Potty training 3 yr old that i only have a few hours.?

Question

I have a good friend who is a single father and has 2 yr old and 3 and a half yr old boys. He works nights so i babysit his kids for him from about 5:30pm and they go to bed around 8:30-9 and he comes and picks them up around 3am (these boys do not know their mother, she left them with their father at a young age).
My question is i know the father does the best he can and is tired throughout the day and probably does not think to take the time to potty train his 3 yr old, i am currently pregnant and can't handle changing a 3 yr olds diaper all the time. I am trying to work with this boy and i put underwear on him and he does really good with me, then when he spends the day with dad and comes back, he's messed up all over again and shows up in a diaper and i put him back in underwear and he ends up having several accidents.
I have expressed to his dad that he needs to keep up the training but it just does not happen.
Any advice on what i can do???

Answer 1

Your friend may need specific direction on how to keep rolling on the potty train. Have you told him EXACTLY what methods you are using to potty train his 3 yr old? Has your friend bought skivvies yet or are you using skivvies you keep on hand in your house? Does he have anything in his house that can help him reinforce the training (potty seat, stickers, etc)?

No offense, but men need specific directions, written or visual, along with a list of tools needed to get the job done. Women tend to be auditory and hands-on learners, so just telling him verbally to keep up the training with no specific guidelines may mean absolutely nothing to him and therefore, doesn't make it a priority.

And Girlfriend, just because he's tired has absolutely nothing to do with the lack of effort; us women have been doing it all (work, house, family) forever and we still manage to potty train the kids, so don't let his status make you feel guilty for pushing the issue when his kid is obviously ready and capable. So be assertive, give him a list and keep giving your friend the support and praise him too for any effort!

Answer 2

You are in a tough situation. All you can do is stress to dad that he does really good with you at night and he needs to be working with him during the day as well. The child will never achieve potty training goals if they are not being done at home because you will have to start over every night. My sitter had that problem with another little girl she was watching. She would do great at the babysitters but mom and dad let you stay in diapers all day and over the weekend so every Monday she had to start over.

Talk to the dad when he has time to sit down and talk. Good Luck.
=)

Answer 3

You really can't do anything. If dad is not going to try the little one is going to keep going back to diapers.

I think it's great you are trying to help out. Maybe you want to convince the 3 yo how proud you are of him when he wears his underwear and tell him he should show daddy what a big boy he is by wearing big boy pants all day long. I think if dad is not taking responsibility try to get the 3 yo to be proud of himself and maybe dad will get the message.

Good luck.

Answer 4

talk to the dad . he needs to work with both boys during the day. the 2 year old needs to be trained too. tell the dad he needs to help you. you both need to be on the same page or it is a failure since the child is getting mixed signals if hes not willing quit keeping the kids