I have a four year old son who is not potty trained.?

Question

He will be four in March. He is peeing and pooping in his pants 5 out of 7 days a week. We have been very consistent ever since he was 2. We did have a new baby 15 months ago. HELP!!! How do you potty train a 4 year old?

Answer 1

His set back is probably because of the new baby. My son is two and has a baby cousin that I compare him to. I tell him that he is the big boy and his cousin is the baby.

Also, he never took to the potty. He also hated it. He did better with the "big people toilet." We would just go at consitent intervals like ever half hour. He also used to hide when he had to go poop. We would have to pay attention and catch him to take him immediately to the bathroom. He did poop a little but he would finish in the toilet. Of course we praised him and then he would have to go tell everone in the house that he poop (or peed) in the toilet. He would even yell in the middile of the room, "I pooped in the toilet!" He loved the praise.

I also used Sesame Street - Elmo's Potty Time (2006) DVD and My Potty Reward Stickers for Boys: 126 Boy Stickers and Chart to Motivate Toilet Training (Paperback). I go them both from Amazon.com for less than $10 each. Try them. They worked for us.

Answer 2

It may be from having a new baby in the house. Have you put him back in pull-ups or diapers --or is he still in "big boy" pants?

Since he was trained once, you know that he knows how to use the potty --he just wants the attention that he is getting.

I would try putting him back in pull-ups or diapers. And then let him know that there are several places that "big boys" can go that babies cannot.

Think of some activities that he might like that you could take him to "if you were not wearing baby diapers" Tell him that if he can stay clean and dry then he can have the "big boy" underpants again and can do the things that "big boys" do.

Also, remind him that the new baby cannot do a lot of things that he can do. As a big brother, he will be able to teach the new baby as it grows older.

The idea is to make being a "big boy" more attractive than being a baby.

I had a friend once whose 4 year old had NEVER been interested in potty training until she started him in preschool. One day of other boys asking him why he was wearing a diaper was enough! He came home and told his mother that he was thru with diapers!!

Good luck!

Answer 3

Unless a parent has gone through this with a child, there is no possible way for anyone to understand the issue. Ignore people who pass judgement on you for having a 4 year old not yet potty trained. You are not a bad parent. I have 4 children. Currently their ages are 27, 25, 22, and 9. Our 9 year old was a surprise baby, conceived when I had been taking birth control pills for 11 years. I have been a licensed child care provider in my home for 20 years and I have a teaching degree. I felt pretty qualified to take on any potty training issue that came my way until my little surprise baby turned 2. We did all the things we had tried with our other kids and all the things that have worked for the dozens of daycare children I have cared for and helped potty train. We tried off and on all throughout when she was 2 and 3 years old. By the time she was 3 she would run screaming whenever we suggested going potty on the toilet. If we tried to force the issue, she stiffened up like a board and would not even sit on the potty. She said she liked her diapers, she didn't want big girl panties. There weren't any toys, food, trips, sticker charts, or rewards that piqued her interest enough to use the potty for. We gave it all up and tried again when she turned 4, but it was just a replay of all the times before. One day, she was about 4 1/2, in utter frustration I said to her, "Well, when are you going to go potty on the toilet?" She thought it over for a couple seconds and she said, "When I turn 5 I will use the potty." Well, at least we had something to work with then. We let potty training be a "non-issue" in our house after that. She could wear diapers or pull-ups and she knew how to change her own pull-up if she was wet. When she needed help cleaning up after a bowel movement I would take my sweet time getting around to it. We kept the diapers, pull-ups, and panties within her reach. Sometimes she'd wear panties and once in a while she would sit on the potty and pee. But, it had to be on her terms. 2 weeks to the day before she turned 5, she got up in the morning and announced that she was going to wear panties now. She put them on herself and was day and night trained all in one day with no accidents other than a couple that were beyond her control. Our doctor assured us she had never seen a child go to kindergarten in diapers, but I was pretty sure my daughter was going to be the first. She was 5 on July 25 and our school started the end of August so she really pushed the envelope. I would suggest putting the ball in his court and ask him when he thinks he'll start going potty in the toilet. Let him have a little control over it and drop it for awhile. Some kids have that personality that they don't like anything different. My daughter is like that, she'll fight anything new until she gets comfortable with the idea plus she has to check out all the details first.

Answer 4

Boys are harder than girls to potty train.You can try every rule in the book but every child is different.This can not be answered that easily.So just basic potty training.If you have checked with your pediatrician and medically he is fine then other questions have to be addressed.When potty training Urinating is easier than Bowel movements for a boy.Some suggestions:Does he hide in the corner,a closet or behind a chair when he has to go?Giving you warning to put him on the toilet.Learn his habits does he go about an hr after he eats?In the morning?At night.If you learn them and are home with him put him on the toilet around those times.Do a sticker chart for positive reinforcement,let him pick out some special underwear at the store if he has an accident he does not get to wear them,They are "big boy underwear",get the idea.

Answer 5

Boys are known for their stubbornness at being potty trained, do you have a male around who can take your son to the bathroom with him to show him the process? Make a big deal out of it when he does use the potty and be reassuring if he fails, simply tell him We will get it next time. Put him on the potty at regular times, upon getting up in the morning , half an hour after liquids are consumed, after naps and after meals. One good tip is to take him to the potty before you go to bed this can prevent bed wetting. Don't forget the pullups.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I work with 3-4 year olds in a daycare and we use sticker charts and possitive reinforcement in our class. We put up construction paper stars on the wall (at their level) with their name/picture and every time they go potty on the toilet they get to put a sticker on their star. We also sometimes let the children that are having an especially hard time training called mom/dad (you could call grandparents, aunts, cousins...) when they go on the potty or we go around and tell all the other teachers that the child is familar with so that they can clap and encourage the child. We also have a potty song that we sing when the child goes potty and we make sure to praise the child for going. some teachers use hersey kisses or skittles as rewards as well. Good luck!!

Answer 8

Does your child tell you by means of phrases, facial expressions or posture when he or she needs to go?
When you observe signs that your little one may well need to have to use the toilet — such as squirming, squatting or holding the genital region — reply swiftly and assist him/she grow to be familiar with these signals, cease what he or she is doing, and head to the toilet. Praise your little one for telling you when he or she has to go and to learn more about potty Training you have a great assist with this manual https://tr.im/AG37p .

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Answer 9

My daughter will be 4 in a few monthes and we JUST GOT HER POTTY TRAINED!!!!!!!!! Even now she isn't trained at night only during the day. We have a 17 month old so our kids ages are pretty much the same. I wouldn't worry about it. Every kid trains at there own pace. One thing I did that push my daughter a little I think is that I put her in panties knowing she would probably pee or poop in them. When she did I made her clean up the mess (with my assistance of course). I think that made her realize how gross it is to have to rinse out poopy underwear !!!! yuck!!! Hope it helps but over all please dont stress!!!! :)

Answer 10

When I was potty training my 3 year old son, my grandmother told me that disposable diapers made parents lazy and that one of her eight children were potty trained before they walked. I don't know if it is true or not (she also had to carry a baked potato to school to keep her hands warm then ate it for lunch!), but it gave me the idea to put my son's favorite under-ware on under his pull up, so he could feel uncomfortable for a few minutes and was less of a mess for me to clean up, it worked. If he is starting to get excited about going to school (my boys especially wanted to ride in the school bus) you can let him know if he doesn't start using the potty he won't be able to go to school and have fun with the rest of the kids.