Potty training

sarahricks
sarahricks Posts: 90 Member
edited September 20 in Chit-Chat
OKay I need advice on potty training. My little girl is going to be turning 3 this weekend. I'm pretty sure she's ready to train, but I'm not. She tries to change her own diaper if I don't do it right when she wants it, and is fine sitting on the potty. I just don't know where to start. I just put in new carpet and don't really want to just put on panties and let her run but I'm willing to. I just don't know if that's the best avenue. Thanks for any and all advice. I'm clueless.

Replies

  • kgasser
    kgasser Posts: 333 Member
    Every kid is different. My oldest had not done anything with potty training, would sit on pot and do NOTHING! One day saw Pricess panties. She said she wanted them, I told her no, they were only for big girls that didn't pee in thier pants....after much whinning and pleading (not to mention what she did :bigsmile: ) we got the panties. To my udder shock, she NEVER had another accident, not even at night!!! My other spent eternity in pull ups. I don't think they really do much for them, I would go with panties and have a towel ready!
    Good luck
  • mommyhof3
    mommyhof3 Posts: 551 Member
    I let my kids run around naked. Funny as it sounds it was less messy. As soon as she starts to pee it trickle down her leg and she will stop. If you use pull ups or panties she will pee more before feeling it. It worked for my daughter. However, my boys both liked to watch the pee come out. So didnt quite work with my boys lol
  • CoachJ77
    CoachJ77 Posts: 80 Member
    When I was potty training my nieces (or helping I should say) what we did is get pull-ups to start, then we gave her a sticker to put on her 4 x 5 grid sheet. If she peed she got one stick and if she poo'd she got two stickers. At the end of filling them up she would get a toy. Not a big toy though, something semi small from walmart or something. She started a few months after she was two, and didn't really let go of that poo'ing on the potty thing until she turned three, so I think you are in good shape. My youngest niece will be two in May and she is already starting to poo and pee in the potty (we are very happy haha). I was babysitting them while I was on spring break so I could spend time with them and she used the potty all but two times already. We reward her with a marshmellow, two if she poo's :) And my oldest niece gets one, so she doesn't feel left out and hate the baby... I hope this helped. Good luck!
  • tammietifanie
    tammietifanie Posts: 1,496 Member
    10 Signs Your Child is Ready to Potty Train

    by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
    reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
    For many first-time parents of toddlers, potty training is a major hurdle, or at least a mystery. At fifteen months, your toddler is perfectly happy to walk around with a wet diaper. He finds the feel of squishy BM against his bottom not at all uncomfortable, unless he has a rash. He may seem vaguely interested in watching while you sit on the toilet, but he doesn't seem to make any connection between that and anything that he might do in that little plastic chair you've so thoughtfully provided for him. How do you get from this point, to the point of having a two year old who knows when he has to use the toilet, and how to use it?

    You don't have to wait until your child is ready to toilet train him, but it makes it much easier if you do! When children are ready, the process of toilet training usually is pretty quick and easy - a matter of two to four months of not too hard work. You simply let your child see what you do, explain it a couple of times, and gently urge him to try it himself. A little praise for the efforts helps, but you don't need to go overboard. After all, doing grown-up things is rewarding to children (that's why they play house, and pretend to take care of baby dolls.) When your child is ready, he'll feel that using the potty is his own accomplishment. That's as it should be.

    So, here are the top 10 signs that your toddler is ready to master the potty:
    She's able to walk well on her own, and can pull down her own pants (elastic waistbands are good for this) and diaper.


    She shows that she's aware of what's going on in her diaper-- either by saying something like "poo" or by looking uncomfortable when her diaper is full, or pausing in her playing.


    She's interested in what you do in the bathroom, coming in to watch from time to time. She might help to flush, or wave "bye, bye" to the departing poop.


    She's not completely caught up in needing to say "no" to everything you suggest (the automatic "no" stage is usually between about 18 and 30 months.)


    She has tried to sit on the potty, with her pants and diaper on, and doesn't seem to mind it. She feels "friendly" towards "her" potty.


    She understands when you ask, in a mildly interested way, "Do you need to use the potty?"


    She's fascinated by putting things into containers (blocks into the box, pouring sand or water in and out of a bucket.)


    She feels proud when she can do something "all by myself."


    Her diaper is dry and clean often for a couple of hours at least.


    She's interested in "big girl underpants."
    Most children are ready to start potty training around age 2-1/2, some not till age three. You might put the potty out for them to get used to some months before then.

    Just because you wait for signs of readiness doesn't mean that you have to be a passive bystander. You know your child best. If your child responds well to directions and praise, then by all means let him know what you expect. If your child resists being told what to do, you'll need to be careful that toileting doesn't become a battleground. Toddlers can't control much in their world, but they do control what goes into their bodies, and what comes out. Waiting until your strong-willed toddler is ready, then gently helping him to feel comfortable using the potty because he wants to, is a good way to avoid a battle over poop that you're bound to lose.
  • gadgetgizzmo
    gadgetgizzmo Posts: 53
    My daughter is 21 months old and meets all the signs that she is ready to use the potty and has for a few months. The only problem is getting her to go on the potty. She will sit there reading books and playing with toys for as long as it takes me to shower and get ready in the morning, but she won't pee until the minute i take her off and put her diaper on. We try rewarding her with treats and that helps a little bit, but it almost seems as if she holds it until she has her diaper on. The babysitter has a little more luck, but I think that is because she just lets her sit on the potty in the living room until she finally goes. Any suggestions?
  • kellygirl5538
    kellygirl5538 Posts: 597 Member
    Just remember she is NOT going to be wearing diapers as an adult. If find summer easier to train kids. The doctor however was pissed to see my 3 year old boy in diapers, needless to say he was trained that week. Some as parents we are the barrier not the child.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    I would suggest pull ups with the snowflakes on them. They make their little bums cold if they have an accident and it teaches them to go before it gets to that point. We are PT'ing our 20 month old. She tells us when she has to go, but by the time we get in there, she's already gone.
  • HonestOmnivore
    HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
    My sister switches her kids back to cloth diapers. They feel it and it's uncomfortable - going in the potty is WAY more fun! It's pretty conflict free if you can stomach swishy-swashing out the dirty diapers in the toilet and then doing the laundry a couple times a day...
  • bethinagain
    bethinagain Posts: 282 Member
    I just got done potty training my three year old last week. I switched into pull-ups 2 weeks ago, just to get the idea of diapers out of her mind. Then last week I put princess underwear on her and was ready to except all the mess-ups. It only lasted for maybe a day and a half. The key is to put her on the potty every hour on the hour. On the back side of the bathroom door, I taped up a potty chart. They have great ones online that you can download for free and print out. I bought stickers from the dollor store and she gets to put a sticker on the chart when she does her business on the potty. Then next to the chart I have a little zip-lock bag filled with Skittles. After she puts her sticker on the chart she gets one candy for peeing and 2 for pooping. It worked great and she was running to the bathroom every half hour so she could to her business and get rewarded (this wears off quickley). She was potty trained in less than three days. And just today I bought her a small toy and took down the chart and Skittles!

    Definately keep pull-ups for night time. My rule of thumb is, if she wakes up dry for a month straight than she can wear underwear to bed and keep a plastic cover on her mattress until she's 5 years old. They sometimes still slip up a year later. Good Luck!:smile:
  • bethinagain
    bethinagain Posts: 282 Member
    Sorry, posted it twice! :smile:
  • HonestOmnivore
    HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
    bethinagain -I had to laugh at the part about how they sometimes slip up until they're five. I have my ovaries removed back in August and the re-arranging of my bladder and bowl caused all sorts of weirdness. My bladder doesn't always empty like it should and just the other night I dreamed I was using the restroom at work - oops. Lucky my shutoff works well and I only had to change clothes not sheets but at 42 I had to laugh at myself!!! And share with you all :blushing:
  • bethinagain
    bethinagain Posts: 282 Member
    bethinagain -I had to laugh at the part about how they sometimes slip up until they're five. I have my ovaries removed back in August and the re-arranging of my bladder and bowl caused all sorts of weirdness. My bladder doesn't always empty like it should and just the other night I dreamed I was using the restroom at work - oops. Lucky my shutoff works well and I only had to change clothes not sheets but at 42 I had to laugh at myself!!! And share with you all :blushing:

    Thanks for the heads up............I'm having mine removed on April 23rd. Any other info that you might want to share with me? I'm so scared!
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