Potty Training Advice - Tualatin, OR

Updated on May 29, 2008
A.M. asks from Tualatin, OR
44 answers

Hi There - My husband and I have just started potty training and I have no idea what I'm doing. Normally I do an insane amount of research and then tackle the problem. For some reason, I just can't get motivated to do that for this stage. I'm not particularly in love with diaper changing, I'm just well...tired. But that's not my question!

My daughter loves to sit on the potty but is afraid of actually going on it. She'll sit and sit, talk about saying bye bye to pee-pee and then get up and promply go in her diaper. With that said, she has gone a couple times in the toilet and it kind of freaked her out. We encouraged, dumped the deposit from the diaper in the toilet, celebrated, did the Super Nanny Dance - you name it.

It's still early - she just turned 2 last month - and I know she'll get it. In fact, I'm not even an inkling towards frustration. So here's the long drawn out question...drum roll please....

Would it be odd or a bad habit to start by rewarding her with a jellybean or some such thing when she actually USES the potty?

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M.E.

answers from Portland on

My daughter was 2 1/2 when we potty trained her. I used the strategy that was successful for a friend of mine...

Background - she had been showing interest in the potty for several months and we talked about it quite a bit. We finally asked her if she was ready to use her own potty and say good-bye to the diapers - when she answered "yes" we went for it...

Kids don't like to be wet. So, we took the diapers off and let her go in her clothes (wet soggy clothes - quite the deterrent). We had to clean about 5-6 pee puddles up that day and go through a lot of outfits and each time we would talk about going in the big potty, but it worked and she was potty trained in 1 day.

At the end of day 1 I was skeptical and didn't feel like she was getting it. We put a diaper on her that night for bed, woke up the next morning, took the diaper off again and right after breakfast she said - "Mommy, I have to got potty". She was successfully potty trained from that point forward.

She didn't get the pooping in the potty for about 1 month. We did reinforce that with a 30 day sticker book - every time she went poop in the potty she would get to put a sticker in the book - she had 4 milestones along the way where we would give her a treat for making it. The times she didn't go poop in the potty we wouldn't admonish her, we would just remind her that she didn't get a sticker.

Good luck

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J.N.

answers from Seattle on

Hi A.!
It is not wrong at all to reward her. I have trained 2 kids myself and my daughter will be next. I have given them M&M's, a quarter to feed the "piggy bank", stickers to put on a chart....I found that after more then 2 weeks with one reward, they get bored with it. Change it up every couple of weeks and you'll have more success. Good luck!! :-)

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R.C.

answers from Portland on

Hi A.. I have potty trained 3 kids and am starting on my 4th. We have used treats with all of them. We have used jelly beans and a sticker chart. Both of them worked great. Once they were going everytime in the potty we quit buying treats and when we ran out I just said oh, they're gone and that was it. Good luck. It will be done before you know it!

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A.S.

answers from Seattle on

A.-
A reward is the only way to go!! Everyone likes a treat, sticker, special toy when they do something right. I have now potty trained 4 successfully. Two boys when I was a nanny and two girls of my own. My advice is as follows. Take 4 days when you can devote your 100% to your daughter. The first day she has nothing on(naked bottom) This lets her know what it feels like when she goes. She WILL have a an accident or two or three, and that is ok. She will then understand what it means to have to pee. The second day you go 1/2 the day naked bottom and the second 1/2 just underware, let her know what a big girl she is, and how we are going to try and keep the special big girl panties dry. At this point get rid of all the dipers, pack them up. Go get pull ups for night and nap time. Let her pick them out. The third day is 1/2 with just panties and 1/2 with pants. This is just getting her used to wearing something else over herself. Be positive and Don't get the diapers out for any reason. If you do you have to start the whole process over. I tell all my friends that your confidence will become there confidence. If you are unsure so will they be. Good Luck!! It can be hard, but in a week or two she will have it down. Then when you feel like she is staying dry through the night 6 months or so, you do away with the pull ups too. Just remember, we have to fail before we can succeed.

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S.L.

answers from Portland on

I'm no expert--my daughter was potty trained at 2 1/4 years because we lucked out with a kid that was interested, not afraid and liked underwear more than diapers--but I've read before that sometimes it's better not to make a big to-do when they go on the potty so there's no pressure to get it right and so you're not rewarding them for something that as big kids they're just expected to do. That said, I think there are a million ways to potty train for a million different kids. My instinct says that you should wait on providing rewards for using the toilet. Keep mentioning the toilet, keep her sitting on it whenever she will. If she goes through a period of wanting to avoid it all together then avoid it for a while and if she gets to a point where she seems to really get the concept of going on the potty, but she's picking and choosing if she wants to go on the potty or go in her diaper then start thinking about the idea of rewards again. With my daughter, after she started peeing somewhat regularly on the potty we got her some underwear. Then we would remind her to go potty. If she said "no" then we just said that we'd have to put a diaper on. She wanted to wear the underwear and so she would sit on the potty and (usually) go. We never needed rewards. She did however have to have a few accidents before she really started taking herself to the potty with time enough to go. Good luck. I'm on my 2nd child (a boy) who is 18 months and he's just starting to be aware of the potty and aware of when he pees or poops. I'm hoping we'll be able to navigate potty training gracefully (and quickly) but who knows what we're in for!

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K.O.

answers from Portland on

Is it a bad thing to use rewards? I don't think so. Is it necessary for your daughter at this stage? Probably not. I would wait a little longer and see if she gets over the scare thing on her own. She is still very young. I would say make the potty available but don't push it. Also... you want to save the reward thing for when/if your really need it. :)

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J.J.

answers from Spokane on

I don't think there is anything wrong with something small like a jellybean or 1 m&m for going on the potty. In fact, we give our 2 year old a "treat" after she goes in the potty. We have done this with our other kids as well when they were training. I would only suggest that you keep the reward very small so that it will be easier to quit giving it 6 months later when she is all trained! THat is the only problem we had in doing this was when to quit giving a reward. So good luck with the potty training and know that yes, eventually she will get the hang of it:)

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

A.,
send me an email to ____@____.com. I will email you back with a PDF potty training guide. ( I cant figure out how to email it from this site) This guide has worked for all of my friends and family. Ladies, if anyone else wants the guide, just let me know. I would be happy to share.

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B.L.

answers from Jacksonville on

She is definitely old enough to be trained! Don't let anyone insult her otherwise; too many people doubt the abilities of small children. I trained my son at 27 months by using the Toilet Training in Less Than a Day book. It worked! I started about 6 months before that, but didn't have the book to guide me, so once I ran across it, it made all the difference and we did in a few hours (plus a refresher a couple of weeks later). It is sooooo worth it! He has been diaper/pullup free for nearly 6 months (except a pullup at night). It is glorious! People are amazed when they see this little dude walk into the bathroom and take care of it himself. You can get the book used on amazon, or new. It's dated, but the principles still apply, and if you follow it precisely, it works! It will help you to know if she's truly ready (if she is willfully uncooperative, then maybe not). While waiting for the book to come, you could make sure you have all the needed supplies: take her shopping and let her pick out big girl panties, a potty chair that she can empty easily, and treats/snacks/drinks that she loves. Also, you must have loose fitting training pants or shorts or something that she can easily get up and down. Right now you could start teaching her to pull her own pants up and down. I only wish I had had the book with my first son too. Good luck!

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D.L.

answers from Seattle on

First I would say that when kids are really ready, it happens pretty quickly (at least that was ours and our friends' experience). Otherwise, they still don't quite get the feeling of it all, can get nervous and you all will just be frustrated. We got our little girl her potty at 15 months old because she was really interested in what we were doing. She peed once on it at 16 months old and not again for about a year. We backed off and let her just get used to it being there (and collect dust). ;-)

About two months before she turned 2 1/2 she got more interested and started peeing on the potty about once a day. At that point I made her her own potty chart (which she helped pick the colors for) and she was excited about adding stickers to it each time she peed. When she didn't feel like using the chart, so be it, it's hers. When we felt like it did it's part (about a month later), I added the date on the back and laminated it so she has something to hold on to.

Our biggest break-through during that time was ditching the diapers. When she was peeing on the potty more than once a day, I bought a bunch of toddler panties (the cotton kind with the extra layers of cotton in the middle). I made a big deal about them and let her pick out which style she wanted that day. I bought some pull-ups for nap and bedtime and had to (reluctantly) use them sometimes during the day when she was really having a hard time adjusting to it all. It took about 3 days of her having a hard time not getting to wear diapers. Within a week of no more diapers, she was not using pull-ups during the day unless we were going to be away from the house. A week after that and we could start doing things (like going out to dinner) as long as we kept it within 2 hours (she's terrified of big toilets). Now we have a mini Baby Bjorn potty in the car so if we're out for many hours, she can have a place to go potty - she thinks it's funny because she gets to "go potty in car" (she thinks that's what "potty train" means - LOL).

She did have a bunch of accidents (the most being about 3 changes of pants during the day) but was making it through most days dry. The accidents seemed to really do the trick. She hated wetting her pants, and really started to figure out what it felt like before she went.

She wasn't potty trained at nap/bedtime, but two weeks ago she got her full-sized "big-girl" bed and now she RARELY pees in her pull-up. She wakes up when she needs to go and we take her to the bathroom (and it was only two months ago that we considered her potty trained).

I honestly dreaded the idea of potty training and thought the whole process was daunting. What I have learned is to go with the flow (no pun intended). Let her get used to the potty, don't push things, and reward her when she does go. The two things that really helped us was the potty chart (we still have a poop chart up) and ditching the diapers when we knew she was ready for the next step. It went amazingly quickly (like 2 weeks)!

I hope this helps some. But don't worry if it takes awhile. I know our little girl wants to be a "big girl" one minute and plays being a "baby" the next. It's a lot of big changes for them. Good luck and most importantly, have fun! :-)

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C.J.

answers from Richland on

She's very young to just "get it" right now but, you can easily do a potty chart that you put stickers or stars on to encourage her to go in the potty. My sons favorite thing is to call grammy and tell her what a big boy he is!!! I'd be leary of jelly beans or other candy as it's not good for her teeth but, stickers, making a phone call to a favorite person when she goes poopy, or a big toy when she graduates to big girl underpants are great incentives fot little ones.

Above all, be patient!!! My nephew was almost 4 before he started wearing underwear and my son is almost 3 and just starting to understand the process. Of course, girls are usually a bit ahead of the boys, but, when she's ready she'll do it on her own, with or without the jelly beans and stickers!

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C.W.

answers from Portland on

i have been potty training for 40 years. ( childcare provider.) i use behavior modification always! i have used m&m's but any treat will do. give ONLY if they do make potty in the potty. and, i only use it for a short period of time after they are using the potty regularly. when they have been dry for a week, they need to know that they are a big girl/boy and don't need treats anymore. this should be part of the information they are told so it isn't a big surprise when the treats end. a chart works well too. they like to put stars on it and get a big prize (under roos? pj's?) when they stay dry for 2 weeks. good luck
C. jo whiteley

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M.P.

answers from Portland on

We used m&m's. I don't think there is anything wrong with rewarding the behavior. I gave her one for sitting, one for potty, and two for poop. She's still really young, so don't be discouraged if this isn't the time for her. My daughter is now almost four and it took a couple of attempts at potty training for it to stick. She was ready just before 2.5 and that was our magic number. Good luck and keep trying!

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V.A.

answers from Seattle on

Hi to the both of you and hey it's an amazing experience..lol I am 40 yrs of age and i am married with 5 children and ages are 21,18,16,15,and a lovely 5. I am now potty training my 1yr old grand-baby and I love it. I have the video of elmos poty time I bought one for my house because i have her EVERY WEEKEND and one for he moms house.. Well My son who is in the army reserves says that the mother will not potty the baby.. but I sit with her and watch the movies the songs are fun after the sing along I play a game of catch as to where she can't move but I can get the ball wherever she tosses it... OH the best part is her POTTY CHAIR MAKES MUSIC WHEN SHE PEES lol how cool is that.. well enjoy.. and have fun at this stage. I am so happy to do it all over again with my grandchild..

Mrs. Vee

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H.D.

answers from Portland on

It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right. You're daughter seems like she's upset by the prospect of doing her business in a new place. And it's a thoughtful question regarding the "reward system". Although my son isn't yet old enough for toilet learning, I've spent many years working with young children and this is what I've learned:

Often we are encouraged to reward our children for doing what we want them to do. Sticker charts and "incentives" are everywhere, and while they might produce short-term results, are often riddled with hidden problems.

If we consider that using the toilet is a biological function, and often not within immediate control of a young child, we have to acknowledge that offering a reward or treat for successful toilet use can potentially be confusing to a toddler.

For example, if your daughter knows that she will get a treat for using the potty, how will she feel when she doesn't get a treat? All she knows is that she didn't do something that obviously frightens her, and now she can't get something she likes. That, in my opinion, is a lot of pressure to put on a kid.

I've worked with families that have used incentives and those that haven't. The children that just went to the bathroom without a lot of fuss being made over it tended to potty train faster and seemed to have less issues around toilet learning overall. Those children that were always rewarded tended to become more focused on the prize, and less on learning their own bodies signals and responding to them, which is ultimately what we parents hope our children will do. This scenario was definitely more high-maintenence to tend to.

What happens when the child sits on the toilet and tries, but nothing comes out? Or the evidence is "undetectable"? What happens when the prizes stop and the child begins wetting again? Does that up the ante for prizes? I once worked for a family that gave their son a toy truck for every BM in the toilet. They were great parents, but sold on the "rewards" method. I'm not saying anyone else is going to do that, but it's worth thinking of these things before going down that path.

My advice: let your child proceed, without incentive, at her own pace. Wait until summer, and then, if you have a backyard, take the potty outside and let her play naked. This will give everyone a chance to relax about accidents. I'd minimize the potty talk --not make a big deal out of it-- and let her lead. Many girls don't start becoming successful at using the toilet until two and a half. Let her sit on the potty when she wants and use her diaper until she's ready to make the switch.

For what it's worth, some children are just more comfortable going in diapers. Whenever you decide to "officially" start toilet learning, I always recommend using training pants instead of pull-ups, so that children can actually feel when they are wet, and experience what happens when they wet or poo their pants. Being low-key during clean-up, and encouraging - "we'll try to get to the potty next time"- will go a long way in helping children feel competent and, eventually, confident, that they can indeed use the toilet.

I did have minute to scroll down: Kudos to the "reward" Jessica offered her children of letting them wash their hands for as long as they wanted. THAT was exciting to see, because older children tend to treat handwashing as a chore. Fun foamy soap also helps.

M.B.

answers from Seattle on

A.,

I think that Kristy O has hit it on the head. Your daughter is still fairly young. I too would just leave the potty available to her for her to explore and test on her own.

When she really starts getting interested in going potty, then I'd break out the M&M's or jellybeans or whatever.

Good luck to you!!!

Hope this helps,
Melissa

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M.D.

answers from Seattle on

I had more luck with both my kids thru giving them information (my 27 mo old girl is now fully potty trained). We did a lot of reading of books about pottys. "Once upon a Potty" is very old and the best I've found for explaining in a simple and fun way the stages of development that lead to going on the potty. Also "Does a Pig Flush?" is a funny and whimsical book. Good luck !

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A.C.

answers from Seattle on

Hi A.,
After reading the other responses, I have come to the conclusion that you have to figure out for yourself just what is going to work. Eventually, everything does. I have never rewarded my children (only 3 of them) with candy. We talked about everything that we were doing, played with little toys, read and that was about it. I taught them to tell me when they had to go early in the game and sometimes they would and sometimes not. My first (girl) was completely potty trained at 17 mos. I had her baby bro a week later. Happy me. Only one set of diapers. No she did not do it on her own. I bought her big girl panties very soon after starting the process and she was trained in less than two weeks. Sometimes she ran as fast as she could to the potty and peed right thru the panties but, only a very few times. She figured it out quickly that it didn't feel very good but, she went in the potty. Anyway, in guess a long time ago 2 yo wasn't too early. Guess it's just a guess. The only thing I do think is not good is the candy reward. Good luck.

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K.D.

answers from Portland on

not at all! we used M&Ms. When my daughter was first starting to potty train she got an M&M evey time. Then it was once a day if she went all day with no accidents, and finally for the finale she got a barbie doll when she made it a while week. Now she is potty trained :)

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L.W.

answers from Portland on

We actually did a reward with m&ms. For everytime our two year old went potty he got an m&m. If he went poop, he got a special little toy (Cars the movie party favors that were on sale and very inexpensive) We were both really anti doing that, but he took to it. After a week he was potty trained and never asked for m&ms or a car toy (which is what we were afraid of). So, for us it worked perfectly. My nine year old took longer to potty train. I created a potty train by the bathroom, and everytime he went to the bathroom the train moved on the tracks. Eventually the train would come to his surprise location, which he was able to choose a fun destination (like the zoo), or the toy store to pick something out. It ended up working well too. Good luck!

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L.M.

answers from Portland on

Not all reward!! If it works great and then pretty soon don't do it everytime but every other time!! She'll quit asking eventually! It works I've done it with both of my girls at that exact age!

L.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

My son trained at 2. We have used jellybean, m&m's, and stickers as a reward. It worked great and helps keep motivation up.

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J.V.

answers from Seattle on

A., I just got done potty training my 4th and 5 child (boy/girl twins) Rewards are great and if they work more power to you. We used jelly bellies. One thing to watch out for is when they get the idea that they get a treat for every time the go they will hold back a little so they can go more often hence getting more treats. When that started with my kids we went to; staying dry until noon and then until dinner time. then we went to treats only when you poop! good luck.
J., SAM mom of 5 wonderful kids 4 boy, 1 girl. PS girls are much easier to potty train.! :)

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D.J.

answers from Portland on

Getting to that potty training stage for me was fantastic! My two year old pulled off her diaper and said, "I am done with this!" She went on the potty both ever since.
With my other daughter I must admit I used M and M's. They worked great!
I think it's up to us to use whatever helps out kids do their thing in the toliet, save the earth from all those diapers and save us from having to change them!
You go girl!!!

D.

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S.G.

answers from Yakima on

Hi A.,
Potty training can be tiresome and frustrating. But, I always say, you don't see 20 year old people walking around in diapers, so it does get accomplished. Since you just started the process i would give it a few months before rewarding with candy. My daughter is now three, We started rewarding with stickers, little toys (like the $.25 kind from the machines) I did eventually start using M&Ms but after several months. She may be scared and a little apprehensive, but you need to let you get used to the idea and concept of going on the the toilet.

After we started potty training we just started putting her in those thick underwear, and she eventually didn't like the feeling of getting wet. Probably a couple of months of serious potty training, we got rid of diapers during the day (on outings). After she stayed dry through long naps we got rid of diapers at night. Yes she did wet the bed a lot, but she soon woke up wet and didn't like it. Now she wakes up and tells me if she needs to go potty at night.

Sorry that was a lot, but each kid is different, the only good advice I think, is however you choose to potty train, stay consistant!! If you are taking away diapers, don't put one back on them after a month, it just confuses them. If they are in daycare, talk to the provider about what you are doing at home and make sure they can follow your same procedure.

Good Luck!!

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J.M.

answers from Portland on

Just an idea, the "reward" I used was after going on the potty my girls got to wash their hands, for as long as they wanted. Yes it turns into a little water party, but at least it is something they really enjoy. Then of course there is the bonus that they always wash their hands after going potty, which for some reason not all parents teach.
Good Luck!

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A.H.

answers from Seattle on

hello there~ We are starting to potty train our 2 year old little boy. He is a very smart boy and has actually been using the potty for quite some time now, but never a lets potty train thing. We would put him up there before bath, and he would go, and has even pooped a couple of times on the potty. Well I just never rolled with it, and can be "lazy" about it. So finally I went to the store and got a big poster board, and some stickers. I came home and put Logan's Potty Chart on the top and then big stickers of his favorite toys, the movie CARS. Put those around the boarder and then got some smaller cars stickers, and every time he will go potty on the toilet he will get to pick a sticker and put it anywhere on the chart that he wants. He loves stickers and it helps him see eventually that what he is doing is a good job and no more diapers. Now we just started this yesterday, so we will see how it works. My Fiancee and I didn't agree on the candy thing, because he is active enough, and doesn't need the extra sugar. I have seen it work though with the candy. Even "super moms" on tv use the candy method. Its not for everyone. But is for some. Good luck... and I hope in my long drawn out winded answer has helped in someway:)

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V.R.

answers from Portland on

If she's not ready, then she's not ready. Give her time and she'll come around. And no its not bad to reward your child for doing something you want her to, some thing good. Just keep it small. A couple little candies or such are a great reward. Just relax, you're doing just fine!!
Good luck!!

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S.P.

answers from Portland on

We just started potty training my daughter (who is 21 mo.) as well. She has good days and bad days. Instead of giving her a bunch of sugar for going, we do stickers and high-fives. I hung a piece of paper up on the bathroom wall next to her potty where she can stick her stickers. That way she can see her progress and I don't have stickers stuck all over my house. We have tiny tiny ones we give her for trying, biger ones for pee pee and super special ones for poo. Like you, I didn't research - but it seems to be working OK. Good luck!

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M.S.

answers from Seattle on

Dear A.. Absolutely use a reward........its fun. the whole process should be fun. Lots of us moms used gummy bears. have a big jar of them ready and out of reach. One for #1 and 2 for #2.

I'm glad you waited until age two. good for you. It will happen soon. girls are easier.

Also, there is this great video....kind of like the Baby Einstein videos.....called "Today I took my Diapers off"...darling song. M. S

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B.M.

answers from Seattle on

A.-

When we potty trained my son, we gave him stickers and a small Tootsie pop for going to the potty (at first) then after it got easier we "upped the ante" to getting a treat if he stayed dry. Every time he got to a certain "level" of training we raised the bar.

Rewards are a great way to motiviate little ones to use the potty.

Good luck to you!
-B. M-

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M.N.

answers from Portland on

A.,
When I was training my first I started out like you, not frustrated and just along for the ride. But pretty soon I did get frustrated because we were "playing" in the bathroom and mommy had other things to get done! So, I started a sticker chart. I tried the gummy bear reward thing and that only made playing in the bathroom happen more! With the sticker chart she got a little sticker each time she went pee-pee and two little stickers each time she went poop. I had made a chart with about 10 squares across it, I think. When she filled up the first row we went to the store and got a LITTLE prize (dollar bin at Target!). We did the one row thing for a couple weeks then moved it to two rows then she had to fill up the whole chart and got a bigger prize. But, just like most little kids, that soon came to an end! She got bored with it and didn't want little stickers anymore, only big stickers. So, I bought a cheap sticker album and everytime she went she got to put a big sticker somewhere in the book. Before I knew it, she was trained. No idea if the sticker thing worked or it was finally just time. When she's truly ready it will stick, but sometimes kids need a little reward for a job well done. Go pick out some big girl panties too that she will get to wear when she doesn't have accidents anymore. If she picks them out they will mean more to her! And yes, she is still young but my second isn't even two yet and she's already working on it and doing a much better job than her sister did! Good luck!

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B.A.

answers from Seattle on

She's used to eliminating while her bum is covered with a diaper. Try putting her in a clean diaper (or underpants or cloth diaper to more easily tell when she goes) and have her sit on the potty while wearing the diaper. That can sometimes make the transition easier.

I would use a modified method of Elimination Communication (EC) since your daughter is still pretty young. EC is meant for much younger children and babies, but can easily be modified to be useful for a young toddler as well. This method does not utilize rewards or punishments and is basically child-led and parent-encouraged!

If you would like more information, please check out www.diaperfreebaby.org for articles and a group/mentor near you :)

Best wishes!
~B.

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B.D.

answers from Seattle on

Potty training will come naturally for her. I would just let her enjoy sitting on the potty. Eventually she'll pick up as to what it is for. I know lots of people that give their children treats. I didn't do this with my son. I believe that we shouldn't reward our child with candy, toys, etc. I believe that the way to encourage our child to use the potty is giving them lots of love and praise. I taught my son that people go because they have to. It's part of growing up. I didn't want him believing that every time he went to the potty, he was going to get a treat. He's a child, not an animal. They aren't going to get rewarded with a treat when they are an adult are they? Then why should we encourage something that is supposed to come naturally with a treat. Hope this helps. :D

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M.B.

answers from Portland on

She may not be ready yet. Just talk your time!

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T.P.

answers from Portland on

Congrats on starting early with the potty training! I think it's never too early to get them used to the idea of going in the potty. My 8.5m old has a little potty in the nursery that I put her on after each diaper change. Sometimes she pees in it, sometimes she doesn't. She will also often poop in it if she is ready to go when I put her on it. We do a little dance, then flush. If she doesn't do anything then I just put her diaper on and don't say anything. She loves sitting on the potty and thinks it's fun. Hopefully by the time she's 2 she will be so used to it that it won't be a big issue to officially potty train. Maybe you could approach it that way, putting her on the potty at each diaper change and if she pees/poops then she gets an M&M or jelly bean, but if not just shrug it off and put her diaper on. Over time she will probably get more used to it and less freaked out by it. At 2 years you have some time to ease her into it. Changing to cloth diapers for a while might help too. She may be more motivated to use the potty if her diaper is wet and uncomfortable. My Mom told me that was my motivation at that age and I was easy to train because I hated being wet and soggy. Once I realized there was a non-soggy option I was all over it. We use the cloth pocket diapers (go on like disposable, no folding or covers) and my daughter definitely likes to be changed when she gets wet.

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H.M.

answers from Seattle on

A.
Just after my son turned two we started using pull-ups and encoraging him to go potty, he has "accidents" and did go few times, but we didn't push too hard until he turned three, so when we decided to take it serious it took us only five days to have no accidents and another week to let him sleep without diapers at all. We never used any kind of bribe, but I was and stil am very excited for him every time he goes, I clap, say good job, etc, he even started to do the same thing for me :). It worked for us. Good luck!

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B.O.

answers from Seattle on

my opinion and its just my opinion, but I think two year olds are not ready for the potty. My daughter was 3 years and three months when we trained her and she has never wet the bed and only had a handful of accidents. Wait until she is interested in the potty and go from there. Let your mommy instinct take over and dont worry about it. They are so little for such a short time and you will find yourself cleaning more messes than you ever thought possible. You could try pullups and see how she reacts to those. Good luck

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A.P.

answers from Portland on

A. ~

My daughter that is the same age (turned 2 in April). I am currently trying to potty train her too. I have been told by lots of people that things like an M&M or jelly bean are great rewards. Infact Sophia doesn't mind sitting on the potty in the morning but by later in the day gets bored with the idea, so what I am doing is - She gets ONE M&M for sitting on the potty 3-5 minutes every 30-40 minutes or so. The very few times that she has acutally gone in the potty she get 5 M&Ms and a fancy sticker (plus all the dancing and Good Girl stuff). This is just want I have been told to try and like I said we are just starting this process also.

Good Luck - and please let me know if you find something that works!!!!

Here's to Potty Training =)
A.

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N.L.

answers from Portland on

Hi A.,

First of all let me start by saying that your daughter is to young to start potty training. It's a great idea to get her comfortable around the toilet, but by no means should you be potty training her at 2. I was told by our pedi at our last apt that we should start her around 3 or 4 years of age, any sooner and it wouldn't do much good.

I applaud you for taking an initiative, but I don't think your daughter is mentally ready for such a big girl activity just yet. There is nothing wrong with letting her "try" it out as I am sure she is very curious, but I think she's still to young to fully understand the concept.

My suggestion to you, and you probably won't like it, is to keep her in diapers for another year, when the time is right, she will want to be trained and will want to go on her own.

Good luck!

R.S.

answers from Portland on

My advice is to stop trying so hard. She is on the young side of potty training. I would back off a bit. Have the potty chair and/or steps next to the potty there and let her take the lead. If she uses the potty by herself reward her with praise. I wouldn't use candy as a reward. Talk about big girl pants or read some books about potty success stories. My two children were very different in potty training. One potty trained himself at 2 and the other was closer to 4. All children are different. There are many reasons why one learns quicker than others. Some of the factors are: bladder size, fears, indifferent to/or hates being wet, having older siblings or friends already trained, mental and physical readiness. It will happen. R.

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N.M.

answers from Portland on

2 years old can still be quite young for potty training. If she is upset by going in the toilet or potty chair then back off for a little while. Give a few months and then try again. You have to follow the cues your child is giving you and it sounds like she just isn't ready. I know it is frustrating. We just finally got my son potty and poopy trained and he is just shy of 3 1/2. It just took him a little longer recognize and pay attention to his bodies signals. He still waits until the last minute - can't be bothered to stop playing just to go potty! : 0 )
It will happen in due course, just be patient.
good luck.

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A.H.

answers from Portland on

We used the reward method w/ our daughter when she was potty training. She got one licorice bite for pee & small sucker for poop. Worked very well.
We started using the rewards again for her going in & doing all the potty steps without assistance (still help her wipe w/ poop) in preparation for pre-school.
Sounds like you have a positive attitude about the process which is good. It can get frustrating but keep your chin up, if it does! Our daughter was almost three before she trained. We had been working hard w/ her all summer. One day she just started doing it & has had very few accidents since.
Good luck!

ps Our daughter did much better when I got her a seat to go on the toilet versus the potty seat. We started using the potty seat as a foot stool for her to get up on the "big girl potty!"

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A.A.

answers from Portland on

I have no idea what the right answer is, but we of course rewarded for using the potty! We had a goody bag with cheap, cheap toys in it. I only had to use it for my older son and even then it was for going #2 in the potty - because that was his challenge! Hey... whatever works right?! As long as it is not dangerous! I am all for rewards and even bribes sometimes.

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