Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

DD is now 2 yrs 9 months; we started down the potty training path when she was 2.5. We did the 3 day method and by day 3 she started getting it. She was not consistent at all though. Unfortunately because I work I left it up to my babysitters (mom and inlaws) to take over. She continued to do ok for a few weeks then really regressed. Last month she had a bad cold and then the flu; she stopped using the potty totally. She also hides when poops so that adds a level of complexity to it all.

After she got sick I stopped encouraging the potty figuring I would start fresh in a few weeks. So here we are again...a little older. We started the 3 day method on Friday and she is making NO progress. I have her in underwear and leggings. I do bring her to the potty on occasion and she will go (although sometimes she fights me on it) but will not tell me before she has to go (only as she stands there peeing in her pants).

Pooping she hides and if I try to bring her to the potty she literally has a meltdown!! Screams and cries and says "NO!!!" The pediatrician told me to have her tell me that she needs a pull-up to poop, she she even freaks about that!

When I take her I give her stickers and m&ms and we sing and cheer, but it doesn't seem to motivate her. Even when I tell her we are going to he potty, bribery doesn't seem to work.

I am at a loss. Should I give up totally?? And try again in a few months???

Re: Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

I found the book "oh crap potty training" really helpful. We failed the first time but then got the book and were very successful the second go-around. Just some thoughts:

-does she have her own potty she can quickly get on/off herself?

-can you let her go commando with a dress/skirt? Underwear gives the security of a diaper and leads to accidents

-are you bringing her to the potty often enough and quick enough when you see the pee starting? On occasion is probably not frequent enough

Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

I agree with PP. My DS still prefers his potty over our toilet. Maybe she's scared of the bigger toilet? I would probably just keep her in only underwear and not the leggings. You need to react to the accidents ASAP - this was my biggest hurdle since I would get preoccupied w/ other stuff around the house. Also, my DS didn't get it at the 3rd day. It took more like a week for it to click. I would probably just stick with it for another week and see if she makes any progress. If after a week she is still fighting you on even sitting on the potty then maybe I would think it's better to take a break and try again a few weeks later.

Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

We just did the 3 day method last weekend and it worked. DD is 2 1/2. We really stuck to it and literally didn't leave the house for 3 days and just focused on potty training. Try to download the 3 Day Potty Method on Amazon and stick to it.
What worked for us was only having her in underwear and making a huge deal of throwing all the diapers away. We also constantly reminded her to tell us when she has to pee or poop. I got a sticker chart and she got 3 stickers every time she peed and 5 stickers and an m & m when she pooped. When she completed the sticker chart she got a small present. She had two accidents the first day and by the end of the 2nd day she was completely trained. We still have her in pull-ups for nap and at night.
The women that wrote the method says that it can sometimes take a full 3 days for them to get it and you really just have to stick to it and constantly be on top of your kid so you learn the signs of when they have to go.

I would maybe give it a week or two and then do it again and make sure you stick with it for the entire 3 days.

I also wouldn't force her to sit on the potty or bring her to the potty. They need to feel the accidents and understand the sensations of needing to go to the bathroom. The only time I ever make DD sit on the potty is if we are about to go in the car and I want to make sure she pees before we leave. Other than that I only remind her to tell me when she has to go.

Re: Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

This may not be a popular opinion but I FIRMLY believe that when they are ready they are ready. Forcing it, when they are not ready, does more harm than good IMO.

This goes for getting rid of binkys, getting rid of bottles, potty training everything.

When I let go and stopped trying to follow the arbitary "rules" that someone (who probalby doesn't even have kids) made up- my life, and DD's life, got so much easier and less stressful.

For example- DD was great with pee traning. They pretty much trained her at daycare. She never had an accident- even at night.

Pooping was another story. She refused. She would go pee on the potty then go in a corner and poop in her pants.

Nothing worked- rewards, sticker charts, praise, candy, treats, nothing. This went on for a LONG time. Like a year.
One day, it just clicked. She went poop on the potty and it was no big deal and never looked back.
Until then, life was hell.

I'd back off a little and try again down the road.

Re: Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

Re: Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

Posted by itsagoodlife

Posted by NervousNell

This may not be a popular opinion but I FIRMLY believe that when they are ready they are ready. Forcing it, when they are not ready, does more harm than good IMO.

This goes for getting rid of binkys, getting rid of bottles, potty training everything.

When I let go and stopped trying to follow the arbitary "rules" that someone (who probalby doesn't even have kids) made up- my life, and DD's life, got so much easier and less stressful.

For example- DD was great with pee traning. They pretty much trained her at daycare. She never had an accident- even at night.

Pooping was another story. She refused. She would go pee on the potty then go in a corner and poop in her pants.

Nothing worked- rewards, sticker charts, praise, candy, treats, nothing. This went on for a LONG time. Like a year.
One day, it just clicked. She went poop on the potty and it was no big deal and never looked back.
Until then, life was hell.

I'd back off a little and try again down the road.

Mine are now 13, 11, and 9 and all are potty trained, binky and bottle free

Re: Potty training help - a little long...advice needed

I have a small and also the big potty; we originally used the small potty the first time, but this time we're just using the big one. Honestly i hate having to clean it out so that's why i just wanted to use the big potty...also...one less transition. but....maybe that is an issue for her. She's never said "its scary" so i never thought of that. maybe i'll ask her which one she wants. the other issue is that our main floor bathroom is a powder room and is extremely small....like a stall in a public restroom (i'm not exaggerating - i cant fit a pedestal sink, the sink has to be attached to the wall), so having a small potty in the room literally takes up the entire floor space especially considering i need a step stool there for her to wash her hands.

i also didnt like the idea of going commando because sits on the floor/couch so much...just find that gross. but maybe we'll try that.

Re: Potty training help - a little long...advice needed