Re: Need Help with potty training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May 7, 2004

I'm at my whits end. Please help me!!!!!!! Krista is almost 3 1/2 and

we are only at the pull-ups stage. I have tried everything. Sometimes

she will tinkle in the potty (when she wants to) but never anything

else. She is going to pre-school in September and everyone must be

potty trained. I've tried the reward system, big girl panties,

leaving them on when they are wet so she will be uncomfortable,

taking them off right away, pull-ups, being naked (which sometimes

works but is not practical), making her go every hour. Nothing is

working. Did anyone else have this problem and what did you do? Any

thoughts would be appreciated more than you will know. I'm beginning

to feel like a failure in the mother department and my mom won't

leave me alone about not potty training Krista. HELP!!!!!!!!

We went through this with my older son Wyatt. He did not potty train until

he was about her age either, and we had tried everything as well. Even the

biggest motivating factor to him, that his older sister was potty trained and

wearing big girl underwear was not enough. She really was into the pretty

underwear that she could have if she was potty trained, he couldn't care less.

Anyway, this is what we did with Wyatt:

We gave him a big sippy cup of water, juice, whatever he liked, and

encouraged him to keep drinking it. After about 15 minutes, we went into the

potty,

and sat him on the toilet, talked, sang songs, read books, until nature kicked

in, (which didn't take long, since he was drinking so much..and during this

time on the potty, we kept him drinking.) when he finally went, we had a little

party. Blew up balloons, made him feel like king sh*t for it. Then, after

about 10 minutes, we went back to the potty, did it all over again, and of

course, since this whole time he's drinking, he goes again. This time, no

party,

but we made a really big deal about what a big boy he was and how proud we were,

and we had him call Grammie and Papa to let them know what was going on.

Then it was back to the potty again, with the books and songs and stuff. (still

drinking) When he went again, it was time for the big boy underwear that he

got to choose. As you can see, this is an all day event, so it'd be good to do

on a weekend when everyone is home and can help you make a big deal out of it.

(And that night after she goes to bed, it'd be time for a drink for you..this

takes a bit of patience!)

We stepped down the reaction to going potty each time, so that he didn't

start peeing in the potty for a reward. Honestly, after that day, we did have a

few accidents, but he was more or less potty trained after that.

Just what we did, good luck!

Jen and Lance

Xavier 17months, 17lbs!, 27in RSS, G-tube, Fundoplacation, 27 cal Soy

Formula, Myrilax, ST, OT, PT, FT

Emerald, 5, Non RSS

Wyatt, 4, Non RSS

May 7, 2004

Hi there!

Don't beat yourself up over it! I know it's hard when other

family members won't leave a parenting issue alone (mine have a lot

of practice here! ) Every child is different and trains at their

own rate, but I do understand your frustration, Olivia was a late

trainer also. We finally trained her in one week using a method I

saw on TV. We brought the potty into the living room and had her

train her doll to " go " on the potty, about every hour or 2 we'd say

that the doll had to go potty and she had to teach the doll all of

the steps. Pant's down, sit, wipe, pants up. Then we had a BIG

party for the doll every time! After only a few days Olivia wanted

the party for herself with all of the hugs and kisses and dancing

for her (you should have seen my husband kissing and praising the

doll! lol) In the end it seemed like she was potty trained over

night, we were at our wits end too, and we just lessened the praise

as time went on. With Olivia's bowel problems we still give her a

reward after and especially difficult one though.

Hope this might work for you and GOOD LUCK!!

Leah, mom to Ash 9yrs and Olivia 4.5yrs RSS, OI 18lbs, 33 "

> I'm at my whits end. Please help me!!!!!!! Krista is almost 3 1/2

and

> we are only at the pull-ups stage. I have tried everything.

Sometimes

> she will tinkle in the potty (when she wants to) but never

anything

> else. She is going to pre-school in September and everyone must be

> potty trained. I've tried the reward system, big girl panties,

> leaving them on when they are wet so she will be uncomfortable,

> taking them off right away, pull-ups, being naked (which sometimes

> works but is not practical), making her go every hour. Nothing is

> working. Did anyone else have this problem and what did you do?

Any

> thoughts would be appreciated more than you will know. I'm

beginning

> to feel like a failure in the mother department and my mom won't

> leave me alone about not potty training Krista. HELP!!!!!!!!

May 7, 2004

We finally went with a sticker chart with Becca. Fortunately, she is

in a special preschool and did not have to be trained for school.

Between the sticker chart at home (she got 2 stickers every time -

one for the chart and one on her shirt) and the smiley stickers at

school she finally trained in one week.

is another story. He is already 4 and is still not trained.

He doesn't care about stickers, candy or anything else. We are

trying, but not getting there yet.

Did you explain to you daugher about needing to be able to use the

potty for school? Most kids want to go to school and that might help.

Good luck,

Judith, Steve, (RSS) and (non RSS) 4 year old twins

May 7, 2004

Dear....um....Krista's Mom!

Three and a half is not that late in the potty-training biz, although

other people are making you feel that it is.

When my kids were little, I knew that the one thing I cannot cope

with very well is poopy training pants (we did not have pull-ups back

in the dark ages . So....the deal was: you poop in the potty in

the morning and you get your training pants on for the day. They

wanted the training pants on because they could move around more

easily. Pants are not as confining as a diaper. Also, success on

the potty of either kind was rewarded with a small handful of M and

M's. Also, applause and cheering and hugs and kisses. I found that

kids will do almost anything for chocolate and applause, just like

me! With that said, a child has to develop a certain amount of what

I call 'body awareness' to know that the event is coming ahead of

time. That arrives for different kids at different ages and I don't

think it can be rushed.

One more thought. I read a book once, which I haven't been able to

find again that was called 'Potty training in a weekend'. Great

idea, right? Well, there were good ideas in it. You devote a whole

weekend to the project. You put the potty in a handy place, like the

kitchen. You give the child anything liquid that they will drink,

like sodas and popsicles so that they will need to go often. You put

them in just loose pants and a short t-shirt so that they can handle

the pants down and pants up part. Then you potty them every 30

minutes. Hopefully, by the end of the weekend, they will have had

several successes, simply because they need to go so often and they

will have gotten some of the idea. They weren't saying that the

entire job of training was done, but that the basic groundwork would

be set and that after that, you would just be refining it. They said

that if at the end of the weekend, you weren't very successful, you

should accept that your child was just not ready, put away the potty

and wait a few more weeks and try a second weekend. I think that

there is a lot of wisdom in this system.

I know that to you it seems like a short time until fall, but in

terms of little ones, two or three months is a very long time. And,

once they get it, it can come fast.

One other thought, has she seen other little kids use the potty?

That is one good thing I think kids get at daycare at this age - peer

pressure!

Good Luck!

Conny, 's great-aunt

> I'm at my whits end. Please help me!!!!!!! Krista is almost 3 1/2

and

> we are only at the pull-ups stage. I have tried everything.

Sometimes

> she will tinkle in the potty (when she wants to) but never anything

> else. She is going to pre-school in September and everyone must be

> potty trained. I've tried the reward system, big girl panties,

> leaving them on when they are wet so she will be uncomfortable,

> taking them off right away, pull-ups, being naked (which sometimes

> works but is not practical), making her go every hour. Nothing is

> working. Did anyone else have this problem and what did you do? Any

> thoughts would be appreciated more than you will know. I'm

beginning

> to feel like a failure in the mother department and my mom won't

> leave me alone about not potty training Krista. HELP!!!!!!!!

May 7, 2004

oh boy, i know exactly how you feel. my son will be 4 years old next month

and he's still not potty trained. i tried practically everything and i mean

everything to get him sit down, but he just doesn't want to sit on the potty

or the toilet. in fact he just plays with the potty or in the bathroom. i

put him in a cloth training pants for a month thinking that he'll feel

uncomfortable when he is wet or he has poo-poo on his butt. well, that

didn't work either. he can be soaking wet and he still won't tell me that he

wet himself or poo-poo. it was really frustrating! i decided to just put him

on a disposable training pants. it's less stressful for me. fortunately, i

was able to find a pre-school that doesn't require potty training. in fact,

they have a buddy system. he is going to be paired up with someone who knows

how to go to the potty. i think this is the best way for him to learn (it's

a good peer preassure).

good luck with krista and don't feel bad, you're not the only one who's

going through this stage of life.

Need Help with potty training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

> I'm at my whits end. Please help me!!!!!!! Krista is almost 3 1/2 and

> we are only at the pull-ups stage. I have tried everything. Sometimes

> she will tinkle in the potty (when she wants to) but never anything

> else. She is going to pre-school in September and everyone must be

> potty trained. I've tried the reward system, big girl panties,

> leaving them on when they are wet so she will be uncomfortable,

> taking them off right away, pull-ups, being naked (which sometimes

> works but is not practical), making her go every hour. Nothing is

> working. Did anyone else have this problem and what did you do? Any

> thoughts would be appreciated more than you will know. I'm beginning

> to feel like a failure in the mother department and my mom won't

> leave me alone about not potty training Krista. HELP!!!!!!!!

>

May 7, 2004

I'm right there with you. Tori is 3 and 10 months. We are still in the pull up

stage too. We have been working on it forever. But I look at it as she will get

there when she is ready.

We do the reward with star sticker, we do the undies under the diaper, the

undies over the diaper.

It is a thing that they have control over. Are any of her friends potty

trained? I use that she is almost 4 and if your turning for you don't wear

diapers or pull ups. Some days it works. We also have the reward of Chucky

Cheese if we are dry all day. It has only happened once so far.

Good luck. Is she a sensory child also? Brushing helps. there is a book how to

potty train in a day. It was on the Dr. Phil show. Good tips.

Maloy