potty training?

Question

I started potty training my son this weekend. The problem is that my daycare requires that they be in pull ups while being potty trained. I feel that the pull ups are a waste of time and are also more expensive than diapers. I feel the pull ups are too much like diapers. He will stay dry for an hour then he will go in his pants. I have been taking him every 5-10 mins. I have told him that he would get a special treat like his favorite candy if he went in the potty but its not working. I have also let him sit in wet underwear but I don't want him to sit in them too long as he could get a rash. The father is not in the picture to help.

My son is 2. He will be 3 in April.

My son just peed in the potty right before bathtime. I'm so excited.

Answer 1

Try talking to the day care that you send him to and tell them how you feel about the pull ups. I agree with you. It will just confuse the child because it absorbes the mosture and is just like a diaper. As for him not going on the potty it depends on how you are teaching him so far. If you are teaching him to stand from the start then try put food colouring or a few peices of ceral in the toliet and tell him to "aim" for them. If you are able to have a close male friend or family memeber bring your son to the bathroom with them so he can see how it is done. If not and if you are teaching him to sit from the start then make him sit on the potty until he goes. I know it sounds harsh but it works. Do not let him get up for any reason. Make sure you bring water or something into the bathroom for him to drink that way it will increase his chances of urinating in the potty. If he wants to do something just tell him that he can't until he goes to the potty. That should work becuase he will want to play with a toy that he likes and he will know that he can't until he uses the toliet. Also it helps if you can let him go around the house without pants on so it makes it easier for him to go when he has to. If not then just make sure that he is in clothes that he can easily pull down himself. If you keep bribing him then when he is full potty trained then he will expect a treat each time he goes to the bathroom and if he doesn't get it then he might just go back to wetting himself again. I hope this helps you a little bit.

Answer 2

Always keep books and educational flash cards in the bathroom. While he is sitting and waiting, make it fun by reading to him or teaching colors, shapes or the alphabet with flash cards. I had 2 girls and I did this with them, when my grandson was 18 months old, I started the same way with him. He was trained in no time and he is very smart, He has been reading since he was 4 and is in advanced reading and math in kindergarten. He has known all his shapes, including the pentagon and the trapezoid since he was 2. I praised every little effort and did something special the first time he went a whole day without an accident. Then 2 full days, 3 days, and so on. I really like this because they look forward to their potty time, and they think of learning as a game. It is a great way to start teaching and they don't think of it as unpleasant. Also, if he hasn't gone after what you consider to be long enough that he should need to, try turning on the water and letting it run for a few minutes, sometimes that will trigger the urge to go. Good luck!

Answer 3

I am inthe same baot as you except for daycare. I'm a stay at home mom and just started potty training my son who will be 3 in march. so far so good but I have to go grocery shopping today and he'll be put back into a pullup and I think all the hard work i've done will be wasted. I hope not!!! the darecare should help with potty training and maybe watching other kids use the potty will help him to be a "big Boy" too!
Best of luck in this hard time!!!

Answer 4

My first son was trained when he was 24 mths and my second son was trained when he was 19mths. I found that the best way for my children was to first of all discover if they can stay dry for 2hrs at a time. If they can do that then physically they can potty train. They might not be emotionally ready though. Then I would put them into underwear all day and figure out what "times" did they go pee at, for eg right after a drink, 20mins after? right before nap? right after nap? etc. Once I figured out their "body's schedule" then I would take them every 15 mins or so and I would make sure that I would take them at the time that I knew they would have to go. Also if they had accidents I would have them help me clean it up..I of course would clean up the majority of it, but they thought it was gross so they really tried not to pee there pants. Then I would stop taking them so frequently and just ask them/remind them all the time, eventually they would just start going on their own. My first son took about 3 days my second son took about 2 weeks. Good luck with everything, it just takes a lot of consistency. Whatever you find that works just stay consistent and in no time he'll be trained.

Answer 5

You're putting an awful lot of pressure on the little guy-ease up a bit. It is more costly to do the pull ups, but if daycare requires it, do it.

As for potty training tips-keep it fun. Don't be afraid to let him sit in wet undies-as long as it's not for hours at a time. Does he pee sitting or standing? If he is sitting, sit with him (get him his own potty chair) and play games, chit chat, or make funny faces at each other while he goes. When he does use the potty, praise him as if he just aced a college exam! Make the biggest fuss over him-lots if hugs and kisses!

Make it fun, not alot of pressure. Good luck!

Answer 6

you didn't mention how old your son was?

My son is 3 and is 80% potty trained. He wears pull-ups when he is asleep. My day care suggested I pack pull ups for when he has a nap, but they haven't had to use them yet.

If you son is still wetting his pants so often that you are changing them all the time, then perhaps he's just not ready, the more he sees the kids at day care using the toilet the sooner he'll get the hang of it.

Good Luck

Answer 7

Well, having worked in several daycares, it is very unhygenic not to mention gross. Imagine cleaning up someone elses child especially if they go #2 in their underwear? He obviously is not completely ready yet to stay dry. You have to follow the rules if you want to take your child there. Remember that they are trying to help out as much as they can and have other children to look after as well. It is excessive to have to take several children to the toilet every 5 minutes. Buy a generic brand of pull ups. You are going to have to use them at night anyways unless you want to always clean up an accident every morning.

Answer 8

I also had concerns about using pull-ups. I always thought, "How is that going to help. They're just diapers." But, oh how I've seen the light! They help build the child's confidence. More than anything else, your child wants to feel big. And pull ups help with that. Him having that freedom to pull up his pants makes him feel like he is getting to be a big boy.

Just because he is in pull ups, don't stop taking him to the potty. My son also would be dry for an hour and then go in his pants. I found that I just wasn't timing the "potty time" correctly. It seemed that I would take him to the bathroom, he wouldn't go, but the minute we pulled his pants up, then he went. After a week of not having to change his pull up through out the day (because we didn't have an accident), then we made a very special trip to the local department store to buy the highly saught after "BIG BOY UNDERWEAR". Of course we had to get the ones with the cool characters and cars on them. And he was the one to pick out exactly which ones he wanted. This also helped make him feel that he was big. It also gave him a sense that his voice was being heard and that he could make some of his own decisions. This helps build independence. (Although we all want to keep our little boys baby's forever, we will eventually have to let them venture into the world on their own someday. And when that day comes, we want them to have the confidence and independence to do so.)

We also used the method of bribbery a bit. We made him a special calendar to chart when he used the potty. Every day that he went all day with no accidents, he got to put a sticker on his calendar (which also made him feel big, and gave him a sense of accomplishment.) When he went all week with no accidents, we took him to the dollar store and bought him a little toy. Then we increased the time and the reward. The next time, he had to go two weeks, and then he got to go somewhere special, like the zoo or museum. We also made a really big deal out of every time he used the potty. We ran around the house doing a silly dance and singing a "pee pee in the potty" song. After about a month, he no longer expects a reward. Oh, we still like to do the silly dance and song, but now it's because he goes all by himself w/ no prompting from Mommy or Daddy.

The biggest thing is not to make a big deal out of the accidents, but to make a really big deal out of the success. Your son will start to crave that positive attention, and do anything he can to get it. Kids are a whole lot smarter than a lot of people give them credit for. And manipulation is their greatest skill. I mean think about it, they start they minute they are born. They figure out very quickly what makes us tick. So, turn that skill around and make it work for you. Also, don't force the issue on him. You don't want to make potty time an unpleasant experience. Then he will just shy away from it even more. And don't make him sit on the potty for long periods of time. Think about how uncomfortable most toilet seats are, even if they are padded. If you sit on one too long, you get those rings around your bottom. Well, the same will happen to him. And it will hurt him a bit. His skin and muscles are much more sensitive than ours. And he is not likely to enjoy doing something that hurts his tushy. And that's what you want. You want him to enjoy going to the potty. The more he enjoys it, the more likely he is to do it.

I do not recommend the candy bribbery. You know, sugar, cavaties, etc....all those things that you've been warned about. Not to mention that the red dye that is in a lot of sweets can alter some childrens moods and behavior in a negative way. If you wish to go that route, try something in the way of a fruit or fruit snacks made with 100% fruit juice. Or some jello. My son is particularly fond of the jello cups with fruit mixed in.

Sure, we still have the occasional accident. And that is to be expected. And he still wears pull ups at night. We don't make a big deal out of an accident. We just say that it's yucky and that we want to try really hard, so that next time we don't have to get all yucky.

Keep in mind that not all children are the same. Especially boys. It does, on average, take them longer to potty train then it does girls. And also keep in mind that every child has a trigger. Something that really grabs his/her attention. You just have to find it. It may take a while, or you may hit it right off the bat. Whatever the case, be patient. It will come. One day, all of the sudden, with no prompting, you will here him say, "Mommy, I have to go potty." Or something of that nature. But it's going to take a lot of patience and experimenting on your part. You just have to find that trigger.

Good luck. It does get better. I promise.

Answer 9

i baught my son his favorite chacaterunderware at the time it was scooby doo and i would tell him not to pee on scooby and that helped alot we also but cheerios in the toliet and told him to see if he could sink them or a sheet of toliet paper. make sure you always praise him for going potty and if he is on his way to the bathroom ad he has an acciendent don't yell at im tell him it is ok he tried. try to make it fun also my son loved it whenwe said he was become or is a big boy

Answer 10

you shouldn't bride him. you should make him feel like a big boy. like he's growing up. let him do more big boy activities if he uses the potty. pull ups are about the same amount of money as diapers but they make the kid feel like he's wearing underwear.let him know it's not OK to pee on him self. take things away. it takes time but you have to be consistent.