Potty training advise from my Ped....

So while I had the girls at the Ped for their 3 yr check up, I asked him about potty training, and about Brooke’s unwillingness to even try most of the time. This was his suggestion.

Make a chart with each girl’s picture on it. But instead of making a bunch of boxes on it right away, just put the first day on it with one box. Get some fun stickers, like Dora or Princess. Ask the girls if they want to get a sticker, NOT if the want to go potty. If they say yes, say “Ok, if you go potty you can have a stick to put here (pointing to chart)”. If they go, great, let them have a sticker and help them put it on the chart in the one box. Once the box has a sticker in it, offer them a treat. He suggested either an extra sticker, or maybe just special time with mommy/or Daddy reading a book. Once this is all done, Draw two boxes, and do the same. But no special treat until the both boxes have stickers. After they fill two boxes a couple of times, move up to three boxes, and so forth. He said that way the chart of boxes doesn’t seem so overwhelming to either of us, and they start to understand they don’t get a treat after every potty trip. He also said that if either of them says no to getting a sticker, that we should just shrug it off and let her be. Hopefully Reagan will get some stickers, which will spur Brooke on just because of the jealousy.

He has 3 kids and his youngest is a couple weeks older than the girls. He said that this worked like a charm with two of his kids, but not one of them, so hopefully it will work, but maybe not. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try.

So we’re going to try it this weekend. No leaving the house, just staying home and working on potty training. I’ll let you guys know how it works.

 

Sounds like a great idea. I will have to remember that when mine are old enough to potty train.
Good Luck with the potty training!

 

Thanks for sharing, it sounds like great advice!

-Kimberly

 

Sounds like a plan!

 

That sounds like a great idea. I will definitely be keeping that in mind.

 

I like the one then two then three boxes idea because when my singleton was getting it, it was slmost too many 'gifts' so not as special anymore.

 

Well. we tried this method last weekend, and it didn't do a whole lot of good. Brooke still refused to use the potty most of the time. Reagan got lots of stickers, but she would tinkle a little bit, and then soak herself 10 minutes later. I kept trying to explain to Reagan to do all her tinkle on the potty, but she just wasn't getting it. Then I got fed up and told them they would sit in the corner if they wet their pants (I'm now ducking because I know a lot of people will hate that I did that). It didn't really help make them go potty any, but it did get Brooke to start at least sitting on the potty to avoid getting put in the corner for refusing. So now I'm just back to pull-ups and asking them periodically to go potty. No punishments, but no rewards except for praise. I give up really. I'm going to keep doing this until the day they miraculously decide to get potty trained. Hopefully it will be in time for them to start pre-school next year, cause I don't think we're going to make this years deadline.

And please don't start ripping me to shreds because I punished them for not using the potty. I know it goes against everything I've read about potty training, but I really felt it was my only option other than giving up. And I didn't spank them or anythign like that. They just had to sit in the corner.