need help with my nearly three yr old?

Question

my son will be 3 in feb, i've started potty training, but i'm having more accidents than hits! today i got through 4 pairs of pants and trousers from 8 till 12 this afternoon. i've two other children that i had no problem training but my son is bloody stubborn! lol he doesnt even seem to notice that he's soiled himself, i've tried bribery, i do the massive amounts of praise thing, i dont scream and shout at him and expect the odd accident, but he just doesnt seem bothered. i dont want to turn this into a battle but short of chaining the little monkey to the toilet, (joke) i'm running out of ideas. help me good people of answers!

Answer 1

Do NOT put Pull Ups on him..this can make things worse. Pull Ups to most kids, are just like wearing diapers. When he does have an accident, don't make a big deal out of it. My youngest daughter barely turned 3 when she decided she wanted to go...the first day of school for my oldest daughter. Maybe he has too many distractions. I know this may sound wierd, but when he does pee his underwear, take him to your bathtub and have him help you clean them...I tried it once. You may also want to try the stickers, everytime he uses the potty, he gets a sticker. And if he gets "x" amount of stickers, he gets a prize. Good luck. :)

Answer 2

I wouldn't necessarily put a "time limit" on your child. He will decide that for himself (sad, but true). It almost seems that the more that parents rush their children, the more they defy being potty trained.

There are a few ideas I can come up with (after having 6 siblings and two children)...
1. They all do it at their own pace. You can have one child potty train at 12 months an another at 4 1/2 it's crazy, but true! Boys are naturally slower than girls at potty training, also.
2. Have you looked into the "system". Do you have a small, cutsie "his own" potty seat that fits into the the bigger seat. Does he have his own seat on the floor (maybe he doesn't like it too much). I find that the more kids can be just like mom or dad, the happier they are. Get a step stool so they can climb up easily.
3. Make it fun! Have fun, no frusteration. Have a Potty song. Rosie Odonnell insists that with all her adopted children that she has used a piece of candy afterward for like the first week as a reward. My mom insists that praising the child when they poop above and beyond praising so they feel so utterly good about it. Others use cheerios and have the child "aim" or "sink" the Cheerios. You can make handwashing fun too. I used to tell my daughter she had to sing the alphabet before she was done washing her hands. Give them their own grapey yummy foamy soap if needed. Really personalize the experience.
4. Rope the hubby in. He may need to see dad go (he needs a "model" and then you praise your hubby like nuts afterwards!) Sounds crazy but if a kid sees a parent going, he is more likely to go. You may want to just try an older child if that is too weird for you LOL.
5. Remember that night time training and day training are whole different things. So I would recommend a pull up at night time for training, or even the day time as well. (Or plastic over the bed).
6. Is his elimination on a schedule? Does he go after naps, or 20 minutes after a meal, etc. If you can figure that out, half the battle is won. Sit him down when you know it's coming sit him there for twenty minutes or however long it takes.
7. Go get all the library books you can on the subject. Maybe even a "kiddie" potty training book for him. You could even go as far as getting a bear or doll with underpants on or one that "pees" and their own potty seat and "demonstrate" with the doll.
8. Good luck! Have patience!

Answer 3

You're doing all the right things already, keep it up.
I know its really disheartening when a child seems to take ages to learn toilet training. My son was 3 and a half when he finally learned. He just stopped soiling himself one day and started using the toilet.
Some kids are lazy. Going to the toilet means having to stop what you are doing. Kids find it hard to stop doing things that are fun like playing and so just soil themselves then ignore it.
Try taking him to the toilet every half hour and see if he'll empty his bladder for you. If he uses the toilet rather than a potty it might make him feel like a big boy and more inclined to use it.
Good luck!

Answer 4

I am in the same situation with my little girl but only when i would put pants on her if i leave her with nothing on she just goes to the potty all the time and when i would put pants on she doesn't bother going, Ive tried pull ups and they where even worse she just used these like a nappy, at the min I'm trying washable training pants so at least all her clothes don't get wet some times she is good and will go other times she wont, it is just trial and error with these things and they all take time is there really a great hurry that he is out of them. good luck and im sure you will find a solution that will work for both of you.

Answer 5

hi, i know how hard potty training can be! just keep at it, if it gets too much then take a break and start again after a few weeks. have you tried any of the training pants/nappies? not sure how good they are but might be worth a try. perhaps go onto the larger manufactures websites ie pampers and huggies to see if you can get any free samples to try to save you buying a whole pack!
also if you want to know more about the development of children in general as well as your own, how about doing a child development course? see the webpage below for provider's details of a range of short courses in child development - you can study at home around your childcare commitments.
good luck with the potty training! x

Answer 6

its still early days.As a nursery officer, i would recommend that potty training is introcuced slowly around the age of 2 years 9 months. Dont stress yourself out by rushing your little one. Some children do not gain the physical control of their bladder until this age. Sum later. If he hasnt grasped it yet it may well be that he is physically unable to contol himself, therefore no amount of praise will help.
He will do it in his own time. Dont compare him to your other children. All children develop at different rates.
the more pressure he is under the less likely he is to potty train. I would try pull ups & let him choose when he wants to try using the potty at first. Gradually he will ask for the potty more & more until he is ready to go into pants. He is still little remember.

Answer 7

I am training right now with my first son. He is only 20 months, but he wanted to be out of the dipper.
Try waiting a little longer. It sounds like he is not ready. I know they say there is a time line for this stuff, but it is all up to the kid. As long as he is potty trained by the time he goes to school, then you did your job.

Good Luck and I hope this helps.

Answer 8

Hi! I can sympathize with you because I went through the same thing with my son when he was three years old. We tried every trick in the book, but nothing ever worked.
As it turned out, he just wasn't ready to be potty trained even though he was three years and three months old. Frustrating, I know! So we were just patient with him, (hard as it was) and finally what did the trick--I took his diapers away forever and refused to put one on him. We helped him to the bathroom every couple of hours and gave him lots of praise when he didn't wet himself. There were accidents, but that's what did the trick for him.
Then we had my daughter and she was trained at 20 months old.
What a difference, huh? My son never would have been emotionally ready to be potty trained at that age.

Answer 9

Just tell him he can stay in nappies if he wants to be a baby, he'll eventually start to realise he's losing the battle. It's not often there's children un potty trained by school age, stop stressing yourself out, just give him a few more months. Or if you do the Santa thing tell him Santa will bring him big boys presents, if he wears his underpants.

Answer 10

My son is just 2 i/2, and still not potty trained. He will go at school and right before his bath. When he is home with me he is not interested. The average age of potty training is now 3. If your son is not interested, it isn't going to happen. Give him time. When he is interested, it should happen fairly quickly. (At least that is what other moms have told me.) Good luck.