Potty Training~Need Some Tips & Advice

My Mum said boys are harder than girls. I wouldn't know - I only had boys. I remember packing two different sizes of diapers in the bag. It wasn't that bad. Of course, the big one got to pretending to wriggle and kick just like the little one, but it was all good fun. Don't fret - that would be my only advice. It'll happen eventually; just might be later than you'd like.

If I had it all to do over again I would SO not have trained my older kid as early as I did.... it was SUCH a pain to have to know where every washroom in every public place we visited was and be able to get to it NOW!

Sorry Jill! No help here! I learned with my kids they go when they get darn good and ready! With Kolten he started walking like three days before his first birthday, so I decided okay! He can walk, he can go to the bathroom! So we started potty training on his first birthday. We bypassed pull ups and went straight to the tighty whiteys and he would wear them all day and have his diaper on at bedtime. We did this for a week and then no more diapers even at bedtime. After the first day of wetting in his big boy britches he NEVER had another accident and was completely potty trained within two weeks. Then came Klayten. I thought okay I've got this whipped! WRONG! I started trying to potty train him at the same time and in the same way as Kolten. I'd even try letting him wear the wet undies to figure out he didn't like the way it felt. UH Uh! He didn't care. I think he was just too busy to go to the bathroom! lol We finally got him completely potty trained when he was about three and a half-----------two and a half years after we started! He broke me from thinking I had ANY answers! The bad part is one day he just popped up with I think I'm a big boy today, and never again was there a need for diapers! I could have killed him! lol

Throw some Cheerios in the toilet bowl and make it a game. I did that with my son...I found it hard as a single parent and woman to potty train a boy. It worked well for me.

don't rush it, if you have another baby chances are that this older one may revert to wearing a diaper anyway. he's be ready when he's ready. maybe he can go when daddy goes, that's what mine did, at age 5. after that he never wore an over night or a diaper again. get him pullups and live and let live.

My son was much easier than my daughter. Just don't rush it...he'll have the final say anyway.

As a general rule if you start potty training at 2 the child should be potty trained at 3. If you start potty training at 3 he'll be potty trained at 3. For me, my (new at the time) daycare lady started him and used a potty chair. She had two other boys his age and they all followed each other and he was trained in a few days. Each child is different buy I don't think you need to try hard. If he doesn't want to then wait a few weeks and try again.

My daughter was 3 when my son was born and she was not potty trained and just didn't want to. The doctor told us she would probably revert backwards for a month or two once we brought the new baby home but she went the opposite. Once her brother was here she decided she wanted to use the big potty!

Good luck.

for lillie, we promised her a digital camera (she LOVES taking pictures) if she went for a week with no diapers. she had a little check list for each day, and we heaped on the praise every night, as she crossed off another day. then we made a big deal out of going to the store to get her reward. :) if your son has someth he REALLY wants, this might work! it was glorious for us. finally, no more diapers!

My son turned 2 in April and we too are working on potty training. Right before he turned 2 he was going potty in the potty chair and on the toilet all the time. Then all the sudden he stopped. Now whenever I go into the bathroom to pee, i have him also sit on his chair and we pee together. Sometimes he just sits there but most of the time he goes. Then just today I started giving him a skittle or an m&m when he goes. He hates having yucky diapers so he usually tells me when its time to go potty. Boys for me were always harder. My daughter Taylor was potty trained by the time he was 2. My older son, JT not till he was like 3. Good Luck:)

Well, I had girls. The first one was trained day and night by 15 months. She pretty much did that herself. We had a potty chair, she would walk in and sit on it after a bath and potty. She was extremely easy.

The second on was a different story. She was about 2-2 1/2. We finally would sit her doll on the potty, pour water in the potty chair. The doll would get M&M's for going in the potty chair. FINALLY, that one worked. Only because it was our youngest daughters favorite treat and she didn't like sharing with even her doll. LOL

With our granddaughter we all kind of played a 'listen' game. We'd all be real quiet and make the biggest deal out of hearing ANYTHING hit the water. She wouldn't go on a potty chair, she preferred the 'big people's toilet'. May give that a try. She would giggle and clap and so would we.

Everyone I know that has a boy used the Cheerio trick. Or made them watch dad or father figure. Even an older brother. Potty training is not a fun job, for girls or boys. I don't envy you one bit.

Jill... I felt like a terrible failure with my own son. He quit wetting himself by three, but insisted on hiding and pooping until almost four. My aunt had similar issues with her own kid, as well. I've often wondered if most pull-ups are too absorbent, and wonder if the new ones with the cold sensation would be helpful? They weren't around when I trained mine.

I think that kids potty trained easier back in the day of training pants... having soaking wet cotton close to your skin is hardly pleasant, and really obvious when you have an "oops"...

My son is ready...he's just stubborn. He knows how to go, he'll tell you when he's going or when he has to, but when you try to put him on the potty, he stiffens up his legs so you can't get him to sit down. We don't have a potty chair...I think those are gross. But, we have the little seat that fits into the regular toilet so his butt can sit there without falling in. He will sit there, grunt, wipe his butt, flush, and clap...but nothing happened. I just don't want to have a 5 year old in diapers!

Dont feel bad, my daughter was four before she would go poo poo in the potty!! I thought there was something wrong with her and even contacted the doctor and he also said "When they're ready!!" My boys both trained much younger.

Get a stepstool and let him stand like Daddy! Offer him candy (like M&M's) when he does go. Or even a penny when he goes. I upgrade if he goes without me prompting. Our son just turned 3 and he still has the occasional accident, but he is fully potty-trained. He also wanted to fish out the Cheerios, so that didn't work for us either.
Another thought... if he will turn around and "sit on the motorcycle" you can try that approach (as you can't always have a stool for him to step on when you are in public restrooms). But then you have to be able to shed all his bottoms to do that.
Be patient with him, I believe boys ARE harder, but then, I have only p-t'ed one boy and one girl.
You may want to invest in a potty seat (even if they are gross) and let him go when you or Daddy goes. Hearing you "tinkle" can urge his bladder to empty.

Just a few suggestions that maybe will help. And if he still won't go, I don't see you having to worry about him wearing diapers at 5! GL!

I had three daughters and then a son and I really didn't see too much difference. My two youngest girls were just not really into the whole potty thing and my son was almost 3 and three quarters when he was all done. I stopped rushing it and he did it in his own time.

I had girls, and I was a terrible teacher!!

My son was the absolute worst to potty train and the only thing that worked for us was for him to walk around with nothing on. He soon learned that stuff had to go somewhere.

I never had boys, but the minute my girls where old enough to walk, they were being potty trained. Same thing with my granddaughter. We would take them to go potty after each meal, drink, before we left the house, etc. While they may not have liked it, they were potty trained in no time.

My little girl is 2 and 3 months and isn't trained yet. She don't care if her diaper is wet, the pullups being wet doesn't faze her, and the panties being wet were not an issue...I figure she will get into it when she is good and ready. She does use the big potty but she gets ticked if you harass her about it. It has to be her idea or it is no go. She loves to wipe with the flushable wipes tho LOL!!

So many memories come back reading these comments. Don't worry Jill. One day it'll all be fond memories for you too.

I'm with so many others--- they potty train when they are ready. I spent 2 1/2 months trying to potty train my oldest. I finally gave up and went back to diapers. Then all of a sudden one day he took off his diaper and ran to the bathroom. He hasn't been wet since--- that was 16 years ago!

Go with the flow--- he'll potty train when he's ready.

There is an excellent tape that helps kids Pottgy Train. It is equally fun for both kids and parents. Check Amazon.

Gibbs do you have any idea what the name of it is? That sounds interesting

My daughter is 2 1/2 and she still thinks it's funny to pee pee on the floor and doesn't care if she wears wet pants (she flings them). She knows how to use the potty chair and when she's supposed to go but she'll only go when she feels like it. She's very strong willed. I figure when she goes, she goes. I'm not pushing it.

I am trying the Cheerios thing now with my son and he wants no part of it.

With my nephews it was cheerios, fruit loops and one time I found potty targets (they looked like bullseye targets that were flushable). With my daughter the harder we tried the more she resisite. We stopped and before we knew it she was doing it on her own. I was so worried, she was turning 3 and not potty trained. I talked to the doctor and he said not to worry about it until she hit her 4th birthday. Three months after her 3rd birthday she was going on the big toilet. She refused to use a little potty or even the seat you put on the regular toilet. It was all or nothing!!

Congrats - the boy can do it...

Hi Jill, we have a boy that is nearing 2 1/2 and we're planning on doing the one-day potty training this Saturday. We struggled for months with our daughter and made some great strides when we finally dedicated a full day to it. I think I bought an ebook on eBay that was pretty good. You might want to try some of these: http://zushop.com/search.php?q=potty (ignore the dog training ones ;) If any of them work for you, great, if not, get a refund within 60 days.

One thing I remember reading that was unique to boys in the other ebook was to have them sit on the toilet backwards - like they are riding a horse. This will help them get it in and have a bit more fun.

Good luck!

Jill - I am uncertain as to which book we used however here is the current link to Amazon re potty training.... Good luck -

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/002-6809065-8243225?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=potty+training&Go.x=9&Go.y=6

I agree with the cheerios method... I have two boys, 1 is 15 and other is 12 They both were tought with this method. I also have a little girl aged 5. Now, my oldest son was easy to train - fully trained by 13 months using all positive reinforcement, second son took until he was 2 yrs old, daughter is now 6 months + trained. She had under developed blatter, so it took her a little longer on the night time training, was day time trained by age 2 though.

I'm enjoying all the advice too. Just wanted to let you know, you're not alone in having a hard time potty training!

I'm in the process of trying to get my son potty trained too. He'll be 3 in September and likes to go on the 'potty', however, he usually says he wants to go AFTER he already went in his diaper. I bought pull-ups and he's had underwear (which he puts on over his diapers), but we're not quite there, not even close. It seems that everything is much harder with my son, compared to how my daughter was. She was completely trained after she turned 2 and I can only count a few times that she ever wet the bed. My son always says he wants to be a big boy and go in the potty, but it's a slow process. Hopefully, we'll get there soon...I'm tired of spending money on diapers!

Something else to mention, just this week I found this little urinal on Walmart's site for little boys to train standing up. I think if my son was doing better, I'd purchase it because it looks like it would be helpful in training him (single mom here, so need all the help I can get). Anyways, it doesn't have to be hooked up to anything and it has a compartment at the top so that you can put water in it. That way after they go, they can 'flush' it too. I didn't see any reviews on the item, so not sure what others may think of it, but I think it looks very useful and probably something that would make my son feel more of a big boy, like he says! If interested, you can look it up on Walmart's site - I think I had done a search for potty seats and this item showed up. Good luck!