When you start PTing

Someone told me that I should set a timer and make them try to go every 20 minutes or so. Does that work? I would think that they would resent having to stop playing to "sit on the potty" again. Kinda like they would think it was like a time out? Or should I just ask and leave it up to them to go on their own? This is going to be so hard... can I just skip this part?

 

With my oldest daughter, I offered bribes, played games, read the potty books, etc. We did the whole training bit. We started about 2 and somewhere around 3 she was fully "trained" and done with most accidents. I took a different approach with my second daughter. I did nothing. I just waited for her to say she wanted to go potty, and at her 3rd birthday she said she was a big girl and wanted to go in a potty and wear underwear... and that was it! From then on she went in the potty. She didn't even want pull-ups for bed! I don't know if this would work for everyone, and I don't even know if I will use this approach with the twins, but I know it worked very well with my daughter!
I had heard somewhere that going to the bathroom is a development like walking... you wouldn't offer a kid bribes or punishments to get them to walk... but we do it all the time while potty training. It is just a thought... I'm NOT trying to offend those who use different methods to train, like I said, I had done it, too. But just waiting until she was ready seemed to work much better. The end results were the same with both daughters, the second was just much less stressful for everyone!
Helen

 

I would LOVE to skip this step also!! I have all the necessities and bribes nothing is working, however, today I took them out of pullups it's obvious they are only hindering the PT'ing. I went out last night and got Gerber PT training pants and the Gerber vinyl's to go overtop and I'm not going back to pullups. I also bought 4 All in one Waterproof vinyls for nap and bed. I cant's make them go or sit but I refuse to put pullups back on from now on it's undies!

 

I think it depends on your child and how ready he or she is for the potty. With my girls, Grace potty trained about 4 or 5 months ago. She said she did not want to wear diapers anymore and refused to wear them. She needed lots of reminders and constant attention or we had lots of accidents. With Elizabeth, she did not want to give up her diapers but I could tell that she had complete control -- she always wakes up from naps and nighttime dry, would go in the other room to potty them come tell me that she peed or pooped and needed a new diapers. We finally told Elizabeth that we were not buying anymore diapers and put her in underwear. If I remind her to go to the potty, she gets mad and refuses. So, with Elizabeth, we do not mention it at all unless she does. She has been out of diapers for 2 days and has not had a single accident with no reminders from us.

 

If you do it by a timer then they never feel they have to go. THey never feel the bladder full and thus they cannot recoginize the sign that they need to go.

Let your child be in charge of when to go ***with the expection that we go before naptime, bedtime, and usually before we leave the house to go somewhere*** Those just become part of the rountine.

Cindy