I am in somewhat of a conundrum.
On the one hand, I want to be that mom who is totally laid-back about potty-training. I think that pushing kids to train early is neither developmentally or psychologically appropriate. Plus, potty-training is a pain. So my motto has always been: wait until they are completely ready, and then wait a little more. They will get there. No hurry.
On the other hand . . .
I really really really really really want India to start preschool with Jafta this summer. I am so looking forward to a little peace and quiet a couple mornings of quality time with the baby. So I may have starting pushing the potty training just a wee bit.
(get it? wee?)
Which is making both mommy and India a little pissy.
(omg I am cracking myself up with the wordplay)
So any ideas for getting India potty-trained in the next two months, without making both of us crazy?
When we potty trained, I put the kids in long t-shirts and nothing underneath. There’s something about it running down the legs that would freak them out a little bit. Also, I put a couple of beach towels on the living room floor and that is where they played until they could go a whole day w/o an accident. (I know it sounds like housebreaking a puppy…but it is kind of the same thing) We didn’t worry about sleep (still used diapers). We also rewarded them for pooping in the potty (stickers) since a lot of kids try to hold it.
I like what JenniferJ said. The puppy training 🙂
I am NO expert, as we’ve struggled a bunch here. But I have an Aunt with nine kids. They all trained in 3 days. They just never went anywhere for those three days, so that’s tough. But she would just keep them in unders and all they focused on was trips to the potty.
If India fights it “I DON’T HAVE TO GO NOW!” It might work to just say OK and set the timer for another ten minutes preparing her for going when it goes off.
During those three days, have lots of juice around and give it to her all the time 🙂
Try this approach. The true goal of potty training is dry underpants. So every 30 minutes or so ask her “are you dry?” Chances are she will be dry and can answer “yes” correctly to that question and feel good about it! Plus that reinforces the goal of being dry. Somehow when we ask the question are you “wet” it comes across as being an undesirable result and they don’t know or don’t want to respond no. It worked for me with all 3 of my kids. Good luck !
That was me that left the “Are you dry” advice. I was somehow logged in under my husband’s name. He, bless his heart, had no clue about potty training – LOL !! Though Gary did change a lot of diapers – I will give him credit for that!
Oh, one other thing. The kids got to pick out “character panties”, but they only got one pair per day. We also had boring white panties. If you have an accident, you don’t get another pair of “character panties” till tomorrow. Ana wanted her TinkerBelle panties SO bad, that if she was dry all day, I’d let we wear them over the diaper to sleep. 🙂
Phoebe is two and a half in a month. We have NO NO interest. So I have nothing to tell you but this:
the more you want it — the less likely it is to happen.
You are a shrink … you can unwind the illness behind my way of thinking … but I swear to you – it is true.
Does she want to go to pre-school? I got my second one trained because she wanted to go to dance class like her big sister. I told her I couldn’t afford dance and diapers. It didn’t affect her until we actually signed up her big sister and she said, me too. I told her not until she was potty trained. She went home and put on panties and only had one or two accidents. She was 2 1/2. I never bothered with pull-ups. She is 16 and her sister is 18. With the first one I tried everything to get her trained before the baby was born. Nope. Notta. She trained herself for no apparent reason when the baby was 6 weeks old.
Amy(TN)
We let Tanner sit on the potty before he goes to bed and he gets a pee-pee treat for trying. (He has gone once.)Now every time he gets a little piece of candy he calls it a pee-pee treat. I think the Easter Bunny is going to bring him a lot of pee-pee treats.
Dude, if you get it figured out, please let me know. Because Emmanuel is going to be FIVE in May, and he still routinely pees his pants twice a day.
It is making me batty. The child may have to be homeschooled because he cannot go to KINDERGARTEN not fully potty trained.
Lord help me.
We did a combo of all of the above. We chose a long weekend when Jesse and I could both be home. We kept Liam in a shirt and underwear of his choice. We loaded Liam with juice, chocolate milk, capri suns… whatever he wanted. We had him go to the potty every 15-20 minutes. He got one m&m for trying and two for actually going. We cheered everytime he did anything and were just ridiculously positive all day. We put him in a pull up for naps (but he didn't wet) and a pull up at night (but after the first night he didn't wet the bed). Pooping in the toilet was more dramatic. He was afraid that the poop was going to jump up and bite his bottom. That took 3 days but he had a special toy that he got when he did that. We had a party and made cupcakes after he pooped.
We may have just had a child that was really ready but this all seemed to work great! Good luck!
my oldest is special needs and might not ever be potty trained, so I find it very hard to believe that I will ever NOT be changing three butts a day… May it be so, and soon! 🙂
It can be very hard on a child to rush potty training. You might want to be sure you have the right motives. It will be nice to have quiet time with the baby but India needs her mommy too. She may not be ready. Are you doing what is right for *her* or what you think *you* would like?
I agree with the stay at home and let her run around naked for a week or so. It worked with my four and we are now about to start on number five….
I would also tell anon to pound salt…
Such good suggestions, thank you! I am gonna try the naked, timer, and the panty incentive. And yes, anonymous, India is quite excited to start preschool. But even if she wasn’t, I would be okay with making that decision for her for a couple mornings a week. Because (gasp) sometimes I make decisions that benefit me, too. And the only thing worse than throwing guilt on your parenting choices is having other moms do it to you.
You make decisions for your kids?? I am horrified! How dare the adult in the family make choices for the younger ones…selfish, very selfish…
If I didn’t insist, Sam would be the only five year old at kindergarten breastfeeding, sucking on his soother, and wearing a diaper..
Such great ideas!! Grandma will be glad to buy some cutsie panties–Tinkerbelle OK?