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We used a paperback book that was available in the grocery store checkout line. It was called How to Potty Train Your Child in One Day. I think there are versions of it available on Amazon.
There's a process, and it works. You get a doll that wets, and you have the child walk around the house in a T-shirt only. Your child gives the doll water with the little baby bottle, and then helps it go potty.
Then you have your child get on the potty at timed intervals. The book explains it.
My youngest was potty-trained at 18 months, mostly because I was finally experienced enough to notice the signs of readiness he exhibited. Once we noticed he was ready to start using the potty, we broke out the book again, and we were diaper free!
One of my older boys did have nighttime bed-wetting episodes around age 5, but we used a bed-wetting alarm and fixed that in about a week.
I used the same book. Both kids (girl and boy--both about 2.5 years old at the time) really were trained in a day with no accidents after.
D was dry at night about 2 months later. S never wet at night after that.
When I saw the other mothers consistently going into the bathroom with their kids to pull up/pull down pants after potty training, I appreciated the book even more. One of the steps in the book is teaching the child to pull pants up/down on their own so they really are independent in bathroom trips.
The hardest part was finding a baby doll that wets after feeding the bottle.
You need a day where you can be at home with just the child for 4-6 hours. You'll give them lots of liquids and some snacks.
Thank you everybody! There is a lot of great advice here!! I'm going to try your methods and see what works! I'm usually home most mornings and then he goes to my mothers house for the day while I go to school and work! I will let my mother in on the advice too! I will let you all know how I do!
When he is ready, it will be effortless. Never use pull-ups day or night, it will stretch the process unnecessarily. At 2 many kids are too young to have good sense, despite some kids being half-trained. Boys need more time. Some boys need extra time. It is completely normal.
Respect your child cues, and thread lightly since coming on too strong can spill into problem behaviour in other areas, and unnecessary tantrums and battle of the wills you can never win with a preschooler. What is the rush?
We have found with both of our kids that the full on throw the diapers away and never look back method of potty training was too stressful for our kids. Even with patience, guidance, encouragement, rewards, and a completely positive atmosphere (no scolding or anything like that), they would both start to hold their pee and poop within days of starting full-on active potty training (running around with no pants on and sitting on the toilet on a schedule). With our first, we just kept going when she started to hold (as advised by the preschool teachers and the books), which resulted in UTIs, constipation, visits to the doctor, and encopresis that took a good year to work through and get back to normal. With our second we didn't let it get that far.
If you see any sign that the traditional method of potty training is too stressful for your kids, and they start to hold, I urge you to go easy. What finally worked for us was to start with 1 hour of "active potty training time" an evening, every evening, but then use a pull up for the rest of the day. During that 1 hour they had no pants on, had their training potty sitting in the room with them while they played, and was encouraged to sit on it often. If any pee got in it we basically threw a toddler party - m&ms and much cheering singing and tossing of little toddlers into the air and flying around the room.
When this was going well, we started to increase the time in the evenings, gradually, over weeks (or months if needed), until finally the pull-up came off as soon as we got home from daycare, and stayed off until the night-time diaper went on at bedtime (about a 5 hour period for us). We stayed like this until the child could reliably go potty in the evenings. Then we waited for a long holiday (Christmas break works really well) and extended the pull-up free time to daytime as well. Since the child was already in the routine of using the potty in the evenings, it wasn't stressful. And voila. A daytime potty trained kiddo.
For night time training, remember that there's no such thing as night time "training" at this age. They can't wake themselves up yet. That part of their brain hasn't developed yet. You just keep on getting night time diapers until they get older and their bodies develop to the point where they stay dry at night on their own. Then you drop the diapers and you're done.
This is what happens when you potty train a kid who is not 100% ready. IF they are really ready, it shouldn't be hard. It takes about three consistent days of reminders and work, but it should not be a fight and it shouldn't take months or even weeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MK-mama
Thank you everybody! There is a lot of great advice here!! I'm going to try your methods and see what works! I'm usually home most mornings and then he goes to my mothers house for the day while I go to school and work! I will let my mother in on the advice too! I will let you all know how I do!
Most experts on the subject will advise against this. Shuffling him back and forth, even with specific directions to your mom, will cause inconsistencies that will prolong the process. You need to commit to at least three full days in your house with just you or you and/or your partner. Thanksgiving is coming up and so is Christmas. Wait and use those breaks to potty train. If he us truly ready, you will be much better off waiting for a time you can really focus and work on it rather than trying to have two different people in two different environments work with him.
To those who advocate the naked bottom part, I tried that method with my youngest.
One funny story: One evening we had company sitting at out kitchen table. My oldest, who was 3yr 3mo older than my youngest started laughing in the living room. I went in to find a beautiful pile of poop on our beige carpet, a deposit from our naked bottomed youngest (who was around 2 at the time).
Our oldest AND our company thought it was hilarious. Hubby plunked our youngest into the tub, and I went to the living room with my vinegar, scrubbie and bucket. Ya, funny.
When we thought the boys were becoming "aware" enough (watch them - they'll act like they anticipate it), we used plain cotton diapers just as a "oh, you're still a baby; wear this!" thing. They hated to hear that. But we kept them in that cotton, non-absorbent diaper. Gave them a little time to figure it out, and in short time they perched themselves on the toilet all by themselves (they were shown how this is done) with no announcement or fanfare (and of course, got praised for being such a grown up boy). They got tighty whiteys to wear after that. None of them ever did it in their pants again. One made us wipe him until he was 6 or so, but I think that was a "control" thing.
My son is currently 2. We have started to potty train him. He can go pee on the potty when you put him on but we are having a hard time getting him to tell us before he goes in his pull-up. He will tell us that he went pee-pee and pooh-pooh right after he goes. Any and all suggestions welcome! I am new to this forum so it might take a little bit for me to get back.
Get rid of the pullups. Kids cannot tell when they are wet in pullups in general.
You may want to try the *bare bottom* method for one weekend. He can then see and feel it and begin to associate needing to go with actually going.
He is a bit young yet, but take him out to shop for underwear and let him pick out character underwear he likes. Then you can explain that *superhero* does not like to get wet. He may get it.
Don't worry, he won't poop his pants when he's 20. lol
Don't rush it, and it will be easy. The only people I know who had a problem were people who wanted it before the child was ready. We used the Once Upon a Potty - WELCOME
Beware that they will have accidents for a while. Some will even have a few into their 4th and 5th years. You might get a bed wetter. Especially if they are in day care or pre school. One of mine hadn't had an accident in years then one day in K she did. She was afraid to go to the bathroom and laughed hard. The school nurse had a change of clothes because it happened so often.
I look back now and wonder why I was in such a hurry for any of this stuff. They grow up so quick.
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Thanks a bunch!!
