How do I start to potty train my very independent two year old that is resisting the idea?

Question

I have four daughters and you would think I got the hang of potty traing already. I had bought a little potty six months ago after she turned two because she seemed ready. She will only sit on the big potty and does not get the idea that she can't go in the diapers or pull-ups. She is taking this very differently then I'm used to. Any ideas on where to start on this? Any books or techniques that helped anyone?

Answer 1

Potty candy
Hand stamps or stickers
With the first 2, everyone who uses the potty gets them, regardless of potty training status. Everyone should make a show of getting the prize when they are done.
Have her help you gather up all the diapers and pullups and leave them for the "potty fairy" or tell her you are giving them to a baby. Say that she doesn't need them anymore, because she isn't a baby, and she has big girl panties. Make a show of buying the panties or if you're going the fairy route, she gets a wonderful new toy (or panties) in the bag you gathered the diapers in.
Get panties with animals/superheros/characters on them. Tell her the (whatever is on them) doesn't like to be peed or pooped on, so she has to be sure to use the potty.
HINT: Switching back and forth from panties and pullups can be confusing, put her in panties. It's messy at first, but she will learn quicker.
HINT: There are physical factors in potty training. She may not be physically ready to "hold it" and get to a bathroom, bladder muscles develop differently in every kid. She may not be cognitivily ready for the idea of potty training. Don't mistake this with the favorite cop out of our times "let the child decide when they are ready". Silly, which would you rather, frantically searching for a bathroom, or just letting it go secure in the knowledge someone else will take care of it for you? Especially the stubborn kids, they know how to train you if your not careful.
Good Luck

Answer 2

Ideas:
1. regular underwear, she will lose the comfort value with disposables. I learned this through personal experience. My son was huge and they did not make diapers in his size. At 18 months I had no choice but to by underwear within 2 days he potty trained himself.

2. when you change her diaper/pull up do so efficiently, no speaking, no bonding, etc. Just change the diaper and let her be on her way. This will work if she is working the attention angle, get's attention for not going.

3. potty training videos/books available at numerous bookstores as well as your local library.

4. scheduling, every 3 hours put her on toilet, if she sits there for a minute and appears to have put in an effort tell her thank you for trying EVEN if she did not go. And leave it at that.

5. enroll her in a program with children her age and older. NO BABIES. She will want to fit in with all the big kids. Pre-school is a good example.

If all else fails, let it go. She will be potty trained eventually. Because sooner or later it will embarass her and she will choose on her own to use the toilet.

Answer 3

I am a mother of 3 kids ages 2, 4 & 6...

The greatest advice I ever received was this:

If you want to spend a whole year potty training start your child at the age of 2. If you only want to spend a few weeks, wait until age 3.

My oldest was ready at 2 1/2 - no problems.
My middle child we tried at 2 1/2 and she wanted no part of it. 2 weeks after her 3rd birthday she suddenly wanted underwear and to use the potty. She's been dry overnight from that time and has had only a few accidents because she didn't want to stop playing.
My youngest is 2 1/2 now and is not yet interested, so we will wait until he expresses interest. We are not anticipating that it will happen before he is 3.

Answer 4

Have you tried any of the new pull-ups with cool sensors or color-changing fronts to indicate wetness for the toddler?

What about making it a game? Gold stars every time she's dry and clean when she sits on the potty? Are you asking her to try and use the potty often enough? Maybe she's just a very distractable child and doesn't remember to go try- try leading her there every hour or two and asking her to try. Have you tried the potty seats that fit on the adult toilet to make it easier for her to sit while still using the 'grown-up potty' ?

I've never had children, but I grew up with a mother who did in-home daycare for babies and toddlers, and those were her usual strategies.

Answer 5

I realize you do not desire to listen to this, nevertheless it does not sound like he is capable simply but. It's time to place the huge boy undies away for a couple of weeks and check out once more. Don't even point out something approximately going potty. This is what I needed to do with my son. About three-four weeks of no huge boy undies he requested if he would put on them once more. I advised him he would if he did not pee in them and that he needed to pee within the potty. That was once the tip of diapers for us. On a further be aware, it's tremendously UNREASONABLE for a daycare to count on a little one to be potty informed at two years of age. The usual age for a woman is 36 months and a boy a couple of months later. I could ensure I understood the principles adequately. If that is correctly their rule, then I could discover one more daycare. A daycare that's extra then inclined to support with potty coaching throughout the day.... I've under no circumstances heard of daycares that require potty coaching at two! Just blows my brain.... Good success!

Answer 6

Make a game out of it. I just potty trained my little girl and she had no interest whatsoever. Show her a movie or read her a book about going to the potty. Show her the pictures and ask her questions about it. Ask her if she understands. She just wants to be treated like an adult.....come down to her level.

Answer 7

Do a little babytalk, telling her WHY you need her to go to the potty. If they obey you give them a treat like their favourite game or reading a story. Don't do this all the time when they don't have to go to the toilet or the bribery will fail. Gradually, stop giving treats when they are a little older and they'll soon get the hang of it. GOOD LUCK!

Answer 8

the treat way
if she goes to the potty then give her a treat ie a ride on those horse thingies at the mall or just a candy or something
thats how I potty train the kids I babysit it works like a charm

Answer 9

no book is gonna help you here, mom of three myself and they are all different, my first was trained in less than a week, my second about six months and my third two years, they wont learn til they are ready from my experience there is nothing you can do other than keep trying, you can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink.

Answer 10

OBviously she is NOT ready to be potty trained.