Potty Training - Las Vegas,NV

My suggestion is to back off for a few months. He isn't ready and forcing it will only frustrate you. Sitting on the potty for 30 minutes isn't good for him. I know when I don't have to go, all the sitting in the world isn't going to make it come out! LOL

I tried around that age with my son, had to back off when he just didn't seem ready and finally at 3 he is potty trained. Note, because he was actually ready, the process was very easy for both of us! I trained myself first by reading, The No Cry Potty Solution by Elizabeth Pantley. I highly recommend it.

Hang in there, he'll get it soon enough,
M.

I am a mom of FOUR boys ages 17, 12, 4 and 3. I have a background in early childhood education and am a professional photographer who works with LOTS of kids. Plain and simple - your little guy is not ready yet! I never "attempted" to potty train ANY of my boys. At age 2 yrs. 2 mo. my oldest (who was very advanced as an infant) decided HE wanted to go on the potty. I really was the one who had doubts and thought that this would be a hassle. I could see him wetting in his car seat, having accidents in public and so on. I was a young mother at the time - age 25 and was leery. Sure enough we got him big boy pants and he never had an accident! He did wet at night and we used the overnight pants. My next boy decided at almost age 3 to go on the potty - all on his own - no coaxing from mom. Again - a success and no accidents! The same with the next 2. Of course you can encourage, talk about it and give lots of praise when it happens. Bottom line - you have a gift - a beautiful little boy. He is only this age once - he will not go to Kindergarten in diapers! Spend time having fun and get off the potty! :o) I say this with much kindness and love and wish you much success in enjoying your time together!
J.
Giggle Moon Photography
http://www.gigglemoonphotography.com

I feel your pain! I am in the same situation. My Son will purposely hold it for hours!! I am at my wits end. I will be reading the responses you get, as I was also going to post for help! I can say that I have heard this is all normal, but even if it is I am over it! :)
Good Luck.

I know your 2 1/2 year old is a boy, but it might work for him too. I've taught several children to "go potty" using what I call the potty party. You need one of those baby dolls that can drink and go pee. Since you stay at home with him, take a few hours of one day and have a party. Put your son in under ware. Drink lots of fluids, the baby doll too and in about 20 minutes show your son how the baby goes potty. When the baby goes potty make a big deal, laugh, clap, get very excited. Then let your son try. If he tries, but doesn't go make a big deal and be very excited that he tried! Then go back and party, have some special treats maybe balloons, whatever your son is in too. Drink lots more fluids and repeat the process every 20 minutes or so. Try to be consistent for that few hours you set aside. By the end of the day if your son is showing interest, then he should be able to pick it up within a week or two. If he doesn't show much interest then he might not be ready yet. If you need further information on what I've done with the potty party please let me know. I hope this helps. Good luck. ~C.

Dear S.,

I did not want it to be a fight, so I just tried one day a week (dedicated one day a week to potty training) - if he seemed ready, then we kept going. I always felt like he trained late (34 months) - but it only took a week, and it wasn't a struggle. When he had to potty, we ran for the bathroom, singing the wicked witch song. The incentive for my son was that he wanted to wear "chonies" (big boy underwear) - I told him that the rule in our house is that if you wear chonies, you go potty in the toilet. Worked for him. My "baby," on the other hand didn't care if she wore chonies at all!!! She was potty trained and in chonies full time at 27 months. But then when she had an accident, her father put her in diapers - you probably heard my scream - "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" you don't go BACKWARDS! She ended up back in diapers full time! I was SO incredibly frustrated! Then at 35 months, she was basically trained again - except she was still pooping in her training pants . . . One day, I took the kids to Pizza Hut. While we were sitting there, she got "that look" on her face - I told the (nearly) 7 year old and 5 year old to stay put, don't move! and grabbed my baby to run to the bathroom - only she was wearing a dress and had little, tiny, scrawny bird legs (musta got 'em from her father) - and the poop fell out of her chonies through the leg hole - ONTO THE FLOOR! Omgarsh! I was SO embarrassed!!! I went to the counter, stammered that we had had an accident, pointing to the floor by our table and took my baby out to the car, where my diaper bag was, to clean her up and change her. I cam back in, and it was still there, waiting for me to clean it up! (No wonder Pizza Hut closed it's dining rooms!) - Btw, that was her last accident - she has been successfully using the toilet for 12 whole years now! (And she hates me telling this story, but knows I do it so no one out there feels alone!)

Good luck!
B.

I say back off a bit-who says making them sit there for 30 min will make them go. I have a 2/1/2 yr old girl who is not potty trained and I do not feel any less of a mother because she is not.She will do it when she is ready. She tells me when she goes, but not ready for the potty.I ask her she says No so No it is for now.Kids develop at their own pace-you can't force them and if you do that usually backfires. So let him set the pace and he will do it on his own terms-maybe later than you want, but I doubt he will be walking down the aisle with diapers. L.

Hi S., At 2 1/2 he is kind of set in his ways, so you are going to have to be a little firm. With my first child he was 20 months old when i started him he loved the Price Is Right so I let him sit on the potty to watch that, I figured in an hour something was bound to happen. For reward I bought a big bag of M&M's and I put them in a really pretty clear jar and I sat it on the top shelf of our book case where he could see them, and i told him when you go potty on the potty you can have some M&M's, iused regular cloth training pants no PULL UPS, and the first time I put him on the potty during the price is right, he peed, I praised him, and huged him, and gave him 2 M&M's, I don't remember how much time I ket go by before I put him on the potty again probably every couple hours, and he had a couple acidents starting off, but Once I knew he understood the concept, he was disciplined if he peed or pooed on himself, and I am happy to say that during potty training he never pooped on him self and he was only disciplined once and by 21 months he was completely potty trained I took him to the store and I let him pick out his own big boy underwear, he was so proud of those. My second son was even easier because at 17 and 18 months he wanted to wear underwear like his brother, so I told him the way he could wear underwaer like his brother was to use the potty like his brother, at this point my son was 3 so he was using the toilet, but my other son started sitting on the potty I used the M&M's method with him, no discip,ine was necessary with him and by 19 months he was completely potty trained, my daughter was 22 months and completely trained. It was a great experience for me and my kids, they love praise, they love encouragment, and they loved those M&M's., J.

S.,

As a mom of 3 that spend 4 years as a "potty training teacher" in a Seattle daycare, TRUST ME when I say your son just isn't ready. Most boys aren't until about 3 1/2. When he is ready he will let you know. The worst thing you can ever do, is to make potty training a battle. HE WILL WIN. It will enforce the fact that you really do not have control, and he does. Not a battle that you can win.
When he is ready he will show frustration or discomfort when his diaper is dirty (or wet), he will be able to dress, undress, and redress himself on his own, and he will be able to follow through with simple 3 - 4 step commands (go in your room, get your shoes, bring them here and put them on).
Untill that point, just back off for a while, and let him signal you that he is ready. And I can just about guarantee that he will not go to kindergarten in diapers!!! :}~

Hi S., about the potty training, especially with boys. I have three boys and all were very different when it came to potty training. THEY have to be ready, not you. My third son wasn't trained until he was four and I too was a stay at home mom. That was just last year. You've done all the right things so far but he just may not be ready. Be patient, he'll come around. Good Luck. M. A