Potty Training - Galloway, OH

There is a great DVD out there called "Potty Power" I just borrowed it from the library for my son when he was training, and he loved it. It's a little cheesey for us parents to watch, but it really works for the kids, and that's who it's for anyways. Also, when I was first trying to get my son to poop on the potty, he wouldn't and would act embarrassed when he'd go in his diaper. So I bought him a book called "Everybody Poops" It's about all animals pooping, if you are at all offended by that subject then it might not be the book for you since the drawings are a little graphic, but if you like potty humor, then it would be a good book to read together. Good luck with the potty training!

Stay away from the pull ups. Since he went yesterday and is showing interest, get him bog boy undies he will wear & use those as a treat. If he has an accident, It will be very wet, but soon, he will have very few. Trust me on the no pull up. We used those & found it to be a horrible nistake. because they still absorb, ds still used them so he didn't have to stop playing,

T.

Excellent that your son is very clearly exhibiting his awareness of his bodily/elimination sensations! He is learning how to coordinate the feeling of having to go with getting to the right place to do it, and then once he's there, engaging the correct set of muscles to get the pee out, etc.

If you really want to help him make the connections much more quickly and effectively, and without giving him the mixed message of diapers, go buy or borrow some simple, non-waterproof, cotton training pants (Gerber cotton training pants are available at Target or WalMart!) and switch to those. Yes, you may have some accidents to clean up, but trust me, it won't be for long! Don't waste your money on the pull ups or feel and learns - they'll never do the job of the training pants in terms of helping him figure out how to use the bathroom. They send a mixed message to your son and they're ALL glorified diapers even though the companies say "training pants" and charge you an arm and a leg for them.

The best ways to help him are to work as a close team together:
* have little potties readily available around your house
* maybe even keep a little potty in the car as well and offer upon arriving and leaving when you're out and about -- OR offer regular and frequent potty breaks at the store while out and about (make it your routine to hit the bathroom first thing upon arrival someplace, for example)
* be aware of his "gotta go" signals and say "lets go read a book on the potty" when you see those signals - like if he's dancing around holding his crotch, or farting, or getting antsy/wanting to get out of his chair towards the middle or end of a meal (big indicator that he likely needs to poop), and upon every waking (first thing in the morning, right after a nap, etc.)

Great resources & books that I've used for potty training:

Dr. Sears on Toilet Training
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/t106600.asp

Indicators That Your Baby/Child Needs To Potty:
http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/index.php?module=article&am...

Diaper Free Before 3 (by Jill Lekovic)
http://www.diaperfreebefore3.com/

No Cry Potty Training Solution (by Elizabeth Pantley)
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/books/0071476903.php

Those are a good start - just stay consistent (pee/poop goes in the potty as opposed to "oh, go in your diaper now, but not later"), communicate with him about his elimination in a stress-free, non-judgemental, supportive way no matter what (whether it's an accident or in the potty), and most importantly, enjoy it. It really is fun! Happy pottying!

I always used the pull ups for potty training and they worked great. I told my daughters that this is one of the steps to being a big girl and they were excited. Especially when you point out some of the things you could do after potty training that you may not do now. Like going to games with dad or helping to pick out his very own underwear. (That was there favorite) Playing outside is usually a good enticement to. But know matter what don't force and always tell him how proud you are. And of course, Accidents are accidents because there will be some of those to.

Hello!
I personally give you and your son credit. One of the best ways to potty train is slowly and at his pace. He went today which is awesome!! He is probably learning physically how to make himself go and how to "hold it". As for pullups I always recommend using them as rewards. They are great incentives which easily switch over to rewarding with actual underwear. I personally think the Feel & Learn are not as great as they seem. The ones with the pictures that fade away when they go are kinda nice because then they learn that when they pee they don't get the cool music notes (or whatever they are on your particular diapers).
I truly believe that kids learn at their own pace and when it comes to potty training there is a small window where they will do it and want to do it... however if you miss that window it will be much harder. SO use lots of praise and encouragement because it sounds like your son is ready!
Hope that helps!

I just wanted to give you a head's up. You mentioned that you are having a baby in September. Just be cautious that with the arrival of the baby, you may run into potty issues with your 2 1/2 year old. I'm not saying everything will be undone - he could be just fine, but just be aware that he might have a little mini regression (which is completely normal).

I would avoid the pull-ups if you can. If you're staying home with him then that's great - I would let him pick out some underwear and save the pull-ups for naps or outings where you can't afford a big mess. Although again - using the underwear with platic covers will be more reinforcing. The feel and learns had no effect on any of the kids I know. Your son is the same age as my daughter and we just went through what I call, spontaneous potty training. Sounds like you're starting the same thing. She's gone from no interest in the potty to one day wanting to wear panties, to which I said she had to go on the potty. A few days of accidents and messy attempts at the potty chair (girls don't aim as well) and now she is completely out of diapers. Sounds like he's ready. Take it easy and let him lead you and you may be surprised. Good luck. As far as books, both of my kids liked a book called "Where's the poop", but that focus only on #2. "Once upon a Potty" is a classic, I found a "Dora's Potty Book", but if he's not a big Dora fan that wouldn't help, though you may be able to find one with a favorite character if you look around online.

I call pull-ups big boy underwear and that helps my 2 yr old alot! Of course he has a big brother so what big brother does...he does! Which helps. We do a pee pee dance around the bathroom (or hallway) every time he goes or at least tries. I put his pull-ups in his underwear/sock/undershirt drawer like big brother that way he believes they are just for big boys since they aren't in the same place his diapers were.

well if he can already tell you when he has to potty i don't thnk you really need to worry about what kind of pullups to use, he's already there, now it's just about making it fun enough that he goes every time. I used small rewards, stickers, cars that sort of thing when my kids potty trained and it worked great. i mean if he thought the pull up was a great treat this should be pretty simple, you could even make a potty chart and let him put up a sticker every time he goes so he can keep track. another trick with boys, my oldest son would not use the potty sitting down, so if it gets to be a struggle you can always try to teach him to go standing up, for my son it was an i want to be like daddy thing. good luck

I haven't reached the potty training stage yet, but my sister has been there, done that. She did not use ANY kind of the pull-ups. I couldn't figure out why until she mentioned that pull-ups are basically just diapers anyway. So true. To many kids, they don't really help in the potty training stages (except maybe at night) since the kids can just go in them anyway without having any consequences.

I'd say he's well on his way at this point & that you might just want to consider regular underwear with the covers for awhile and see how that works. But since I'm not experienced in this yet, I could be way off! :) Good luck!