How do I start potty training my 2 year old son and how will I know if he is ready or not?

Question

He pees on the floor after I put him on his potty chair but before I can get another diaper on him, and he wont sit on his potty chair for very long, how do I make it a positive experience for him to stay sitting on the potty chair?

Answer 1

I started out by buying a simple white potty that looked the closest to a regular toilet. No bells n' whistles. Then I got her the "Feel N Learn" pull-ups which are great because when they are wet, they feel wet to the child. Then we had a "sticker" program. I would put her potty in front of the toilet and we would both go potty together. Every time she was successful, she got a sticker that she placed on the bathroom cupboard beside her potty chair. That way she was able to see the rewards of her efforts. And I also made a big effort to praise her really dramatically! Then we'd both empty her potty into the toilet and wave and say "bye-bye peepees/poopoos, thanks for coming out!" She'd sometimes just sit on the chair and "pretend" to potty just so she'd get a sticker! But she quickly figured out that she needed to produce visible results... It took about 2 months. Then I took her shopping and let her pick out her own underwear (Dora). She was so happy to wear them and very, very proud. She had a few accidents but I never made a big deal out of them to her. It got tricky when we went out because it's important that as soon as said she had to potty, we had to pull over right away. I was sure NOT to fall back on the pullups just because we were out. It just prolongs the process. She was able to wear underwear during the day and a pullup at night. Then, eventually she lost the nightime pullup and I woke her at 2am and took her to the potty - every night for about a week. And then that was that.

Every child is different tho - the key is to make a big fuss when they go and not make a fuss if they don't. Good luck with it.

Answer 2

First of all, don't feel pressured to potty train a 2 year old. he may not be ready, and this will make it harder when he is.

I potty trained 3 children... with my son I had him go when my husband went... they both peed together standing up... it sounds gross, but it worked. He also did this with older brother

When my hubby wasn't there... I sat him on his potty seat and told him to go and then let him flush the toilet. If he went I would say.. let's go get a piece of candy and I had skittles ready.... he just got one skittle each time. It worked.

Just use praise whenever he does it.... and when he has an accident say oops... next time use the toilet and move on and do not make a big deal about it.

Also... when at home, keep him in training pants only... and have plenty ready for when he has an accident. pull ups don't work as well because you will not know when he wets and he will not feel the discomfort of it.

I promise he will not be 25 and not potty trained so don't stress.

Answer 3

One way to know if your son is ready is if he had consistent dry diapers overnight. When he wakes up in the morning, if his diapers are dry, his bladder is anatomically ready for toilet training. Does he seem interested in wearing underpants? Can he communicate well, and tell you he needs to go. Often children will tell parents they wet their diaper. When this starts to happen regularly, it is a good sign, they may be ready to begin toilet training. I would suggest that you not use "pull ups" when you are training at home. Children need to feel the "wetness", so go out and by cotton underwear, and take him with you. Make a big deal about the "big boy underwear". Let him pick them out, and buy a few packages, because he will have accidents. The summer is is great time to toilet train a child. If you are at home, he can run around in his underpants, and when he has to go, you both run into the bathroom. If he has leakage accidents, put a piece of plastic around the toilet to catch any spills and not ruin floor or carpeting. As far as keeping him on the seat, entice him with a treat if he is successful -- M&M's, gummy bears, something he loves. Also have special books that he reads ONLY when he is on the toilet. Give it a few weeks, after 2 weeks, there should be major progress, if not, discontinue it for a month or so, and retry when he seems more interested. Good luck!

Answer 4

This sounds weird but it works! I had my boys pee into a (tall)coffee can. You can take it with you in the car and put a lid on it to save for the pouring and flushing when you get back home! It made a tinkling sound and then they got to pour it into the commode and then Flush! They loved it and it was very easy. I would never give candy or toys because it teaches them to want instant rewards instead of doing something and being proud of accomplishing it. If you start the reward game you will be paying for A's, being good in the store, and bribing them whenever they "just don't wanna!",etc. It is better to expect it from him and let him know that you are proud of him. Give him a big hug or make a parade after potty time and you well see an improvement.If he wets his pants just say you will do it next time in an encouraging way. And yes 2 is old enough and No they don't have to be talking. My niece trained herself at 6 mo. We have never figured out how she made the connection with dirty diapers and her potty chair(she got it with the rest of her matching bedroom and highchair set). She crawled up to it, climbed in, sat down and said B! From then on she pooped in it and couldn't stand to have a dirty diaper. It was later that she got it about peeing in it also.Lots of luck and stay with it. If you slake off, it is back to square one with him!

Answer 5

Since you're not sure if he's ready or not, make it fun, like a game. Try out different rewards and see if any peaks his interests. Also, very important, do not use any type of punishment or negative reinforcement at all at this stage, that will push the eventual successful potty training back. Also, depending on where you live, I know alot of people who started "potty" training by letting their little boys pee outside in the grass. I don't know why it works, but it does.

Answer 6

Heck...tough question. Here's what I did...I have three daughters..all grown up now. First..I waited until they where old enough to understand what I was talking about...then we talked about it. I didn't have any problems at all. I mean..they got it...Never had a son so I don't know about that at all. I'd say...any child has to have language skills BEFORE you begin trying so you might think about that. The only other thing I can say is..don't get too geeked up about this. It will happen when your child is ready. So relax a bit.

Answer 7

You could try some kind of reward system, with my daughter i put up some construction paper, and drew a map leading to the zoo, and i told her every time she used the toilet correctly she got to put a sticker up, when she filled the map we took a road trip. I've also heard that with boys you can turn it into a game, throw a few cheerios into the toilet bowl to give him something to aim at. i'm 26 and that still sounds a bit entertaining, i'm way too easily amused i think! Good luck!

Answer 8

If he doesn't talk, it's going to be harder.
He needs to understand that when he has to go to the bathroom, he has to be able to tell you.
Getting those Pampers that turn cold when they get wet will help him realize he needs it.

I found that giving them a reward if they do it right, like a candy bar or something, helps.
But once they get the hang of it, you need to praise him for it and tell him he's a "big boy" now so he doesn't still expect candy.

Answer 9

he should start to take off his diaper or notice when he is wet. throw cherrios in ;the toliet and tell him to pee on them sounds dumb but it worked on my little brother good luck