Is this worth it - potty training question

itsmevkb · August 2011

My daughter is two and a half and we started potty training. I had planned on starting closer to age two but I was pregnant, working and exhausted so I put it off. Now, she says she's scared to sit on the potty and just stands there crying when I tell her it's time to sit on the potty. Yesterday I sort of drew the line and told her she could sit on the potty or sit in her room. She chose to sit in her room.

Should I take this as a sign that she's just not ready yet and wait a little longer or should I push on with potty training.

Whoever said girls are easier than boys was wrong.

mrsolsenk12 · August 2011

I have heard of this. Maybe do some "practice runs" where she can sit on there with her clothes on and see it isn't scary.

GL, we are PTing Hayden right now. So far we dare doing well....now if i could just get him to poop on the potty.

LisaMarisa · August 2011

Unless she needs to be potty trained for something (like starting school), I would just wait. Let her continue to watch you use the potty to see that it isnt scary. Try a small potty or a seat on the potty if that helps her feel more comfortable. I definitely wouldnt push it if she isnt ready. That is just going to lead to lots of frustration for both of you plus a very long training period. She will be ready eventually.

My DS will go on the potty but still isnt ready to use it consistently. I ask him every day but I never push it. He knows that he cant wear his big boy mickey mouse underwear until he is going on the potty all the time and while that is disappointing to him (he always asks to wear them) he is ok with it for now.

I am not really interested in cleaning up lots of accidents so I am willing to wait until he is ready. There really is no rush or deadline.

dundasgirl · August 2011

I would wait. Just talk to her about using the potty soon. How she's going to be a big girl and wear underwear etc. Then when she starts to show an interest, start training.

There's huge pressure to start potty training and I think I probably started with Reed a little before he was ready. We stopped and started again..it went much better but it was still stressful for both of us (me and Reed!)....it's was a long process for us too.

firsttogo · August 2011

I agree! Wait and revisit! Nolan was under 2.5 when he was potty trained because he was super ready. Had he not been, it would have been 100000 times easier to wait until he was. There is no rush! and 2.5 is still young!

LoveMyGirlz · August 2011

I would wait too. Mine was interested at that time, but definitely not doing anything consistent. Right at age 3, I really tried to potty train and it was sooo frustrating. We were all in tears. I took a step back, I put her in pullups so she could feel the sensation and she usually wanted to change them right away. So I made her go to the bathroom, change her pull up (do all the work essentially), wash hands, etc and didn't get frustrated. ( I was happy I wasn't having to spend half an hour reading her books while she sat on the potty! Our pedi said to have her sit on the toilet until she goes). That lasted for about 3-4 weeks, and like magic she just started wanting to go to the bathroom. She wore underwear and still had a few accidents, mostly if we were outside of the home. For us, she just needed to make the decision.

Also, we were attending an ECFE (early child family education) class, and at age 3, about half the class was potty trained. I think this board either has early potty trainers, or just more people talk about it if they're kids were "early".

RoxBride · August 2011

I'd stop. Head to the library and get lots of kids books about potties and how they aren't scary and read those for awhle and try again in 6 weeks.

itsmevkb · August 2011

I started and stopped with my son because the first time around he clearly wasn't ready. When we tried the second time it clicked and he trained very quickly and we've only had about two accidents. With my daughter she'll come up to me and tell me she's pooping and how she'll need a new diaper so I thought, okay, she's definitely ready. But, clearly she's scared of the potty and I don't even know what is so scary, just sitting on it or is it the thought of not going in a diaper? It just seems like she's perfectly content to go in her diaper and tell me when she needs a change.

We have no need to potty train, I just thought since I'm home on maternity leave I have time for it now but I may put it off for a little while longer. I'll admit that some of this is social pressure as well since although she is two and a half she is very tall and a big girl and I have people ask me all the time if she's almost four and so I think that is why I get weird stares when we're out and people see she's wearing a diaper. Maybe I'll start having her wear a shirt with a big "2" on it ;-)

ESTH2000 · August 2011

LisaMarisa:

Unless she needs to be potty trained for something (like starting school), I would just wait. Let her continue to watch you use the potty to see that it isnt scary. Try a small potty or a seat on the potty if that helps her feel more comfortable. I definitely wouldnt push it if she isnt ready. That is just going to lead to lots of frustration for both of you plus a very long training period. She will be ready eventually.

My DS will go on the potty but still isnt ready to use it consistently. I ask him every day but I never push it. He knows that he cant wear his big boy mickey mouse underwear until he is going on the potty all the time and while that is disappointing to him (he always asks to wear them) he is ok with it for now.

I am not really interested in cleaning up lots of accidents so I am willing to wait until he is ready. There really is no rush or deadline.

Ditto!!

I would let her see you use the pottty and get her involved in helping you flush or making it fun to wash your hands.

I also got a elmo potty. Rewards did not work for my daughter, but we made it like a party every time we used the potty.

At first I bought a few books about using the potty and read them with her. I also had a free dvd about potty training from huggies that she loved watching.

The key is, I didn't start her until I noticed that she showed interest because I heard how it could majoryly backfire if you force them.

Has she told you exactly what it is she is scared of?

Mrs.Babbsy · August 2011

I've been bribing with 2 M&M's each time they sit on the potty;)

That's how I roll

JillRock96 · August 2011

dundasgirl:

I would wait. Just talk to her about using the potty soon. How she's going to be a big girl and wear underwear etc. Then when she starts to show an interest, start training.

There's huge pressure to start potty training and I think I probably started with Reed a little before he was ready. We stopped and started again..it went much better but it was still stressful for both of us (me and Reed!)....it's was a long process for us too.

This. Maybe let her pick out big girl underwear and a seat to go on the big potty (that worked well for us). We started, then stopped, then started again at 2 years 9 months, and it went much better.

hlsgrad · August 2011

I'd go with bribery once you know they're ready. DD started pooping on the potty at 2 (on her own), but refused to go for pee (she would pee if she was there but wouldn't make a special trip). I tried to train her a few times, but she wasn't ready so i stopped right away. I revisited it again when she turned 3 and was clearly showing signs she was ready. I bribed her with a new potty seat, new big girl underwear and stickers for a dry day. Once she was "ready" she was trained in 2 days. If i had pushed the pee-training earlier I think we would have all been in tears!

LIAngel · August 2011

Maybe I'm lazy, but I'm not even going to attempt potty training til Nicholas is closer to 3. That will probably be my New Years Resolution for 2012. Get Nicholas potty trained. I'm in no rush.

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