Potty training - any top tips?

[Vickster]

We are going to commence potty training with our little boy in a couple of weeks, when he will be 2 years and 2 months. I have read a lot around the topic, so know all the basic stuff regarding what signs to look out for, but wondered if anyone had any top tips for methods that worked for them, particularly in respect of boys.

Thanks in advance, and apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere - I did do a search and nothing came up.

[Moi23]

I took a week out with a friend who's little boy was also going to start potty training. We basically camped out at mine the whole week. We were able to give each other ideas, the boys enjoyed playing with each other and everyone joined in the celebrations everytime either of them did a pee. It worked a treat.

Also, I made sure my own expectations were quite low, which meant there wasn't so much pressure. It was a positive experience for me, but I know others have really struggled. Good luck and keep a sense of humour!

[bell]

Hi Vickster,

I have a 2 year old boy and started potty trainig him when he was around 1 year and 8 months. I knew he was ready to be potty trained when he use to run into a next room to do a no 2 or you would see him bending down doind a no 2 in his nappy, lol.

Me and his dad both sat down with or son and told him is getting a big boy like daddy. and basically said what big boys do.

This might shound funny/crazy but his dad sat on the potty to show him what to do and once he done that our son always went on the potty. (I throught his dad was crazy but it work!!)

Th first time our son done a wee and poo on the potty we treated him and took him to toy r us.

His great on going to the potty, but the only thing we need to work on is for him to always put his winky down when doing a wee lol.

Very proud of him.

[Fuschia]

That's quite early for a boy.

Our little girl is having a go now (26m) but that's because she has been relaly keen. She had been doing the occasional wee or poo on the loo or potty for the last 4m, but just at the weekend qhen she had no clothes on, she did all her wees and poos in the potty on sunday so now we are going for it.

With son no 1, we tried in the summer when he was 2 1/2, no joy,, he just poo'd on the floor! In the end at 2 3/4 he did it (helped by choc buttons)

If it's working, you can just ditch the nappy. As soon as they get the idea and can get themselves to the potty when they need to, you need to get them into pants (cheap primark ones you just throw away if they poo)

Stay at home as much as you can, take lots of spare clothes out with you when you go out. Put them in washable sandals (doodles)

[Moi23]

Actually come to think of it, I did some preparation in the weeks before at bathtime. He'd have no clothes on and I'd show him the potty and how to sit on it. It was all a bit of a game and he did actually manage to do a wee a couple of times. I think the main thing is to introduce the potty (or toilet if it's feasable) as a fun and positive thing. I also told him the story about how his wees goes on an amazing journey down to the sea from the toilet. After that he was ever so keen to watch it being flushed down the loo!

The pooing was a bit harder. He was promised a toy he really wanted if he managed to do it in the potty. For ages he'd wait for a nappy to do his poo in, I didn't kick up a fuss about it and gradually he did it more often in the potty than a nappy. Now, touch wood, he doesn't seem to need a nappy at all except at night.

Have no idea how to do nighttime potty training though. I'm putting it off for as long as I can...

[marscapone]

It is much easier to do it in summer when they have less/no clothes on as they often can't give you much if any warning. We basically stayed in for 1-2 weeks over the summer when my boy was 2 and a half. We had one potty upstairs and one downstairs so he could get to it quickly - and we took it outside when playing out there. I found that he got the hang of wees more quickly

[The Nappy Lady]

Was going to say the same about introducing the potty at bathtime - we have ours out already (youngest is 19 months now) and I always offer it to her before bath time. She often sits on it and makes a 'pssss' noise, hasn't actually done a wee on it yet, but knows what it's for (has seen big sister wee on it which helps).

Also, when you go to the toilet take your son and talk to him about what you are doing - even show him (sounds grim I know, but like all things they learn by copying). Talk about how food goes in, body uses the goodness from it and the waste comes out as poo - this helped our eldest get over a fear of pooing on the potty (very common for them to go through a phase like this, but understanding what/why they poo helps a lot).

Potty training books can be helpful to read each night, and also some have a star chart which works for some and not others.

This time of year is perfect as you can hopefully be outside, in light clothing, with potty close by, and accidents easier to deal with.

Lots of praise when they do well, and not too much fuss when they don't. If it gets stressful leave it a few days and start again.

Poo phobias (i.e. refusal to poo without a nappy on) can be cured by putting them in a disposable with a hole cut in it - get them to sit on potty/toilet and after a few times they often feel brave enough to ditch the disposable.

Get some kind of waterproof protector to put in the car seat or buggy to make it easier to deal with any accidents - I used the change mat size of these;

http://www.thenappylady.co.uk/public/productdetails.aspx?id=40&item=mat

Good luck with it!

Molly

[Moos]

Definitely agree with the comments on doing the training in warmer weather, preferably when they can buzz around the house with nothing on.

I think potty training (assuming your child is ready) is mostly to do with training yourself 1) not to mind when you go through 20 pairs of pants in a day and 2) to know when your child needs to pee or poo, and anticipate their needs. You need to be in the right mindset - patient, watchful, anticipatory and did I say patient?

Lots and lots of praise for pees and poos in the right place (stickers worked well as rewards for us too) and no comment or problem with puddles.

[Vickster]

Thanks everyone for all the helpful advice.

We introduced the potty a couple of months ago, so he knows what it is and what it is for and is very comfortable around it. He always sits on it at bathtime, although nothing has actually gone in it yet! He comes to the loo with us and we talk about the fact that mummys and daddys don't wear nappies and big boys do their poos and wees in the potty/toilet etc and I think he gets it. I hsve also shown him the contents of his nappy a few times so he doesn't get a shock when he sees what is in the potty! Every child is different, and I think with him the security of being able to do it in the nappy is holding him back. I would like to go for it and see what happens. The other issue though is he is at nursery 4 days per week, so more difficult to have a consistent approach, although I know they will work with us. I might wait until we go on holiday in September and do it then....

[Pickle]

We found (as complete potty training novices) the Gina Ford potty training book was really useful. It's called "Potty Training in One Week", which is absolute rubbish as you do a lot of preparation before the ultimate week of actually taking off the nappy and going for it! However her tips are useful and it worked for us.

Our son was just under 2.5 when he came out of nappies last summer. A sticker chart, lots of praise, and being sure that he understood what was happening seemed to be the key.

We're almost at the stage of doing the same with #2, a girl, who at nearly 2 is showing a lot of interest in using the toilet like her brother - only problem is that if I try to sit her on it she yells "NOOOOOOOO, I wanna stand up!", as that's what she sees her brother doing!

Good luck!

[ratty]

Another school of thought is simply to wait until they tell you they don't want nappies anymore. My little boy did this at 2yrs 7 months and it took 3 days befroe he stopped having accidents. Job's a good un!

[nunheadmum]

If your little one is at nursery, you could try and find out how helpful they've been with other kids. Our nursery have been brilliant with potty training and more or less did it for us in 3 days with both ours - well for wees anyway. (Don't mean to sound totally lazy, leaving it to them but it's just how it went.) But I imagine some nurseries are more helpful than others depending on what resources they have available.

Also echoing what some others have said - it's so much easier when they're ready. As he hasn't actually done a wee in the potty yet, maybe continue with the bathtime bit (or other times) until he's done a few and has the concept. Running around outside with no nappy is a good way to get them to realise what a wee is - even if it doesn't end up in the potty. With no1 the nursery used to put the dolly on the potty and then sneak in some water to show the dolly weeing. An older sibling or friend is also helpful for demonstrations.

Most of all though is be relaxed about it. If you stress out, the little tykes are sure to work out how to wind you up!!!!

[prdarling]

I waited until my son was 2y 7months and he got it immediately, by which I mean no accidents at all in the first few days. Has obviously had the odd accident since (mainly at pre school where he's too distracted to remember, but even then, it's not that he wees on the floor, just that a little bit comes out before he gets to the loo) but within 4-5 days he was going on 2h long car journeys. He ditched the potty on day 3 and has done his wees standing up on a step at the loo and his poos also on the loo ever since.

Personally I really don't see the point of rushing into it. You can start it at 18 months and it'll take 6 months or start it at 2 and a half and it'll take a couple of days. I know which I prefer :)

[pebbles]

I too started with our son just over 2 1/2 and he got it in 5 days and since then has only had the very occasional accident and mainly due to being too caught up with what he's doing to remember but we are literally talking i can count on one hand in the 2 months since.

The one thing I did find a little difficult was getting him to go on the big loo rather than the potty which obviously proved difficult when out and about and i didn't want to be carrying a potty around with me. It finally clicked after a week or so however I would suggest you get them used to it asap so you can be out and about and can take him/her to big loos!!

Good luck. Don't rush it

[ryedalema]

Stickers and money were our saviours. The obligatory sticker chart on the wall was a starter..but now we have sticker charts for everything (eating vegetables, good behaviour, staying in bed in the mornings, no tantrums, not killing your sister etc) so now we've reverted to money.

She has a gorgeous little money box on the windowsill above the toilet and gets a coin (or 2 or 3) when she goes - and when she wipes her b*m and washes her hands!

It might be complete bribery, but it's working (and she's learning the concept of saving up for toys/treats etc).

[pebbles]

yes chocolate buttons definitely worked a treat with no 2's

[tulip]

For getting onto the big loo we bought a Thomas the Tank Engine seat from Mothercare with big handles that lifts on and off easily. Our twins like to do things for themselves so were delighted they could put it on the loo seat on their own and liked it having one of their favourite characters on it. We showed them it as if it was the most exciting present ever and talked proudly of big boy/girls going on mummy and daddy's toilet.

I'm reluctant to reward every trip to the loo or potty as I know my two and they would just do a little wee and hold it and then go back for more and another treat a few minutes later and so on. In the good weather they have been allowed a fruit ice lolly after tea if they have been well behaved (if not 100% accident free) with potty training all day. I week in and daughter has been accident free for 3 days and son is down to one accident a day.

[ryedalema]

Ooh yes I'd agree with the ones with the handles. Not only to get them onto the seat but our daughter felt much safer on the seat while holding onto the handles and - trying to say this delicately - found it easier to push down if holding onto something.

[Fuschia]

WE have one of those small drop down seats that is part of the toilet seat...

[sanity girl]

If anyone wants one of those Thomas the Tank engine potty training seats from mothercare I have one which we ended up never using - my daughter was happy to just sit straight on the loo. Just PM me if you'd like it!

[sparky74]

Just do it when they are ready and NOT when you are ready. My son was almost 3 and my daughter had just turned 2 and they went straight from nappies to using the toilet day and night. Try to rush it and it can take longer. If you start toilet training and it just isn't happening then stop for a week or two and then try again. Lots of praise always seems to help but I don't think this is the key. It is more about their little minds and bodies telling them they are ready to move on a stage in their development. Good luck.

[Ruth_Baldock]

I want to show this thread to my MIL and her Mum who are ADAMANT that Baby Baldock should be potty trained RIGHT NOW (he is crawling and can sit up.)

He's 6 months old.

I'll leave you with that thought.

(But, P.S. I remember being potty trained and every time I 'went', Mum would call up my Dad at work so I could tell him. He died shortly after I'd been trained and I had it in my head that you had to tell a man that you'd done a wee, and ended up telling one of the undertakers at his funeral that I'd 'done wee bog' (sic). Oh the shame.)

[Narnia]

It's not a race to get your child potty trained. Every child is different. I'm sure my boy took ages.He can do it now and I don't think he's been damaged. A fond memory of those days is of him shouting from the loo that he's finished. This meant you could enter where you would find him on the floor, bum in the air. Thankfully he does his own cleaning now.

[damzel]

How realistic is the "potty training in one week" approach? My childminder is going on hols in a couple of weeks so I'm planning to go for it big guns! I'll have 10 days to nail it before I will have to take her with me to and from work for a week (45 min bus/train journey) and I'm dreading being caught short on the journey...

I'm pretty sure she's ready and we've been doing all the preparatory stuff for a while now. I really want to get it right as otherwise we'll have to wait till Christmas as I can't take anymore time off before then. Which begs the question, how/when do other working mothers manage to squeeze it into their schedules at the appropriate time??

[Pickle]

If she's ready, then it's totally realistic. Our son went from nappies to dry during the day within a few days, and on day 4 or 5 we went by taxi to Paddington then on an hour long train journey and he was fine (we took a folding portable potty with us). It was last June, so he was just under 2.5.