Potty Training Help

We've been working for a while with my daughter (who will be three in August) on potty training, and we're having very limited success. She knows the moment she's gone, but can't tell me beforehand when she needs to go. We'll sit on the potty for ages at a time when I KNOW she needs to go, and nothing. Then within minutes of getting off the potty, she pees. I just don't know what to do! I've tried making this as non-stressful as possibly, but she still seems to tense up whenever she's on the toilet. Any suggestions?

We had this problem with DD...but because of Mason, I didn't really have the patience or time to deal, so we didn't try very hard to "train" her. We started, but were unsuccessful, and every once in a while would try again...we wanted to have her trained by 3. We tried EVERYTHING...character panties, rewards, you name it. Well...she turned 3, she wasn't potty trained...but then one day, when she was 3.5, she got up, walked to the bathroom, went pee on the potty. I put her in panties and she didn't have a SINGLE accident! She even went poop on the potty that day (and I think "potty" is misleading...we never trained her on a kids potty...but we trained her with a seat on the toilet...she was so small she would have fallen in, lol). We did rewards with her for the first week or so, but she didn't need it at all...she didn't have an accident until weeks later when we went out and she couldn't get her pants off.

We had a similar experience with Mason, though he was older because of drugs he was on that made things difficult.

So, my advice...lol...is to encourage going on the potty, but don't force her to train. One day, the whole thing will "click" for her and there will be no looking back. Make sure she sees YOU going on the potty, make sure you've got panties ready for her when she does decide to train, and don't put her back in diapers/pullups if she has an accident.

this is how my daughter was. She didn't get fully potty trained until she was 38-40 months. And let me say, that made a world of difference for her! I had a hard time because she was older than 3, but she was too stubborn. We found what she liked and did a sticker chart and after so many stickers, she got a certain prize. It worked for her--the second time we tried it. Anyway.... I agree with Bree, it will just click one day.

If you really want to make it non-stressful I suggest not doing it now and wait til she is older. Both my kids trained around 3.5 and it was pretty easy b/c they really got it.

BUT I do have one thing you might want to try. If she's on the potty and you know she really does have to go, have her try blowing bubbles. A nurse told me that doing that relaxes the muscles or something (I don't remember exactly). Or ask her to pretend she's blowing out a candle.

gl!

with middle ds (whom i almost killed during potty training.) we took him to the dollar store and let him pick out tons of toys that we told him were prizes for going potty. then when we got home he got to take them out of the bag and look at them as we reminded him that in a little while when he made poo or pee in the potty he could take one out and have it! we did like a cute little store, he got to set them up and we made "potty money", so when he went poop or pee he would get a potty $ and then he could buy a prize at the potty store. it was pure magic! he was a little over 3 and i almost LOST MY MIND before i thought of this! (eldest dd was barely 2 when she trained and then last ds was 2.5!) i think he was potty trained just a few days after this!

mind you my kids are really logical/mature children who understood the whole prize thing and didn't freak out when they couldn't have all of the toys right away. i would only do this if your lil one is pretty mature.

this was magic for us! if you try it let me know! GO POOP PRIZES!!!

I was exactly in your shoes a few weeks ago when I tried to potty train my daughter who will be 3 on September 1st. That is exactly how Kaylee behaved. So, we're going to try again later in August and see what happens. My 6 year old wasn't potty trained until she was about 38 months, so I don't expect Kaylee to be trained any sooner.

I haven't had a chance to read the other responses, but my first thought was to take a break. Some kids just aren't ready, no matter how much you try or work with them. My oldest didn't train until 3.5, actually, neither of my boys did not that I think of it. But when they were ready... they were ready and it was very simple and quick and we had almost no accidents!

Marley will be 3 at the end of September and was the same way when we trained in June. Going to panties (or if you have hard floors- let her go pantless for a few hours) is what worked for us.

I potty train special needs students and have had lots of success with Azrin and Fox's Potty Training in less than a day (but its intense so I wouldn't do it unless you feel sure she's ready and SO close)!

Also, if she's on the big potty, be sure to give her a stool for her feet. When they dangle their feet, they inadvertently clinch their pelvic muscles which could explain peeing right after coming off the potty. Hope that helps!

My daughter trained when she was 2, but I followed her around with the potty chair for 2 days and caught her before she could pee anywhere else. That helped her make the connection between peeing and the potty chair (she was too little for the toilet at that time). It took her 3-4 days to completely train doing it this way. I don't know if this time and labor-intensive method would work for you, but that's what worked for us at the time. It was a great way to establish the connection very quickly.

With the tensing up and whatnot, I don't know, maybe she's not quite ready or maybe she's nervous about it for some reason.

Good luck!

God bless the kids doctor who told me, potty training should't be training at all. Just let them see how to go and they will do it when they are ready! It worked for us! No stress at all. Now my DD started using the potty earlier than my son but eventually he got it too! He also told me if they are pressured to go to the potty before they are ready they tend to be the ones who will wet the bed at night.

I wish I had more words of wisdom for you but I totally agree with what the doctor told me!