What's your BEST potty training advice?

DD is almost 2 1/2 and is showing all signs she's ready to be potty trained. She has started to use the potty (when she wakes up and before bed) but I am not going to go full force until we come back from our vacation in about two weeks (don't want to have to deal with a newly trained DC while on the plane and amusement parks).

I picked up pull ups and underwear today and have two potties - one upstairs and one downstairs.

What is your best piece of advice? I'm pretty clueless since this is my first DC

TIA!

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

My best advice would be to not use the pull ups. I did the 3day potty training program. I think I still have the email if you want to Fm with your email address I can forward it. But with this program, one of the main things is to continuously tell them all day long "remember , your underwear has to stay dry" so to me, putting a pull up on them and letting them get wet in it was confusing.

The 3 day potty program took the full 3 days to work but she really didn't have that many accidents overnight. I think 1 or 2, which was completely do-able. I am so glad that I didn't get her used to the pull ups, because I feel like she might have held it in until I put one on. My niece and nephew did that.

Good luck

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

my son is 2 1/2 and we started this week. I found that pull ups NO GOOD. he thinks they are diapers. I got him underwear with characters he likes like wonder pets... Sponge bob, toy story, and of course super why!! but we have had only one accident per day and that was when it was poop time. That seems to be my challenge. I make a big deal about staying dry and how ming ming or sponge bob dont like getting wet. He has been doing well. I also leave the toliet out in living room and let him go naked at times and i know some are against that but hey it works.We do use a pull up while driving to and from but he stays dry if i make a big deal about. He likes saying "mommy happy" good luck. #2 isnt easy to accomplish im trying. Good luck. Let me know if you come across anything.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Posted by babyquestion

DD is almost 2 1/2 and is showing all signs she's ready to be potty trained. She has started to use the potty (when she wakes up and before bed) but I am not going to go full force until we come back from our vacation in about two weeks (don't want to have to deal with a newly trained DC while on the plane and amusement parks).

I picked up pull ups and underwear today and have two potties - one upstairs and one downstairs.

What is your best piece of advice? I'm pretty clueless since this is my first DC

TIA!

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

POSITIVE REINFORCEMENTS

Do not show any signs of getting upset.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Ditch the pullups, they are just glorified diapers. I swear by the 3 day method. No pants, put the potty in a common area, give tons to drink, put on potty every 15 minutes, and give a reinforcement after each time.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

My friend just told me the same plan as the above poster. Worked for her two boys.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

NO pull ups

LOTS of positive reinforcement

If it's a boy have him go to the bathroom WITH a close male member of the family ( dad, grandpa). My father actually undertook that the summer my son was potty training and he got it very fast because it was fun going pee pee with grandpa. Before he was having issues even though he got #2 part down. (I think it's a very common problem with boys because they do one thing standing and one thing sitting)

Do NOT start too early if they are not ready. My mom bough my son a potty at 18 months and I am convinced that it stalled the process because he thought the potty was just one of his trucks and not something you pee and poop in...

And yet, Do not wait too long. If you child is 4 and you think he shows no signes of being ready, you must have long missed the signs!

Good Luck!! I know it is tough and can get extremely frustrating but I swear it will happen!

Just saw you have a girl and want to add: Pretty underwear!

Potty training my daughter was a breeze, not only becuase girls are easier but also becuase she is the youngest, and a huge girly girl! Once she saw the pretty pick panties with butterlies and flowers there was no going back!

Message edited 8/9/2011 11:48:42 PM.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Positive reinforcement, don't show them how frustrated you might be

No pull-ups, they are a major crutch IMO and kids know they can pee in them. I did them at night only the first few weeks and told DS they were night underwear and he never peed in them.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

can someone email me this three day potty training thing? please...i am desperate...

Message edited 8/10/2011 7:07:24 AM.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

you guys can fm me ur email address and I will send it to you!
BUT... I will say the best advice is it will happen when it happens.
My personal advice, and I have trained many kids with developmental disabilities - some even as old as 10.
Increase fluids, go full force underwear, bring them to the bathroom every 20 or 30 minutes to catch it. When you do catch it, make sure you have a GOOD reinforcer. For example, we were giving ds a lollypop every time he did number 2. However, that wasn't reinforcing. When we let him play rockband after every time he went, then he would start to go consistently. HOWEVER, I will say that...it will happen when it happens. DS woke up one day and was potty trained :)

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

For anyone who wants the 3 day potty training program - just FM with your email address. I have to jump in the shower and will be out for most of the day, but I will email it when I get home.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Make sure everybody that deals with your child is on the same page about potty training. If your husband or babysitter isn't as diligent about getting your child on the potty every 30 minutes, then you're screwed.

AND NEVER GET UPSET!!!!!

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

these are some great tips!!!!

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Do not force it. When they are ready, they are ready and its EASY. If you push it, it WILL backfire.

And do not get upset over accidents.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

DO NOT PUSH THEM IF THEY ARE NOT READY!!!
Also, all or nothing, no pull ups or flip flopping with diapers and underwear, IMO

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

I have the 3 day potty trainingtoo, if anyone needs it.

We used bits and pieces of that, and my own potty training plan. I agree with the pp who said no pulls ups. They are just like diapers, no matter what the package says.

My dd loved all the girlie undies, she has about 100 pairs of princess undies.

Good luck

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

The first couple of days we set the timer for 15 or 20 minutes. When the timer went off, we stopped what we were doing (with reassurance that we could start again when we were done in the bathroom) and tried to use the toilet. If DS went, we made a huge deal and even gave him a mini-m&m. (Poop eventually resulted in 2 mini-m&ms). This was a big deal for him because he rarely gets candy. As the days went by, we increased the time intervals. Within a week, we didn't need the timer anymore and he was losing interest in the candy.

oh, and I agree with others about the pull-ups. We only used them at night. Underwear all the way! I also took DS to the store with me to pick out his undies! He was totally into his Thomas underwear. So cute!

Good luck!

eta... thank goodness for DVR. We potty trained over Christmas break and were stuck at home, so we watched some movies and during those days. It was great to be able to pause them. This way, DS didn't think he was missing anything.

Message edited 8/10/2011 1:09:35 PM.

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

I was given a couple pieces of great advice.

1. never force the child if they are not ready.
2. I never used a potty seat. I used a toilet ring. That way my dc got use to the sound of a real toilet flush and got use to a real toliet. So when they started to use the tolilet in a public place or at someones house, they werent scared of the "big" toilet.

3. just keep asking them every 20-30 minutes if they have to go. And sit them on the potty for a couple of minutes just to get them use to it.

good luck

Re: What's your BEST potty training advice?

Make a huge deal when they go on the potty, jump up and down etc lots of praise, a reward chart worked great for us.