Potty Training

[Los Spurs]

I got a text from a friend who would like for me to baby sit her 4 year old son but that he wasn't potty trained. She asked if that would be a problem since I'm supposed to watch him from 6pm to whenever the game ends tomorrow night. I don't have a problem baby sitting the little one but I would assume that he would know how to potty by now.

I know that all my nieces and nephews learned by no later then age 3

[to21]

I'm thirty-four and still haven't gotten it down.


No really...if the kids four and he hasn't gotten it by now, it's mommy's fault.

[Los Spurs]

I'm thirty-four and still haven't gotten it down.


No really...if the kids four and he hasn't gotten it by now, it's mommy's fault.

:lmao @ the first part of your comment.

I just left a message on her cell phone and told her it wasn't a problem but that she needed to provide an extra set of clothes just in case :depressed

I have a potty training video that my Sister in Law left behind one day. I wonder if I should play it for the little one with out offending my friend.

[marini martini]

Mo, take him outside, and show him how a guy does it, in fact show him how to write his name:lmao

[Los Spurs]

Mo, take him outside, and show him how a guy does it, in fact show him how to write his name:lmao



:wtf

Who's Mo?

[marini martini]

:wtf

Who's Mo?

Sorry, got you confused with my buddy, Mo:toast

[Los Spurs]

Sorry, got you confused with my buddy, Mo:toast


Oh, ok...

[mrsmaalox]

Potty training was never a big obsession for me.....and I had 3 kids in diapers all at once. I just believed that the earlier you start, the bigger the fight you will face. Toddlers lives are a perpetual power struggle, as they try to establish their individuality; I hated the idea that it would automatically become an issue of power. And developmentally I didn't think they really understood the logic behind it. Obviously my kids all potty trained late, at about 4 yrs old. With each one I'd break out the real underwear every couple of months and suggest a try at the potty; sometimes they adamantly refused, sometimes they tried but were easily distracted. Then the magic time finally came, when I suggested, an obvious light bulb switched on in their little heads and voila! Potty trained! No struggles, no accidents. Not a big deal. Of course I have to mention that I was with them 24/7 and didn't have the pressure of needing other people to care for them.

[marini martini]

So Los, if your a guy, use my first suggestion, if not keep a diaper on him, and make him change it himself. Oh, and put a plastic tarp on the couch:lol

Have fun, and remember, no liquids after 6P.M.:toast

[BacktoBasics]

How can he not be potty trained by 4. Thats definately the parents being lazy and the kid might be a little mental too. I mean an accident every now and then but what kid at that age would be comfortable shitting himself and sitting in it. If my kids doesn't have it down pat by 3 I'm gonna be pretty upset.

[marini martini]

If my kids doesn't have it down pat by 3 I'm gonna be pretty upset.

:ihit

Uh Oh!:nope

[Los Spurs]

So Los, if your a guy, use my first suggestion, if not keep a diaper on him, and make him change it himself. Oh, and put a plastic tarp on the couch:lol

Have fun, and remember, no liquids after 6P.M.:toast

I'm a girl :p:

:lol @ the tarp on the couch.

[Los Spurs]

How can he not be potty trained by 4. Thats definately the parents being lazy and the kid might be a little mental too. I mean an accident every now and then but what kid at that age would be comfortable shitting himself and sitting in it. If my kids doesn't have it down pat by 3 I'm gonna be pretty upset.

I do believe that my friend is at fault here. He tells her when he has to go pee-pee but not when he has to go poo-poo.

[to21]

I do believe that my friend is at fault here. He tells her when he has to go pee-pee but not when he has to go poo-poo.:lmao

I tell my boss here at work if I have to go pee-pee or poo-poo.

She doesn't like it.

[Sunshine]

Potty training was never a big obsession for me.....and I had 3 kids in diapers all at once. I just believed that the earlier you start, the bigger the fight you will face. Toddlers lives are a perpetual power struggle, as they try to establish their individuality; I hated the idea that it would automatically become an issue of power. And developmentally I didn't think they really understood the logic behind it. Obviously my kids all potty trained late, at about 4 yrs old. With each one I'd break out the real underwear every couple of months and suggest a try at the potty; sometimes they adamantly refused, sometimes they tried but were easily distracted. Then the magic time finally came, when I suggested, an obvious light bulb switched on in their little heads and voila! Potty trained! No struggles, no accidents. Not a big deal. Of course I have to mention that I was with them 24/7 and didn't have the pressure of needing other people to care for them.

I find that you and I are on the same page about a lot of things, this included. My pediatrician once told me that with everything we demand of little children and all the pressure we put on them, yes, even toddlers, that trying to potty train too early is just too much for them. He said he'd never known a child to start kindergarten not potty trained. Of course,there are medical conditions that are exceptions. My son was in day care and they never pressured him to potty train, but when he saw some of his friends going into the "big kids" class (about age 2 - 2 1/2), he wanted to go too. Potty training was required for that, so we talked to him and bought him some big boy underwear and in about a week, he pretty much had it down. I was, however, pregnant at the time, and shortly after my daughter was born he relapsed and we put him in pull-ups, but that didn't last long. I think my daughter was pretty much accident free by 2, but girls are easier to potty train for the most part.

[BacktoBasics]

:ihit

Uh Oh!:nopeLet me rephrase

Upset with myself and my wife.

[Shelly]

Both my boys trained late--in their 3rd year. It just became too frustrating for the both of us when I tried earlier. But once they were ready, they were trained really fast and we had very few accidents. I think after that, both of them only wet the bed once or twice at night.

[Shelly]

How can he not be potty trained by 4. Thats definately the parents being lazy and the kid might be a little mental too. I mean an accident every now and then but what kid at that age would be comfortable shitting himself and sitting in it. If my kids doesn't have it down pat by 3 I'm gonna be pretty upset.

My youngest could sit in it all day and not care. I wasn't lazy and he's definitely not mental.

If you show you're upset, it's not gonna make him train any quicker. It will only make things worse. And yeah, I was one who thought my kids would be trained by 2.

[Sunshine]

I do believe that my friend is at fault here. He tells her when he has to go pee-pee but not when he has to go poo-poo.


That's not uncommon at all. For some reason, poo-poo is scary to a kid. And not being 100% potty trained at 4 is not the end of the world. If he still wears a diaper, maybe there's a problem, but if it's just a case of still having accidents, well, she can discuss it with her pediatrician to see if there is an underlying problem.

[degenerate_gambler]

But once they were ready, they were trained really fast


Biggest factor right there. You can cajole, beg, plead, get perturbed, pray, bribe, or whatever...but until they decide it's time, there will never be any consistency in their 'training'.

It's pointless to try and force it upon them before that light goes off in their little mind...it only brings confusion to the child and frustration to the parent.

[BacktoBasics]

My youngest could sit in it all day and not care. I wasn't lazy and he's definitely not mental.

If you show you're upset, it's not gonna make him train any quicker. It will only make things worse. And yeah, I was one who thought my kids would be trained by 2.
I gave my boy a disapproving tone when he crapped himself the other day. Asked him why he didn't tell me he needed to use the potty. He promptly started telling me he needed to break it down for the next day and half with no issues. Its just didn't last. I don't for one second believe that me jumping on him did any harm and if anything it seemed to help him stay on top of it. I didn't yell, I instructed, and let him know I didn't approve of him pooping himself when he knows better. As his little mind grows so will his ability to retain long term.

If thats considered being upset and counter productive then we disagree.

Everyone's situation is different and I'm in no way saying your kids are mental or you're a bad parent but at 4 the mind should be developed enough to have potty training down solid. Pun intended.

I really don't get the doctors that think we pressure kids by pushing them to learn.

My son says

can't do it
can't do it
too hard
I can't and so on all the time. I see him get frustrated and he's only 2. I tell him no you don't say that now do it and we'll work on it together then finally after awile he'll get whatever it is that we are trying to do and he's satisfied and repeats it time and again for satisfaction. Each time I get the can't or won't or too hard I remind him of kicking the ball or hitting the ball or putting the shapes in the right spot and so on. Over the last 6 months I see his ability to refer back to the things he couldn't do but now can and use it as positive reinforcement for the next great challenge. Somewhere along the line I think we all became too passive. Anyway I'm not a drill instructor but I'm not going to abandon expecting things out of my child if I think he's capable of getting something down.

[Slydragon]

I remember when my daughter was first born the small crap was easy too clean and too a few people very cute, But remember the older they get the bigger they and there poop gets.

[desflood]

Biggest factor right there. You can cajole, beg, plead, get perturbed, pray, bribe, or whatever...but until they decide it's time, there will never be any consistency in their 'training'.

It's pointless to try and force it upon them before that light goes off in their little mind...it only brings confusion to the child and frustration to the parent.
Buddy, you got it. My boys took forever. I think the oldest was about 3 1/2 before being "fully" trained, and the younger was closer to 4. They just weren't ready to do it yet. Period. And it definitely wasn't for lack of trying on my part :lol

The girl, on the other hand, did it herself when she was 2 1/2 and there were never any problems or accidents.

[Shelly]

I gave my boy a disapproving tone when he crapped himself the other day. Asked him why he didn't tell me he needed to use the potty. He promptly started telling me he needed to break it down for the next day and half with no issues. Its just didn't last. I don't for one second believe that me jumping on him did any harm and if anything it seemed to help him stay on top of it. I didn't yell, I instructed, and let him know I didn't approve of him pooping himself when he knows better. As his little mind grows so will his ability to retain long term.

If thats considered being upset and counter productive then we disagree.

Everyone's situation is different and I'm in no way saying your kids are mental or you're a bad parent but at 4 the mind should be developed enough to have potty training down solid. Pun intended.

I really don't get the doctors that think we pressure kids by pushing them to learn.

My son says

can't do it
can't do it
too hard
I can't and so on all the time. I see him get frustrated and he's only 2. I tell him no you don't say that now do it and we'll work on it together then finally after awile he'll get whatever it is that we are trying to do and he's satisfied and repeats it time and again for satisfaction. Each time I get the can't or won't or too hard I remind him of kicking the ball or hitting the ball or putting the shapes in the right spot and so on. Over the last 6 months I see his ability to refer back to the things he couldn't do but now can and use it as positive reinforcement for the next great challenge. Somewhere along the line I think we all became too passive. Anyway I'm not a drill instructor but I'm not going to abandon expecting things out of my child if I think he's capable of getting something down.

Well, if it works, more power to you. But boys do take longer to train and everyone I've talked to (and my boys are long past potty training) who tried to get them trained earlier than 3, failed. YMMV

ETA...I'm not saying you're wrong for your approach either. You know your son. Good luck!

[Soul_Patch]

My niece is 2 1/2 and been using the pot for about 2 months already.

[Mijo]

Well at least they never had to waste money on a potty chair. Are these kids wearing depends or do they make pampers for 4 year olds?

[Sunshine]

Well at least they never had to waste money on a potty chair. Are these kids wearing depends or do they make pampers for 4 year olds?

:lol

They make diapers and pull-ups in larger sizes.

[easjer]

Potty training is one of the reasons I intend to cloth diaper. CD children generally potty train earlier than their peers, on average by a year or more. But regardless of what kind of diapers you use, there are things that have to be in place for the kids to get it and be able to anticipate and control their bodies well enough to get to a bathroom, and that's just plain going to vary between children.

[marini martini]

Potty training is one of the reasons I intend to cloth diaper. CD children generally potty train earlier than their peers, on average by a year or more. But regardless of what kind of diapers you use, there are things that have to be in place for the kids to get it and be able to anticipate and control their bodies well enough to get to a bathroom, and that's just plain going to vary between children.

Cool! Cloth diapers rock! If you happen to receive free diaper service from Nanna, like I did. Both my girls were potty trained by the time they were two:downspin:

But realisticly, in spite of reading them "Once Upon a Potty", starting at 19 months, doesn't it make sense that they be old enough to say "I gotta make tinkle, or big stuff?"

Just MOHO:toast

[easjer]

Cool! Cloth diapers rock! If you happen to receive free diaper service from Nanna, like I did. Both my girls were potty trained by the time they were two:downspin:

But realisticly, in spite of reading them "Once Upon a Potty", starting at 19 months, doesn't it make sense that they be old enough to say "I gotta make tinkle, or big stuff?"

Just MOHO:toast

Yes and no. My friend has her daughter potty trained, and she was trained, for all intents and purposes, by 6 months old. I kid you not - she only wears diapers overnight, but even then they are usually dry. That's just how my friend's family did it.

That's what elimination communication is based on - I don't think it works so well if it's not the same person there all the time though, so I think you need some verbal communication abilities if you aren't a full time SAHM.

[Soul_Patch]

i couldnt imagine the disgusting factor related to cloth diapers. i have a hard time just trying to find the hole in the diaper genie with a fresh steamer in a regular diaper.

[sa_butta]

My daughter was trained before she reached 3. It was a long process, but once we slipped on the real undies the accidents reduced and she really didnt want to be wet. #2 was a little funny because she would hide in a corner. So if we noticed her missing for a minute we knew she was pooping and would run her to the toilet and just tell her this is where you make poop. Always talking to her and letting her know and feel comfortable around the toilet. Also giving rewards after the deed fairs well.

[easjer]

My (other) friend trained her son around 3 with his fascination of flushing the toilet. He loved to do it, and when he was very small, she would let him the flush the toilet for her. When he got older, she told him he could only flush the toilet if he made the poopie - it was very motivating to him.

[Sunshine]

My friend has her daughter potty trained, and she was trained, for all intents and purposes, by 6 months old. I kid you not - she only wears diapers overnight, but even then they are usually dry.


How the hell.....? How does a 6 month old let someone know they have to go to the bathroom? Or were they just sitting her on the pot every 30 minutes all day long? I'm really curious as to how a 6 month old is potty trained. To me, potty trained means that the child can either go by him/herself or at least let someone know they need to go so they can be taken into the bathroom.

[Los Spurs]

Well, I'm picking up my friend's little boy around 5:30 at daycare. I'm ready to be patient with him in case he needs to go potty. Thanks to all the ladies who have been through this before. I think It's time I have my own kids so that I'll know what to do :)

[degenerate_gambler]

for all intents and purposes, by 6 months old.


i don't see how that even remotely possible..

[spurster]

We told our son he couldn't have his 4th birthday until he used the potty.

[Los Spurs]

We told our son he couldn't have his 4th birthday until he used the potty.

I bet he learned quick! :lol

[leemajors]

three words - Elmo's Potty Time. Works like a charm.

[mrsmaalox]

My friend has her daughter potty trained, and she was trained, for all intents and purposes, by 6 months old. I kid you not - she only wears diapers overnight, but even then they are usually dry.


How the hell.....? How does a 6 month old let someone know they have to go to the bathroom? Or were they just sitting her on the pot every 30 minutes all day long? I'm really curious as to how a 6 month old is potty trained. To me, potty trained means that the child can either go by him/herself or at least let someone know they need to go so they can be taken into the bathroom.

Man, some people are pretty uptight, huh? Just chill out, relax, everything will be just fine! :lol

[easjer]

Yes, now she lets her know via sign language, same as asking for more food/milk. At 6 months, it was more about my friend watching her signs (if I remember correctly, she wrinkles her forehead and grunts before she poops) and getting her to the potty. She also, at that age, worked on making certain noises to encourage her to go, and she would pee on cue over the potty. Now, the baby signs before she needs to poop and they go to the potty.

I know it sounds completely unreal, but I've seen it.

Google elimination communication - there is a growing segment of the population that does this. For my friend - that's just what everyone in her family has always done, so it's normal to her. Like I said, I don't think you can do this unless you are there full time, and I'm not advocating it (we don't intend to do it) - but yeah, it does happen.

[leemajors]

the sign language idea sounds great in concept, but good luck trying to actually teach it to the kid especially if both parents work full time!

[Sunshine]

Yes, now she lets her know via sign language, same as asking for more food/milk. At 6 months, it was more about my friend watching her signs (if I remember correctly, she wrinkles her forehead and grunts before she poops) and getting her to the potty. She also, at that age, worked on making certain noises to encourage her to go, and she would pee on cue over the potty. Now, the baby signs before she needs to poop and they go to the potty.

I know it sounds completely unreal, but I've seen it.

Google elimination communication - there is a growing segment of the population that does this. For my friend - that's just what everyone in her family has always done, so it's normal to her. Like I said, I don't think you can do this unless you are there full time, and I'm not advocating it (we don't intend to do it) - but yeah, it does happen.

I understand the whole sign language thing and knowing the cues and signs, but still. And please know I'm not making a personal attack here, but what kind of parent is so uptight and anal (no pun intended) that they would even consider potty training at 6 months? To me, this is just totally insane. Same with parents hell-bent on teaching their kids to read by age 3. I just don't get it. Maybe I'm a bad parent because I let my kids set the pace for their feeding (as infants), potty training, reading, etc. but they are both smart, happy and well-adjusted children.

[Los Spurs]

It went well last night with little Joshua. I took him to Peter Piper Pizza for awhile and then we went home to watch the game and he feel asleep until his Mom picked him up close to 11pm. I did sneak the potty training video in his back pack and told him to show it to Mommy when she didn't have to go to work.

[Sunshine]

It went well last night with little Joshua. I took him to Peter Piper Pizza for awhile and then we went home to watch the game and he feel asleep until his Mom picked him up close to 11pm. I did sneak the potty training video in his back pack and told him to show it to Mommy when she didn't have to go to work.

Fantastic! Did you have any potty problems at all?

[Los Spurs]

Fantastic! Did you have any potty problems at all?

Not really.

That's probably because I kept asking the poor kid every 5-10 minutes if he needed to go potty. At the beginning his answers were no with a cute smile and towards the end he had a "leave me alone already lady" look. :lol

[Sunshine]

Not really.

That's probably because I kept asking the poor kid every 5-10 minutes if he needed to go potty. At the beginning his answers were no with a cute smile and towards the end he had a "leave me alone already lady" look. :lol

:lol

I kept my niece for a bit the other night and although she's been potty trained since about 18 months, she's not "flush" trained. After she left, I went into the bathroom and she had left me a little gift in the potty :wow

[leemajors]

Not really.

That's probably because I kept asking the poor kid every 5-10 minutes if he needed to go potty. At the beginning his answers were no with a cute smile and towards the end he had a "leave me alone already lady" look. :lol

I asked my daughter about every hour. she wasn't too interested in using the potty for a while, but a couple months after she turned 2 she got really irritated wearing pull ups and wanted her "big girl" underwear. a little while after she turned three I quit putting pull-ups on her at night, and now she goes during the night by herself - I put one of those stick and click lights above her potty, and she loves it. but now she just yells " I GOTTA GO POTTY" when she needs to go and demands her shows be paused while she does so if we happen to be watching TV.

[easjer]

:lol

I wonder if DVR technology has helped potty training in general . . .