Your potty training stories?

[kellyds]

Joshie will be four in February.

I've never been an aggressive potty trainer. I've just always talked to the kids about how they'll be using a potty when they're old enough. Around age two, I usually put a potty chair in the bathroom and tell them to use it when they feel ready. We also put underpants by their diapers, and I tell them to start wearing them when they think they're big enough. My kids have trained easily that way . . . no charts, M&M rewards, etc.

I don't think I'll be able to be that laid back with Joshua. A wet diaper doesn't distress him. He will call me when his diaper is messy, but he leaves it up to me to figure out why he has called. He isn't interested in any potty vocabulary I've tried to teach him, either verbal or signed.

I've started taking him in the bathroom with me and talking about what's going on (in graphic detail that I'd share with few people!) Besides that, I haven't made an attempt to train him. My gut feeling is that he isn't ready. I'm preparing, though, so I'd like to hear your stories. How did you do it? How old was your child? Etc.

[PaigesMom]

I think you know in your heart when they are ready. Paige was 5 before she was potty trained. I tried to do it before that, but regardless of what I did, she, herself, was not ready. So the summer after she turned 5, she was put on the potty every half hour and when she went we did alot of happy dances. It did not take long - within 3 days she was dry at home during the day, 5 days I felt safe enough to take her in the car for short periods of time, then within 2 weeks she was completely trained, including night time. We've had few accidents since that period of time, usually only when she is sick. She still needs prompting to go because she will "hold it" forever.

[ALLISA]

My story is WAY TOO long.....as a matter of fact.....it hasn't ended yet

I started right before her 5th birthday.....and it was LONG !!

She is completely trained for BM's YEAHHHHHHHH

i can't remember the last time she had an accident.....but peeing can be hit or miss still.....I do a lot of laundry at my house.....

So while my story is NOT inspiring....hopefully it will let you know that you are NOT alone in pottying issues.....

[Emilysmom]

Kelly,
Your potty training experiences sound very familiar...........I was never very aggressive with potty training either. (Oldest son was potty trained by 18 months before we adopted him, and he had accidents for many years, so I vowed we'd take it easy when it came time for the younger kids to be trained.)

With Emily, we bought one of those dolls where you "feed" it a bottle of water. Then we would RUN the doll to the potty chair and then look inside and dance around and cheer for the doll's success. Then, I'd simply say to Emily "And YOU can do that too"!!!!! And for a long long time, she didn't have any interest at all. She could hold her urine forEVER. Her problem was that it didn't seem that she could let it GO when it was time..........but when we least expected it, she'd be wet. And let her little feet hit the bath tub, and she'd be SURE to pee!

Emily wore pull ups for a long time. And she was about six when she was totally trained. But, the GOOD thing is that she has never had accidents after she was officially trained. WHEW!
I think this is a good time to start with Joshua. And who knows? He might do really well at this age!

Susan

[Pat]

John-John was not ready at 4, you'd go to put him on the potty & he'd think you we're going to flush him down or something. After reading here, I was prpared for a yr of training. It only took 6 months We did the potty dance no matter where we were. If we were home he'd come out to the family room & everyone (even guests) would have to get up & dance. The girls didn't mind dancing in a public bathroom with him either
You'll know when he's ready.
Pat

[Chris too]

Stevie is going through the same steps all typical kids go through, but much, much more slowly. She now loves to sit on the potty, but like Susan's Emily, she can hold that pee forever & can't seem to figure out how to let it go. She likes to watch me pee - and I show her everything. We pretend that her dolls and little people go potty (we put them on some special seat or in a "bathroom" and say "pssssssssss" ); she lets me know when she stinks by crawling into my lap - eww - and I can usually get her to "admit" that she has "pooped" or that she stinks. She does notice when she pees when naked & likes to stand in front of the potty, hold the front of her pants & pretend to go like her brothers *sigh*
I ran out of diapers today too. I'm ready, I just wish she would be. I do know that it will happen... eventually. I'm with you, Kelly - trying to be patient.

[damarasmom]

Okay.. Damara is 4 1/2, we have been activly potty training her since last January or so??? We are about 9-10 months into it and it seems like YEARS!!! We did the whole, put her on the potty every 30 mins and just keep a chart. This was done at school too, well, let's just say that she is still using the chart and I've had ENOUGH of this charting crap. Part of me wishes we never started, she obviously is just not ready, then I think well, we've put in 10 months already, and what if tomorrow is the day? I just can't stop!
Well, last night starting about 4 pm, Damara decided to tell daddy she had to go potty, (this is usally saved for when we are out in public or in bed!) Anyway, she told Daddy AND she was DRY...Success! She did this for the rest of the night !!! about 5 times! We were so happy and she seemed very proud.
Just wondering what today will bring?? I guess my best words are...if you KNOW he is not ready, don't frustrate yourself! AND be very , very, patient....
Best of Luck! Happy Potty Times!!!

[Connie]

I'm not like most here...I don't believe that you wait for them to show you that they are ready. I believe this like anything else is something they have to be taught....they have to be taught to recognize their own body's signals. And I hate to say it with our kids it sometimes takes longer.

I started Collin at around 18 months really slowly. I would put him on the potty before bath time (while the tub was running ). Sometimes we had success but sometimes we didn't. But, I just kept with it. Then after several months we added another potty time... when he 1st got up. And we went from there.

At about 3.5-4 during the summer when school was out, we got rid of the pull-ups and that was the biggest help. We also made him responsible for changing himself and putting his wet cloths where they went.

Collin was fully potty trained both day and night by 5.

But, Collin will go through spurts where he doesn't feel the need to go and will leak urine. He will do this every 4-5 months and it will last 3-4 weeks. When we notice that he's leaking and take him to the bathroom he will pee like he's not pee'd in days...so he's not having a full blown accident.This may happen 2-3x a day or 2-3x a week there's no way to figure out when how why it happens.

Just be consistent and patient....they will get it!!!

Good Luck!!

Connie

[Googsmom aka Jennifer]

{{{{{KELLY}}}}} I know its hard, hang in there. I got Brooker a potty chair for her 2nd bday. She hated it. She would tell me when she had to go but while she was going. I'd put her on the potty and she'd freek out. Like she was going to fall in or something I put it away. I hate to see her freek out. Then one day in my mood of "if I change one more panny I"M going to freek out" I got the chair back out. She loves it. She will sign potty, go to the bathroom and sit there and pee pee or too too. She even pee'd for my sister yesterday Sister was so excited...LOL It will happen when they are ready. I know that is said about alot of things for our kids but it really is true. I just push Brook to do it. I've found w/ Brooker if I show/teach her all the steps of something she is more willing to try by herself. So far I think i've saved like $5 bucks in diapers just this week It takes alot of effort on our part but it's worth it in my book. Keep your chin up {{{{HUGS}}}}}

[andrewsmom]

Potty training is never any fun. Andrew turned 4 in March and I decided when school got out in June to push the potty training. He was fully trained when he started esy in July. We had been putting him on the potty for probably a year NOT consistently at all. So he knew what the potty was all about.

What did the trick for Andrew is the TV. He LOVES Blues Clues. We have "on demand" so he can watch it whenever he wants. The best part is that you can pause it too. I put the little potty in front of the TV and let Blues Clues start. I only let it get through the song in the beginning and then paused it. I told him if he wanted Blue to start again, he would have to go in the potty. Sure enough, he went!! It only took 2 days before he would go before I had a chance to pause it. Gradually he just went all by himself and hasn't looked back since!!!

We still put him in a diaper at night. I would say he probably wakes up dry about 70% of the time. He gets right up and takes it off and uses the potty.

Hang in there!!!! It's never easy to potty train. I hope I helped alittle bit anyway. Remember, everyone's different.

-Trisha

[jelanismom]

Kelly, this morning Jelani's teacher mentioned that kids can regress in potty training like he is...he'll be 6 next month.

I was SO thrilled starting a few months back because he was doing SO well keeping dry ALL DAY in the same little underpants, and every morning he woke up DRY! ... but now he's waking up with soaked diapers! (along with the accident in school twice a day!)

So she suggested I do like another mom did and create a potty book. Have pictures of the entire process from waking up dry (where's the pee in your diaper? good job no pee!) then on to the bathroom pulling down pants, peeing in potty, clapping hands ( "you did it!" ) and pulling up pants, getting sticker or whatever, washing hands, and drying. I suppose it can be photographs? I didn't ask, lol. Just wanted to share that idea.