potty training
 

I have a 2yr old boy that will be 3 in April. He is not yet potty
trained and I am having a hard time training him. I am open to any
advise and tips on how you potty trained your kids.

Thanks
K L

potty training
 

HI --

There are LOTS of differing ideas about toilet training.

With my kids I waited for warm weather (age 2 3/4) and then put them in
long t-shirts and NOTHING else. Quite bare-bottomed. We spent a lot of
time outside or on the hardwood playroom floor. After about 3-4 days
(depending on which child) my boys got the connection between needing to
go and going. From then on we used underpants during the day, never
anything else except during long car trips or airplane flights when we
knew they'd be trapped in a seatbelt longer than they could wait. Night
training took longer, since that's hormonal and not under the child's
conscious control.

Do count on some time when you have to tell them to try every time
before you leave the house, leave school, leave anywhere there's a
toilet, since forethought isn't isn't a common trait for preschoolers,
nor is enormous bladders!

Another thing we did that was fun was have "pee pee attacks" where
several boys (all the young cousins) peed at the same time into the same
toilet. It made the experience fun and social, and also improved their
aim (since urine on the floor or seat meant that the "attack" would
cease for the day.)

I hope these ideas help,
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

potty training
 

Kelly Lowe wrote:
I have a 2yr old boy that will be 3 in April. He is not yet potty
trained and I am having a hard time training him. I am open to any
advise and tips on how you potty trained your kids.

Thanks
K L


We were pretty frustrated with DS, as I recall,
(hopefully hidden from him) and ended up bribing
him with a small truck. At the time, his world
revolved around trucks. That didn't really help
though. He did train for urine long before the
back end -- that was part of the frustration --
trying to figure out what was freaking him out.
Don't recall if we ever did.

Is your son ready? Is he dry through the night
in his diaper? If he isn't, scale back your
expectations.

Don't use pull-ups. They're a waste of money,
and they prevent your son from feeling that he's
wet.

That's about all I can remember. Training was
a lifetime ago. :)

Scott DD 12 and DS 10

potty training
 

Is your son ready? Is he dry through the night
in his diaper? If he isn't, scale back your
expectations.

Night dryness is not a good indicator of daytime potty training
readiness. 5-15% of 6-year-olds are still wet at night (depending on
whose numbers you use) but nearly all of them will have been potty
trained for quite some time by then. Night dryness depends on a number
of factors in addition to those that are important for daytime dryness,
including depth of sleep, and whether or not the child produces the
hormone that most older children and adults produce to cause them to
produce less urine at night.

--Robyn

potty training
 

If Daddy, big brother or other boys are around, make sure they take him
when they go so he can see how it's done. I bribed my 3 yo with m&m's.
He got one every time he'd use the potty. He didn't want to #2 in the
potty, so I told him I'd give him 2 m&m's for that. An unexpected side
effect of this was that he learned his colors because every time he got
an m&m I would tell him the color, not really thinking about it, but I
was happily surprised when a few weeks later he started asking for a
red or blue one! Be sure not to give him very many at a time though
because these aren't very healthy! -But it works! (The sticker idea
worked for my daughter but not for my son.)