My daughter is 2 1/2 and shows no interest in the potty, people criticize me, what should I do?

Question

I have been trying for the past year to get my daughter to go on the potty, yet she is not interested. I know I am not pressuring her. She just doesn't understand, I think. People give me looks and family members criticize because she is not potty trained. What should I do to answer them or help daughter learn what the potty is?

Answer 1

We bought our daughter underwear with characters she was interested in, My Little Pony, Flowers, etc. We put the underwear over her diapers and asked her if she had to go about every 30 minutes. It took time, but eventually she said she did not want the diaper anymore.

We then started a potty chart. She got a star every time she went potty or poo. After ten stars she got a gift, something like an ice cream cone, etc.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Forget what everyone else is telling you she'll do it in her own time! My daughter was 3 before she was potty trained. What I did for her was get one of those seat's that go on the real potty and a step stool so she could get up on the potty by herself then I talked to her about using the potty like mommy doesn't instead of her diaper. This worked really well because she got to be a big girl! Also I gave her a sticker every time she went in the big girl potty! You might also want to try having her sit on the potty a little bit after she drinks and read her a story she might get more comfortable that way and go while your reading to her. When she does go in the potty act like it's the most wonderful thing you've ever seen that way she feels special! Good luck I'm sure she'll get there soon!

Answer 3

I think the hardest part of any task (including potty training) is figuring out HOW you are going to do. Once you have figured it out, then it is a matter of getting everything together and just doing it. Not only does this article presents the 5 different ways on HOW to potty train your child, it also presents the pros and cons of each potty training method.

There are many different ways to potty train your toddler


http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/Potty-Training/How-to-Potty-Train-Potty-Training-Techniques.htmHe will go potty when the time is right method:

• This method is recommended by Dr Terry Brazelton and is also adopted by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

• This is probably the most used method in North America .

• The premise of the method is that since potty training is a developmental milestone in your child's life (such as walking, talking, eating etc), your task as the parent is to introduce the potty and all the related tasks to your child.

• Then when your child is ready, s/he will decide to use the potty and in effect will train themselves.

Pros
Cons

Very easy to fit into our busy lifestyle
Could take anywhere between 1-6 months or longer in many cases.

Very little preparation required on the part of the parent.
Child may quite old before s/he is ready. The average age for potty training is going up every year.

Does not require a large time commitment or consistency from parent; therefore ideal for working parents
Wetting and soiling can become entrenched habits for children.

Great in concept, but not working well in reality - especially in a society where we are so dependent on the disposable diaper.

Answer 4

You really shouldn't worry. All children develop skills at different times she will learn eventually.

I had a similar problem with my eldest son he didn't seem to understand nor care about potty training. Eventually when he just turned 3 I took the drastic measure of simply stopping him wearing nappies. We had a LOT of accidents within the first day or so, he didn't use the potty once. Second day he used it once only. After that it was plain sailing he was potty trained by the end of the week. I don't particularly recommend this course of action but my son was starting nursery school the following week and I was getting desperate.

Letting your daughter watch you in the bathroom could help. Also maybe she would prefer to use the toilet rather than a potty, you can get toilet seat rings and steps to help with this. Try leaving her nappy off and make her aware when she passes water, not in a negative way just use a simple term like "wee wee" and perhaps show her the toilet.

You should tell your family she is fine there is nothing abnormal about her development and the last thing you want is to give her a complex about it. Also tell them your daughter is her own person and knows her mind and your proud of that fact.

Answer 5

Are you taking the time to let her get used to the potty idea? Kids sometimes need a lot of repetition in order to learn a skill, Going to the potty is a skill that children learn at different ages. In morning, after breakfast, sit her on the pot for a while, reward her for trying, even if she does not quite make it. Sit her on the potty several times a day, even if it not a convenient for you. Don't worry, she will eventually do it, but dont let family members get to you. But remember, you have to keep at her, dont let her wear diapers all the time, she will get tired of being wet and go, wait and see!

Answer 6

Kids are all different. People just like to criticize because they want the chance to tell you how perfect their little imps are by saying ridiculous things like, "Little Bert was potty trained at 9 months old. You mean your little Jenny is already 9months and 5 days old and not trained yet. Well! Hmmm." Ignore them. Children all learn things at different ages and their bodies are different at different times. It doesn't mean little Bert is better or brighter or has a better parent or is Rocket Science material.

Just praise your daughter when she does it correctly or makes any gains. Tell her you're proud of her for trying. I'd say 2 to 2 1/2 is about average for potty training. If she keeps having trouble speak to your doctor if you think there is something wrong, but not because little Bert's mom is being catty.

Answer 7

Well it's not supposed to be up to her! Put her on the potty first thing in the morning and leave her sit there til she pees! You can put it in front of the TV or whatever. When she finally goes, praise her and tell her what a big girl she is, maybe even give her a treat. Put her in pull ups, so you can watch her and take her to the potty throughout the day. Keep talking to her how big girls use the potty and babies wear diapers. You have to do this everyday without fail. And don't let her pull the wool over your eyes, 2 yr olds know way more than you give them credit for!

Answer 8

Do not listen to those that criticize. Sometimes it can take a very long time for a child to be potty trained.

There is a little boy I babysit who is 4 years old and was just potty trained 7 months ago. It just takes time and patience because it won't happen overnight.

Reward her if she goes or attempts to go to the potty. Sit her up there sometimes and just wait and if she goes reward her for it. Let her see you and other women go to the restroom. Don't give up, in time it will work out.

Answer 9

i have a daughter the same age and she is the same way, i had her using the potty at first, but now don't use it any more, unless I'm using the bathroom wit her, so dis is what u should do put her on the potty the u sit on the toilet and use the bathroom and tell her to look at mommy and she will look at u and think what u is doing is interest and she would want to do it too, trust me it should work dats how i did my son, and some of my nieces

Answer 10

My kids were all closer to 3 when they began using the potty. My experience is that you really have to wait until they are interested. Until then, it's just a big aggravating struggle. I suggest backing off the whole thing. Just let her be in regular diapers and let her be the one to initiate using the potty. Of course, you can encourage her along by showing her bigger kids, etc. If she is in a pre-school/ mother's day out program, she'll see the other kids going and maybe start to be interested.
Good Luck!!
p.s. You are going to have a lot of child rearing issues ahead of you. Probably need to develop a thicker skin towards criticism from your family- just smile and say, "thanks for the advice! I'll talk to my pediatrician about it."