by Winona (the crazy rat lady)
Member since:
February 18, 2009

Potty Training - HELP!

February 08, 2012 05:37 PM UTC
views: 0 | 4 people recommend this | comments: 30

Parker (who is almost 27 months) has been showing a few signs of being ready to potty train.  He has been following us to the bathroom, watching us go potty, and wanting to "help" by flushing and watching the water swirl down.  Also, when he's got a dirty diaper he starts walking funny and tugging at his diaper.

So, today we got 2 potty chairs, one for our house and one for grammas.  We didn't get any pull-ups yet though.

I don't even BEGIN to know how to start potty training.

Any tips, tricks, suggestions, even on the most BASIC level would be helpful.

HELP!!!!!!!

Comments: 30

Katryn D. Feb 8, 2012, 5:45pm UTC
it's easier than you think, just show him and he will start using the potty as he is ready...

having a boy aiming is the thing to teach...so...

cheerios float...tell him to aim at them in the toilet bowl and try to sink them ;)
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 8, 2012, 10:37pm UTC
I've heard lots of people talking about the cheerios. He's not big enough to pee in the "big" potty yet. I want to get him to pee sitting down on his potty chair first. (I know boys stand to pee, but thats hard for a mommy to teach. lol)
Audrey A. Feb 8, 2012, 7:54pm UTC
My son is almost 3 and I still have a hard time potty training him. He's trickled a few times in the toilet but nothing else. I have him sit on the toilet every couple of hours and count to 20 three times. After we reach 20 I have look in the toilet and see if he has gone. If not, we count another 20. I know he's really not ready. I have read that some other signs are if they don't wet their diaper during a nap and night time, then they are ready. My son hasn't had a dried diaper during nap or night time. The cherrios seems like a great idea that I might have to try that :)
August Lady Feb 8, 2012, 9:15pm UTC
I'm not sure if the counting thing is a good idea~he's not focusing at the task at hand , but your counting (esp. if you've started teaching him numbers). My son was pretty resistant to PT, and his pediatrician suggested I do a "sticker chart" which I taped "Brandon's Sticker Chart" on the wall by his potty chair. It did the trick~he was pretty proud of that. He's 23 now, & I still have that chart tucked away with his baby memories!
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 8, 2012, 10:41pm UTC
Parker did a tiny trickle tonight himself, after I sat him on it after his bath.

I need to teach him to tuck his little peepee down, I guess, cause most of it missed the potty entirely. But he did try. lol

I'm worried about the whole peeing standing up thing, but I've read several places tonight that its common for boys to learn to pee sitting, and learn standing up later.

The sticker chart might be a good idea....
Denise L. Feb 8, 2012, 9:02pm UTC
I never pushed my boys but had the potty chair for when they were ready. I told them it was for "big boys" and when they tried to be a big boy and use it, I praised them for their efforts. Sometimes they would even take a little book to look at while sitting there. :)

They do reach the point where they are ready and it was usually around age 3 for my boys.
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 8, 2012, 10:43pm UTC
Since I put his potty chair in the bathroom, he's been treating it like a big toy, taking it apart and putting it back together. I'm telling him its a potty for him to go potty like mommy and daddy in.

He might not catch on till a few months from now, we'll just have to wait and see.
Denise L. Feb 8, 2012, 11:38pm UTC
Boys seem to take a little longer than girls when it comes to potty training, but they will get to that point with gentle encouragement. One of these days it will just "click" in his head.
Meagan T. Feb 8, 2012, 9:03pm UTC
Good Luck! What activities does he enjoy doing?
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 8, 2012, 10:52pm UTC
Thank you.

He likes playing outside a lot, in his sandbox or on his swing. He's starting to really like to play chase or hide and seek. He likes to play Fruit Ninja on my kindle. He likes watching spongebob and Toy story.

He likes hotwheel cars, and I THOUGHT about giving him a new car the first few times he went poo in the potty, but didn't know if that was a good habit to start.
Pamela Marks Feb 8, 2012, 9:39pm UTC
every time daddy goes send him in same with you when you go in have him sit and show him how to tuck his penis in the toilet and when you are going to the potty that way he can practice on going poop, and when you husband goes he can practice on the peeing part
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 8, 2012, 10:54pm UTC
The tucking in is going to be tricky, I think. He sat on the potty and peed just a tiny bit tonight, but most of it missed the potty entirely.
Pamela Marks Feb 8, 2012, 11:07pm UTC
that happens lots of messes keep a pee mop handy
michele r. Feb 8, 2012, 9:41pm UTC
I am now potty training Lil Keith, who is 28 months old. He is handling the going to pee part wonderfully but the poopy part is not going great. We do hi-5's every time he goes to peen in the potty and I intend on getting him some stickers this weekend and create a sticker chart. He is afraid to poop in the potty yet but we will get there. One problem we are facing is that we bought him a small potty chair that sits on the floor and we bought the potty ring that sits on top of the toilet.... he does not like the potty ring he would rather use the chair. Good luck. Wish I could be more help.
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 8, 2012, 10:56pm UTC
This might sound like a funny question, but are you teaching him to pee sitting or standing?
michele r. Feb 9, 2012, 12:56pm UTC
Sitting down. The potty chair is not deep enough for him to pee standing up.
Diane Huizenga Feb 9, 2012, 10:18am UTC
It's a touch deal but just sit him on the potty sit several times a day, sooner or later he will use it.
Susan G. Feb 9, 2012, 11:17am UTC
Back when I had babies we trained them earlier. My first was 100% trained (no accidents ever) by 14 months and the second by 16 months. My mother in law had all 7 of hers completely trained by the time they were a year old. My husbands training was complete at 8 months. My mother in law had told me that she held one of their hands in warm water whenever she sat them on the potty and praised them when they peed.

I think boys are normally trained to pee sitting and learn to pee standing when they are a bit older and taller. Potty chairs used to have a deflector for the boys because otherwise they would spray all over whatever (or whoever) is in front of them.
Nana to Seven Cutiepies Feb 9, 2012, 6:31pm UTC
I was going to say the same thing as Susan. The oldest (one of mine) was 18 months. We always trained in the beginning of summer. Same with all my friends kids, so I am surprised at the age they start out now.
I'm also surprised that potty chairs do not come with deflectors any more.
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 9, 2012, 7:08pm UTC
His has a deflector, but it is TINY.

The one on the chair his gramma got is much higher/bigger.
Susan G. Feb 10, 2012, 9:42am UTC
I didn't mention that my personal opinion of using cheerios to improve their aim also teaches them to pee on food. I would suggest something else be used as a target. Perhaps a bullseye would work.
Winona (the crazy rat lady) Feb 10, 2012, 11:48am UTC
I read somewhere (cant remember if it was in this comment thread or somewhere else online) that people were floating the corners cut from envelopes as ships for them to try to sink.
Betty S. Feb 10, 2012, 3:09am UTC
I potty trained my Grandson during the summer months after his second birthday.He would go
potty with Grandpa in the bathroom so that established the idea of what his potty chair was for when he pooped, as we lived in the country Grandpa would take him outside and when he needed to pee John watched him and learned the standing up part.Sometimes we would have him to aim at the dog or whatever the thing of interest might be when he was standing on the porch. He was two in April and by the end of summer he was completely trained. I just used reg. little training panties on him.
Cassandra Ogden Feb 11, 2012, 1:44am UTC
All I did with harmony was whenever she wanted to sit on the potty, I would encourage her - the same if she told me she needed to go potty but i never forced her to do anything...she eventually potty trained herself using this method.
DarkBeauty 73 (Melanie) Feb 11, 2012, 6:14pm UTC
good luck have him sit down with a book and look at it of read it too him, check to see how long he goes being dry.
Beth J. Feb 16, 2012, 8:08am UTC
Comment Fairy
Was Here
Chrissie Klinger Feb 27, 2012, 10:50pm UTC
Our daughter was super easy to potty train. Our first attempt with our son was a mess, then we took a break and tried again. First of all plan to stay home for a solid week or two and at first reward any progress with anything that will keep him excited about going to the potty. If he really fight you on it after a few weeks you may need to stop and try again after taking a break OR get firm. The second time around with my son we did lots of rewards and even though we had tried it the first time, he wasn't ready, when he was ready it all worked out. Potty training takes weeks not days to master!
Marsha C. Mar 5, 2012, 10:50pm UTC
sticking with it is the best advice---something my daughter is not doing with Jacob and he will be 3 June 1. I'm sure not going to have him running around my house peeing and pooping on my floor!

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