Name: Leora1
Vancouver, BC, CAN
Number of kids: 2
Ages of kids: 1 and 2
Problem:Someone please help. I have 2 children and I am trying to potty train a very stubborn 2 yr.old please help!!!! I know he is ready he has used the potty before. One day he just said NO!!!! I think I have tried just about everything and I am going crazy!!! 2 in diapers is very hard.
Solution submitted by Kazy from Dayton, OH: I started trying to potty train my daughter soon after my second was born, this was at about 23 months. I bought the big girl pants, the potty, and started the mission. Just about any time I put her on the pot, she would go. I took her at intervals. But this early, she still couldn't anticipate going on her own. After about a month, I took a break. If she wanted to go, cool, if not, cool. We did the pull-up thing during the day and diapers at night. It got closer to summer and she was around 26 or 27 months old. My friend was successful by letting her son go bottomless when at home. I thought this was a bit weird at first. I picked a week when I knew that I would be home most of the time and there was no other distractions, like illnesses or family crisis' of any kind and went for it. She had a couple of accidents, thankfully on washable surfaces. But something clicked. She looked up at me one day and said, "Mom, I gotta go." Once that feeling is felt, our mission was accomplished. They have to feel the urge rather than you telling them that they have to go. Don't get me wrong, gentle reminders before bed and car trips are a must.
My friend has a son who is only 3 weeks younger than mine. He jumped on the bandwagon and was potty trained very quickly. Maybe too quickly and too soon. Like some boys, he would hold it for long periods of time before he would go. Unfortunately, he would do the same for his "poops." He got majorly backed up and required laxative therapy for a number of months. Pooping and even peeing became a major ordeal due to the pain of his constipation. The doctor told her to totally back off for a while. He will be 3 in two months and is still not there yet. But, he is no longer stressed out by the whole thing. He's almost there but not quite. Her doctor also told her that the average age for boys in the USA is 3 1/2. I know that everyone thinks 2 is some magical age. Complex is a better description and every kid is different.
Hang in there.
Another solution submitted by Shannon from Havertown, PA:When helping to potty train my 2-1/2 old niece I found that stickers were an effective award system. Whenever she went on the potty I gave her a sticker to decorate her own special potty with. I found that it worked well to praise her effusively as well, but *never* punish her when she had an accident.
Usha (my daughter, who is 26 months) pretty much decided that she would train herself, so I was lucky in that regard. Though when it was no longer fun, after the first few days, we did have to start taking her to the potty at her regular peeing times to make sure she didn't have an accident, instead of relying on her to know when to go
.Another solution submitted by Dee2 from NYC:Have you tried the reward system? It worked for me! My son was lazy, he didn't want to stop playing to use the potty. When I started the reward system, we spent more time in the bathroom then playing, because he wanted a treat. I bought the little bags of M&M's (Halloween size) and every time he did something in the potty he got a bag, and if he tried to make and failed he got a few. Also we made a big thing of it when he did #2, he got two bags. Good luck.
Please submit any moresolutions.