How to get my 5 year old nephew potty trained? NO SARCASM!!!?

Question

He will only pee in the toilet but no poop. My sister works full time and he starts kindergarten. Still in pull ups!!! I think he likes his butt wiped to be honest but he can do that on his own. Also, he has ADHD.

Answer 1

My nearly 4 yr old son (September) is still wearing pull ups. Every child is at their own pace for this and that is best or can cause other bigger problems down the road.
Suggestions: My son started using the potty more frequently just this summer, before that he would only pee on it and only if i sat on the floor and read book after book after book to him and I didn't stop & pull him off as soon as he went I read to him some more after pausing to praise his effort and not surprisingly he usually would end up going some more while I was finishing the story. As for the poop, well he was not interested in going, sometimes I could see he was ready to go and tried to get him on the potty but it usually just ended up in stage fright and I dropped that after realizing it was a power struggle and that he'd just end up with constipation and other issues. SO: I cheated, I bribed him. I told him flat out that if he made poopoos on the potty he'd get a piece of candy. That started to work, he didn't go every day but sometimes he would and he was learning to recognize the signals early enough to get in on the potty so he could get his piece of candy. After a while he started realizing it was a lot more comfortable to go on the potty than in his pull up. Also, I put a box of wipes in the bathroom within his reach as well as a supply of plastic bags, the TP doesn't do the job good enough for him so he's learned how to use the wipes (after a very serious discussion of where the wipes go -garbage baggies - not the toilet) and he's pretty much doing it all himself now. He's not ready to give up the pullups yet but since he's started going pretty much on the potty all the time I'm not going to fight him to wear underpants, I guess once he's ready he'll wear them, just like the potty training. For your nephew, is there something that has that kind of extra incentive, a special treat (warning I have honored the offer even late at night despite a no candy at night rule because that was the deal so make it something you can live with no matter when he uses it, and to make it work always honor the deal, if he does it he gets it. After a while of doing it to get the candy or whatever he'll start to appreciate the cleaner feeling of using the toilet, and maybe get those (supposedly) flushable kids wipes or regular wipes instructing him to dispose of them in plastic baggies on hand? Also: We no longer have to give my son candy after going on the potty. We only started the candy offer in the spring. He doesn't even ask for it any more and is still going. Usually he's so busy doing his little boy stuff and he'll stop to go on the potty and get right back to what he's doing so he doesn't even notice it.

Answer 2

Buy him some cool, fun, big boy underwear. Something that has a character he likes, like for example Batman, Spongebob or whatever he's into. Go buy them together and make a big deal about how big boys wear underwear. Then, don't let him wear them right away. Tell him that he will wear them when "there are no more diapers". Set aside a few days worth of Pullups and have a countdown of days until he can wear the underpants. In the meantime explain that he will have to use the potty to be able to wear them and that he will be a big boy, and anything you think may help him want to be ready. Anyway, he will be so excited to wear the underpants, that I'm sure he'll try his best to use the potty. Give him time though, and be patient. Good luck!

Answer 3

The ideal solution to this problem is not as other has criticized, b/c one you are not the mother and two you cant go back in time. Instead if at all possible, take an entire weekend. PLAN NOTHING but to revolve around the bathroom schedule. I potty trained my youngest sister in one weekend with this tactic. We spent every moment of that weekend "potty training." Now it sounds as though he has the initial idea down. So now its on to reinforcing it. If he does like to have his bottom wiped then take time during this weekend to focus on proper wiping. And honestly ADHD HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. if anything this diagnosis has hindered only the parents. Far too many parents use this "problem/condition" as a crutch for their child's unruly behavior as a result of the lack of time to teach their children.

Answer 4

Take it how you want but I think he should have been potty trained long before he reached 5 years old. ADHD has nothing to do with him being potty trained. Sounds like he's spoiled and mom puts him in pull ups so he can have his way. Mom is not trying hard enough. A little discipline always helps and I'm not talking about beating him til he $hits on hmself.

Answer 5

Here it is- it has worked for my 2 kids,and others after I tell them........

1. get m and m's handy
2. get a small potty chair
3. get a couple books about potty
4. you need to be home for about 4-5 days straight
5. now you can start. let them run around bare-but
6. Set the timer for 1/2 hour. Tell him/her to sit on the potty for 5 min. (read them a book in the mean time if it's to long for them.) If they go, give lots and lots of praise!!! I mean go crazy!! Give them about 3 m and m's.
7. Set the timer for 1/2 hour
8. Avoid asking the question "you got to go potty?'
9. Timer goes off- ok! What does that mean junior? Time to go potty again he or she would say, or you say it if they don't
10. repeat process all day long. If they go # 2 in the potty, reward with a handful of m and m's. They are very colorful and kids love them!!

11. Praise praise praise. I do spank my kids for behavior problems such as lying, disobedience, and bad attitudes, but never for having an accident. If there is an accident, clean it up queitly, and don't say much at all. Remind them it's ok, but try to make it in the potty next time, or in your own words.

Good luck!!! Hope this helps you. My girl was potty-trained in one day with the method. Took my son a week. Leave pull-ups on them at night just in case.
p.s. if this doen't work at all, try again in a few months.

Answer 6

While his name will be mud ( more likely his mother's name) around school, just going to school and seeing that the other kids are more independent may be a catalyst to getting him trained. At his age it is not that he doesn't know what he is supposed to do, but that he does not want to do what is required. He will NOT be popular with his teacher as this is a mess for her. Also, the other kids will tease him when they find out that he is still in diapers.
( I have taught Pre-K and Kindergarten) For his sake, do try to use some positive re-inforcement to break him of this bad habit he has. Maybe you could tell him you are going to start practicing for school and that he will have to learn to use the toilet as no one will be able to help him and change his diaper, I would also tell him that you are afraid other kids will laugh at him and you don't want him to feel embarrassed. Figure out what he is into and use that to help re-inforce potty training and be consistant.

Answer 7

I'm going to assume that there is no medical reason that he has a problem with this. If he gets constipated, it could actually hurt to poop. Whether he is or not, it would be good to get some fibre into his diet. Find out what motivates him and work our a reward chart. With my twins, although they were younger at the time, we did a chart for each with five rows of five stars. At the end of each row there was a small reward, such as playing at a favourite park, having their toenails painted "Barbie" pink (although I'm guessing that one won't do it for your nephew!), and the rewards gradually got better and better until at the very end the reward was a "My Little Pony" *and* they got to go shopping for it. I was a bit sneaky and made the rewards things that we would need, such as new toothbrushes, a new cup etc, but they were so switched on to getting that Pony at the end. There were some times where I had to put some little rewards on the chart mid-row to keep them going, but after they got that pony, they didn't need another chart. I also let them ring up their grandparents or their Dad at work to tell of their achievements and heaped lots of verbal praise.

My sister did something similar and one reward was her son getting to ring Santa Claus, who just happened to have the same phone number as our clued-in big brother.

It is really easy to get frustrated and even angry when they don't seem to be progressing, but it is *really* important to stay positive and calm, and not to react too much when they don't succeed, because they can end up using that as a reward in a way. Another thing you have to do is get those pull-ups off him and be prepared for some extra laundry. Take him shopping to get some really cool undies, but also get a pack of boring ones too. Another of my sisters used to let her son dress in his "Bob the Builder" undies, but if he had an accident, she was just very matter-of-fact saying "oh well, the Bob pants are dirty so you'll just have to wear these ones now." It wasn't so much a punishment as a dis-incentive.

Good luck.

Answer 8

I'd start with removing the pull ups.

Then set up a reward system for each time he poops in the toilet. Make a sticker chart and put up a sticker for each success. Once he fills the chart he gets some kind of prize.

If wiping is part of the problem, get flushable wet wipes for him and maybe a hand mirror so he can see his bottom.

Answer 9

I don't think that the school system will let him start school in pull ups!
You say that he has ADHD, but have you considered that he may have a form of Autism? Autistic children can be very difficult to train and don't usually get it until much later than other children.
Have him tested. Talk to his doctor and ask for suggestions. There might be a medical problem that needs addressing. Good Luck!

Answer 10

OMG im sry but i had to do it.... i mean this is priceless... how this is the product of very bad mothering... This is serious... But neway to be serious... Really u should use positive reinforcement.. Like tell him that if he uses the bathroom then he'll get summin in return.. not like an outright bribe.. but i guess if he has ADHD attention and DONT give him attention if he doesnt use it.. That kills 2 birds with one stone cuz he'll learn that the only way he will get attention is through positive actions. Also before anyone says it i spelled clownin wrong like an idiot.