How to Begin Potty Training?

My boys are 2yrs. 2months and I have no idea and really dreading potty training. I have no idea how to seriously do it, take a lax approach and follow them or buckle down and teach even if it takes a week or two holed up in the house?? They can talk with 3/4 word sentences, are familiar with all the terms but want nothing to do with it. One of my sons says "No, mom, no potty, No" if they sit on it they have to be completely naked and then don't want their clothes put back on at all. I have a few questions like

Do you start to use pull ups instead of diapers when you begin to train? If not what, I can't see wasting them as they are more expensive then diapers and I read the previous thread on pull ups?

Mainly how do you get them interested? DH is trying to be helpful but my point is if they don't want to sit on it you can't make them...right?

Also I feel like if I don't have them trained by 3 I will look like I am a lazy parent, I know it's stupid but I really don't know any kids that potty trained later than that they have quite a few little friends, cousins, second cousins....just feeling pressure.

 

what i wish i knew when i potty trained my dd or i can say things i wish i would have listened to... again this was for my daughter and you are dealing with 2 boys BUT i think this advice it well rounded...

Everyone told me that she would be ready when she was.... well i was ready when I was ready she was 2 so i got her on the potty and she tried and the 1st couple of day it was ok but then she did not want to any more, i did it ALL treats, cansy, nose in corner, praise, u name or read it in a book, i did.

well in return i pushed it to the point i was making my life H*** and it was my fault, i was stressing myself out
i wanted her trained by 3 also and when i found out i was prego with twins i wanted it sooooo bad

oh by the way we stared pull-ups at age 2 HUGE MISTAKE she thought the princess pull ups where big girl panies and saw no need to wear real panies no matter what was on them(i bought over 50 pairs with every cartoon and color u could think of) so i finally 'gave up' and said she would be going to 1st grade in pull-ups. well right after i had the twins she turned 3 and i got a great idea, put her back in diapers!! so i did and she got P******!!!! oh yeah! she ran in her room to look for her pull-up which i hid and beleive it or not she came out with real panies on. now i wish i could say it was all better but that would be a lie! after a few days of her telling she was NOT going to pee on the potty and many many peed panies she got tried of cleaning her self and feeling nasty and she stared to use the potty!!! since then maybe 1 slip-up. what is sooo perfect about this age (3) is she does not need help to get on the potty or wip (needs help with poops) and i dont have to hold her on there.

well bottom line is i wish i would have saved myself the HA and just let her tell me maybe it would have been earlier who knows!! but now i love it when i see her run into the bathroom and hear a flush, music to my ears and well worth the wait!

hope this helps and good luck and remember if it starts to stress u out it stresses EVERYONE and that is NO fun so just step away from the potty!!

 

We jsut started PT....with some success. One will go if she sits there when I say it is 'potty time' and the other sits willingly, but nothing happens. They are eager to please, but do not tell me at all.

We have been watching "Potty Power' video and it is cute and has motivated them a bit....they 'know' what to do and what goes in the potty, they just have to learn the sensations associated with when they need to go. We also got a doll that wets and that has kept thier interest...if the doll goes, they both have to 'go' too. There is a boy version (search amazon, I think it is Potty Scotty) - we looked at a few girl dolls, and got the cheapest one at Target (Baby born- 20$). I did not want to spend the extra $ if it was not a 'winner' toy. But so far it seems well worth it. WE also bought a bunch of potty books for kids and read them a lot ( got some from the library too!!). I am sort of doing a part time- take it slow style.....I hope it works since I really dont want to 'hole' up here for a long time PT and I think one of my DD is way more ready than the other.

HTH!!

KC

 

Thanks for the replies...We have the FP Royal Potty and they hide the pieces or take it apart or use it as a stool so I bought the Potty Scotty ones that are really take along ones but have no pieces to them. They also got an Elmo Potty doll for Christmas, potty books and the "Potty Power" DVD so I think I have all of the tools but wanted to hear what others did, I don't really see a problem with taking it as it comes I definately don't want to be frustrated... I think it is mainly my DH putting the most pressure on me since I am a SAHM and and he just says that I am procrastinating and should just potty train them but they don't want to and I have no idea how to really do it. For instance today the potties were on the table, thrown over the gate, stood on..you get the idea. Thanks again.

 

QUOTE(Shadyfeline @ Feb 19 2008, 08:54 PM) [snapback]630167[/snapback]
I think it is mainly my DH putting the most pressure on me since I am a SAHM and and he just says that I am procrastinating and should just potty train them but they don't want to



EVERYONE was telling me she is too smart to be in pull-ups u need to potty train her!!! also a SAHM they thought i should have her trained and since she was not they would make me feel 'lazy and like i did not know how to take care of her' it was really bad. i just let everyone get to me and i listened to them not my dd which is why we had such a hard time. like i said it was a very stressful time and i have learned my lesson and dont want any one to have to learn the hard way :blink: like me!
just show them the videos and books and have the pottys out and when they want to they will show interest and since they have watching and reading about it they will have a clue to what to do.

 

I don't know it will work, but we skipped the 'potty chairs' and use rings...no stuff to throw or mess with. They have no problem getting up/down and it contains the potty to the bathroom....would your guys go for that??

KC

 

Yes, actually I could see us trying this they will sit on the big potty and ask to go upstairs I was mainly hesitant because I live in a row home and I was afraid leaving one while taking the other up/down that sort of thing. We have a very small bathroom with an accordian type door because of how narrow it is. But that could work.

 

Honestly, just don't do anything until they are interested, all you are going to do is frustrate everyone involved. My mom kept putting pressure on me until one day she say Marc fighting me about getting on the toilet, and watched him almost bash his head on it--then she stopped pressuring.

Children will tell you when they are ready, and you really can't force it. Go read the sticky at the top of this forum for some good potty training stories.

 

You can't force a child to potty train if they are not ready....just IMO/experience.

Your boys are young. This is just an introduction time. Be sure to drop this "stat" to pushing family...the average age that boys train is 35 months old (per the American Pediatric Association). Girls train on average 6 months earlier than boys.

Both our boys started trying out the potty for fun right around their 2nd b-day. It was MONTHS before they were actually ready to train! One pee train himself at 33months. It took him another 2 months to fully poop train. The other guy didn't train until almost 3.5years old. While it was very frustrating....that's the way it was. You can only lead a horse to water type thing.

Side note ** Among the 12 little boys with SAHM that we know, play with,etc... The earliest that most train was a few months shy of 3years old. The rest were closer to 3.5years olds. My nephew was youngest that I personally know...just over 2.5years. I think having 2 older siblings to model...helped him. I also notice (in general) that kids in daycare train earlier than kids at home with mom. Again...I think a "modeling" thing of the other kids at daycare.

 

Thanks for the replies, we are more or less introducing when they ask we are bringing them up to the big potty they want nothing to do with the potty in the living room anyway.