home(convenience)and refuse to go back to diapers. I do stickers on the calendar and once she gets 25 stickers, she gets a prize. She also gets a bubble gum ball once in awhile. For the most part, she just wants the praise of good job and a high five and that does it for her. My problem is getting her to say she has to go instead of having to tell her to go! Good luck.