Anyone have any great tips to get my 3 year old daughter to go #2 on the potty?

Question

She's great at using the potty otherwise...just having trouble getting over this last hurdle! Thanks for any tips you have!

Answer 1

Have you already tried offering M&M's? Also, sometimes all a toddler really wants is privacy. Does she already go by herself with the door closed? Sometimes that works enough... it is hard to say not knowing what you may have already tried?? Hmm... there are also books... I know of one inparticular called Zoo Poo, I think, and it's about how... well... it's about how "everybody poops" :) Also maybe try (if you haven't already) buying her some of those moist wipes for kids. When we were first trying to train my daughter for going #2 on the toilet I bought her those wet wipes just for toddlers - I think they are the Kandoo brand? I told her I was buying them especially for her so she could use them when she went poopies on the toilet. That was kind of fun and mader her feel "special" 'cause they were just for her. Also the foaming handwash is nice too, to go along with the wipes... :) Good luck!

Answer 2

Oh, the days of potty training ;) I wish you luck!

Make sure you offer your daughter plenty of praise. Young girls enjoy being reminded that they are 'big girls', so tell her that she will be a very big girl if she can poop on the potty. Make a special sticker chart, and take her to the dollar store to buy a sheet or two of her favourite stickers. Tell her that for every time she goes poop on the potty, you will allow her to choose a sticker to put on the chart. Once she has earned three stickers, or whatever your limit may be, give her a reward - perhaps taking her out for ice cream, buying her a new toy, etc. This will encourage your daughter and after awhile, she won't want to return to the diaper phase - if your praise is enough, she will be willing to remain on the potty.

Don't stand there and watch her like a hawk, either. Make sure you give her the privacy she needs, but in the meantime make sure that she actually does go to the bathroom - 3 year olds can be pretty sneaky. When she is finished, clap for her and tell her what a good girl she is. Then remind her to flush the potty and wash her hands with soap. Boast about how she pooped in the potty to Daddy, Grandma, your friends, etc. so that she is proud about her new accomplishment.

Good luck!

Answer 3

After she goes the bathroom in her pull up make her stay in it for a long time. This will only work if she is like my daughter and came and told me right after she did the deed and wanted me to change her. Sure it smells but it is also very uncomfortable to a three year old. Also, show her how if she choses to use the potty she can use her own personal wipes and use some really cool foaming hand wash. Hopefully this could persuade her to use the toilet. This also gives her the choice of the pull up or toilet. Having the choice might help her to decide to use the toilet. Some kids only want to do things on their terms.

Answer 4

This may seem a little crazy but this iss what worked for my son sing a song about going #2 on the potty and say something like she such a big girl and clap kids need to be praise offen i also give my son who is 21months a toy when he sits on the potty he dose a great job now that he is praise for his work.

Answer 5

All of those are good ideas, although I dont really recommend giving a child M&M's for going potty. I am not a big fan of rewarding good behavior with food. It can lead to eating problems later in life.

I sat with my daughter when she was learning to go poop by herself on the potty. I think that since it takes longer than just peeing its hard for them to be patient and go. Taking their time and going all the way is so important for them.

I sat on the big potty while my daughter was on the little potty, I read her books, talked to her, sang silly songs until she was finished. Now she takes a book with big pictures and goes on her own.

I definetly recommend getting her some special hand soap (Kandoo, Huggies Clean Team) and some flushable wipes. That way she learnes good hygene along with learning how to go potty. The process might take awhile, but eventually they learn to go on their own.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Always give her positive feedback first of all. Is she completely out of diapers and goes in her underwear? Or does she wear pullups?? I just put my daughter in underwear and had told her that she has to go poopy on the potty cause she doesn't want to go in her underwear otherwise she'll be sitting in it. It worked for her. Sometimes I would have to sit right in front of her while she was on the potty telling her she can do it and that she's a good girl.

Answer 7

My son loved the book "Everyone Poops". It really helped him get that part of potty training down. It is a great story. Also, this might sound gross but I used one of those potty time Elmo toys and we would take small tootsie rolls and say that Elmo went potty. Then we would clap and cheer for Elmo. My husband and I would yell... "GOOD JOB ELMO... you are such a good boy..." etc. etc. He saw that and kind of got the message that is what he needed to do and he was somewhat jealous that we were laying all of the attention on Elmo for doing so great. Good luck.

Answer 8

I am working on this now. I made my 3-yr-old son a chart and he has to get all his stickers for one row and then he gets to pick a toy out of a box of them that I bought. He likes to put the toy he is earning on the back of the potty so he can look at it when he goes to the bathroom. He only gets toys for going potty! NO FREEBIES...LOL!