feeling pressured to start

The boys will be 3 in July and I was thinking of trying to PT around June. I'm really of the mindset that I don't want to start too early. I'd like to wait until they are really ready so hopefully they will potty train quickly.

The thing is, the daycare wants to move the boys from the toddler floor to the preschool sometime around their birthday. But they have to be potty trained to move down there. They start transitioning the kids to the preschool by sending them to the new room for partial days, a couple months before their birthday. So that would be soon. But I wasn't planning to even START the PT until closer to their b-day. I think most of the kids in their room are potty training already (but then again, I think there might only be a couple boys in there - they are vastly outnumbered by the girls!).

Anyway, I'm always reviewing those lists of "readiness signs" that you see online, and the boys are definitely getting ready and showing some of the signs. But one major one that they are not exhibiting much of yet is the aversion to having a messy diaper. They don't seem to mind having a mess in their diaper and actually, they tend to get mad at me when I change them because it's an interuption to their playtime!

Am I wrong in wanting to wait?? Is the aversion to having a messy diaper important to PT success?

Michelle

 

I've only PT'ed one girl so far, and when we started, she didn't care about a messy diaper. But once she got the feeling of staying dry, she then started to not like messy diapers. So in my very limited experience, no, aversion to messy diapers is not critical to PT success.

Good luck whenever you decide to start.

 

I don't have much advice, but I wanted to comment on the aversion to the messy diaper. Ben was perfectly happy to sit in his own filth for hours on end, and one day just up and potty trained himself. So if I was using that as an indicator of readiness, I probably would have been waiting a long time!

 

All I can say is try and go for it. You can always stop and wait a bit if it doesn't work. I have done the no pressure approach. Archer was the first to pee on a potty months ago. Thought he was going to be easy and train first, but nope! Phoebe, who for a long time would sit on the potty and get off without doing anything, is now potty trained in the space of maybe 3 weeks from when she peed on the potty for the first time. Poops are still a bit of a struggle but we will get there. Archer does not show much interest. Didn't want to put the new underwear on that I bought etc; So for now, I have backed off with him.

So give it a whirl. Be patient and above all praise them for everything! Good luck!

 

One thing that helped my DS1 was to get a portable (thomas the train- his favorite) potty in the playroom - so he didn't feel like we were taking him away from his activity if he had to go down the hall to the bathroom. That seemed to really make a difference with him.

Good luck

 

If they are in daycare full time, I would talk to their daycare teacher. Since they spend so many hours there, it should be a team effort, and that should actually make it easier. Kids do learn to PT from other kids, so kids who are in daycare do tend to do it a bit earlier. Neither of mine trained until they were over 3, Marcus was first at 3 years 4 months, and Jon was at 3 years 9 months. But talk to the daycare, they know when the kids are truely ready, and should help you with the process.