Toilet Training

S

saralee

Registered User
My dd is interested in sitting on the toilet and is capable of going. My problem is she doesn't seem to be aware/bothered when she has wet her underwear and therefore doesn't tend to ask to go to the toilet.

Have any other parents had children who seem perfectly comfortable to be sitting in wet underwear/dirty nappies, and what have you done to initiate the desire to use the toilet?
 
Hi, How old is your daughter? Great news that she is interested this is half the battle "they" say.
As you probably know each child develops differently, our little boy sat happily on the the potty from 12 months but really only started using it at about 18-20 months after we bought a story book (from Page One - Lan Kwai Fong) that had pictures of little boys and pottys and he seemed to relate to the book.
He often runs around at home without pants so that he doesnt have to remember to take his pants off he only has to remember to use the potty.
We are only now putting him in pants during the day (2yr last week) and it is only 2/5 times that he tells us before he needs to go. We found that when the underpants were more his size that it troubled him more as the dampness was closer to him skin.
Also when he first started on the potty we would give him a very tiny (almost nothing piece of sugarfree chocolate motivitating him to use the potty. Just remember to phase it out so that it doesnt become expected - every time, then just number 2s, then only in the morning etc.
Best advice we ever got was to just relax, it will happen and if you can be relaxed and always positive with your dd it will happen quicker. Good luck
Hope this helps.
 
You are already a lucky one - at least your daughter is willing to sit in the toilet and capable in going.
My daughter is now 2yrs 3 mths and still refusing to sit on the potty nor toilet. She accidentally sat down once for a poo and she was so scared when she saw her own poo in the potty! From that time onwards she refused to go near the potty and she would scream and cry once I ask her to try. I tried all methods suggested in books and TV but still no progress... If I take off her diaper at home she would just hold her wee or poo for hours and I'm afraid there might be a high chance of getting urinary infection or constipation. Maybe she is so not ready to be trained yet. Any suggestions?
 
Don't push it

I had a similar problem to all the above in terms of my daughter who is now over 3 yrs. I took a friends advice and didn't push the issue - all kids develop at their own pace and its perfectly ok that they do this.

in the end with kindergarten looming on the horizon it took me being on holidays to get the job done. bribery works!! my daughter will do anything for sweeties or stamps. she got a stamp for just sitting on the toilet. when something happened then she got a sweetie.

I still think that the reason i had success was because i waited until she was ready. she was close to 3 years by this time. my daughter is nearly safe enough to not have to put into night nappies - something a friend whose daughter is 1 year into "big girl pants" is still not up to.
 
I have a similar problem too.

Poo poo is not a problem as we have trained him when he was 18 months to do his big business each morning. He is now 26 months and refuses to pee in the toilet. He is also happy sitting/running around in his wet undies or diapers. What I have recently started to do is that I have made a scorecard. Each time he is willing to pee in the toilet (even though if nothing much comes out), I will give him a sticker on the scorecard (only 3 stickers to date). It is still early days but I am hoping this will work. At least now he is willing to pull down his pants and stands in front of the toilet (but will run away 10 seconds later.....)
 
Summersun,

Have a read through this thread which includes Gina Ford's signs that a child is ready:

http://www.geobaby.com/forum/showthread.php?t=116345

We tried potty training D right after his 2nd birthday and failed. Tried again after 3 months, and maded little progress. Finally at 2 y 8 mths, we tried again and this time I had a reward chart with loads of stickers and M&Ms. Within 2 weeks he was trained. :agree:
 
:biggrin: i am a preschool teacher and have had lots of experience potty training with a variety of different ages. There doesnt seem to be any one particular rule that works, as every child is different, but i will give you what ive got!!!
* The main thing is DO NOT push a child to use the potty if they are not ready. it will only scare them off and delay training time further.
* Get children used to sitting on the potty, eg before and after bath times, before you put a new nappy on etc. you dont even have to ask them to do a wee or anything, just let them sit on it, maybe even with a book. then they will learn that the potty is not a bad place!
* Dont put your child in pullups, in my experience these only serve to confuse the child
* Star charts work. giving sweets is not a good idea as it teaches bad eating habbits, most children are happy just to see their line of stars growing
* If a child repeatedly wets himself, dont get cross. just change him or make him change himself without making eye contact. some children (especially boys for some reason) wet themselves on purpose because it gets a reaction, it gets them attention, even if it is negative attention.
* When you are first potty training, remind your child every 15 minutes, especially if they are doing something fun as they may forget.
* once you decide to potty train, stick with it. dont have pants half the time and nappys the other (apart from night time) as children get confused.
* expect there to be mess, and dont worry about it. it wont last forever!

Good luck! i hope this helps!
 
I tried to potty train my son at 2 1/2 years and he just wasn't ready to sit on the potty (cried) and got distressed when he wet his pants. He held-in his wee on the potty to the point of severe discomfort.

I've been hesitant to try again incase I give him too many bad expereinces, but he will be 3 next week. I was going to try before he started playschool, but chickened-out of it as he was constipated (badly) and i thought this might make it awkward.

Now I'm not sure how to begin, the playschool is happy for him to be in nappies but I understand if I start training I shouldn't confuse him by taking them off in the morning and putting them on in the afternoon. Is it possible to potty train in 2 days over the weekend?

Any one been in the same situaiton?
 
We are in the same situation!! Our daughter is happy to do poo poo's in the toilet - no accidents to date (One week) but she hasnt once managed to do a wee in the loo.

Like your little one Lorraine, she holds her wee in for ages just to avoid doing a wee in the loo!!! I am so scared that she will get bladder problems if she continues to do this! The thing is though, i have tried to put her back in nappies and she screems the place down (so I am sure she is ready)!

Oh hec - what to do!

lol - the trials and tribulations of being a parent!

 
when my brother was night training his son, he told him that if he had a dry nappy in the morning 3 days in a row he would buy him his favourite power ranger toy.

the first three days he was dry. has been dry ever since.

i wonder if something like that would work. or a star chart. when he has 3 stars, he gets a treat.

(don't know if it will work, but it's an idea)
 
I've heard so many different ways of toilet training. Just wonder whether you let your toddler wear just underpants whilst going out or not (presume you still bring your child out during toilet training period). It will be quite messy if accidents happen..
 
which potty trainer brand do you guys use? some midwives has suggested "training" babies at a young age like a few months old.. like just holding them over a potty thing... has anyone tried this at all? My daughter is now 7 months old and I bought the Combi Toilet Trainer thing.. I bought it early because of the step up stool that I am now planning to use when I bathe her so it's not so hard on my back and so I will get my money's worth =) I don't think I will start potty training until much later... when is a good age to start? How do you know when she's ready?
 
Hi! I trained my son 8 mths now to poopoo on the potty since last month. Everytime I caught him making the sign, immediately I will let him sit on his potty or 30 mins after his meal, I will just let him sit for at least 10 mins. Lucky for me, the technique did work until now. I didn't buy any expensive potty trainer brand nor books. I simply bought a potty from the market w/ a cover/ lid with it. My son seems to get used to it. However, I am afraid that he is so used to poopoo on his potty that whenever we go out the wholeday, he won't poopoo on his diaper until we get home.

Does anybody has this experience before?

Cheers, Adeline.
 
sorry, but i subscribe to the belief that although your son poos in the toilet, he's NOT trained. YOU are.

trained means that he can control his movements and an 8 month old child doesn NOT have this capability.
 
Carang, from your comment it seems that perhaps you would find it difficult to praise? Or perhaps I sense some envy there?
Credit where credit is due, if Adeline and her little man have got communication (or timing) co-ordinated or clearly understood, then congratulations I say.
Each child is different, just as we all different as parents.
 
i do not find it difficult to praise when something has been accomplished.


i was merely stating what I CONSIDER to be "toilet trained"
 
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I understand that incentives could work, but my son would need to wee in the potty first (to get the star) which he just hasn't done. We've bought some sweets (he's never been given sweets) so there is an extra special treat awaiting him, but he just won't wee. Now I've decided to wait till the Oct public holidays and then try try again!
 
re: the distinction between "toliet learning", "toilet training" and who is training whom.

I think that theese distinction are unimportant. The point is to get the kid to poo or pee in the toilet in a way that is not traumatic for parent or child. Saves on diapers and frustration.


Loraine,

You might want to try this:

1) before his evening bath, hold him above the toilet (so his pee will go in) and whistle or make a phhhhhhh sound

2) Before holding him up over the toilet (or having him stand on a stool in front of it) run the faucet. The sound of running water can encourage urination.

3) If he is standing in front of the toilet, put his fingers in a bowl of warm water to encourage urination.
 
My 2.5 year old will pee on the potty but refuses to poop on the potty. He only poops at home and will always run somewhere where no on is to do it. He will pee on the potty only when he feels like it so i have had no sucess in getting him to sit for 5minutes straight unless he wants too. If I leave his pants off he will just poop or pee on the floor. So I guess until he is motivated to do it himself he won't. Somedays he will pee on potty a lot, but hasn't at all for 2 weeks now. I am getting to the point I may try giving him a smartie if he goes. The worst part about it is occasionally my husband will tell me how his mom had him potty trained by such and such an age. I really want him trained before we come back to hing kong so I don't hear any comments from her.
 
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