Potty/toilet training... When & how did u do it?

[LoveNeverFails]

So this subject is a mystery to me. I've been confused with mixed information from "experts" and older women who's kids are grown up... And the right method and right time somewhat eludes me... But so far it's been like this....

We waited till DD understood that she was doing "wee wee's and poo poo's" before even mentioning a potty. I also allowed her to stroll by the toilet whenever I was on it, and when she observed I'd say "wee wee in the toilet!" and pretend to be all proud of myself. This was all happening when she was about one and a half. Up until she was about two, that was all we did. On her second birthday we picked up an amazing dolly at a swap meet. It's a little girl that "wee's" on her toilet and is all "I'm a big girl, I did it, hooray!" and the toilet flushes and then she washes her hands. It's all magnetic things that cause it to work I think. Anyway that doll set helped alot.

We also bought a toddler seat to fit on the normal loo, but if I put her on that she was terrified. So we got a normal potty and she wasn't scared of that but she didn't like it. We werent in a hurry she had only just turned two so we thought, better to take this slowly and have success then it turn into a huge nightmare. She is a bit stubborn and if she made her mind up that toilet means scary, we would have all the trouble in the world! So.... What I did was put the potty in the playroom, so she was around it all the time. I'd go and put a teddy on it regularly And tell her the bear was going potty like a big boy/girl. She liked that. After a week of that she was putting the bears on it herself saying "teddy doing wee's" during this time whenever I changed her nappy id remind her about how she can use the potty if she wants to. Then As the weather started to heat up (her bday is in spring) I sometimes let her run about in little undies in the lounge room. (I spread out a massive shower curtain on the floor which I bought for $5 for that purpose) and she would wee and feel it and see its effects and understand she needed to do something when she felt that urge. That's when she started telling me "I sit on potty". Yess!! Not every time though. So by 26 months old, she would occasionally ask to use the potty, and sometimes sit on it, pants off, reading a book, even if she didn't need to wee. Haha but that was okay, it was progress, she was no longer afraid of it or anything.

She has never pooped in it but she does wee's sometimes. She is now 29 months old and I think she is ready to step up a bit. She has asked to sit on the real toilet a few times (she was terribly afraid of it 4 months ago) and she constantly tells me "need a nappy change" when she even only wee's. I need to start making potty time a regular few times a day thing to get things moving more but I'm not sure how to make it work. She seems to forget to use it. She's so busy she just doesnt think to go, and when I suggest potty, she doesn't NEED to go so she doesnt see the point lol.

I'm thinking just putting her on the potty with a book as soon as she wakes from naps, before her bath and maybe when she wakes up in morning? U know, just periodically popping her on the potty.... For even two minutes and then hopefully she catches on more?

Also I think we helped conquer her fear of the real toilet, by, when she did wee in the potty, I would praise her and all that, then say "let's go put the wee wee in the toilet. Come see!" and she would follow me to the loo, from a cautious distance she would watch me pour it in the loo and flush it and I'd say "there, wee wee all gone down the toilet". She seemed to be fascinated by this process and it helped her be curious of the toilet instead of afraid.

We have been lucky to have time on our side. We disnt have to rush it for any reason so it's been a pretty relaxed process, but I would like it to be moving a bit faster now as DD will be a few months off 3 yrs old when bub #3 comes and I'd prefer her to be potty trained by then if at all possible.

Anyways, anyone care to share their miracle way of toilet training? Or their disaster method that didn't work? Let's give each other ideas and warnings!

[Z'sMum]

I'll be stalking this thread as well as your "from cot to bed" thread LoveNeverFails

We're not quite there yet, but any info/ideas/advice would be great!

[frenchieM]

DS didn't show any signs of readiness but at 2y8m I decided to give it a go since DD was due right around his 3rd bday so I thought I'd either have to do it before or else wayyyy later than 3yo.

I did a 3 day thing - here - varied it a bit, but basically he was nudie for bottom half for the first 3 days and every time he started to wee/poo, I would scoop him up and quickly place him on the nearest potty (we had 2 pottys in the main living area). We used couch covers and took up the rugs off the floor so clean ups were easier too. We gave him lots of liquids for those 3 days - milk, juice, anything he wanted because the more opportunities he had to go to the toilet, the quicker he learnt. Also, gave him a little apricot treat whenever he did a wee in the potty and a smartie when he did a poo. I know some people disagree with food treats, but it worked for us.

After 3 days he was going to the potty more than 50% of the time.

After a week, we never looked back, he was accident free (for both 1's and 2's) and has had only a few wee accidents since.

We did the same thing for night training, just went cold turkey, no nappy and he had accidents 2 nights in a row and then never again (he was about 3.5yo).

So IME, he was a dream child to TT, but needed a bit of a gentle push as I doubt he would have shown signs of readiness for a long time.

[LoveNeverFails]

Thanks frenchie, will check out your link when I'm on laptop (on my phone At the moment) my daughter has just started to resist the potty again, looks like we're going backwards, she doesn't want bar of it and if I place her on it she grabs me for dear life.... Oh no!! Might have to try the no-pants thing while the weathers
Still warm. Is going to be interesting though coz I can't pull
Up the carpets and she
Has two large areas where
She plays.... Might have to suck
It up and have c

[specialkac]

We TT DD1 at 22 months. Sort of followed 3 day method or used it as a rough guide.
Basically just put the potty handy and left knickers off some times. Kept sitting her on potty and tried to move her to it if caught her having an accident.
I remember feeling very disheartened after first few day, 13 accidents first day 10 on second and about 8 on 3rd and then it sort of clicked.
Within 2 weeks she was doing it on potty most times unless she forgot and got caught out.
We did give her a reward every time she went on the potty and that helped reinforce it.
Was th most frustrating 2 weeks as a parent but so worth it.
As for night training as she was so little we didn't even go there and 6 weeks away from 3 she has decided not to wear nappy to bed anymore herself and after couple of nights with wet bed is doing very well.

[frenchieM]

If you have a lot of carpet, I would be getting some towels/tarps/picnic rugs around where the potty is and then spending as much time outside as possible rather than playing inside. Its only for the first 3 days.
Carpet Power works really well BTW! (Its made by shower power). Thats what we use for spot cleaning although DS has never wee'd on the carpet, he has spewed all over it Kids, hey!

[LoveNeverFails]

Thanks ladies :-)
Latest setback... Decided to try pants free with her.... And she is all of a sudden hating no nappy! Shes been asking me to be nappy free for about a week, so I think perfect! I'll do the three day thing and let her run bare.. She lays down and cries her eyes out... And tries to find nappies. So I thought I'd put some little undies on her, at least they are easier to get off and she will still pee through them if she has an accident... But she pulls them
Off, cries for a "nappy change" and that's it! So I had a miserable child crying and lying on the floor almost all day. She just lay there nappyless... Would pee... Feel it and cry even more. And if I tried to get her to sit on the potty when I saw her pee... She would just latch onto me like it was going to swallow her and cry "I don't like it". So we've taken a step backward!! All of a sudden she doesn't want to go naked or knickers, and she's afraid of the potty again... What the heck?!

I'd be frustrated if I allowed myself to go there... But I'm pregnant and don't want to stress myself out lol. Any ideas on what I can do about this sudden backslide? She is miserable with no nappy, but won't use the potty or even do anything at all if she doesn't have a nappy on. She just lays there like a vegetable. Usually she is super active so she must be totally miserable. Needless to say by dinner time she had her nappy on again. There was zero co-operation. Meh

[frenchieM]

Maybe try offering something she really wants? Is there a special toy you could bribe her with? Or some stickers? Could you do something funny like give yourself a sticker or lolly every time you go to the toilet and make a big deal about it in front of her then she might want to copy you??
Otherwise give it a break for a few months, she might just not be ready yet.

[specialkac]

I would as previous poster just suggested try a reward. We did get a choc frog when she went on potty, once she got it we cut it back to a small piece
Every child is different and will respond to a different thing.

Reading your post I could not think of the early days once we were potty trained and think if you are going out a bit you might want to wait. DD used to need to go to toilet while out at the drop of a hat and could not hold it to start and was hard to drop everything if I was out on my own and sitting down with both girls. I would be trying to throw DD2 into pram as quickly as I could and usually leave everything else behind and go to toilet.

Was just my thought.
Could also see her relapsing once bubs is here.

Wondering if she is fighting it cause she knows there is a new baby on the way.

Ok, just thinking out loud. Sounds like you are very frustrated, sending you hugs and hoping you can figure it out soon

[A-to-Z]

I would stop trying different things. Give it a break for at least a month. Don't talk about it at all.

Then start again. Read the 3 day TT book then... Say good bye to the nappies together (at least pretend to throw the all out - hide the rest very well). Go shopping for some pretty undies. Draw up a reward chart together etc. Use a potty so she can go by herself and be independent (then progress to a step etc). And then just do it. Have a few days of 'torture' and you might be surprised how quickly it can be done. Don't put her on the potty, don't ask her if she wants to go to the toilet (she will always say no). You can remind her to tell you when she wants to do wees if she would like help.

I did the 3 day program with my girls and could not imagine dragging it out longer. DD1 was TT day and night a couple of months after 2. DD2 didn't quite do it by the book as she wanted to TT much earlier and copy her sister. She was TT the day she turned 2 and did nights only a couple of weeks later. She had tried earlier and I let her but then finally said no to her when it wasn't working. We started again a little before she was 2 but I cheated and put her in pull ups (called them princess undies though - no mention of nappies) if we had to go somewhere for a length of time. On her birthday she pulled down her princess undies to go to the toilet in the middle of the loungeroom, and that is when I realised she was TT. ie she didn't want to just wee in the pull up - she knew to go to the toilet. Also with DD1, I took a potty in the car, so I was never caught out.

You don't have to do the 3 day program exactly - it works ok if you break a couple of rules.