Potty Training Advice - Frisco, TX

I would suggest you go straight from diapers to underwear and skip the Pull-Ups. My son's preschool recommended this and it worked really well. I think he may have only had one accident because he really hated the feeling of being wet, but since then, he made it to the potty every time! Also, I would recommend you teach him to go standing up like a big boy. Drop a few Froot Loops in the toilet bowl to give him something to aim at to make it fun and make a really big deal about it when he does go. Good luck!

Hi,
I have a 2 1/2 yr old boy. We started potty training months ago and he just now has the hang of it.
I think it is more of a determination on my oart that has led to the potting training success. It is hard on the parents more than the kid. It takes a real determination to stick with it everyday and clean up countless messes and wash a lot of laundry.
My son got to know the sdifference between pull ups and real underwear. So, when we were at home he only wore real underwear. When we went out he wore pull up for a while. Then we began taking underwear with us.
We bought him really cheap toys to "win" when he used the potty and was dry when he sat down. He also got a piece of candy for just sitting on the potty. After he got the hang of it, he only got candy for being dry when he sat on the potty. this way they learn about being wet and dry.
When he got to were he was using the potty off and on we bought him one really BIG toy and put it on top of the fridge. Once he was "almost always" giong to the potty he could have it. He now wears night time diapers at night but big boy undies all day and during nap time. Yeh!!!
Hopw this helps. p.s. constantly make him sit on the potty even if he says he doesn't need to go. Boys will not stop playing to go!

This may be a little long-winded....
The method used at my daughter's preschool really seemed to be a good one for boys and girls alike. First, they don't even think about beginning until age 2 1/2 unless they have a kid who is really, really interested. The first stage isn't even about going potty. They teach the kids how to dress and undress themselves. They do this a couple ways. One is to have your child wear pull-ups. When he is wet he has to change his own pants -- sometimes this could take a very long time. The other is to practice getting dressed and undressed using clothes a few sizes too big. The kids would just put these clothes on over what they're wearing. Once he's mastered dressing/undressing, then introduce going potty. Once he can stay dry for a few hours at a time in his pull-up, then wear cotton training pants or underwear. When you get to underwear, be prepared for several outfit changes per day, and don't expect nap-time or night-time dryness right away. Switch back to pull-ups or diapers for naps and bed time until you notice that he's dry when he wakes up. I have a friend who took a couple days off work to introduce underwear with her son. She offered him all kinds of drinks throughout the day to make sure he'd have plenty of chances to use the potty. Kind of like the "potty training in less than a day" method. It didn't get the job done in less than a day, but it certainly got the ball rolling. In the end this "step-wise" approach has been about a 6 month process, but it has been pretty stress-free. We started right after our daughter's 2nd birthday because she was really interested. She did really well, but I have to wonder if it would have happened faster if we'd waited until age 2 1/2. That's the point when everything "clicked" for her and she just woke up one morning completely potty-trained. We used a reward system too. Periodically I'd ask my daughter if she was dry (when I knew she would be) and if so, she'd get 2 M&Ms. If she went potty, she'd get 5 M&Ms. The dryness reward seemed to have the most noticeable positive effect. A friend used the same type of reward for her boy. Pooping is an entirely separate issue (at least it seems that way from our experience and that of several friends). Just concentrate on "tee-tee" at first.
Hope you can find something useful here.

Dear Mom,
I am a mother of 3, two of which are boys.:-) It sounds like you are on the right path, leaving it up to him and not pushing him. It's harder to do than it sounds though... Technically, according to my pediatrician, most children do not gain full control over those types of bodily functions untill sometime in their 3rd year. This being said, 2 of my 3 were trained by thier 3rd year, (one completely on her own!) but my 4 year old, who is by far, THE MOST OPINIONATED 4 YEAR OLD ON THE PLANET! :-), still has days when hes "accidental".
I dont have any miracle cures for potty training, only what worked for me: Be as patient as you can. Praise him when he goes in the potty. Don't make too big of a fuss when he doesn't."oh well, maybe next time". 2 can be a scary age, just starting to gain independance, and he may still want the nurturing that goes along with changing his diaper. I don't know, I'm no expert, just a mom. :-) Take heart, they're only 2 once, enjoy him!
S.

I have a 3 yr old boy and we just had our 3 yr check up. My pediatrician asked if he was showing interest in potty training and I said yes, but I can't get him to do anything consistent. His reponse was not to be worried or pushy but continue to expose him to the potty regularly. He said most boys are at 3 1/2 before being consistent using the toilet. Maybe he just needs a break for awhile.

We are going through this right now too. Our son is 2 years 7 months. We thought we would try to train in a day method, using the doll and all that. He ended up crying and really distraught. We quickly realized he had NO idea of what wet/dry/dirty concepts are.

I talked to our pediatrician (who also has a 2 year old son) and she recommended taking him out of regular diapers and switch to the feel and learns or just the Gerber training pants (in the baby aisles at Target/Walmart) they are thick cotton lined and have a plastic outside..they DO hold in messes. This way he can learn wet and dry and dirty...she said once he can consistently tell us what he is (meaning wet or dry), then he is ready to train.

She said forcing the issue of him sitting on the potty will cause some emotional distress and could cause issues like constipation and/or withholding behaviors.

Good luck!

She also said in her experience most boys really are ready to train closer to 3 than 2.