How do I get my 3 yr old son potty trained?? He goes at school but not home...?

Question

My 3 yr old son will go to the bathroom at daycare but refuses to go at home. Every weekend I try to work with him with regular training pant. I have two younger children still in diapers, and I guess that is part of the problem. He uses pullups at daycare. I have tried sitting him on it, prizes, bribery, potty parties, EVERYTHING. I am scared he will be the first kindergartener ever still in diapers.

Answer 1

have u tried making a sticker chart and awarding him a sticker each time he goes on the potty. then when he reaches a certain amount of stickers, he gets a small pressie. i have suggested this to a few parents at the pre school i run and they said it has worked, good luck

Answer 2

I would not use those pull ups, use regular training pants so that his is very uncomfortable when he has an accident, those pull ups are too much like a diaper. Only resort to the pull ups at night while he's sleeping, and make sure to put the training pants on at all times when he's awake, do not go back and forth from one to the other. Watch his liquid intake at night and be very strong about the fact that he is a big boy now and he must pottie in the big pottie. Good luck. Also maybe if you have a little older niece or nephew that could come over who's pottie trained, so maybe then he'll want to be like them, sometimes this helps if he has no older siblings.

Answer 3

I was in your boat.... its so hard to train a kid when you've got two younger ones to watch as well.... a pain. When you have a weekend that you can stay put in the house and possibly have any help with the other two, here's what may be effective. First, ditch the training pants/pullups and go right to underwear. Increase his fluid intake. Start by taking him to the potty every 15 minutes. You can gradually move up to 30 minute intervals, then 45, etc. I kept a basket of books by the potty to help keep them entertained, but use whatever would work for your son. If he produces, give him a reward (whatever you think will work best) - and ONLY give it to him when he produces on the toilet. ANd of course praise like crazy. If he does have an accident, don't be afraid to let him sit in it for a short while - for the majority of kids, this is a huge deterrant for accidents because its so uncomfortable.

This worked for my 2 sons, now 6 and 4, and my daughter who's almost 3. Try not to stress, he will get trained, I promise! One of my sons was pushing 4, and I was sweating it, but he did it! Best of luck!!!!

Answer 4

I am a successful potty trainer of three and 1 very recently. You see it seems he may be playing you. If he has the ability to go at school he also has the ability to go at home. Make a big deal about how he is a big boy now. Try putting him in regular big boy underpants for the weekend and try to stay home as much as possible. Monitor what he is drinking and about 15-20 after a cup of juice chances are he has to go. He may go in regular underpants and think it is gross. Those training pants are too similar to diapers if you ask me. This has worked with two of my stuborn children so I wish you all the luck in the world. I know it's hard but stick to it he is right there... he's just really smart. Try to find something, ANYTHING that he REALLY wants and tell him if he goes all weekend he can have it then first thing Monday get it. Also try to remind him of all the fun things that big boys get to do... if he still wants to be a baby then he can't do those big boy things. Hope some of this helps. Agian good luck and happy laundry.

Answer 5

well, having a daughter that refused to be potty trained until she was 5 (and yes they WONT let you in Kindergarten until you are) he could only be the second kindergartener in diapers - nothing worked... new underwear, having her go on the floor and making her clean it up, stickers, prizes, getting in trouble, showing her other kids younger than her that got to wear big girl underwear, leaving her in it (all it did was cause infections - yes she would sit in it that long)... my final potty training with my little stubborn one was when she woke me up at 5am to tell me i needed to go to the store and buy more diapers because she was out. I looked at her and said "if you are old enough to be having this conversation with me, you are too old for diapers- im not buying any more so get used to it." ... admittedly, most kids dont take the stubborn that far...

i also had the issue that she would go at daycare but not at home... the things the daycare ladies pointed out to me were these:

1. they take all the kids at the same times every day and always at a regular time after snack, after play, after lunch, so everyone had to at least try.

2. some kids are afraid of the big toliet (or in my daughters case, the big toliet or any brightly colored silly potty chairs)... the day care had little mini versions of a big toliet... no climbing up or seats that slide or anything... once i found a potty chair that was just plain white and looked more like a toliet, i had no problems at home.

3. keep it the same at home as at school.. ask what times they take them to the bathroom... ask what times meal and snack times are and use the same if possible ask how they say it... some do a cute little 'potty time' song that he could be used to...some dont... if he uses pullups at school, use them at home... usually if you can duplicate the same conditions, you can get the same results..

Answer 6

Is there a father? If so, have him help you. If not, ask your son why he goes at school and not at home. Maybe there is something in the bathroom at school that is relaxing for him. If that doesn't work, then bribery sometimes does. Tell him he can't have something he really likes, like ice cream or a certain toy or something like that, until he uses the bathroom at home. And stick to it. And make him wear regular underwear at home- NO PULL-UPS!!!!! Those things just reinforce the need for diapers. Once he gets the feel of big boy undies being soaked or pooped in(YUCK) he may just start going. Don't cave in and NO MORE DIAPERS!!!

Answer 7

my 6 yr old refused to use the potty totally but finally once she started kindergarten(she goes to a special ed school) she finally started using the bathroom.. Just keep the faith and try not to let it get you depressed because he will use it at home when he feels comfortable. Now my 4 yr old loves the toilet at her school and was scared of ours (the size issue i believe) but when the potty got thrown away she had to use the toilet although we did go buy the little seat that goes on top of ours for her(she chose dora). Praise him and use rewards like everyone said but also just talk to him and find out how he feels about the toilet. My 4 yr old told her teacher there was a monster in our toilet and she was scared to use it for that reason so we worked on getting that fear taken care of.
Good luck and he still has time to get totally potty trained.

Answer 8

I know it is very frustrating, and it sounds like you're watching him closely at night and on weekends, which is a must. I would take him every 30 minutes and insist he try and go. Have you tried the Cheerios in the toilet thing, where he aims at them with his urine? I've heard it works. Is he at all interested in big boy underwear with characters on them? If you can find him some he likes, he may want to wear them, and not "drown" his favorite character.

Kids can be fickle, and he is probably acting out about the others in diapers, but he will learn eventually. I was embarrassed that my 3 year old daughter couldn't go to pre-school because she wasn't potty trained and it took us about three weeks of watching her like crazy to get her trained, and she still has accidents at night occasionally. Good luck to you. It's one of the hardest tasks for little ones. I think it's worse than losing a bottle or pacifier, for sure!

P.S. In the summer, if you have a discreet yard, you might let him pee outside. Some boys really love that!

Answer 9

At home I would start using underwear, and not pullups. Set him on the toilet once an hour - at first it will be time consuming, but, won't take long before he catches on that he doesn't have a choice - but, to go. limit the juice intake- makes you have to go more - I also use stickers, or something he likes, at the end of the day if he stays dry - he gets the reward (thats what I do).

Answer 10

They won't let him in Kindergarten if he's in diapers, ha ha. My son had a hard time too. Leave his diaper off and tell him he has to use the bathroom. That's it! End of discussion! If he has to go to the bathroom - he will go. If he goes on the floor, make him help you wipe it up. Sounds gross, but it works. If he goes in his pants, then make him help you wash them out and tell him "see, this is yucky -- next time use the toilet". Don't yell or make him feel bad. Just give him the facts.....see honey, this is why we use a toilet. I promise you, if you throw out your diapers and he goes a few times without them and you make him help you clean it up - he will start using the toilet.