does anyone have tips on potty training?

Question

my daughter just turned two in december and i have twins on the way that are due in may. i don't want to drive myself nuts changing diapers 24/7, not to mention the money... i would like to get the little one trained before the twins get here, but i am not having any luck. please help!

Answer 1

Honestly I think the best way is waiting until she is ready. It's too much stress on both of you if you try and make it happen before she's ready...it might even make things worse. I'd say just let things run it's course and she will be on the potty when she is ready...Although..if she's giving clear signs, like telling you she has to go pee, or not wetting her diaper during her nap then she is ready and then you can push for doing it on the potty. One thing that worked great for us is stickers!! Oh and my daughter would not go on a little potty she wanted to go on the big potty so we had to buy one of those little seats that fit on a normal toilet seat. Good luck!!

Answer 2

She may not be ready. Does she at least stay dry through the night? I empathize with your situation, but you can't push, or you could end up scaring her. Here are some things you can try:

1) take her with you every time you go to the bathroom, and try to get her to at least sit on the potty chair. Most little girls her age like to imitate mommy, and this is one more way to do that.

2) Praise her when she DOES use the potty chair. ("Good job! You're getting to be a big girl!" or "Thank you for going in the potty instead of your diaper!") Don't overdo it though or she'll expect big rewards for little things all of her life!

3) Most little girls love princesses or Dora. Show her princess underwear and tell her that she can have some just as soon as she starts using the potty all of the time.

4) CONSISTENCY is key. Find what works and keep doing it. Have her try to use the potty within 10-15 minutes after waking up in the morning or after a nap, and again within 30 minutes of eating.

5) Do NOT compare her progress (or lack of it) to other children! She is an individual and she will do this in her own time, as SHE becomes comfortable with it.

Answer 3

There are so many things that could work or not work but it all depends on whether your child is ready or not.
If she is, start on a weekend when you know you have nothing to do, no going out and no one coming over. Set up her potty in an area that is easily accessible (not necessarily the washroom) where she has plenty of toys to keep her busy. Put her in under pants or nothing even and let her drink as much as she wants to. Set a timer (we used the microwave) for every 10 minutes until she goes on the potty. After she's gone, change the timer to 30 minutes. If she doesn't make it to the potty, reset it for 10 minute intervals and so on. Once she gets it, you can increase to 1 hour intervals but again, it won't work if she's not ready. Oh, and get ready for her to ask if she has to potty whenever you use the microwave...it's pretty funny actually!
But before you do any of this, let her see you using the toilet as much as possible and remember, if you do get her trained before the babies arrive, she will most likely start wetting her pants just as a way to get your attention.

Answer 4

You must remove the diaper completely - no pulls up and no underwear - the underwear has a tight fit and makes them fell like they still have a diaper on.

Ask her to sit on the potty every 20 - 30 minutes and read a potty book while you wait for her to try.

Congratulate her every time she sits on the potty and offer her a big hug and kiss for trying. Then wash hands (it teaches the good habit of washing hands after you go to the bathroom)

When she does manage to go in the potty offer her a small treat like an M & M (just one) and again lots of hugs and kisses for trying, after she had washed her hands.

If she has an accident get her to help clean it up and gently assure her that it's okay to have an accident but she needs to go to the potty as soon as she feels the wee wee is coming.

Dedicate about 2 - 3 days to just stay home and do this and then start going out to the park or shops for about 2 hours with no diaper and try extending the time she can hold before trying to go to the potty.

Always leave after she has gone or at least tried sitting on the potty, never leave home without having her go first.

Answer 5

I understand what you are saying but the child is not gonna fit into your schedule. It can take months to get a child potty trained and even then they are not going to be totally reliable.

It is not fair to try and rush the development of your 2 year old because you are going to have your hands full with twins that is your problem not your child's. I have more bad news for you if you get started with the training, even if you make wonderful progress the child is likely to regress and go back to diapers for a bit when the twins are born. I do understand but the timing is going to add to the problem because the child has a lot of adjusting to do and will need some special handling.

Keep trying, reward the wanted/good behavior but do not punish the bad. If the child should have an accident just dowhplay it and make a bigger fuss the next time he/she does make it to the potty. Good luck and remember to take your time because you have forces( displacement, sibling rivalry) working against you.

Answer 6

Dont potty train your child just for your benifit, children are ready to be potty trained at all different times, make sure that u think she is ready first.

If she is, put her straight into pants, (pull ups still FEEL like nappies for the child and dont work as well because they forget they are not wearing a nappy) take her to the potty/toliet every 30mins. Use reward charts and star charts and lots of encouragment. If she is ready it will happen soon enough.

When your twins arrive beware that this will be a big change for your daughter and she may go back to wetting herself again even if she is fully potty trained by the time they are born....

Answer 7

This is tricky as they will do it when they are ready and you really can't rush it. I had kids back to back and mine wasn't potty trained yet so I was going crazy changing diapers 24/7 for a while. but I never gave up kept trying, but no luck so i decided to leave the older one alone, stopped pestering her. and wallah.. after couple weeks or so she sat on the potty. so good luck!

Answer 8

You want to potty train quickly?

I suggest throwing out diapers and going cold turkey. No pants, no undies just dresses & skirts and go for it.

Then give food rewards for getting it right (like a Smartie or two for a #1). When she makes a mess on the floor, she’s also old enough that she can help clean it up.

Answer 9

the best thing that helped my daughter was pantie training, its where you put the child in panties instead of diapers, she had diapers for going out and nighttime.
this worked well as well as me taking her potty almost every half hour to every 45 min.
also take her potty when she wakes up and 10-15 min after each meal and drinks.
my girl potty trained in two weeks with this method after we fought for over a year techniques.

Answer 10

You will always have to maintain consistency while training. Make sure you put her on her potty every 1/2 to 1 hour. Don't make it a power struggle, just make sure she sits on the pot consistently. The first time she might not do anything, if she doesn't let her up but within the next l/2 to hour put her back on again. Don't let her drink anything after a certain time.