Lying About Going to the Potty

I've been working on potty training Eli for a while, and I have gotten him to go pee on the potty like 4 times. Now all of the sudden he starts yelling pee, pee, pee, pee, and runs toward the bathroom. Some times he has to pee, and we get there too late, which is fine by me, at least he's letting me know. However, about 60% of the time he just wants to go into the bathroom and play with the tub faucet.

Now I can't tell when he's telling the truth. Any ideas? I think he loves the attention and going into the bathroom.

 

Both of my girls did that as well. I chose to just ride it out. Drove me batty, but eventually they've gotten over the fascination with the bathroom at home. Now if the public bathroom fascination would end....I'd be all set!

 

Yep, we rode it out too. I didnt want to discourage anything that might be helping them get to the potty.

Umm, yeah I am with you. We spend alot of time in public restrooms. We have a potty in the car. I ask before we go in somewhere and they all say No. Then they see the womens room and think PARTY!!! :angry:

 

Yep, rode it out here too. :drown: It was frustrating going to the bathroom so many times (they both did it) but like the others said, I didn't want to discourage things. I also emphasized that they only get a sticker/special treat if they actually pee/poop in the potty, not just for going in there (they thought they'd get it for sitting on the potty :silly: )

 

Mine went through that, too. Conner especially. At times I discouraged it out of pure laziness, but for the most part, I got up & went along with them. Eventually, I was sick of trying to call Conner on his bluff & just put him in Pull Ups so he could go in the bathroom independently if he wanted. At the time, neither were able to reach the sink. When we were still using M&Ms, I had to eventually JUST award M&Ms for poop since they'd squeeze out the smallest drop of pee & demand an M&M. Smart little stinkers!

When they officially PT'd (at 27 mos), we started realizing that they were forcing themselves to pee JUST to wash their hands. So, as awful as it sounds, we started only allowing them to wash their hands if they pooped (which, ironically, they didn't wipe, so there was no difference). FINALLY the novelty wore off & we were able to allow them to wash their hands each time again. In the interim, we used the hand sanitizer, which was not nearly as fun .

Hang in there. It seems to take forever for those phases to end, doesn't it?

 

We're going through this now and it makes me want to scream!! I'm convinced they're just doing it for attention or to procrastinate going to bed. It's turned into a big power struggle sometimes and of course I don't want to discourage going to the potty but after taking them 3 times in a row before bedtime I just KNOW they don't have to go and I tell them they have to wait until morning. Last night was bad. One dd said she had to go to the potty again right after just pooed and peed. I took her, fully knowing she didn't have to go. She sat there for like 15 minutes, talking, singing, looking at books and when I asked her if she was done or tried to take her off the potty she screamed and had a fit. So I started ignoring her and as soon as she noticed I wasn't paying attention to her she said she was done. When I tried to take her off the potty she screamed and cried that she still needed to go potty. :headbang: :drown: Of course she never went and I had to take her kicking and screaming from the bathroom to bed. I know, probably not the right thing to do but I really didn't feel like sitting with her there all night long. Once I asked her if she was procrastinating and she said "no I not craspinating, I Dani" :rotflmbo:

 

oh my goodness! my girls do that too! Kaylen will yell out "i gotta go potty"...yet she doesn't even wnt to sit down! I would just let him go in there and i guess, distract him from the tub faucet.

 

Thanks for the advice. I got him to pee on the potty once yesterday. I'm going to work on the persistence and reward strategy.

 

Whoo, hoo!! Today he peed on the potty twice!! And, one time I didn't get to him fast enough; another time he told me just after he went, and he only lied twice.

I told him he wouldn't be allowed to wash his hands unless he peed on the potty, and I gave him crackers when he went. I think that cut down on the lying a bit.