Potty Training Tips: Get Ready to Start Now!

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Hi,

Anyone have tips on potty training? My daughter is 2 yrs and 4 months and she is showing a lot of the signs of being ready for potty training. We are thinking of starting this week.

My plan is to take her and let her pick out her own "big girl pants" and starting on Tuesday morning putting her on the potty and then underpants the rest of the day. I'm completely fine with her being in them and if she has an accident, so be it. The next 2 weeks we really don't have anythign going on and that is another reason I want to give it a try now.

Do they sell anything to protect the mattress?

Thanks,

 

[Chef Kearns]

What you plan on doing is exactly what I would recommend. Those Pull-Ups are a waste of money and only prolong the dependency. By the end of the 2 weeks she should be potty trained. Just keep her in panties all day and she'll get the hang of it.

Yes, they do sell mattress covers. I usually use the mattress pads with the plastic back cover (on the top is the regular soft cotton mattress pad and the bottom is plastic). They have some that are just flat and some that are fitted.

 

[britishchef]

My daughter is almost 3 and has been potty trained since she was just about 2. She still wears diapers at night - my Ped. said not to worry about that until she is consistently dry at night or showing signs of being ready. I got her some undies she loved - Elmo, LOL, and made a big deal of how she got to wear them. It sounds silly but when she went potty I would give her a big thumbs up (still do sometimes!) and say "YAY! Well done sweety!" - she was so proud. I also gave her treats for going potty, in our case it was 1 butterscotch chip, 2 extra if she pooped. However, I concentrated on the peeing first and then she did the pooping herself. If we had to go out I would always make sure she went potty first.For a couple of months she wore a diaper at naptime too, but one day I asked if she wanted to try without but reminded her to get up to go potty if she had to. She was fine. She had a few accidents but nothing major. They do sell pads to put on the mattress, they are great. Now she will get up in the morning and take off her diaper so she can go potty. She still goes overnight but that's OK with me right now.Amber

 

[rennea]

I don't know why I'm reading this thread cause I don't have kids but I just had to pipe up and tell you about my girlfriends little one. One day when I was babysitting and she was being potty trained she told me she had to go and I took her down to the lou and sat her on the potty, I came back in a minute later and she said "I went pee-pee, I'm a good girl" all the time with a bath bead in her mouth. She thought they were candies cause her mom had been giving her soft round candies everytime she went!!!

 

[janetupnorth]

Good advice so far... ...just if she backs off, don't get discouraged. My daughter showed signs at that age and even went on the toilet numerous time on her own (with the kid seat) so we started to "train" her and then she suddenly decided she had no interest. We let her be then a few months later all of a sudden it "clicked" and she's NEVER had an accident. My son on the other hand...grrrr...been working steady for 2 months now...(he turned 3 in December)...he gets it if we TELL him to go, otherwise, he goes in his pants (can't get him to go #2 on the toilet except once or twice). A TOTALLY different experience than our daughter...we've even tried his favorite - Thomas underwear and have had goals for him to earn a toy train. Not there yet, but we're still chugging with him since he is over 3 and I just do a lot of laundry - saves on diapers.

 

[Chef Kearns]

As far as a treat for going...we did stickers. I let my kids pick out their favorite kind of stickers. My daughter loved the scratch and sniff. We had a chart in the bathroom. I put a cheapo sticker on the chart and gave her a scratch and sniff for her shirt. For my boys it was Winnie the Pooh. We chose not to use candy or sweets. By the time the pad of stickers ran out they were going on their own without encouragement. However, my friends who used treats were constantly having to "treat" them.

 

[britishchef]

However, my friends who used treats were constantly having to "treat" them.

We didn't find this at all. I just told her she now only got a treat for pooping in the potty... then gradually just stopped giving them. She didn't even really ask about them!

 

[Chef Kearns]

That's good!

 

[pamperedalf]

I am no expert....I am finially proud to say my 21/2 year old is finially potty trained after a grueling 6 monthes. He decided that he was ready on his own, he started to climb out of the tub and go potty on his potty at bath time.

So my great day care provider and us started training every 20 - 30 mins we would take him to the potty. He would get a sticker for trying to go potty and a M&M for potty. He was watching watching one of his friends go potty @ day care so he wanted to go himself. This worked really well and he was a peeing king. If he had an accident free day we would take him out for ice cream, or if we were at the store we would get him something special (especially when he went potty at a store).

Now my son up untill recently didn't want to go #2 in the potty, we would take him potty and then 1 minute later he would poop in his big boy underwear.

Now there were definetely days I wanted to pull my hair out, like my son running around naked and peeing in the dogs water dish! Or we would have accidents but don't get mad at them accidents happen. Now towards the end when my son had a #2 accident he would have to help me clean it up. I don't know if that is why he started pooping in the toilet or if it was just time. I read in 3 diff. books that sometimes it becomes a power struggle, and by having them help clean it up, they are not feeling on top. Anyways like I said I am no expert, do what works best for you and your child! Good Luck! I hope it goes easily!

 

[pampermeplease]

My son and daughter both decided when they were ready on their own. They would do fine then go back to the diapers for a week or two, then back to the under-roo's. We made a big production out of it, calling in the whole family to clap and say good job when it seemed we were backsliding (yep we're weird like that LOL) but it seems to have helped. Both are good now and are definately past the stage (8 and 4).

The biggest thing I can tell you is to not force it. And yes, get some awesome character panties in the ones she likes best!

The daycares also helped because they saw the other kids going to the potty and felt left out. For my son that helped him decide to go on his own a lot. I'm so glad I'm finally past all this and the diapers

 

[janetupnorth]

Amanda - I'll personally keep that in mind for my little guy! How did you "make him help clean it up". Make him wash the underwear, what?

 

[janetupnorth]

I'm so glad I'm finally past all this and the diapers

I'm close!!!! Except the joke at my work is that even though we've "done something surgically about it..." my luck is when I turn 40 I'll have a surprise and be pregnant! ...love my kids to death but my house is WAY to small for any more!

 

[pampermeplease]

I may be finally past it and hubby may be upcoming on a specific surgery but now the kids are bugging me 'mommy when do we get a little brother or sister' My answer? THE FACTORY IS CLOSED! LOL

 

[DebbieSAChef]

Lol

I don't know why I'm reading this thread cause I don't have kids but I just had to pipe up and tell you about my girlfriends little one. One day when I was babysitting and she was being potty trained she told me she had to go and I took her down to the lou and sat her on the potty, I came back in a minute later and she said "I went pee-pee, I'm a good girl" all the time with a bath bead in her mouth. She thought they were candies cause her mom had been giving her soft round candies everytime she went!!!

That's hilarious. My daughter will be 3 in May and she hates having to go potty. But since I got her panties, she is actually trying to be a big girl and even though she has an occasional accident, she likes the idea of getting a sticker on her chart too.
After about 10 stickers I give her a treat, small toy from the dollar store, etc... She knows this is not going to last cause I told her that she needs to be a big girl and when she can go all the time like a big girl, she will help me teach her brother and he will get the stickers.
We set the kitchen timer for every 30 -45 minutes and then we would run to the potty. Even if she just pushed it helped her to realize when she had to go.
Debbie

 

[JaimeQ]

My little girl will be 1 on the 2nd of March!! We bought her a "royal potty" since she has to be in the bathroom everytime we go in there... She'll sit on it for a minute but then would rather play inside the bowl or push the lid up or down... We got it just so we could get her used to it

 

[jwpamp]

I just had to click on this thread...it kind of stood out!

 

[janetupnorth]

I just had to click on this thread...it kind of stood out!

Only for the boys...

 

[dcypcar.chef]

There is a great book out called "Toilet training in less than a day" I used it for my daughter and it worked. The book has been around at least 30 years because my parents used this system to potty train twins and it took about 36 hours. It is a very precise system, so you do have to follow it exactly, but it was written by a doctor and has proven results. This took all the stress out of it for me, because it was only for a day. The book is available at the larger bookstores like Border's and Barnes and Noble. Have fun.

 

[chefbritt]

I don't have kids, so i have no suggestions as to what to do, but I definitely have a story of what not to do. I have a relative who was struggling to potty train her daughter. I didn't understand why until I started visiting their house frequently. Whenever she would have an accident, her parents would yell at her or send her to her room. She wouldn't get dessert that night when the other kids did, and when she asked why they'd tell her because she was bad and had an accident. They were so impatient to get her trained, but they only made it worse. She was five before she was fully potty trained.

I don't really have any advice to offer, except to use lots of positive reinforcement, and brush off the accidents and things like that as if they aren't a big deal, don't dwell on it or act disappointed.

 

[mbh06]

Okay, I will tell you all up front I am weird (If you haven't already figured it out) Cloth diapers. Children that are cloth diapered will potty train earlier b/d they can tell when they are wet. I agree w/ pp that said not to buy the pull ups. They are expensive & don't help. Either go for regular underware, or if you look online they have trainer cloth diapers that are excelent. They know when they are wet, but still provide enough coverage that when they do have an accident they know they are wet, but don't make a mess (good for night time) Not that bad since you will have to wash regular underware anyway, at least these will keep clothes from being yucky too. You can also buy doublers to put in at night to keep them extra dry in the normal wet areas so they don't soak the bed.
Here are some links:
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/
http://diaperjunction.com/catalog.php?category=25
If you have any other questions you can pm me & I will try to help you!! Good luck.

 

[Jennie4PC]

I am sure you are getting tons of advise but I took my daughter to the dr due to loose stools and she told me to take my daughter in the morning snack time lunch snack time and dinner then right before bed and to make a big production out of it like say lets all go potty before we eat lunch she finally got the peeing down after a few days I did have to bribe her with Princess dresses for her to go poop in the potty. I told her if she stayed clean for 1 week she would get a dress and she hasnt had an accident since.
Good Luck!!!!

 

[pamperedalf]

janetupnorth Amanda - I'll personally keep that in mind for my little guy! How did you "make him help clean it up". Make him wash the underwear, what?

Sometimes the poop landed on the floor, and he would pick it up w/ a paper towl and put it in the potty or he would help shake out the poop in the potty. Nothing major but we would explain to him that when we have accidents we would have to clean it up. I am also trying to instill that we clean up our messes. Whether I am successful or not we will see in 20 years when he has his own place! LOL

 

[JaimeQ]

What is the age everyone has started potty training??

 

[Chef Kearns]

Bout 2 years. My boys started just after their second birthday. Our second son was going a bit earlier because he was modeling his big brother. He had issues with pooping in the toilet though. That was GROSS!! I don't deal with with bodily excrements! Anyway...our 1st daughter was ready by her 2nd birthday. You kinda have to read your child...HOWEVER; (and this is just MHO) if the child reaches 2 1/2 and doesn't seem the least bit interested I say it is time to gently nudge them toward the toilet! Switch to training pants, buy the potty books (books for kids to read while on the pot), talk it up some. I mean really...they are having adult sized BMs by this time. Gross dude!!

I cannot really believe I've got 4 kids! Most of what they do is truly disgusting to me! Spitting up, runny noses, diarhhea...YUCK YUCK YUCK!! I do not cherish those days.

I know I am about to be crucified by the perfect Mommy's out there! So sorry!! We finally figured out where they kept coming from and PERMANANTLY closed that door!!

 

[JaimeQ]

lol.... mine is just about to turn 1 and i'm already tired of diapers

 

[Jilleysue]

I just had to click on this thread...it kind of stood out!

I know..ummmmmm leash and a walk and a bush.....LOL...
ooh sorry...i have dogs....LOL

Just kidding..well my dogs are my kids..does that count...hehe

 

[SillyChef]

lol too funny jill. lol.

My son is almost 4 *in march* We began potty training him when he was 2 1/2. He hated the toliet and everything that had to do with it. After a while I just got fed up with paying like 14.00 for the training pants so I just left him in his chonies all day. BTW- I let him pick them out so that gave him an incentive to wear them. He wet himself a few times before he understood that he didn't like pee running all over everything. He did awesome! Now completely potty trained. THANK GOD!

 

[lacychef]

Oh man, isn't it amazing how kids are so different? My first daughter was trained by 2 1/2....but my second daughter is a whole different story. She turned 3 in September, and one day she'll do great, and the next day she goes in her pants all day. I just don't get it.

 

[genburk]

My daughter started telling me she had a 'stinky' at 17 months. I started putting all the stinkies in the tiolet (like you do with cloth diapers) and then throwing away the diaper. After awhile, she just knew the tiolet is where ALL stinkies go.

When she was about 2 and 3 months, I put her in underwear for a few hours each day for about 3 days and she got wet a few times, but started to get the idea. (The first few times I tried this she would get wet at least once during every hour, so I waited till she could hold it longer and had better control.)

After wearing underwear for a few days we were at the weekend. We had basketball tournaments (at a school for 4-8 hours each day) and the first day she wore diapers. I took her whenever she said she had to go (about 8-9 times, kept adjusting those dang velcro tabs ). On Sunday, I put her in pull-ups, because she had only really gone about 3 times on Saturday. She stayed dry both days.

That Monday and Tuesday, I kept her in underwear at home, but took her in Pull-ups at daycare. On Wednesday, she didn't want Pull-ups and wore underwear. She did better than I thought she might.

She is now 3 and is dry day and night. She has only had about 5 accidents including nighttime. So I consider myself lucky.

My boys were about 3 when they were potty trained, but it also seemed to click for them. It really is when the child is ready to be trained.

I agree about the pull-ups. They prolong the issue, because they feel like diapers to the kids and they have been going in diapers all their life. I work in a daycare, and see kids in pull-ups for over a year all the time. Parents will sometimes put the pull-ups on them when they hit 2 years old (generally too young to be trained) and use them like diapers then wonder why the pull-ups didn't train them.

I think Pull-ups are great for traveling, visiting, or trips that would be hard to change clothing if they get wet (like the zoo or something, who wants to carry stinky underwear around all day ), but the companies promote them for potty training, and suggest that the pull-ups will potty train them. I think it is best to wait until they are physically ready, and then help them get the mindset.

 

[genburk]

I'm close!!!! Except the joke at my work is that even though we've "done something surgically about it..." my luck is when I turn 40 I'll have a surprise and be pregnant! ...love my kids to death but my house is WAY to small for any more!

I was 37 when this happened to me. Except that I was on Birth control pills for 11 years, and I didn't miss one, and still got pregnant. We had just seperated the boys into their own room (12 and 13 at the time) and the next month found out I was pregnant with a girl . Not enough room, she is still in our room . If we don't convert the garage soon, one of the boys will move out (they are 15 and 16 now) and then she will get a room. So glad this happened, though. I wouldn't trade her for the world