Potty Training My 3 Year Old - Big Piney,WY

It could be one of two things.
First possibility - she doesn't know how to control it yet. Knowing that she has pooped or peed doesn't mean that her body has developed the ability to know she needs to, or maybe the control to get to the potty on time (although, if she runs into the corner, it's less likely, see the next)

Second possibility - it's become a power struggle. Did this with my son for way too long. Finally (when he was almost 4) I gave up and put him back in diapers. I also told him that Nintendo (something he liked to do) was for big boys who went potty. I didn't bug him about going potty after that, but when he asked for Nintendo, I reminded him it was a big boy thing and big boys went potty. It took a few months (part of which he decided he "didn't like Nintendo anyway") and then he was ready (it helped that his big sister still got to play) and was 100% trained in a week.

Either way, you may just want to wait it out. And diapers cost less than pull-ups, so stay with them until she's really ready to go!

If you want to get her potty trained, her is what I suggest (am in the process right now with my 2.5 year old daughter).

1. Put her in underwear, diapers or pullups - all the time (minus naps/bed). Be consistent. You say that they are too expensive (pullups) so I suggest buying 10 pairs of regular underwear and the plastic covers (to cut down on soiled pants). By going back and forth with different options you may confuseher.
2. Be prepared to take her every 1/2 hour. Set a timer. I've found my daughter responds better to the timer going off than me telling her it's time to go potty.
3. Don't ask if she has to go. Tell her "Time to go now. Are you going first or is mommy?" or "Does bear/baby have to go?" "Are you going on the big or little potty?" etc
4. Rewards!!! This can come in many forms (whatever you are comfortable with). We use m-n-ms and marshmallows. Others use mini m-n-ms, stickers, a chart, etc. Songs and dance work well too. You'll be amazed at how excited she'll be that YOU are proud of her.
5. Offer to sit on the potty when she does. Talk her through it. "You know how when you have to poop, you feel it in your belly?" Try to get her to realize/understand the feelings so she can start to tell you before she has to go (My daughter is still not at this stage but right now she goes every 1-1.5 hours)
6. If she doesn't go or has an accident, tell her that is okay, that you'll try another time. Don't make her feel bad or feel like she did something wrong. That will only result in backtracking. I always tell my daughter "Uh-oh we didn't make it in time. Next time we will!" We talk a lot about where poop and pee goes.
7. Work on training yourself first - to take her to the bathroom. Second, you will work with her to train her to realize/be able to tell you when she has to go. Third, you will work on night training. This may take a long time - months...maybe weeks or days (if you are lucky).

Good luck!!!

To an extent, your mom is right - they will do it in their own time. In the meantime... ditch the pull ups (except for at night if you need them at first). Take her to the store tp buy some new big girl underwear and let her choose. Explain that she will wear these now and she is three and doesn't need to wear diapers/pullups. REWARD REWARD REWARD when she does it right, and just skip much attention at all (even negative if she makes a "mess"). Good luck.

FYI - my neice showed very little interest until she was almost 3.5. Then one day, she decided it was time to go in the potty...

This sounds a little crazy but if your really motivated take a weekend and put her in panties with a timer for every 30-40 min and pump the fluids into her (popsicles, juice, milk, etc) so that you have pleanty of success for a few days. Explain to her that she doesn't get her diapers back except for sleeping because she's a big girl.
The thing that helped mine a lot too (sounds dumb but it worked!) was the movie called POTTY POWER. I bet you could find it at the library so it wouldn't cost you anything. Good luck!

We did potty training in 3 days. It's AWESOME! http://www.3daypottytraining.com/
I didn't have much faith but it actually worked. The biggest thing is dedicating 3 days to her and training. Then you need to constantly ride her to see if she's dry and be with her ALL the time. Good luck!

My son just turned 3 in Feb. He is at level ZERO with potty training. He actually still confuses poop and pee, so I don't think we're anywhere near using the potty on a regular basis. At this point, I'm fine with that. I am told time and time again to just let it go, and they will decide when they're ready. Since your daughter knows when she has to go, perhaps the cold turkey underwear thing is the way to go!! Otherwise, just go back to diapers, tell her where the underwear is when she's ready to use it, and just let her take it from here. She will eventually.

p.s. My son also says, "I don't want to be a big kid!" :P

Not sure if this will work....as I haven't tried it yet- but a nurse at my pediatrician office suggested it to me this past weekend. It has worked for 3 of her friends. Buy some CHEAP underwear. Place these on UNDERNEATH the diaper or rubber pants. Do not make a big deal out of it and don't mention it. Let the kiddo come to you and say they feel wet and or dirty...take a few minutes and change them. They will get used to what it feels like and hate it. I plan to try it if I don't have any luck soon as my daughter will be 3 in July and we are registering her for full-day preschool 3 days a week. Must be potty-trained.

The nurse told me the diapers (even pullups -- which my daughter calls Dora Diapers by the way...feels the same to them) are too absorbant and it doesn't bother most kids to be wet (after they initially pee, sometimes they can't even feel it at all). The underwear make them FEEL wet.

Good luck! Let us know if anything works :)

Best wishes,
A. F.
Local Childcare Coordinator
Cultural Care Au Pair
(and FTWM - attorney; host mom to an awesome Aussie au pair)
###-###-#### cell
http://aferrini.aupairnews.com

It sounds like she is not quite ready, but I will give you a few suggestions to try and see if it will work out for you. My twins are potty trained, and I had them trained by the time they were 2, honestly it was too hard for me both financially and shear exhaustion.

First go and get some plan jane white underwear. If you buy a few packages of them you can just throw them away. Figuring the cost they are about 25 cents a piece. Then while you are doing this have her pick out a package of her favorite underwear. If you are worried about bedwetting pick up a package of plastic pants. The old kind that are supposed to fit over cloth diapers or cloth panties.

The next day get her pretty panties and have her put on a pair. Tell her that as long as she keeps them clean she gets to wear them, and make a huge deal out of it, but that as soon as she messes her panties she has to wear these ugly white panties. If she gets to the white panties then even if she goes to the bathroom that day she cannot have her pretty panties till the next day.

Every 15 minutes ask her if she is clean. Have her feel her panties and see if they are and make her tell you if she is clean or not. Then every hour have her sit on the potty for up to 15 minutes. I usually set the twins on from anywhere from 5-10 minutes. If she goes get really really excited.

The next day or so do the same thing. If she goes potty and/or poo on the toilet, then wait for an hour and a half to 2 hours and have her sit down. If she doesn't, keep her in that hour timeframe. Keep this cycle down and within 2 weeks you won't know what hit you. You'll be doing something else and you'll hear either that she needs her bottom wiped or a flush of the toilet. For a few weeks though you need to make sure that she goes in and tries every 2 hours. (That's about as long as a toddler can hold their bladder till it is fully trained.)