POTTY TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi,

I'm in a dillema with my son, he'll be 3yrs old next week & still isn't potty trained. I've been trying to to train him since the last 5 mts, he goes occasionally to wee in the toilet,hates to poo in the pot, he wants to do it on the floor if at home.The point is that he knows he is supposed to use the pot but does'nt,he would just wet his pants, he used to be fine outside , but off late has been wetting his pants outside as well.

I got rid of the diapers and pull ups a while ago 'coz he knows if they are on he would wee & poo in them. Any suggestions? Any videos which could guide him? I've even tried bribing etc...

We pretty much followed Gina's guidelines as well and it worked like a charm for us. We used m&m's as the treat though, which I suspect Gina would have disapproved of but which made my daughter very happy (it was her first experience with chocolate, or any junk food for that matter). I would have definately waited if my daughter hadn't taken to the whole concept though. I'm not sure there's anything magical about 3 years old (or 2 or 18 mo for that matter), there are plenty of 3 year olds who are still not interested in learning about the toilet.


I the States, there's a lot of emphasis about taking the lead from the child's interest, that this is THEIR accomplishment and they shouldn't be pressured or shamed by the adults around them. And larger size diapers and pull-ups are readily available in the US, which makes it easier to wait. So if you are feeling like your son should really be moving things along in this area, it may help to wonder if your feelings might be influenced by the earlier toiletting culture we're in here. Opinions on the matter are quite different around the world.


I know two boys who figured it all out at 3 yrs and 3 mo, and figured it out in a matter of days. Personally, I'd happily take a later quick learner over an earlier slow one :-)


One thing I did in the first three days was stay at home with my daughter stripped to her underwear on the bottom (no extra shorts/pants layers) and with her potty just feet away from where we were playing. I think that helped her to focus on learning this new skill. Do get Gina's book though, Potty Training in One Week. It's worth ordering if you don't see it on a shelf somewhere.

Also recommend Gina Ford's book, and I am definitely NOT a fan of her routine books. So don't be put off her toilet training book because you have not liked the strict routines in her other books!

Also recommend Gina Ford's book, and I am definitely NOT a fan of her routine books. So don't be put off her toilet training book because you have not liked the strict routines in her other books!

sometimes the kind of toilet/potty design would matter, since the kids might find it uncomfortable to sit or stay there. we bought a toilet training seat with handles on the two sides so that she can grapse and sit on it safetly and more comfortably.


my doctor advised us to let her sitting on the potty/toilet training seat every regular hour in order to build the habit. my daughter learned wee wee in toilet when she was 2. she's proud that she could take off her own pants and dress up on her own later, and she also likes to help us clean up the potty and flush the toilet. i think it's important to get her involved and build certain kind of satisfaction from it.


but she refused to poo there (she requested a nappy to poo since she likes to stand and hold the furniture, e.g. sofa, when she poo). she's now 2 yrs 3 months and we didn't force her to do so.. perhaps it would come more naturally when she's ready.

We used Gina Ford's book as well and within 10 days my son was toilet trained

Mine took much longer to poo in the toilet too, and for the same kind of reason--hers were timed with her naps and she liked to lie down and wiggle to have them. It was quite a few months later (6 maybe?) when I finally just told her that little girls that poo in the toilet can get an m&m. A couple of weeks after she started hearing that, she gave it a go. Then after a few months (of needing to brush her teeth again before she went to sleep), I told her if she waited for her m&m until AFTER her nap, she could have TWO. That concept--waiting for more is better--took a few weeks to be appreciated(it's apparently a brain development thing). And then we just started "forgetting" about the m&m's. She'd get them if she remembered to ask, but she's forgotten, too. Although we were at the AMC last week and there's that big jar of m&m's on the desert buffet, and, as only a little one can do, she said for anyone in the vicinity "I get m&m's when I poo!!" HAHahaha.

Hi everyone,

Thanx a ton for all the advice. First and foremost i'll get Gina Fordes and then probably take it a little easy coz I don't want my little superman to get all flustered.

missmuffet, i had a very similar experience. I started training my daugther when she was 2. it took a year!!!! she was trained then untrained... she refused to poo in the toilet, instead she would poo in the bathtub and then wanted us to take them out!!!! i was very frustrated. but eventually it all turned out ok... nothing to worry about. take it easy... they all learn eventually..