Potty Training 101!!

I need help ladies! Sunday morning I was woken up by my almost 2 year old son yelling "Mom! Diaper! Stinky" At that moment, I decided that it was time. I want to potty train my son but I don't know how to start. He has a little potty ring that goes on the toilet. He LOVES this potty. He loves sitting on it, getting toilet paper, and flushing it. He has never done anything productive on the potty. He always wears a diaper. How do I explain to him what peeing means? I got him cute little underwear and he HATES them. He freaks out when I put them on him. I did successfully get them on once and he peed in them but did not care. He didn't even stop or notice that it had happened. He just ran around the house in pee pants. Any ideas on explaining to a two year old what peeing means? His vocabulary is VERY limited at this point. He mostly says single words, not sentances.

[HouseofWool]

There are some great books out there that explain it for little kids. We had one that was a board book.

That and let him run around bare bottomed so he can see the results of what he is doing.

This is another topic that should be a sticky. Try a quick search on here and see what you find. Once you read those you'll probably re-think the training idea. Potty training my 2 boys was such a nightmare that I've said my dd will have to walk over to me and say "Excuse me Mother. I need to use the facilities, please." before I try anything at all.

[HouseofWool]

This is another topic that should be a sticky. Try a quick search on here and see what you find. Once you read those you'll probably re-think the training idea. Potty training my 2 boys was such a nightmare that I've said my dd will have to walk over to me and say "Excuse me Mother. I need to use the facilities, please." before I try anything at all.

too freakin' funny Jenn!

[Pollyanna]

This is another topic that should be a sticky. Try a quick search on here and see what you find. Once you read those you'll probably re-think the training idea. Potty training my 2 boys was such a nightmare that I've said my dd will have to walk over to me and say "Excuse me Mother. I need to use the facilities, please." before I try anything at all.

Amen!!!

sticky?

I don't know what a "sticky" is and I'm feeling a little unwelcome. I was told to start a few threads of questions I had to try and work up to my 100 posts.

I don't have time to read potty training books. I'm a working mother. I was just hoping that some of you would have great advice for me on how to get started.

Lacy

[ladymoreta]

Hi Lacy - sometimes it takes a little time to get used to our sense of humor. No unwelcome feelings were intended. Sometimes on forums, it's harder to "get" the tone someone is using, but I can assure you no one meant any ill-will.

To search forums, look at the blue menu bar at the top of the screen (that starts with "iMSN Home, User CP, etc). In between New Posts and FAQ, there's a drop-down menu for Search. You can look up some older threads on potty training. Those can help you a lot, since people may not end up re-typing what they previously posted on a different thread.

A "sticky" is a thread that is always displayed at the top of the list of topics within a forum, so it can be easily found. This is usually done if it's a topic that comes up often, so we can keep all the great advice organized in one place. For example, if you look at the "Infants and Toddlers" forum, there is a sticky called "The Babywearing Thread". It's one that almost all the new moms want to see when we get to that point, so rather than having to search for it or start a new thread about how to use wraps and stuff, we can just look at that.

But I just wanted to make sure you knew that the "X should be a sticky" isn't meant to be offensive. It's funny to us because a lot of people have started the same thread - it's obviously an important topic, and one filled with enough frustration that advice is needed!

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I don't know what a "sticky" is and I'm feeling a little unwelcome. I was told to start a few threads of questions I had to try and work up to my 100 posts.

I don't have time to read potty training books. I'm a working mother. I was just hoping that some of you would have great advice for me on how to get started.

Lacy

I agree with everything that LadyMoreta said No ill-feelings! Also, the book is more for him than for you - something for you to read to him, so he can get an idea of what the potty is for - since he gets the part he can see (the sitting, TP, and flushing), he now needs to see that "poopies go in the potty"

Potty training is a crazy thing, because what works for one kid, doesn't work for another. My one friend got her daughter potty trained simply with positive reinforcement and putting on big-girl pants! The daughter will praise her mom or dad when they come out of the bathroom

Another friend is having a heck of a time with her son. Nothing is seeming to work - although he told her the other day after coming out of the bathroom "Mommy, did you go on the potty? Now you get a cool car" (Matchbox cars are his bribe!)

You may have to try a bunch of things (and clean up a bunch of messes) before he gets it! You said you work - does he go to daycare? Maybe they have some suggestions for you as well! Good luck - the only potty-training I've had to do is with my dogs

[HouseofWool]

Hi Lacy - just to reinforce what others have said, no ill will was intended. We have a couple of people on this board who are great at researching the older threads and putting the pertanient information in one place. I can guarantee that Shakti was not intending to be off-putting.

As for the book I mentioned, it is definately for your son.

Please continue to post often.

[MarissaNicole]

A sticky is a tool that they use to make a post at the top of the forum and it kind of always stays up top so that it can be easily found.

They try and "sticky" reoccuring and popular questions such as "when is a good time to have a child" or "cloth diapers" which are both common topics.

Although we don't have a sticky on potty training, we obviously need one!

Here are some older posts on the topic:

potty training 1

potty training 2

potty training 3

potty training 4

potty training 5

Unfortunately I have no good advice because my mom and sisters have found that having them wear underwear (rather than pull ups) helps because then they FEEL that they are wet... but perhaps you little one is not quite ready yet?

He is obviously ready to use the potty, but perhaps not ready to be fully potty trained? My best suggestion would be to keep him in diapers but through out the day ask him if he has to go, and put him on.... but not to worry about "teaching" him quite yet because he might not be ready?

Good luck!

[Thirteen]

I don't have any kids yet, but...

My mom used the "pants off" method for all of us, and she claims it worked in 72 hours or less. From what I understand, we were dressed from the waist up, and kept at home for a few days -- when the urge to go came, my mom could spot our behavior and gently led us to the potty. On the potty, we talked about the urge to go, etc. and received (I believe) a gummy bear for each successful "making" session.
My friend M also has recently used this for her son, and she raves about it too.
Apparently, however, both she and my mother only started to employ it 1) when the child started showing interest in using the potty, and 2) over a weekend where we could all be home together.

After the weekend of pants off, for a few weeks, we would go out with my mom sans underwear - I was told this lessens the desire to revert back to the comfort of diapers and pull-ups, since accidents will be felt by the child.
We were in no way punished for accidents, ever - instead, just encouraged and praised at successes.

I hope this helps in some way, Lacy! Good Luck with Training!
-Adrianne