step away from the PT threads...

:laughing: so i wasn't looking forward to PT before, but now i'm positively terrified! :unsure: my children may be in diapers until they go to kindergarten. ardon:

 

My boys are 2.5 and I still haven't given PTing much thought. Just don't think much of it, it will happen when it happens. I don't know any 5-year-olds who still wear diapers because their parents couldn't figure out how to PT them, you know?

 

:laughing: I have been halfway attempting to PT my girls for months. At this point I'm thinking they really might go to K in diapers.

 

:laughing:

 

I was SO freaked out about PT'ing my girls, but it was like a switch went off in their little heads when they turned 3. PT'ing was very easy because they were ready and into it. Do not be afraid. When they are ready it will happen!!!

 

I'm with Jori and even if they do, they make them look like real underwear not. No one will ever know the difference. :laughing:

 

Don't let it scare you! Basing your expectations of PT on all the PT problem stories is like basing your expectations of BFing on all the BFing problem stories. :lol: We PTed about a month before their 3rd birthday, and it was SO easy. We just gave them a little guidance and coaching and they pretty much trained themselves. I was really nervous, but it was so totally not a big deal!

 

It was really not bad. IMO, the longer you wait, the easier it is. Some kids train early and easily, but there's nothing wrong with being in diapers till age 3 (or later) either.

 

:laughing: Thankfully the twins will be my 2nd and 3rd PT'ing attempts and after my first I've learned to wait until they are totally ready. It was sooooo easy once it was all him and he just did it. He helped me throw the diapers away and we never used a single pull up and had a total of 3 night accidents (no day accidents) and those I consider my fault becuase they were weeks after the PT'ing but I had forgotten to send him to the potty before bed.
So I plan on having 3 in diapers for at least another 6 months, ardon:

 

My son Eli is pretty much potty trained and Mark is where Eli was about 4 months ago. It really wasn't hard to train Eli because he wanted it. Since he's relatively young, it probably is harder or me. I have to help him a lot with getting his pants up and down, and I also push his penis down (since he's a straight shooter and would hit the wall or anything in his path :laughing: ) He's also regressed a little from the move and not getting the excessive attention the grandparents gave him, but I'm saving lots of money on diapers and if you are using cloth you won't be doing quite as much laundry.

I don't think it's been that bad with him (we'll see with Mark). I think a big problem for many parents is they push it on the kids when they aren't ready or when they are ready, the parents aren't. After watching my friends experiences I've come to believe that child lead is the way to go on this issue. That doesn't mean I didn't introduce them to the potty early on (around 1), but you can lead a kid to the potty but you can make 'em pee or poop on it.

I'm rambling, but it hasn't been bad. I should add that it probably is really hard for parents who are neat or anal retentive about cleanliness.

 

PS- Happy Birthday Riley and Danika!! :birthday:

 

I'm really a firm believer that, if you just wait until they are really ready, it's not that hard. I tried & tried to potty train Olivia when she was little & it was just painful all the way around. With Owen, I just gave up & waited until one day he told me he didn't want to wear diapers anymore (I had bought him underwear already, months before, and told him when he was ready he could wear them) and that was it, rarely an accident & not hard at all. So, with the other 3 I did the same thing, just waited. Worked for me. ardon:

 

I cannot wait for the day when my two are PT'ed!
Rachel, I do get frustrated with it sometimes and a big part of my frustration is that I've never done it before, so I wonder I am missing cues...are they trying to tell me something and I am missing it? My kids also love to sit on their potties and read, color, pretend to talk on the phone so I have to wonder when they want to sit on it, do they really want to go or just play...
My DD has been in underwear all week accident free (except she does get a pull up for nap time and bedtime right now because she is not consistently dry after those times) and I am just trying underwear with DS today because he wanted to wear them but I don't think he's 100% understands what it means to really wear underwear...so far he's had two pee accidents and one poo one...which was kind of funny because he was running around house shrieking worse then a little girl about poo.
So, I think if you have a sense of humor about it, it makes the process a bit easier. I am not going to push DS with the underwear right now because I think he wants to wear his because his sister is wearing hers and not because he is really ready to potty train. Though he could surprise me!

 

I agree with everyone else. I potty trained 4 kids and the only reason the first was the worst was because I pushed him before he was ready. He wasn't ready till he was almost 4. I have good friends that are parenting experts (like public speaking, books, etc) that told me that I can wait until they are 3 and get it done in 6 days or do it when they are 2 and get it done in 6 months! They were right. I started Aaron and Connor right after their 3rd bday and it was cake. Joy was a bit more stubborn, but it was still pretty easy. I also waited till she was three.

Don't push it, no matter what older Mothers say. (like mine who insisted we had to start when they were 18 months old!)

 

My mom swears I was potty trained when I turned 1. I tell her that I think her memory isn't what it used to be! :lol:

 

I've been thinking the same thing Rachel! I wasn't too worried about it and now Abby is showing signs of being ready. But when I read all of these stories, I have a bit of fear...

 

I completeky agree with this and since Holly used a BF analogy I'll say " moms hold, babies breastfeed". When it comes to potty training, its the same thing. You give them the place to do it, and if they are ready, they'll do it and wont need much help from you!
Pting our two went easy as well!

 

I've seen many of my friends here PT their kids much earlier than mine (before 2.5) but they seem more aware of what was happening down there. My two still are not really aware if they are peeing or going to poop. I'm taking all your advice and waiting until they initiate or 3 yrs old. Heck, my three are still in cribs and i dont' regret that one minute !!

 

YES!! This is so true... don't stress over it, really. :hug: It sounds overwhelming but if you wait until they are ready it will be easy!!

My mom said I was potty trained by one. :huh: Not saying she's lying... just think she forgot. My Goddaughters mom started PT'ing her when she was six months old. :umm: She wasn't PT'ed until she was nearly 3!!! :faint: