How can you get an almost three year old potty trained?

Question

We started to potty train him when he turned two and he was doing good at first but now he doesnt tell us when he has to go. If you ask him if he has to go potty he sometimes says yes but he is very difficult. How can we get him potty trained by the end of the summer 2007?

Answer 1

When i decided to train my 3 year old boy i had to let him spend the daytime (if you are at home with him) without any bottoms on. Some kids don't understand that diapers and underwear aren't the same. When i did this he had no choice but to use the potty and that's what he did... After a week of him consistently using the potty like this, i started putting "big boy underwear" on him and made him a potty chart. Get stickers/stamps that he likes (cars, trains.. for mine it was dinosaurs) and on a piece of the project board draw in block letters a word.. (TOY, CAR, etc) and divide each letter into 8 sections. When he goes to the potty let him help you put a sticker in one of the sections. After he gets all letters filled up, give him that special toy. It takes only about 7 days or so and by then he will be acustomed to the potty... Worked for my 3 year old and he DID NOT want to go to the potty... He's been potty trained for almost 4 months now.. all because of this!

Answer 2

Summer is a great time to start potty training. Put him in real underpants and let him run around just in those. When he has an accident, it's not going to be absorbant like diaper or pull-ups. He's not going to like to be wet. At that point, he should start to use the potty more frequently. Also, if you find the one thing that motivates him that is a tremendous help. For our daughter, it was money. For one month, we gave her a quarter for everytime she went potty. The next month, for any accident she had she paid us a quarter. She didn't want to give up her money! She has very few accidents now.

Answer 3

At three he won't tell you when he has to use the bathroom because he is too engaged in playing and doesn't want to be bothered stopping his play to go use the toilet. Just take him to the bathroom every 30 minutes to an hour and make him sit there for a while. Also if you make sure he has a lot to drink than that will increase his chances of using the toilet when you take him. The first few times will probably be accidents. Once he figures out the sensation of having to go he will start telling you but until he does don't ask him just take him. It will take a while and a lot of hard work on your part and his but it will get easier. It will also help if you don't use diapers or pull-ups because your son will think that it is okay to use his pants as a bathroom. Good luck.

Answer 4

Im currently going through the same thing, except with a girl. She will be 3 next month and I was hoping she'd be potty trained beforehand. I seen someone else ask a similar question so I got some advice there. Im trying everytime she goes to give her a couple m&m's, if she doesnt go she doesnt get them. It's something to try anyway.. Best of luck

Answer 5

I would say that he has to be ready! If he isn't, it's going to take you a lot longer. All children are different and it takes longer for boys to potty train. I have a daughter that is 3 and she completely understands however my first son took forever and finally I waited until he was ready and trained him in just a couple of days. I just took him to the store and let him pick out his underwear and he was really excited about wearing them and if they wear real underwear or panties it is more uncomfortable than when wearing pull ups if they have an accident. With my daughter, she knew how to do it so I just offered her an incentive to do it, Like just me and her would go and have ice cream together that night if she used the potty all day. Good Luck, boys are stubborn!!

Answer 6

Okay this will sound strange and depending on where you live if it will work for you. I let both my boys learn to go outside. They even went in the snow. We started when they were 2 and in the spring. By summertime we were trained and going in the toilet. We also did the Cheerios thing. But going outside worked better. If you have really close neighbors this might not work but if not give it a try. We also have a gum ball machine that I put M&M's in and if they went in the toilet they got a quarter and got candy. My boys are trained and my daughter is 14 mo.old and we are starting with her already. It is much different with a girl. Good luck

Mom of three

Answer 7

I went through the same thing with my three year old daughter. The only thing that worked for me was to throw the pullups away, put her in panties, and watch her like a hawk, taking her to the bathroom every 30-45 minutes. She was rewarded when she did go, too. It only took about three days. She's done super during the day since then, and this was October of last year. She occasionally has an accident at night, but you can put on plastic pants or something for nighttime. Good luck. It seems like a daunting task, but once you crack down, you'll be amazed at how simple it really is.

Answer 8

Take him to go potty every 30min to an hour or even more often if he drinks a lot of liquids, it does take a while but you have to be consistant and he'll get used to the idea even if he says he doesn't have to go just take him anyways and when he does go praise him. Also don't let him wear diapers around the house anymore just have him in plain underwear, he wont like feeling wet. You just have to be behind them ALL day long.

Answer 9

toss 5 Cheerios in the toilet, tell him every time he goes potty and hits 3 of them he gets one peice of candy (or something else that is special).

After he does this for 2-6 weeks, then you slowly start to make it harder, he has to do it 3 times a day for his prize.

in the end you tell him "Now your a big boy and when you go on the potty every day you get $0.25 on friday (or what ever the prize will be weekly) but if you dont go on the potty then you have to stand in the corner for 3 minutes".

worked really well with my two boys.

Answer 10

first of all--don't have a time-line for it--he will snese that you are pressured--and it will come through in your attitude--You can switch him to cloth diapers for a bit--becasue those allow kids to actually FEEL what is happeningunlike the regular diapers which have gel that keeps them dry--with cloth diapers he will feel uncomfortable so will get used to knowing when he is going to the bathroom--he wil become sensitized to it--this will help--then--or even if you don't use cloth for a bit--just keep a portable potty with you--whenever he is in a room--have it there in plain sight--if he is watching tv--keep it near him and then put him on it for a while--help him get used to it-and of course--when he sits on it adn does something--makie a big deal of it and reward him--Do NOT get upset or punish him if he has an accident or doesn't go--just act like it is no big deal--this way he won't have negative associations with going potty--Good Luck-it'll happen!!