How Do YOU Potty-Train Your Child?
If you have a little one in diapers and/or training pants, you likely know that potty-training is in the near future. According to parenting experts, transitioning your toddler from diapers to underwear (completely trained) can take anywhere from three to six months or longer AND the two biggest mistakes parents make when it comes to toilet training are starting too early and putting too much pressure on the child.
Do you agree? With this being said, how do YOU potty-train your child? Do you reward your child? Do you leave your child clothed or naked during the potty-training phase? Do you purchase a special potty seat? Do you keep your child consistently in underwear or do they wear training pants? Any special potty training books or videos that you recommend? Please share! 😀
I started potty training my 2 year old last week. I’ve been rewarding him a quarter in his piggy bank. Problem is, he doesn’t know to tell me he needs to go and I spend way too much in his potty with false alarms.
He is not ready. Just wait till he is ready and it will be a breeze.
I do that too. Then when my lil bugger is asleep I take back the quarter’s from his bank. Haha he’ll never notice. . Kinda slow (I should probably get him a helmet) Sometimes I do laundry with his potty money. Laundering quarter’s from pee pee and crap. Probably lliterally, I hardly wash hands and who knows where that little monster sticks his fingers.
That’s a pretty gross joke about getting him a helmet.
Actually, I’m hoping that *most* of what this person wrote is a joke smh.
Yeah, just a troll…
Yes it is. As a mother who’s son is developmentally delayed and wore a helmet, this is very upsetting. I know it’s a troll, but it is still hard to read stuff like this because there probably are people who think and treat their babies this way.
Wth?!!! Very disturbing to read coming from a mother regarding her child. 😐. I swear this site needs some type of filter for comments like this smh.
I had great success with the 3 day method! Honestly – day and night trained completely in 3 days. I didn’t have high hopes it would work as well as it did, but it was definitely worth holing up in the house and knocking it out in 3 days versus dragging it out for weeks or months. Several friends had the same results with this method too! https://www.3daypottytraining.com/ I swear I am not affiliated with that company or anything, I just had really good results by using their method.
I too did the 3 day method. I swear by it. Both of my daughters were wearing underwear, full time, day and night, in one week at 2 years old. If I have any more children I will be using this method again. Amazing!
I did this too when my son was about 20 months old and I was 7 months pregnant. He was potty trained so quick and easy. You do have to dedicate 3 days just to potty training but it was worth it. At 3 years old he hasn’t had an accident in at least a year and wakes up to go potty 9 out of 10 times. I have a 16 month old and will be using this method again when he starts showing signs that he is ready. Highly recommend this method!
Can you explain a little?
Same here, 3 day/naked potty training worked for us. No treats/bribery, just lots of praise and excitement when he made it in the potty. My 2.5 year old son is completely potty trained day and night, and it wasn’t too stressful. There is plenty of free literature online about it, no need to pay for anything. We use a $10 summer potty seat and never used pull ups. With this method, you aren’t supposed to put them in underwear for 3 months after training because it feels too similar to diapers and they’ll forget and have accidents. I also read that optimal age to start is 26-32 months, before that they aren’t truly physiologically ready, after that they’re typically more stubborn, opinionated, and resistant.
I’m so glad that work for you! However, it did not work for my daughter. She is the most easy going kid, but she absolutely did not want to use the potty. She would even sit on the potty for quite some time, but wouldn’t use it. And then she’d get up and go on the floor. Lol. And one morning, she got up and wanted to use the “big” potty. No little potty or potty seat. And just like that, no more accidents or diapers!
Hey can I ask how long it took before she just wanted to go on her own. Your daughter sounds very similar to mine and I have been trying on and off for months now.
Jessica, it was at least 4-6 months. Then, one morning she got up and wanted to use it on her own and she’s been going ever since. She was 2.5. Wishing you and your little one much luck and plenty of patience! 😊
This method worked like a charm for us at well, trained my then 2 year old completely (day & night!) in 3 days! She’s 4 now & probably had ONLY 2 accidents since!
I also did the 3 day method! Worked great for both of my boys!
When my daughter was 2.5, we did the 3 day method and it worked amazingly well!
I agree!!!! My son was potty trained using this method!!! You just have to be patient and watch them like a hawk for 3 days (Friday, Saturday & Sunday worked best for us!). Be consistent, it works!!!!
I definitely feel you need to wait until they are ready or showing real signs of wanting to go in the potty. With my last daughter I put her in dresses every day and didn’t put underwear on. I also kept her in our backyard or on my tile. When we needed to leave I would put her in underwear and have her go potty before we left, when we got to where we were going and when we got home. Or at least try. It’s a hard stage!
Totally agree. The day my son turned 3 he asked for big boy underwear. Never had an accident. When they’re ready they’ll let you know.
I completely agree, my daughter said no diaper when she turned 3 and no accidents so far. I tried it when she was 2.5 yrs, it was tough, tried all sorts of goodies, lolly pops and so on, nothing worked.
I agree, trying to force them to be ready because you are is useless. Wastes your time and energy. When they get ready all you will have to do is wipe because they will put themselves on the potty after pulling their own clothes down. This I learned from having 3 girls. Don’t know about boys but I suspect it’s similar.
I didn’t do anything with either of my kids. Just talked about it and encouraged. Something clicked with both right when they turned 3. Never did bribery, stickers, charts, etc. Wasn’t a fan of creating a psychological issue out of something that is entirely physiological. That being said, my 7 year old still needs pull ups overnight, but my 4 year old is overnight trained. Kids are all so different in terms of when they are ready.
Well said!! Every child is different and their little bodies develop differently too.
At 7 they probably need evaluated for a problem…that is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too old for bed wetting…
No bedwetting, she wears a pull up. Her pediatricians are not concerned in the least.
But she *would* wet the bed if not for the diaper…yikes…I’d personally get a 2nd opinion. My niece had to take a medication to stop bed wetting at 6…that just doesn’t strike me as normal…
That medication can potentially cause many more problems than the bed wetting…just wait till they are ready…it is much less stressful on everyone involved! 👍
I agree! My brother and sister still had nightime accidents up until around 11 yrs old…. They grew oit of it and are perfectly normal and fine adults, no medication or anything else needed! And definitely no medical problems back then or now.
No need to make someone feel bad with the “tone” of your words. If you cannot say it nicely, better not say anything, eh?
My son also was in Goodnights until he was 8. We decided to try the bed wetting alarm because he was starting to go on campouts with our church group and I did not want him to be embarrassed. It took a week because he was such a sound sleeper. The problem was that he would not wake up to realize he needed to use the bathroom. I highly recommend the alarm because it helped his body wake up when he felt the urge to go. My doctor was not concerned and neither was I, we just did it so he would not need to change and dispose of his Goodnights on a camping trip with his peers. That being said, all kids are different. My other 5 children were dry through the night since their first day of training. We just waited until they were ready and we had only 1-2 accidents with each of them.
I’m sorry but I do not agree with you. My son also has a bed wetting problem and he is almost 7. His pediatrician said it can be a problem especially for boys into their teen years.
my son was 7 before he was completely potty trained at night. It just clicked one day. And no accidents since. I was worried, but pediatrician said not to worry and have heard similarly from many others! PS apparently, constipation, ADHD etc… are all interrelated with nighttime accidents. We did have occasional issues with both but neither to the point of needing meds and I really am convinced it is also a maturity issue.
You are so wrong. I am a child psychologist. Some kids physiologically cannot go overnight without bedwetting until as old as 12. Unfortunately some people are ignorant about how common this actually is. It does not mean there is any problem.
Wow lol I don’t have an opinion one way or the other but I love how tactful you are 👍🏻
Nothing wrong with stating that someone is wrong and ” ignorant” isn’t an insult. Not everything has to be sugar coated.
They can up to the age of 12
Get your facts straight…you’re not a doctor. My son just turned 6 and still wears Pull-Ups to bed. The doctor isn’t concerned. FYI – several medical issues are suspected to be related to nighttime wetting, including chronic constipation (which can be happening even if they go everyday) as well as ADHD, both of which may be at play for us. The doctors have told us that nighttime wetting can be a complicated issue.
We’re all doing our best! Encouragement can go a long way. Just put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Well said, Ashley. Well said.
Exactly 💕
Totally agree!! Every child and parent is different…what works for some won’t work for others.
My son was still wetting the bed at 10 ( he was wearing goodnites) and we went through a company called Pacific International and within 2 months he was completely dry. It was a bit difficult but it really worked. It turns out that it’s not a bladder issue and the medications are so harmful that we wanted to try this alternative. I’m so glad we did. It was a sleep issue and now if he ever regresses and starts wetting the bed again he is covered for life. He’s 14 now and we’ve never had any problems.
I also wouldn’t be too worried about bed wetting at 7; it’s actually more common than most people think. I, for one, would rather wait it out than put my child on meds.
I totally agree! Potty training went so much easier when we waited until ours were ready. Our oldest wore pull-ups at night until she was 7. She sleeps very soundly & just didn’t wake up when she needed to go. We finally used an enuresis alarm to train her body to wake when she needed to go.
I agree, my oldest had nighttime bed wetting for years. My 3yr old has no problems. Waited for the signs and then let him be naked for about a week. He got the hang of pretty quickly.
Perfect timing! My almost 3 yr old is starting potty training, and any tip/ tricks are welcomed.
I haven’t done it, but a friend was saying she rewards her kids for being dry, not for going to the bathroom. Anyone else tried this? I have a 1 year old, looking for tips for the future!
My 2 year old went in the potty by herself just to try i out. I made a big deal about it – promised treats and new panties. I was too excited, embarrassed her and made her cry. She refused after that. We went back to diapers completely. We talked about using the potty someday when she was ready. When she was 3 years, 2 months, she decided she was done with diapers. That was it. Not one accident. Done.
Two and a half is the magic age in this household. I have potty trained 3 of my 4 at that exact age. I have tried 18 month, and 2 years, but that was too early and it didn’t stick. It took my eldest 1 week, my second, 2 weeks, my third took 3 days.
That’s good to hear. My girl is 28 months and we’ve been trying but it hasn’t clicked yet. 30 months is the trick, huh?
#1 most needed during potty training… PATIENCE!
Remember they won’t be in diapers forever. Give LOTS of encouragement and as gross and frustrating as it is when they have an accident, don’t lose your cool.
I tried almost everything with my son, different potty chairs (one on the floor, and one on the toilet) small candy rewards for each time he used the potty, wearing underwear all day, reading potty books, talking about the potty 24/7. I introduced the potty just before he turned 2. And finally a year and a half later, something just clicked! He’s 3 1/2 and is daytime potty trained. The nighttime is hit or miss… but it’s one small victory after another.
I love the deals posted on Hip2save for pull-ups and Goodnights underwear. They are saving my sanity!
I agree that lots of people put too much pressure on the child too early. Main issue is the daycares… they will charge you more if the child is not potty train by a certain age. I think a child that just turned 2 is too early to train unless the kid itself shows readiness, but still, being interested in the potty doesn’t mean they are ready. Another mistake is training a kid with pullups, it will take forever because you can’t tell when they are having an accident.
What I did is what I call “potty boot camp”, around 2 months before my daughter turn 3 years old we went bare! well, I actually put her underwear on and said, no more diapers! I had to be constantly watching her during the day. Of course, at first peed on herself but she realized that it’s yucky and didn’t like that feeling at all. Both my daughters got it in about 3 days, and we were able to leave the house within a week. Of course, it’s easier if you live in a place like Florida where it’s warm, but you can plan around summertime. And it may not work for people who are not home… or you can take a potty training vacation!!! lol Hey, it worked for me: waiting for them to be closer to 3 years old and not using pull-ups= potty trained in 1 week!
I agree, I’m fathering my fourth child. 17 boy, 6 boy, 2 girl and a newborn boy. We have never forced our children into training but encouraged it. We know people who act like its a competition to train them at 18 months. Ridiculous. my oldest was 28 months and wiping perfectly before 3, same with the 6yo. The 2yo girl started earlier by herself but we still use diapers on her(don’t believe in pull-ups other than the really cool colors and designs) until she’s dry overnight on a very consistent basis. If they took until 6 to train completely it is just that. Gotta be patient. My 17yo is 6’2″ and I wish he was still a little boy that I could teach more things to. .😀 never tried the naked pee/poo all over my floor trick yet, didn’t need to buy maybe the newborn will be the guinea.. lol
My son is son is 3yr old. We always talked of potty to him but never forced him to potty train. We bought big boy underwear for him and they have been sitting in his drawer. Just a few days ago he decided he wanted to wear them and has been peeing on the potty routinely (still needs reminding here and there). We have been giving him a M&M each successful time and at the end of the week he earned a toy. My mother and mil were pressuring me to potty train earlier but I am glad I did it this way. He let us know when he was ready. No frustration on his end or ours
I will be starting the potty training process shortly with my 20 month old. She’s my 3rd. I’ve found it works best once they’re ready, to block out several days in a row where you can hang out at home all day and basically live in the bathroom. I let them run around naked. Reward them for going on the toilet and keep the environment easy breezy. After 3 days if they haven’t caught on to the process then more than likely they aren’t ready. Don’t push. It will happen when they are ready
I tried this, and after the 4th pee on the floor, in between the 15 minute alarm-clock induced potty sits, I didn’t want my hardwoods ruined anymore! Haha
When my two boys both showed an interest (a few months before they turned 3), I put them only in underwear. When they peed they felt it and didn’t like it. My first took about 2 days to train. My 2nd took less than a week.
Potty by Leslie Patricelli is the BEST potty training book.
Loved this book!!
I started potty training my son when he was one and a half. Initially it was exhausting for both of us, as I used pull ups and all the details and planned as per instruction on websites. Turned out I was wrong to use that method. I gave a months break to myself and my son from potty training. Hid his potty seat, pull ups everything related to that. After a month, started again without pull ups, made a routine for him and worked on my mommy instincts. I did what I thought would make my son learn. And did he learn? He never wet the carpet with pee and poo:-)) Though his pants would get wet sometimes. Now he is trained for the day completely and he is not even 2 and a half. I am trying now for nightely training these days.
I have 5 kids 3 of which are potty trained. My 3 year old boy was by far the easiest in that he never wanted or needed a reward. It was just something he decided he wanted to do. He started using the potty regularly by 2.5 yrs old and by 3 has had no daytime accidents. He still is not night time trained yet because he is not ready but that will come. My first two girls we pushed too hard and they regressed terribly. We had pressure from friends and family and pushed them before they were ready. We now know better and just wait till they are ready.
That being said our process once they show a lot of interest has been to have a three day “potty party” lots of water or juice, salty snacks and rewards ( stickers, little toys, crayons and coloring book ect.) We would start out as soon as they woke up. Have them sit on the potty for 5 minutes. Then take them every 20 minutes the first day. Day two same routine but every 30 minutes to an hour. Day three every two hours. If there was an accident we just explained that the feeling meant we needed to use the potty and we would clean it up and move on.
Day four we would go to the park or run an errand for an hour and see how it goes.
I have learned that it is all trial and error and you have to do what works best for your family.
I started potty training my girl when she was turning 3. we used to read books about potty training and I used to show her how I used the toilet, Since mommy can be the best role model for kids. I bought some sugar less gummy bears and i used to give her one gummy every time she use the potty. She was going pee in the toilet in 3 days and pooping took little a more time. Keep things excited and fun that’s all 🙂
I tried with my 2 1/2 year old a couple months ago. He didn’t know to tell me when he had to go or even when he went. He’d sit in wet pants all day. After a week we took a break. A month later, tried again and same thing. So after another week we took another break. A month ago, tried again and he got it. He was trained in a week the last time. He’s my 3rd and I’ve always believed that they have to be ready. Also I think there is a window of them being ready, if you miss that window, or start too early it can be really hard to train them. A friend of mine gave me some good advice “how many adults do you know that aren’t potty trained? None. It won’t last forever and they won’t be in diapers forever.”
Thanks for this Collin! Anyone have tips on how to get rid of the pacifier? Thanks in advance!!
Hey Mel, One night when my son was 1+ , I told him that we are not going to use pacifiers any more and I hid his from his eyes. Didn’t throw as I wasn’t sure. But he did ok. I never showed him the pacifiers again and threw those out of house after a week.Try it may work. If it doesn’t, again all kids are different.
Took my sons away when he was 18 months and my daughters when she was about 15 months. It didn’t bother my son at all. Only asked for it a few times. My daughter had like 3 cry it out nights at bedtime and that was it. I think it was worse for me than her.
Each kid is different but for my two kids we just threw all of the pacis away and dealt with a difficult 3-5 days….it was hard but if we had even one left in the house I think my husband would have caved to stop the crying
We got rid of the pacifier gradually. At first, we took it away during the day, no need for them to have it while playing anyway. We still let him have it at nap and bedtime. After a week of that, we took it away at nap and only allowed it for bedtime. After a week of that – gone completely. He would cry for it at first, but we stayed strong and after a few days it was fine. We did this when my son was about 16 months. I was pregnant with my daughter and knew I wouldn’t have the energy or willpower to fight the paci battle once she got here and I had a toddler and a newborn.
My daughter used chew on her pacifier a lot. And she was near to chewing one of them thru. Told her if she breaks it, she has no more pacifier. One night as my hubby was reading to her, she (2.7 yrs old) chewed half off. And then the realization struck and she had no more pacifier. Everytime she asked for it I would give her the chewed off pacifier, no prob after that. Although next child I have to start earlier because makes the teeth crooked if you wait too long.
One of my friends caught her daughter in a tantrum, she was throwing around her pacifier and threw it behind a chest drawer. My friend caught on…started “looking” for the pacifier with her daughter and couldn’t find it. From that day on she had it no more. So you just have to try and find the moment for it if other methods aren’t working:)
Thank you all for sharing your experiences!
My daughter stop using them on her own. She was a little pass 1 year old. I kept them for a month to make sure. Same with the bottle, around the same time. I think they tell you when they are done. 🙂 good luck!
My daughter’s pacifier broke, so we had her throw it away… that way she had the action behind it, so if she asked for it again, she knew that it had been thrown away and why… asked for it only a couple of times the first night and then no problem
On our fourth child, all got the same 1st birthday present. A smash cake and complete removal of the pacifier. Out of sight out of mind. Never had any fussiness about it from 3 (1 is new). Good luck to all. Great topics!
Don’t ever give them one!
My first never had a pacifier…and I did it that way on purpose because I never wanted them to have it. Second time around, this baby is extremely colicky. The only thing that gives her daddy and I a break from the constant whining is a pacifier. Sanity wins over my dislike of pacifiers. So to say “don’t give her one”…well I’ve sure learned not to put my judgmental foot in my mouth.
so it just depends on your kid. What worked for one may not work for other. use your instincts.
Potty training was a snap with a grab bag of dollar store toys. It was quite the incentive! My child could choose one after each time of successful potty time. Later we went to giving this reward after going all day with no accidents. So thankful for the mom who shared this secret with me. Always waited until they showed signs of truly being ready, as this is the most important thing.
I figure out what my child like most and reward him with that each time he tell us he need to use the potty. It took him 1 week to understand the process but he did it. Well he has his own Thomas Train Potty. He love Thomas characters so this is the first step in breaking his comfort zone. My son reward is organic gummy bear and capri sun juice pouch.
Yay thanks for posting!’ My daughter is 28 months and we’ve been trying! Tired of pee on the floor!!
Anyone have a magic age? I have twin girls that are 19 months. They are starting to pull at their diapers when they need to be changed. I just don’t want to start too early.
Every kid is different. I’d give it a shot with your girls if they’re pulling at their diapers.
A lady above said 2.5, exactly. That’s what in hoping for since 28 months isn’t working. Haha
2.5 isn’t the magic number though. I’ve heard of kids potty training at 1, some not until 5. It’s what works for the kid.
My “magic age” is 22 months. Trained all 3 of my girls at that age. I honestly have no idea why I trained my oldest that early (never read books, asked for advice, etc) but I had a 3 day weekend at work and went with my instincts. Then, did the same for my next two girls. I think, at that age, they are still very much into pleasing you as a parent and have not yet developed a defiance. All 3 learned in 3-7 days with positive praise, naked time, staying home and no rewards except wiping and flushing (which they thought was awesome at that age.) I will say that I start sitting my kids on the potty around 16 months every evening during our bedtime routine JUST to introduce it to them. I do not push night training at all. IMO, kids develop that ability at different times.
I’m a mother of 5 boys, including a set of twins in the middle. To parents of little boys (can’t speak for those with little girls) I would offer this: each child is different, and each of my boys trained at different ages and took different lengths of time. Don’t sweat it. They’ll most likely let you know when they’re ready.
I had one that would run screaming from one end of the house to the other because he couldn’t stand poo in his diaper, so I knew when to put him on the potty as his alarm went off at an ear-splitting decibel. Another would go hide in the corner and stare at me silently while he did his business. (I leaned with that one to snatch him up and put him on the potty when I saw him head to the corner, lol). Two just wanted to copy their big brothers and were easy peasy. Still another was 3 and a half before he decided he was ready, and once he did it just took a few days. Until then we were just both frustrated with each other. (Remember it’s not until AT LEAST the age of 2 that most little ones can even begin to control their bladders….it’s ok if it takes a little time and it’s ok if they don’t potty train as early as others. We’re all different, and they are too).
Rewards worked with some, and not with others. Our first loved dinosaurs so I bought a $1.00 bag of little plastic ones and would give him one when he did his duty. What he didn’t know is I’d “recycle” them. When I’d find them in his toys, I’d put them back in his “potty basket” so he technically got the same dinosaurs several times.
I taught all of our boys on a regular toilet and taught them, and I can’t stress this enough….TO PEE SITTING DOWN. That right there saved me so much clean up. When they were older and had sitting down pat, they learned to go standing up. To this day, for the most part, they go sitting down and their bathroom (although there are still 5 using it) doesn’t smell like a boys locker room. I did teach them to wash their hands after EACH potty use, but still have to remind them all the time. Not sure if that’s little boys, or kids in general. I’d remove their clothes from the waist down, and they liked that so much they’d just strip off completely once they got the hang of it. It wasn’t uncommon at all to walk by the bathroom and have a little feller naked as a picked bird perched on the toilet. Sometimes their clothes got back on correctly, sometimes not, but they learned.
Most of all, have a sense of humor…..you’re going to need it. And remember when you have a hairy day that, “This too shall pass” and “they won’t be little forever” and you will truly miss these days……someday. Good luck!!
We have 5 boys too!
Awesome! I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 🙂
I totally agree, I have 4 boys and I am pregnant with my 5th. We will find out in 3 weeks what this little bean will be, but I do have to say I absolutely love all my boys and wouldn’t trade them for the world. My older three boys were completely potty trained at 18 months- 22 months. Now my 4th boy just turned two yesterday and he is interested but he just doesn’t get it. So we will see how long he takes to potty train, he seems to be the most stubborn one of the bunch.
So smart about having them sit down!! I have 4 daughters, but my sister has young boys. I tried telling her thats what she needed to do to keep her bathrooms smelling “fresh”! She never would listen!
We taught our son to go sitting down too and at age 8.5 he still does for the most part (he knows he can stand up but still prefers sitting down and I don’t see really any issue with it. He’ll switch when he’s ready.) He was soooooooo difficult to get trained- we swore he was going to go to prom in a diaper!! My husband pushed way too early (for him, probably not in general) and it just sabotaged the whole thing. He was not trained until he was 4.5 and my husband likes to say that it’s because he finally had it and threw his pull-ups out on the lawn and said no more. I say it’s because he was finally ready and maybe just needed that extra push. If I had to do it all over again, I would buy my husband a muzzle (lol!) and just let our son get there when he gets there. He is super head-strong and pushing it completely backfired. So please parents, truly, don’t push. There is no badge of honor for how fast they get trained. If your child is anything like ours, you will regret it. It was single-handedly the most stressful time for us (until the teenage years come!!) Good luck to everyone going through it!
My oldest son was also 4.5. He just wasn’t ready. We had tried numerous times starting at 2.5 and nothing seemed to work. We tried the rewards (M&Ms and stickers another time), the three day potty method where I took a whole week off, running around naked, etc. He wouldn’t do it. So, I was one of those people who had to pay extra at day care since he wasn’t potty trained. There was a toy he wanted and it was the week before Easter. I told him the Easter bunny would bring him that toy if he could go the whole week without peeing in his diapers. That did it for him. He’s been dry ever since. My middle son was about 3.5 and the sticker reward worked for him. Although, he had some night accidents every few months until he was about 5. My youngest is 2.5 and she goes on the potty occasionally but not consistently yet. I’m not pushing it since I know every child is different.
I have 1.5 year old and the person that’s not ready was me. (Only child so far so what do I know) She said Peeeeeee and said ok let’s go and up on the potty and wiped herself and flushed. Soooooo I guess they do tell you when there ready but I’m not forcing it but looking into a small seat in case she gets the urge again and I guess we’ll get started if she thinks she’s ready. I’m going to look into that 3 day option couldn’t hurt. 🙂
I have 4 kids, 1 girl, 3 boys. Definitely made it the focus of our day to shorten the process, and let them be without undies for as much of the timeframe possible. Made a huge deal when something was in the potty, the plastic training one. Also watched tons of potty videos and read “Everyone poops” many times. Started with day training and moved onto night. Luckily none of my kids were heavy sleepers at night. Children love praise when tackling something new. It is an everyday occurrence, but still a new idea to toddlers. Started my girl at 2, boys 2.5.
Boot camp 1 week trained my 22 month old and 20 month old. Cold turkey diapers. Thick cloth undies and you just have to pay attention to how often they need to go. Make a decision that uou are not going bavj to diapers no matter what!
One day at a time.
when I potty trained my son (who was 2 yrs old) I taped a chart up to the bathroom wall and would give him a CARS sticker every time he used the potty correctly. Once the 30 slots were filled I would buy him something from the dollar store. It worked for us
I potty trained my 2.5 year old boy, then a year later my 18 month old daughter (who is now 2). I did the “3 day method” which took about a week or so but basically just naked from waist down, set a timer for every 20 minutes & increase time in between, if they start to go potty put them on the potty to finish. I had doubts on if they were ready but they surprised me. My 2.5 year old I used m&ms as rewards but my 18 month old didn’t understand bribery so we did song/dance celebration instead. To the tune of that chicken dance song people do at weddings: “Kenzie pee peed on the potty, she’s a big big girl, oh yes she is, clap clap clap clap” both had a book about going potty that we read a lot. Used diapers for a few weeks after they were day trained but they were dry 98% of the time so we stopped using diapers & just layered sheet, changing pad, sheet, changing pad for easy clean up if there was a middle night accident.
I have a soon to be 2 year old son and I bought the potties and I heard great things about the potty watch and also the 3 day method. What are these signs my 2 year old should show me to show he is ready?
I had read the book Beyond the Sling by Mayim Bialik. One of the chapters is on EC (Elimination Communication). I had never heard of it before reading this book. It is rather radical IMO, but fascinating and makes sense at the same time. My son was around six months or so when I read the book. I started to watch for his facial communication that he had to go. Although I mastered the #2 face, the #1 face was much more diffucult. That being said, I rarely change a poopy diaper after that point. I would just sit him right on the toilet when I noticed his facial que. As for #1, I found for him training toilets and pull ups just prolonged the potty training process. He was completely potty trained before 2-1/2. I had had enough of diapers and pullups, so just stayed home for several days, put him in underwear and it worked. We did not do tangible rewards either, just verbal praise, hugs and kisses.
I have a 2 year old that was potty trained at 19 months old. She showed interest in the toilet so I went with it when she turned 18 months old. I rewarded her with 1 m&m for pee and 2 for poop. She did great and within a month no diapers and she wasn’t even asking for her m&m.
I just got rid of the pacifier and I have to say just take it away from them cold turkey. Simplest way. They will cry and complain that they want it so with my 2 yr old son I just ignored him or distract him with something else. Its been two weeks and he is fine. He asks for it still but I just simply ignore him.
Good Luck
Agree. My son only used his at bedtime. One night we “couldn’t” find it. He cried a little, fell asleep and never asked for it again. It was harder on me than him. My daughter never took a binky a day of her life, so no habit to break!
Someone mentioned that 7 is way to old for bed wetting. I have an almost 8 year old that is a very deep sleeper. She is in pull up underwear every night. I have asked the doctor each year we take her for her check up. The doctor said that it is more normal than we realize and they do not start trying things until the age of 8.
I’m right there with ya Michele! I also have a really hard sleeper, when she is out, she is out. And I have a good friend who has an 8 year old boy in a similar spot. He has tried things with his 8 year old, and now the 8 year old feels embarrassed and ashamed about it, like something is wrong with him compared to other kids. Nope, nothing is wrong with him! He is just part of the 10% (or whatever) of kids who aren’t quite ready overnight. He does, however, get a better night sleep than anyone else in his house! lol.
Totally agree. The person that posted the “7 years olds are wayyy too old” post is wrong! Every child is different and a little less judgment would go a long way…if bed wetting at age 7 is your biggest problem, I would call you very blessed!
Thanks Courntney! Exactly. Perhaps it isn’t “normal” to be 7 and not trained overnight, I think the stat is about 10% of kids that age aren’t ready. There are plenty out there, and various reasons they aren’t quite ready. But yup, we are all doing out best! I know the criticism comes from a point of wanting to help. And, when people have success stories, they want to share their methods. I lost a lot of weight and I can often be critical of other people’s weight loss methods bc in my mind mine is the right way. When really it was the right way for ME. If that makes sense, lol.
For My 3 1/2 year old we used skittles. He refused to go #2 in the potty. We started giving 2 skittles for #1 & 5 for #2. It was frustrating, but he eventually got it. No amount of praise for going potty or going naked worked so we went with rewards.
My son got skittles as a reward too (his favorite) but apparently daddy gave more than mommy because he would get mad if I’d only give him 1 or 2 😉
Lol that card
Tomorrow is the day we try the 3 day potty boot camp with my 2 1/2 year old son. He’s been able to pee on the potty since 18months and goes pee before he takes a bath and bedtime but doesn’t want to poop on it. My cousins all have boys and they all did the 3 day training and said it worked immediately. Since the weather is way too cold and snowy here to go out, we are going to give it a try. Next up in the future in trying to get the hunky away! Has it only at night and naps but tried taking it away several months ago and never seen my son so upset, so trying to prep that a binky fairy will be here soon to take them to other babies. But first potty training, one thing at a time 😬
Little rewards work well for us. She potty trained right as she was turning 2. Nothing coming from me, as I wasn’t expecting it, but she was going right up until she started day care. She regressed. I started getting upset about it and tried pressuring her to go and that wasn’t working (obviously). When I stopped saying anything about it, she started going on her own again, and the regressed. Since she started going again she hasn’t had an accident in over a month. We’re still in pull ups because I don’t want to get rid of them in case we have another regression, but for those of you that are going through the same thing, it’s totally normal. Please look it up! It’s normal for them to regress more than one time. This is really the only thing they have complete control of at this point in their lives, as we control just about everything else they do.
I have to say Collin, my fave post from you EVER was the one of you hosing down your daughter when she was potty training!
Lots of patience and praise! We never did treats or bribery of any form. We also realized that our daughter, 2.5, absolutely would not use the potty until she was ready. We tried the 3 day method a few times, but it didn’t work for us. It’s so important to wait until they’re ready, which also makes it a much more pleasant experience for the child and parents. We rarely did Pull Ups and we always did regular undies at night. We didn’t mind changing sheets if she had an accident because we wanted her to get used to wearing them all the time. But, she very rarely had accidents, daytime or nighttime. Patience! It’s a process, but it won’t forever. 🙂
Once my kids got the hang of knowing when they had to go, I let them run around bottomless. My first 2 were trained by the time they were 2, and my 20 month old is consistently telling me when he has to go so I am going to let him go bottomless once our cold snap is over. I reward with m&ms. I am a stay at home mom, so I think that was definitely an advantage because they had consistancy. Props to those parents whose kids go between home and daycare!!!
We got the Daniel Tiger potty book and the big boy potty book. The Daniel tiger book has a button to flush the potty so it makes it fun! We read the books to our son and let him sit on his potty when he wanted. I got lucky and he was completely potty trained in about three weeks! We went to Florida over Thanksgiving and I put him in a diaper just in case but he refused to go potty in his underwear. He wakes up at night to go too unless he had too much to drink before falling asleep or is completely wore out.
My eldest had serious sensory issues as well as severe impaction so poop didn’t get managed well until 6. Just turned 4 little brother generally has pee down but pretty much can’t be bothered to sit to poop and isn’t bothered by being poopy or wet. I can’t be the only one who’s kids just didn’t feel in the mood to get poop down.
It just took 3 days for us. Started with 20 minute timer. When it went off he had to sit on the potty for 5 minutes. 1 mini chocolate chip for sitting, 2 for pee, an 3 for poo. We did this at the beginning of September and he was 2 yrs and 2 months. 🙂
My 3 (almost 4)year old boy is day potty trained but still uses diaper at night, how does one do night training? Please. My 25 month old daughter says pee pee but she doesn’t do anything when we go to the potty, she won’t even sit long enough then 3 mins later she’d pee on the tile, rug. Any advice?
My oldest daughter potty trained just before she turned 3. She was not night time trained until she was 4 and a half, though. Eventually it just clicked and she would wake up to use the bathroom during the night. Hang in there mama. He will eventually get it.
My son is 4 1/2 and just stopped night wetting probably two months ago. I think they just figure it out on their own honestly. Start limiting fluids an hour or so before bed and add going potty to the bedtime routine (if it isn’t already). I read it’s normal until 5 then talk to your pediatrician just to make sure their is nothing else going on.
I just spanked my 1 year old if she wouldnt go to the potty! Easy peasy! I kiddddddd! lol I tried potty training when she was a little under 2 but it just wasn’t happening. I tried again when she was 2 and a half to be exact. I would not put training pants on her, I would buy her girls underwear and put on her pants/shorts and I would ask her every 20 mins if she had to use the potty to which the answer was always no, but I would take her either way and sit her down for about 15 mins until she actually used it. She had many accidents during the day, but none at night, and I wouldn’t use diapers or training pants at night (that’s how I knew she was ready). She also has a Dora the Explorer doll that has her own potty and cheers every time she uses the potty, she would take her into the restroom with her at all times, and I would tell my daughter that she can use the potty just like Dora and she would then get excited, so I’m sure that definitely helped also. 🙂
Lol
I have three boys and used the three day method. It worked really well for them the month bride their 3rd birthday. My third is over 2.5 so I’ll try again with him soon. I agree about not using pull ups especially during the day. My kids happened to night train at the same thine they say friend but that was a big surprise to me. I believe it is totally normal for kids to take longer to night train.
Wait until they are ready and they will practically train themselves.