anyone with a toddler NOT pt yet??

wifey11803

DD will be 4 on 7/5 and we are at ground zero in the potty training dept.  I have vigiliantly been trying for 2 years and she has no interest at all in it.  I have been through the gamat of rewards and still nothing. 

Anyone else in the same boat? I am very concerned b/c she starts preschool in Sept. and cannot go with diapers or pull ups.

pincushions

DD is not PT. Miles (3.5) still wears diapers to bed.

Have you tried cold turkey naked?

That was the only thing that worked for Miles. Emilia (2) on the other hand has been using the potty regularly but not enough for us to leave the safety of indoors.

Sunflower777

Well, my DS will be 3 next week and we have tried off and on over the past year and it seems that we're actually moving further away from our goal. : (

Before, he used to go on the potty before his bath, now we can't even convince him to do that. I'm not sure what to do, because I really wanted to start him in a 3 y.o., 2 day a week preschool program in the fall, but I have serious doubts that he'll be reliably pt'ed by then. So no good advice, but you're certainly not alone.?

juniper19

My dd started right after she was in school.  I think peer pressure made a big difference.  I know that's not exactly helpful, since you want it done before school starts.  How long is she in school for?  If only half days, maybe you just send in undies and cross your fingers.

danasport

My son was trained right around his 3rd Birthday (thank gawd, since preschool started two weeks later!) and honestly, the only thing that worked was promising him that we'd take him to the toystore and letting him pick anything he wanted!  Commit three days to staying home with her and just put her in underwear.  The first day I did this with my son, I changed his clothes ELEVEN times!  The second day I changed him four times and by the third day, no accidents!  They really don't like the feeling of wet underwear/pants and then having to be changed isn't fun, etc...Try it.  It sucks the first day, no doubt.  But it's worth it in the end! 

PS - Let her go to the store with you and pick out her big girl underwear and buy a LOT!  You will go through a lot! 

Good luck!

heyitsme

I was in your shoes and I TOTALLY understand! My DD is going to be 5 in Sept but she didn't potty train until 3 years, 9 months. That was especially hard because daycare refused to move her to preschool until she was PTed.

We tried every method imaginable to PT her. I had people breathing down my neck telling me I wasn't strict enough, I was letting her walk all over me, I had to be "in charge." But when I looked at my child with tears in her eyes desperately afraid to even SIT on a toilet, I knew I had to trust my instincts. I ran the gamut of emotions--we'd try something, fail, I'd feel like a crappy mom, we'd step back for a while, try something different, etc.

I used this system to FINALLY PT DD. Not sure if it will work for your DD but it worked for mine:

Week #1 she got a reward any time she told me she had to go pee or poop in her diaper. This built her awareness of when she had to go, and to make her aware of it BEFORE and not after. During this week she was still in a diaper.

Week #2 she got a reward any time she did that AND went and stood in the bathroom while going #1 or #2. It taught her that pee/poop happens in the bathroom and nowhere else. Even when we were out she was expected to tell me so we could go to the bathroom.

Week #3 she got a reward when she did that AND sat on the toilet (in a diaper) while going pee or poop. Our ped had told me that sometimes it takes a kid time to learn how to pee and poop sitting down if they're so used to doing it standing up (in a diaper).

Week #4 we put her in panties and expected her to tell us, go to the bathroom, and sit on the potty and go. Sunday and Monday were a disaster. She didn't have accidents--she held her pee for 10+ hours. I could TELL she had to go. She'd be dancing like a maniac but wouldn't go. Finally, afraid she'd get a UTI (which she'd had in earlier PTing attempts due to being to afraid to let go and holding it too long), I'd give in and give her a diaper. Then came Tuesday. Again no pee all day at daycare, and she TOLD her teachers she'd go at home. It was the worst 2 hours of my life. She was dancing, crying, had to go SO badly. I just kept telling her the toilet was there, I'd sit with her, if she has to go she'll feel better when she does, etc. Finally I just said, "You know, you've spent all this time crying and upset and really needing to go. All you need to do is sit on that potty and go and you'll feel better and we can go play or watch TV or whatever you want to do." She burst into tears and said, "I have to go potty!" and she ran right to the toilet and did. And you know what? She didn't wear a diaper since THAT VERY MOMENT. And we NEVER had an accident.

Once she did it once she never looked back.

I hated those 9 months of angst when everyone insisted she should be PT. I felt exhausted and frustrated. But at the same time, I had PTing easier than most people I know. I never cleaned pee or poop off the floor. Never had to deal with dirty/soiled clothes.

I hope your DD's story is similar when it happens!

 
(((HUGS))) I know how it feels.
 

SpartanGirl

We just started trying again with DD.  She is almost 3 and a half.  It started off very promising, but we've had a lot of accidents lately.  We decided to just go cold turkey at home.  When she woke up one day last week I just told her that we would not be wearing diapers at home anymore.  I've tried to not make a big deal about it (except when she goes on the potty, then I lay on the praise).  We've just made it matter-of-fact, this is what we do now.  If she has an accident I don't get upset.  She is responsible for getting herself changed and helping clean up the mess.  I can say that she seems more interested this time around.  I really hope she potty trains soon!