my two year old doesn't want to use the potty.?

Question

Hi...my two year old girl was using the potty like almost getting there for being trained and all of a sudden she comes down stairs and puts her own diaper on and goes in the diaper. she doens't tell me anymore when she has to go and now it's like i have to always ask her and she always says no and it's like i have to put her on the toilet and tell her to go and then she would....I do have a 1 year younger daughter in diapers do you think she wants to copy her sister? let me know! thanks is advance!

Answer 1

Potty training can be SO frustrating! Sometimes it's best if you can let it go and not make a big deal about it. She may just be trying to get some extra attention out of you.

I would try to make using the potty more appealing than using a diaper. Maybe you can give her a special treat or toy when she uses the potty. We made a chart for my daughter, it looked a lot like a candy land board with little different colored boxes in a path. When she went potty we put a sticker or just an x on a box. When she filled up the whole chart (there were about 14 squares) she got a special prize. I would not do anything to her for not going in the potty. You want to keep it as positive as possible.

And, remember, when a child is potty trained has nothing to do with how good a mother you are or how smart your child is. (We had a struggle with potty training my third child, and I had to keep reminding myself of that!)

Answer 2

It could be a couple of things she might see that her younger sister is getting more attention than she was so she wants to be more like her hence using hte daipers again. Another thing is something could have happened. For example my son was almost potty trained at 1-1/2 yrs. But the sitter decided one day to sit him on the toilet and not let him get up till he went (this was after lunch time). Since then he didn’t want to use the potty anymore and would only go in his diaper. I had to wait till he was 3 and ready to try again. She might not be ready just give he some more time she’ll come around to using the bathroom again.

Answer 3

I agree that you should put the diapers away where she can't get them. My daughter was very difficult. I think the key is finding her currency. Stickers, little toys, candy all of that didn't work. One day she saw the program Calliou where he rode the bus and I told her if she wanted to go to preschool and ride the bus she would have to use the big girl-potty. She was almost three at the time. Anyway, that was all it took. Now mind you, I actually drove her to school but by the time it had come around she had forgotten!! :) Something will make it click for her. Hang in there!!

Answer 4

That first person is right; that's how we finally trained my son. We just took the diapers off and put underwear on. He was about 3 and a half. It was hard the first day and a half, but he's good now.

Perhaps your daughter is regressing because of the attention that her little sister gets. There's a special "bonding time" that happens during diaper changes.

Answer 5

I am going through something like this right now with my two year old. There is no hard and fast answer to this. All kids are different. To a child this probably is the most complex thing they have done thus far. Constant reassurance and direction seem to be working for us with our two year old. But for every step he takes forward it seems like he takes two back. He really responds to our making the biggest deal in the world out of a successful potty "sitting". I would have never thought that I would celebrate something like that, but hey, you gotta do, what you gotta do...lol. I have only heard about one person who had an easy time training their child, so that tells me that I am not alone in dealing with the diffuculty of this. I have read probably 5 different books on the subject from authors whose views range from strict to free-spirited. All would agree on this point-Taking the diapers away should be your first step. If your child knows they can take that route, they will everytime.

Answer 6

My two year old is doing something similar. We just decided to back off a bit--if we make it a power struggle, it's just going to be stressful for ALL of us, and as stubborn as our little one is, it would probably backfire anyway. :P

Basically, we try to approach all of our parenting decisions with this question--in twenty years, is it really going to matter? I have not yet heard of anyone who was still un-potty-trained when they left for college, and never once have I been asked on a job application at what age I was potty trained. I doubt a few more months is going to make much of a difference one way or the other.

Good luck!!

Answer 7

My three year old son was doing the same thing when he was younger.. I figure if he was old enough to put a diaper on... he was old enough to take it off and clean up after himself... after about 2 weeks he decided it was better to go potty.

Answer 8

I am wondering if you are showing more attention to your daughter in the diaper and she wants your attention try to reward her when she uses the toilet and when she puts on a diaper let her know you are not please you dont want her doing this until she is 15 do something now

Answer 9

i would tell your older daughter that she is a big girl and that diapers are for babies. i would take my daughter to the store and have her pick out pretty panties that she will love and not put her in anything else. if she has an accident throw that pair away. soon she will run out of her favorites and then you tell her you will buy her more when she stops going in them. it worked for my two year old son. he had it down in less then two days. good luck.

Answer 10

Take the diapers away! Don't put them where she can get them! Leave her no choice.
It might sound harsh, but this is what we did with our child. I told her that if she went in her panties or elsewhere, SHE could clean it up! Of course it was empty threats, but it worked.