[My Isela]

My daughter will be 3 at the end of May. We have tried to start using the "big girl potty", but it isn't going very well. The "potty" has been in our bathroom for months (I was hoping that if she just sat there with her clothes on while watching mommy potty, it would help her). Well, that didn't happen. She has sat and gone potty on there 3 times. She was sooooo proud of herself and I thought we were on our way. Then, the next morning she wanted NOTHING to do with the potty and hasn't since. I have tried reading to her, bribing her with treats/stamps....but nothing seems to phase her.
So, how many of you have almost 3 year olds that aren't potty trained? Do any of you that have been sucessful have any other suggestions for me? Should I just let her lead the way and when she is ready she's ready?
Thanks for ANY input

[JustBarbara]

DS won't be getting potty-trained until he leaves the toddler room (daycare suggests home/daycare start simultaneously) ... at 2 yrs 9 months but he just turned 25 months. My sis has twins - the boy started PT at about 3 years 2 months - his twin sister was simply not interested for a couple more months after that. What worked? My sis would put a chair next to the toilet where she would sit and her kid would sit on the toilet with a book and try to match stickers to the drawings. I've heard/read that when they are ready you will know. Yes, there will be mishaps. Niece did not like going to potty at preschool so she held it in for half a day - poor thing. But both were trained within a couple weeks of starting and neither has had an accident at night. Good luck!

[jandc]

Second son did not potty train till 4 years 5 weeks and 3 days. Can you tell how excited we were! Not to worry it will happen.

[DPline]

Both my boys were a full 3.5 when they potty trained. Honestly, it was a battle of wills. In the end, for each of them (almost 5 years apart in age) it came down to they were confined to the parts of the house that had vinyl or tile until they decided to use the potty. They could have toys, books, whatever. They just weren't allowed in the carpeted rooms. In only took a day or two for them to see I was serious and decide to use the potty. (Probably some are thinking that was SO mean, but it really was to the point that they were perfectly capable, but choosing not to. )

In my opinion you need to find what works for them - for my daughter it was stickers, though it took a lot of trying things to figure that out - or, just relax and don't worry about it until the child is ready. (Or it hits the point of absudity, like with my boys!) It is one thing that as a toddler they can control.

And don't let people get to you with "Oh, just use gumdrops/M&M's/whatever and she'll be trained right away." That just drives me nuts. My sons were totally not bribeable. Believe me. I tried everything from M&M's to super expensive toys. Nothing, and I mean nothing, worked. And none of my kids could have ever cared less if they were wet. So putting them in underwear to make them 'aware' didn't fly either. I just had wet floors. Hopefully their stubbornness with serve them well some day, but it sure makes me nuts!

For whatever that was all worth!

Good luck! And don't stress about it!

[One_Happy_Momma]

Luckily DD1 potty trained early and DD2 at 18 months is trying to potty train herself.

I have a friend with 4+ year-old twin girls. They just potty trained 2 weeks ago. What worked for them, their aunt who was visiting brought them panties and sat them down to have a potty chat with them and were told that big girls never go in their panties, and explained how big girls go to the bathroom.

If their mom puts a diaper or a pull up on them, they will soil it in no time. With panties on they are dry all day, and they go to the bathroom by themselves.

Good luck!

[jandc]

Dpline, that is hysterical! My experience with 2nd ds exactly!!!!
All the little tricks did not work.
We got to the point where he would be in undies and use the potty to pee but NO WAY would he poop. Well, one day we were coming down from the mtns and we stopped for dinner. DS was complaining of a tummy ache. We knew he had to poop so DH took him to the bathroom. He groaned, grunted, and screamed for a good 26 (yes, I was timing it) minutes! I can not believe no one called the police except for I was standing out side the door explaining to people what was going on. Just when I thought enough was enough and he was probably going to be SOOOO traumatized that we'd all be in therapy it got silent. And then a "WOW Daddy my tummy feels better!! And a Look at the size of that Poop?!? (well it is a male conversation occuring)
Ever since, not one accident, day or night. He as I said, was 4yrs 5 weeks, 3 days!!!
On record as one of the best days ever!

[LisaLuka]

My DS was just under 3 years old when we started potty training. He's 5 now, and he still wears a pull-up at night, although he is keeping it dry on some nights.

I tried stickers, books, singing, prizes...nothing worked until two things happened: First, despite my desire NOT to reward him with food, I caved and gave him an M&M every time he used the potty instead of his diaper. Second, his pre-school started potty training the kids, too, and so it was consistent at school and at home.

Here's the down side to M&M's: he started to run to the bathroom every 20 minutes. He didn't wait until he needed to go...instead, he went as often as possible to get as many M&Ms as possible.

I always say he will either go to prison or to Harvard. We're just waiting to see which one it turns out to be...

[DPline]

Ok, since Jandc told her story and there is at least one other person here who will get it, I am going to put myself out there and tell the 'rest of the story.'

DD potty trained peeing in a week or less the summer she was 2.5 Really quite anti-climactic. Especially after my boys. And she hasn't had accidents. Ever.

This was the week prior to the Fourth of July in 2006. It is now mid April 2008 and she is 4 1/4 and she still will not poop on the potty. She tells me she needs to go, goes and gets a pullup, puts it on, does her business, and then calls me to wipe and help her dispose of it. I have tired forcing the issue and refusing the pullups. She went 6 days without pooping. I finally had to give her a laxative to make her go. I really was getting to the point I was afraid we would have to take her to the hospital. She was so was so constipated nothing worked but several doses of laxative.

She doesn't have accidents. She always waits to go until she gets home and it is convenient. (She stayed at my MIL's for the weekend a couple weeks ago and didn't go the entire time she was there. She waited until we were home.)

So, don't feel bad about being almost 3 and not trained! It could be worse!! You could be in Jandc and my shoes. And at this point she is way ahead of me!

Lisaluke - ROFL! I LOVE the prison or Harvard line! I know EXACTLY what you mean!

[My Isela]

You guys are so funny, thanks for the laughs.
I'm not all that worried about it just yet....hey, with 2 under the age of 3 it's nice to go to the store and NOT have to worry about wet panties AND dirty public bathrooms.
My daughter could care less if she is wet....and I mean she could be dripping out of her diaper and she goes about her way. Although, she really LOVES her "big girl pannies" she wants to wear them over her diaper. I try and tell her that she can only wear them if she goes to the potty.....so, she decides she doesn't like them all that much.
I guess I will just keep encouraging her to try.
Thanks for all of the input ladies.

[alyssa&avery]

My DD was 3 years 6 months when she potty trained. My DS was 3 years 4 months when he potty trained. I waited until THEY were ready and everything went well.

For DD stickers were enough to keep her motivated and within 3 days she was daytime trained. Night time came about two weeks later. For DS gum balls were the ticket and once he made up his mind he potty trained in ONE day...........daytime and nighttime trained.

Hang in there!

Jandc that story is hysterical. Sounds like a few conversations I've had with my DS. What is it with boys and potty conversations?

[jia6567]

I didn't think my daughter was ever going to start going to the potty!! We tried EVERYTHING and she just was not having it. (some of that latina stubborness, i guess) So I just gave up. There is no convincing her to do anything she doesn't want to do anyway. She was almost 3 1/2 and all of the sudden one morning she said, "Mommy I want to wear my panties." About an hour later, she comes running saying "I feel pee-pee coming" so we went to the potty, she went, and that was it. Never even one accident. So from my experience, they will just do it when THEY are ready. Good Luck!

[annaguat]

My girls just finnished and do both no. 1 and 2 in potty or on large pot if we use a toilet ring that fits the large seat. We realy had no progress untill we took off the dispossable diapers and put on snap on cloth diapers/training pants (Mother Ease) without the covers. My second option was regular training pants but they do not hold as much moist and are harder to deal with when they do no. 2 as you have to pull them down. You can also let little one run in the buff but then you get puddles and other interesting things. I find with dispossable diapers it seems harder to potty train. I ran into the girls not wanting to do no.2 on the potty either. Not sure why it was that way as I have never had little ones do that. Normally my children train no. 2 before no. 1 but not these last two. Like mentioned in otherposts it seemed a testing of wills thing. One little one also held it to the point of constipation. It took them over a month longer to do no. 2 where it should go. Now they are both in regular undies and amazingly both sleep in regular undies too. There are still accidents mainly partial wetting in the morning after a long nights sleep and one has occasional no. 2 accident. One thing was that with help from the older children we made sure to take them to the bathroom every two hours or so. I also carry a little bjorn potty in the car for when we go out or to other places as they do not like regular toilets, especially self flushing ones.

I think a key is to get the dispossable diaper or pull off off. They need to feel the wetness else it seems harder. Also when they wet themselves I let them touch the wet panty and say" Wet! Wet! Quick go tot he potty!" We then still do a quick trip to the potty even if it is too late, just to reiforce where they should have been. I also do not let them sit on the potty for a long time but just a minute or so.

I hope it all comes to gether soon.
Anna

[DPline]

Originally Posted by My Isela

I'm not all that worried about it just yet....hey, with 2 under the age of 3 it's nice to go to the store and NOT have to worry about wet panties AND dirty public bathrooms.

So true! There are days that I do miss diapers when my son is screaming "It's coming out!" while we are running through Target to the bathroom! (Now if he could, just once, tell me before it was a full blown emergency! Which incidentally has absolutely no relation to how recently he has gone. A total emergency can come up at any time in 'Daniel world!')

[carolynpep73]

I don't know if this will make a difference but my DD didn't care for the potty chair. She preferred the ring that goes on the regular toilet. Sometimes it's something as simple as that. Also, a friend of mine told me when she was training her daughter (who is now 8) that she used bandaids as a reward. I always thought that was so funny and original...she just bought a few boxes of different bandaids and Madi LOVED it!

[NeeNee]

Hi,

I have just a couple of ideas for you.

The first is, if she is dry after her nap put her right on the potty. A friend told me this years ago and it worked with many many of my daycare kids along with my own. Most of the time they go pee-pee very quickly.

The other idea I just had is to let her be in charge of "something". The "something" I thought of is a Timer. Set a timer and when it goes off it's time to go potty. Let her turn it off. I guess it would go something like this.

Explain what the timer is for.

Timer goes off.

Mommy: "I hear something, do you?"

Child: "It's my timer! Potty time!!"

Mommy: "You're right it is potty time! You get to push the button on your timer and then what do you do?"

Child: "GO POTTY!"

Mommy: "Great job remembering! Let's go!(pun intended!)"


Hey it could work!!! It's all a positive experience. If it works that is!