...is the pits! I decided it was time to teach Ty to use the potty, mostly because I was sick of changing and BUYING two sets of diapers. Yesterday morning I took him to the store and let him choose out a potty chair and new undies. I decided to put him on the toilet every 20 minutes or so, because I have several friends who said that was the best way to do it. He really tried hard, but nothing happened! Not in the toilet anyway. After a semi-frustrating evening with absolutely no success, we decided to put him in a diaper and start fresh this morning.
When he had his first accident today, he came upstairs to where I was getting ready for the day saying, "Oh man, oh man, oh man!" I decided to try a different approach. I gave him massive amounts of liquid (water, juice, lemonade) and then had him sit on the potty all morning. I brought in a huge stack of books (and a chair for me to sit on) and we spent the morning reading and singing songs. Still nothing. Eventually, he said "All done. Get down." And though he still hadn't gone, I didn't want to force him to stay there longer than he wanted to. So, he climbed off, we got his undies back on, and then the torrent came. AHHH! He cried and cried and kept saying "Mater got wet!" (He was wearing Cars undies.) I changed him, and then went back to the every-20-minutes schedule. FIVE accidents later, he has yet to go in the toilet.
HELP! What do I do? Do I just keep at it, because it takes time, or take a step back and try again in a couple more months? Any tips would be so appreciated at this point!
The only good news is that all of his accidents have happened on the hardwood floor--SO much easier to clean up than carpet!!
9 comments:
I had the same problem with Samuel. It never worked for him to go every 20 minutes. He would sit forever and than stand up and pee on the floor. Someone from church told me about a book they used with each of their kids so I went and bought it. Toilet training in less than a day by Nathan H. Azrin and Richard M. Foxx. I got it at Barnes and Nobles for $6 or so. The first day we tried it by the second time I took him to the bathroom for the "baby"(I used a teddy bear so that I did not have to buy a baby and used a syringe. It is all explained in the book.) Samuel pulled his pants down and peed in the potty!!!! It made it a totally positive experience for him and we even had a potty song and dance and high fives every time we did a dry check (something else in the book). He continued to do those things for a while after we had already gotten in down. Give it a try and good luck!!!
Ha ha. It's so funny when it's not me. I heard with boys you put something in the toilet for them to aim--cheerios, target, etc. I have no idea. He's still new at it. He'll get the hang of it. Maybe he needs a lesson from his Daddy...
Oh, btw, I read and tried the book mentioned in the above comment. You should read my blog from about a year ago for MY take on that horrible horrible book. If you're still game, you can have my copy.
Good luck with that...I just potty trained Caden a few weeks ago and the first few days were a beast! Once it clicked in his head, it has been much better. I wish I had some great idea to share...just know that when they are ready, they are ready. Good luck!
With Kenzie, she just needed to get the feeling of what it was like to go pee pee. She kind of did a lot of it herself when she was ready. I let her run around naked outside in my mom's backyard and then when she peed I said 'that is pee pee!' then she knew when it felt like. Then she decided one day a month or two later that she was ready and refused to wear a diaper and then we did the whole 20 min thing. Then we moved it up to every hour. Now she just goes when she has to and I dont usually have to remind her unless we are leaving the house and I want her to go before we leave. The switch will click one day, so maybe try for 3 days when you know that you wont be leaving the hosue and if he isnt getting it by the end of the 3rd days then take a month off and try again. He will get it :)
No potty training experience to share of my own but my sister in law uses the phrase "tummy telling you to go potty" so maybe that tummy area might give him an idea. Otherwise, I'm clueless. Sounds like its different for every kid. Good luck.
I read somewhere that you have to give it a good try to 4 days. And if after 4 days it still isn't clicking at all, then back off.
It's so hard to give advice in this area because kids are all so different, but here is my experience:
With Brielle, we started trying to train her in mid-January. It was horrible for the first 2 days, and then on the 3rd day she was starting to get it. About a week into it she got really sick (diarrhea) and I put her back in diapers. About a month later, SHE started to express interest in it and it was a BREEZE to train her after that.
Do what you feel like will work for you! If there isn't a huge reason to train him now, it might just be better to stop and wait until it is his idea. It's usually really easy when they are actually interested in doing it.
Good luck!
It was sure a LONG road for us. Jansen was over 3 1/2. Many, many attempts. I thought it would bever happen. But I am going to try Natalie in a few weeks, she's barely 2.
I started Caleb out around 18 months because he liked the potty seat I got him and he was interested....it took him almost 2 weeks before he actually went on the potty. I kept him in a pull-up and just took him about every hour until he got the hang of it. Today (about 9 months later) he goes in his pants every one and then but he is getting the control to go on the toilet almost every time I take him. He still doesn't tell me when he needs to go, we just take a potty break every 2 hours or so now. He still wears diapers at night and nap time but undies during the day....we just clean up accidents. At least he can feel when he is wet that way! Bowel movements are a totally different issue though....not very successful with those yet.
Don't get discouraged....it takes time! I was in the same boat as you and thought my son would NEVER be potty trained!!!
It will come :)
-Amy
You can do it!! Don't lose faith! Potty training is more about you learning about your kid than he is learning in the potty. We started last January and Michelle is finally potty trained. The only thing that worked was NEVER reminding her to go,only saying "you tell me when you have to go potty" like every 20 min. and letting her have accidents. It had to be HER choice to go. Also, we found that gum really motivated her. Also, the real kicker was we had to get rid of ALL diapers and pullups except for naptime and nighttime. All the advice you've been given is totally true. Wait until Ty wants to go. . .it has to be his choice--even if it takes many more months, he'll get it.
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