Seeking Help with Toilet Training

Get rid of all pull ups. Forever. No more. Pull-ups are the most detrimental thing for potty training EVER INVENTED. Bye-Bye pull-ups. I would probably have HIM throw them away since he is a "big boy and doesn't need them anymore".

When he pees on himself, HE must clean himself and any mess he made on the floor or change sheets, clean toys etc (not at night, night is different). No emotion from you - just "oops, please clean up your mess. next time go in the potty". You can help him so things actually get cleaned up, but he needs to do it first.

At 4 he may be old enough to be able to put the clothes in the 'washer' so he understands he is totally responsible for himself.

You can also have him naked on the bottom on the weekends so he gets the feel of it. Again - HE has to clean up his own mess. You are done cleaning up the mess.

Some parents have their son drink LOTS of liquid and then take him to the potty every 30 min or whatever for an entire weekend so they get the "feel" of what it feels like. I didn't have to do that, but they say it works, so you might try that.

GOOD LUCK.

have a no more diapers party. Have a cake, sing a song and tell him that is it, had the party no more diapers, have to use the potty unless he's sleeping. Make it a non negotiable and he'll be peeing in the potty consistently in a week.

I agree with Brenna....No more pullups! It is ok if he still needs them at night. I did learn that it is a different developmental skill in the brain that keeps them from wetting while sleeping so that part I wouldn't worry about. But as for the day it needs to be underwear all the time. I would start on the weekend or during the week when you know you can stay at home for a few days so you don't have to worry too much about him wetting in public. And actually if he comes and tells you he is wet then he really doesn't like being wet otherwise he would just continue playing like nothing happened. But right now he knows you will give in and put him back in pull ups. So if he knows there are no more pull ups and his only option is to wet himself or go in the potty he will start going in the potty. And if he has to clean himself then he really is going to sick of doing that real fast. So hang in there are be strong.

I don't know. If he can he able to use the toilet always or #2 but not #1, it may be something else. I agree with the post in terms of fluid intake. But I really would ask for a referral to a pediatric urologist. (the reg ped might just play it off). It could be a physical something creating the control or the sensing the need to go difficulty. Especially since he is basically five. They will not accept a child in kindergarten in pull-ups unless the child has special needs of some sort.

My son has been having similar issues recently and he's turning 7 in July. Here are some questions our Pedi gave us to answer ... and going through them has helped us a LOT.

1) How much fluid is he drinking? Not enough fluid results in the body not triggering the "I need to go now" button. Offer more fluids through the day.

2) What stressers are going on for him? If this is only happening when there is a change in his routine, then he may be feeling insecure. Talk to him about what's bothering him and let him know that Mommy and Daddy are always going to be there.

3) What REACTION does he get from YOU? He may be trying to find a way to get more attention from you and will take any kind of attention. Good as well as bad. When it happens, have him clean himself up and change his own pants. Be very matter of fact about it and don't give in to arguments. This will make HIM responsible for changing himself rather than you. He will get tired of changing himself all the time and will eventually do what he needs to do.

4) How much time does he spend with other kids his age? Does he see THEM go potty? This is where peer pressure is helpful. Kids are very much "Monkey see monkey do" and will do what's needed to avoid being teased / rejected by the other kids. Yes, it will hurt YOUR feelings to see him go through this, but it HELPS him. Allow it to happen. he won't be scarred for life if he gets teased by his peers for peeing his pants. He also won't be scarred for life if he starts school in pull ups.

5) Is none of this helpful? Then it's time for the Dr to see if there is something more going on with him. Make an appointment with your Pedi to discuss the situation in full. There may be a physiological reason for his potty issues.

I had the same issue with my Son, who is now 6. What helped was purchasing a Peter Potty. I bought mine online through Walmart.com but did see that they sell them in their stores now. It's an adjustable urinal. My Son LOVED it! After he had that he wasn't having any issue's again. Especially because he knew that his twin Sister couldn't share it with him.
Good luck :)

you could try turning it into a game, put a few cheerios in the toilet and tell him the object of the game is to sink the cheerios, then keep cheerios in the bathroom for him to use on his own and reward him for being successful at the game with 5 jellybeans or m&m's it worked for my now 20 year old, my 5 year old has had no trouble, my 3 year old is short and was trained at 2 so now that he is finally tall enough we tell him to aim in the pot like he is a fireman controlling a firehose.