Help with Potty Training - Surprise,AZ

Hi, I had my daughter potty trained by the time she was two. I just got her undies and told her to let me know when she needed to go and she did. I use the potty that goes over the toilet. I think it's better to just keep it simple and not make a huge deal with rewards etc. but just praise her when she does go. Good luck!

Hi D.,
This may seem kind of a dumb question, so I apologize ahead :)

Don't they call it potty "training" for a reason?

You made the decision to start her (good for you!!!), but now it is your *responsibility* to keep her on track, Mama.

Giving her the choice of when to sit and when not to sit is too confusing and (as you can see) an opportunity for your little one to make an issue out of it.

Until she is trained (i.e. can reliably judge for herself what her bladder and bowel are doing most of the time), I would suggest you stick to scheduled potty-sitting times.

T

PS: I think "commando" (naked) potty-training is awesome :)

I am all for the diaperless way, we did that with my son and it worked great. There will be accidents but only a few and then she will get it. my son was fullypotty trained by 2 and we have not had any accidents and he doesn't need a pull up at night. If you haven't tried pull up they work well too, store brand are like half the price and work just as well. Hope that helps!

I let my daughter go diaperless. There are a few messes, but it is what is recommended outdoors if the weather permits in toilet training.

My daughter is the same age and doing the same thing. She did really well for about a week, then kind of got tired of it. We made a big deal when she would go in the potty, made a big deal of going and flushing it (which she loved), then would give her a "special treat" afterword (Annie's Organic gummy bunny treats).
But now she keeps going on the floor, or wherever she may be sitting. Frustrating. I know. I think she does that when she wants extra attention, because we get pretty mad. Kids are very experimental at this age and want to see what reactions they get to different things. I think what we are going to start doing is not reacting AT ALL when she goes on the floor. Just clean it up and don't say a word. No reaction. And then do lots of positive reinforcement when she goes on the potty. See how that goes.
To avoid stains, we usually wipe up right away with water and with Bac-Out (Biokleen). It gets anytyhing out.
Good luck with yours!

I feel like it is more a battle of wills....

So why are you battling?
What is the worst thing that will happen if she goes diaperless?
What is the worst thing that will happen if you wait until she is really ready to WANT to go in the potty?
What are you really worried about? Is it worth worrying over?
What is your inner wise mamma saying to you right now?
Who is it important to that she goes in the potty every time now, or even at all right now? Why is it important?
How would you feel in your body if you continue to encourage when she goes, and just clean up the messes when she doesn't?
How would you feel if just let her wait?
What is she really needing to do? Listen to her too.

When we take the time to respond to our children (or anyone really), with compassion, love, and humor, we usually know the best thing to do. And believe me, I KNOW how extremely difficult this can be sometimes. Sit down. Breathe in. Breathe out. Now just listen....what do you know now?

Much good energy to you for many Blessed days.

In peace,
A.
mom of 4, Birth and Parenting Mentor
www.birthingfromwithin.com

If you want to potty train, then potty train....do not go back to diapers or it will be harder to potty train. I think all kids like to be naked as much as they can at that age. If you feel like you don't want her to be naked, try having her wear panties instead of diapers or pull ups. Tell her that girls need to wear panties all the time so people don't see their bottoms. Maybe if you take her to the store to pick out her own panties she will feel like she has some control over the situation. Also remember that when you are potty training kids don't always know when they have to go to the bathroom, they don't know the signs yet. You need to ask her every so often if she needs to go potty, especially after eating and drinking. Rewards help too.

Why not make her wear "big girl panties"? You'll still have wet messes to clean up, but it's a compromise - plus she has something wet afterwards to feel the consequence of not using the toilet.
(Plus I personally feel it's important to encourage modest dress habits at all times, not running around naked.)

Go diaperless and don't get upset at messes. DO NOT Make this a power struggle. You'll regret it later on. At this stage, she needs to feel like she has control over what she's doing when it comes to the potty. Make it fun. Yes, she may or may not go when she sits down, but that's totally normal. At first she doesn't go much, then it progressively gets better. I like The No Cry Potty Solution (or something similar) by Elizabeth Pantley. Good luck!

I let me boys go diaperless and it really helped(we tried before not going diaperless). I recommend that when she has and accident you quickly rush her to the potty and sit her on it and tell her thats where she goes potty. Then she needs to help you clean up the mess. Don't make it a negative experience just explain that she made a mess and she needs to help clean it all up. If she doesn't listen or refuses to help clean then discipline her like you normally do. The negative response will be about cleaning up after herself NOT the fact that she peed on the floor. Hope this helps! J.