Potty Training 2 Year Old Boy, and How to Handle a Hitting Situtation

Sounds to me that you have entirely too much going on in this little ones life to begin potty training. I would suggest waiting until after the house is finished and the new baby has arrived. He will ultimately regress when baby comes anyway, so don't stress about it now. My son was almost 4 when the new baby came and he started wetting the bed at night again. He was emptying powder all over her room, putting fingerpaints on the kitchen floor, dumping clothes out of her dresser, etc! After a couple of months everything went back to normal. I would just suggest waiting. As far as the hitting goes.......he is two. Just be consistent. It's probably just a phase. Don't give it too much attention though, because then it will become a game.

Good A.M. D.:

Sounds like the 2 year old needs discipline. What I mean is to correct him with a form of discipline that is effective. Don't spend much time trying to potty train him, 2 years of age is a bit young. Has his hitting become part of the potty training? Sometimes children act what they have witnessed with others behaviour. Is he around other children that hit; perhaps he is simply jealous with the other baby on the way. Be consistent with the discipline; often chidren may not be getting enough attention and hitting is a way to get that attention. When my son was that age (he's 5) I would let him know that he hurts mommy's heart when he hits. I tried to find out what was causing his hitting and explained to him that it is ok to be mad, angry and frustrated BUT it is not ok to hit. I explained to him that I could only help him when he tells me whe he needs help with. Teach him cause and effect. Again, be firm and consistent, he will learn soon enough where the boundaries are. It sounds like there is alot going on in little guys life, be patient with him, love him and set the boundaries.

My son is also 2 and no where near ready to potty train. My daughter, who is now 4, potty trained in about 1 day when she was 3 years old. You can potty train at any time, but if the child is not into it, you are really just training yourself and not him. To start, buy a potty chair and have it around for him to get used to. Also, make sure he recognizes when he is pooping and peeing. When he can do this, he may be ready to begin potty training.

As for the hitting thing, my son does this too. When he does it, we make him apologize to whomever he hit and have a 2 minute time out.

HI, I'm a mother of 3 yr old twins (boy/girl) and I also live in TX. Thanks to your daughter and son-in-law for their service to our country.

My opinion is that boys are hard to potty train and mine wasn't ready til after he turned 3 then it was simple. He maybe just isn't ready. IF you really have to potty train him I would say just take him and let him sit a few times a day and reward him for just sitting (M&M's work great). But if you can just wait - it will be easier when he's out of the terrible 2's.

Also the hitting thing - my kids did that too, I think kids just do that but obviously we can't let them - its normal I think just don't hit them back even though you feel like it - I sure wanted to! It sounds like he has had a lot of change recently and probably has feelings that he doesn't have words for. Give him an acceptable action to do rather then hit like stomp his foot or say 'angry' or something instead. Also make sure he gets lots of ourside play time.

2 books that helped me TREMENDOSLY was "the happiest toddler on the block" by harvey Karp and "Setting Limits With Your Strong-Willed Child: Eliminating Conflict By Establishing Clear, Firm, And Respectful Boundaries"
by Robert J. Mackenzie,

I'm not a big fan of spanking - I like to avoid it if possible and this has given me a way to control my children without physical force.

hope this helps
R.

Well, I have a 4 yr. old a 3yr old and a 7 mo. old. And potty training is tough.... so hang in there. My four year old really didn't get it until around 3 and 1/2 and my then 2 and 1/2 year old got it with her so??? We never gave our kids candy or suckers or anything too sweet and someone suggested M&M's in a jar in the "potty room" and for the girl...go figure chocolate did it. If she went she could get one m&m and then once she was good at it we took them away and just said that once you learn you can get m&m's for other things you are learning... Our boy didn't need any incentives he just went. However, our girl never went in her panties at night and our son now 3 1/2 still has to wear a pull-up at night...
So each child is differnt, but i do think it helped us to just stop when it got too frustrating and we waited a week or two and then tried again for a week at a time. You don't want to make it a bad thing. Hang in there.
As far as hitting, sometimes a "no we don't hit and then ignore the bad behavior does wonders" My son used to throw huge fits and kick and scream and it would last forever. the dr. told me to ignore him and not give him any attention whatsoever when he did this and eventually after about 2 weeks of really trying to ignore him, he stopped.??!! Good Luck.

Hi D.,

I totally agree with most of the mom's giving feedback so far - - your grandson is in the midst of several major changes so the time may not be right just yet. Check out this website article on potty training readiness at www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/Potty-Training-Readiness/Po.... It really helped me decide it wasn't time for my son either. Last year, just after my son turned 2, we moved into our new home. I sooo wanted to have him potty trained before the move so I didn't have to deal with accidents in the new house. But after reading the advice on this website I realized I was risking too much. I waited until he passed all the readiness tests and when we finally worked on it this April (just before he turned 3), it was a breeze. It was fun, stress-free, and nearly accident free.

As for the hitting, my vote is with the other moms here too. My 3 year old son went through this problem as well. It was definitely a stage that passed, and while time-out was hard to stick to, it worked.

Good luck to you, your daughter, your son-in-law, and those beautiful grandchildren!

M.

My experience with hitting kids is that they hit because they have been hit. Find out how your grandson is being disciplined. I had a neigbhor that spanked their 2 year old constantly and that was the meanest kid I have ever seen. He hit and slapped kids in the face. They don't underdstand why they can't hit because they get it all the time.
Or possible a friend at daycare taught him. He could also just be trying to get your attention. Find out why he is doing it and then set the rule...no hitting tolerated.

The trick is to say that he is having a special day and that he is a big boy and will not need diapers anymore. Go and buy his favorite charcter underwear. NEVER put diapers on him again after you start potty training.

The main thing is to start on a day(s) when you will be home. Put the big boy pants on in the morning and then have him potty every hour. Make it fun....It's potty time again!!!! The first time you do this you may want to make sure he has plenty of fluids and he can actually go to the bathroom. at night & nap put pullups on him, but make sure that he goes before he sleeps. I don't let my son have anything and hour before he goes to bed and he's only had 2 accidents in his whole life. (you're probably going to have to wean him from having milk before he goes to bed)

When he does go to the potty give him stickers on a chart. Make a HUGE deal out of it when he goes. NEVER make him feel bad for having an accident b/c he will. When he does have an accident just tell him to try harder next time.

This is a method I got off the internet. I forgot where, but it worked like a charm on my 2 year old (now 4).

I just bought a potty myself for my 21 month old daughter to get use to. However, I put it away a couple of days ago because I just think it's too soon. My daughter does show some signs but I just have a feeling that if I wait until she's at least 2 1/2, and after my second child arrives in Oct., that it'll go faster and easier. I'm not fond of the idea of buying two sizes of diapers. But...lets face it diapers are so much easier and I'm not going to feel like going into every restroom we pass because my daughter "just has" to go (which I know happens from experience with friends kids), with a newborn in tow. Also, I've read as someone else here mentioned that the older child usually regresses in some way. I'd rather just deal with Potty Training once. Why make it anymore difficult on ourselves than we have to???

I'm not sure what to suggest with the hitting. I'm hoping my daughter skips it and biting, but am not banking on it. I've read that you shouldn't hit back, but tell them repeatedly that hitting is bad. Consistency is the key supposedly. Also, don't play hit or wrestle until they can understand the difference.

Hi D.,

I am a child development specialist with 3 little kids of my own. I would wait on the potty training thing. Most boys train closer to 3 and if you start too early it will only set him back. If you wait until his pee holding muscle is more mature you will have less accidents, less mess, you will foster better self esteem for him and have much greater success.

Every time he hits he is looking for attention. Maybe you were on the phone, or putting away the dishes but all he knows is no one is givning him attention. Kids only think about themselves and what is happening to them. Every time he hits, grab his hand (firmly but not to hurt him), in a firm voice say "no hit" and then immediately put on a huge smile and give him a few minutes of attention with a book, game, sing a quick song etc... Then try to anticipate when a hit is coming and head it off with a few minutes of attention. If this does not work try time out. This is one instance where spanking does not work b/c you can not teach no hitting by hitting.

Hope this helps!

S.