Another Potty Training Question

Cherrios are great for aim. Another trick is to sit him backward on the toliet. My mom said she did this with my brother and he stood on his own after a while.

Also, with my son my husband had him pull pants and underwear down to his ankles. However, he still does it and it's embarassing in public bathrooms but were woking on the pocket trick. Also head start preschool if you qualify take children that are not potty trained.

I have 2 children, and with potty training I was very fortunate. My daughter was trained before 2 and my son was trained at about 2. You know when your child is ready...they let you know and yet they still want the comfort of the diaper. I strongly disagree with pull ups or even diapers at bed time. If you want potty training to be over, you have to just make them do it. They need consistancy of no diapers and when they have an accident or 2, they realize how uncomfortable it is in their big panites. or undies for boys =) My son started by sitting for about the first 6 months to a year, so that #1 and #2 were done the same way. The little older he got, he noticed that in a bathroom boys stood and so he started wanting to stand. That all comes when it's their comfort.

I personally wouldn't push it. If he cries when you put big boy pants on him, he is not ready. Believe me, he will only do this when he is ready... not when you would like him to be ready unfortunately. I used books, videos, treats and other children who were potty trained as tools to help my daughter finally go potty on the toilet. One day, she just decided that she was going to use the potty all the time, and that was that... never again was another diaper used... not even at night! She has not had an accident since and it has been 4 months now!! Good luck!! ( my daughter decided to abandon her diapers at the most inconvenient time for us... on our way to a weekend campout -tents and portapotties -yuk... thank goodness for the portable potties we had ready -haha)

I say follow your son's indications. Give him kudos big time when he tells you about his diaper. Don't put big boy underpants on him yet tho. If he threw a hissy, that's an indication it isn't processing with him. He has to figure a little out himself. BUT, you CAN tell him about when he's a big boy how cool things will be. He won't need you to take him to the potty, he'll know when to go, he won't have to wear baby diapers, I mean really make it a future to reach for for him. But he's only 3. He's under no obligation to learn it now. Sure, the sooner the better, but it just isn't good to push a kid to learn something that they aren't ready for. Been there done that. There are books too you could check out at Borders or Barnes & Noble that might be his level and help him get a concept of what happens with his body and how it's supposed to be. DAD might want to have an integral part in this too. Maybe your son would relate to dad better

Hey T.,

Start him off sitting and if you let him walk around without a diaper or pull-up, put on a Baby Einstein, Sesame Street, or whatever child friendly program he really likes, use the potty as his chair and let him enjoy his time. Also you have to overexagerrate your joy of his potty use (i.e.: singing songs, clapping and smiling, high fives, cart wheels), it seems really crazy and you will look crazy doing it, but your son will think its funny and will become excited and slowly enjoy the potty. You have to give the overjoyed response everytime he goes to the potty, for a while at least.

Don't push the big boy pants, but try to get him to go on the potty. Once he is going then go to the big boy pants. It was what worked for my daughter and for my neice. They are both 3 and half.

Hey there, potty training can be tough. And doctors don't always know what they are talking about. You are absolutely right, if they can tell you that they need to be changed, they are ready. I personally had my boys sit. They were too short for the toilet to be able to aim. When they got taller then I had my husband show them how to stand. I also did "pee pee for a prize" instead of candy. I just went to the dollar store and purchased things I thought they would like, put them in a basket in the bathroom, and when they went, they got a new toy. They loved it and responded fairly well to it. Good luck. Also school was a really big deal to my kids, I was able to use that as a motivater as well.

My son just is potty trained. we started with the videos, and taking the potty chair in to the tv room. Then we put it into the bathroom and he started using it on his own. He used it about a week, then said he wanted to go on the big potty. He has always sat down, not stood for both 1&2. He was really scared to go #2 on the potty, so we just let him do the deed in the diaper. Faster than we thought, he just went on his own.

I would let your son be the guide; go get a video from the library and let him watch it, and stock up the bathroom with books. Make a chart; Ask every 15 min if he has to go. ..and nothing but positive praise!! It only makes things harder to push them.

I made a "road" chart with a car at the end, and told him when he went he got a sticker in each square. When the chart got filled, i took him to the dollar store to pick out a toy.
It worked so well, he was trained very soon.

Hope this helps. good luck, when they are ready -it seems to happen fast.

I have boy/girl twins that just turned two the bginning of November and a 4 year old daughter. She was potty trained at just over two years of age. She had a few accidents after the twins were born but I knew she might regress a little bit when her world changed. She was fairly easy to potty train and my next daughter is ready to start also. She's showing interest in the potty, asking to sit on it, and staying dry all night. My son however has no interest what so ever. I think introduce the potty idea, encourage it, make it fun and exciting but don't push it. When they're ready it's a lot easier to approach. As for sitting or standing, try both. If he refuses one, but will do the other, go with it. After all what's more improtant to a 3 year old than control? :) Good luck!!

My son was trained right around 3 years old. We used both the potty chair and the regular toilet. It was his choice which one he wanted to use each time. I had him start by sitting. He'll be 4 next month and he still usually sits. He CAN go standing, but prefers not to most times. I'm ok with it because he can really make a mess when he tries to stand! He has terrible aim. We started with pull ups and graduated to underwear. I bought underwear with his favorite characters on them. He loves Thomas, Cars, and Diego. Maybe if you take your son to the store and let him choose, he may be more willing to try them! Also, I was not above a little bribery! A couple of M&Ms or a Dum Dum sucker when he did what he was supposed to do worked wonders for us! Good luck!

We just went through this two weeks ago, and I'm proud to say we are successful! (At least with pee-pee.) We sit him on the potty because it's easier to teach both pee and poop that way. I know many moms and dads progress to teaching them to stand up when they get older and already have the potty basics understood and under control. Good luck! Remember to give LOTS OF PRAISE!

Has he been watching you and your husband go (specifically your husband if you want him to stand)? If not start that for several weeks. Say what a big girl you are for peeing on the potty, etc. Have the chair in there and let him get used to it by playing with it and sitting on it while you go (let him be fully dressed and the top shut (or open if he wants). When he seems comfortable and wants to be a big boy, take him to the store to buy big boy underpants just like dad's, let him pick them out and then don't look back! Just don't look back! I did use pull ups at night, until she went a week without peeing in them, but with my first I used underpants and a rubber underpant over top. Being wet is not fun and they will learn to wake up, you can get rubber sheets at walmart for 12 to 30 dollars, it is well worth protecting your mattress, even after they are trained, they will have accidents. Good luck, and remember to take all the information in, and then plan what will be best for you and yours.

My son't preschool wouldn't take him unless potty trained too. We put him in a pull-up (as school was only a few hours) and he was fine. Just a thought.

Good luck.

I just potty trained a 3 year old boy (which seemed ridiculously complicated compared to his older sister). I suggest letting him run around the house with no pants at all so that when he is ready to go, its fast and simple. Making a big deal of it and giving a lot of praise (and even a treat) made the biggest difference. Enthusiasm and praise! When he pooped in the potty for the first time we literally threw a party with a cake and presents. Seemed like overkill when people told me this but it worked in about a week.

I found that sitting them backwards on the toilet so they can hold on seems less tramatic than their butt falling down a big hole. Hope this helps...