potty training issues

United States
March 24, 2008 7:55pm CST
okay so I have a 21 month old. We have been trying to potty train her a few times. We got the pullups but then she doesn't want to go on the potty. She's used to just sitting on it with pants on or off but she won't sit there long enough to do anything when the pants come off. We keep trying to tell her that big girls pee in the potty and my gram even got her real undies to try and encourage her but nothing is working at it seems like it will never get done. How did you potty train your kids? Are there any 'tricks' I can use?
3 people like this
13 responses
@Swaana (1205)
• India
25 Mar 08
Is she your first baby? Then instead of Potty Training, you could train her in the real toilet itself. Take her to the toilet, and give her the feel of the room, talk to her that you and her father use this when you had to. As she is now becoming a big girl, she should also use it. Also when at home, take her to toilet every hour. Dont ask her, but just take her. In the middle, if she does wet her pant, dont look at her annoyed or dont shout, just tell her that next time call mama, I will take you to the toilet after removing her pants. I think, by now she should be able to remove and put on her pants. If you still feel that she is too young to be trained in the real toilet, then tell her to remove her pants atleast whenever she has the urge. Slowly she will get trained. But you have to be very very patient.
• Philippines
25 Mar 08
I also tried different techniques on potty training my daughter since she turned one year old and nothing seemed to work, inspite of all the efforts, until last March last year, when she was a year and 9 months old, she voluntarily sat on her potty and the rest is history. When she was two and a half she started using our common toilet bowl. She is turning three this July. Another one more good thing, she is now not wearing diapers at night, she wakes up to pee even on early mornings, she also initiated this, that was two Sundays ago when she refused to wear her diaper. So you must be patient... your girl will do her stuff in her own time..
@SViswan (12051)
• India
25 Mar 08
My experience is not going to help...because I started potty training way too early. I put them on the potty seat when they were ready to sit unsupported. My older son (who is 7 now) was fully potty trained by 1.5 years of age. My younger one who is now 16 months is halfway there. He woud refuse to sit on the potty seat (we have one that attaches to the big toilet) and I just kept at it for a week and now he does sit. At first, I would watch for him when he needed to use the toilet and run with him to the toilet. He soon got the idea of what the potty was for. Now, he sits and even tries to go potty. But since he's not ready to really speak yet, he's unable to let us know when he needs to go...but I can see him looking at the bathroom door when he needs to go. He still needs to get control of his bladder though...and though he was peeing when I took him to the toilet at 12-13 months...he stopped when I couldn't take him to the toilet often when I was busy. Now, he doesn't pee when I take him to the toilet. So, I've got to start training on that all over again.
2 people like this
@emarie (5442)
• United States
25 Mar 08
Well, I used the rewards program. I also have all boys so I don't know how much of a difference it makes. All kids are different and they do things differently. I took away all treats from my sons and put out a jar of m&m's near their potty chair. I also moved the chair somewhere where they had easy access to it like in the hall or living room. I also let them run around without anything on (close the windows if you got them) and had them sit on the seat every 15 min with a glass of water or juice. i would sit and talk to them about using the potty to get them to stay there longer, maybe read a potty book or something. the process takes a long time. and you have to watch them if you let them run around without anything. because once you see something is about to happen, run them over to the seat (hence the easy access area). Then they can associate the feeling of going to going in the potty seat (hopefully). Then when it happens throw a PARTY! Make a big deal of it. The candy incentives help for a while. To ween them off of it, when they're doing it on a regular basis don't give it to them if they don't ask. replace with lots of hugs and kisses, they love that. NEVER tell them bad things or get upset when they have accidents. AND a lot of CARPET CLEANER! lol.
2 people like this
@aseretdd (13730)
• Philippines
25 Mar 08
I am having problems potty training my 23 month old baby... she loves sitting on the potty trainer... and treats it like a car... but doesn't sit there long enough to pee... the only progress we made after weeks is that... she tells us the she is having or about to poo... but cries when we try to remove her diapers... but at least that is a starts... i just hope she leans how to use the bathroom so that we can save from buying diapers...
@chrysz (1602)
• Philippines
25 Mar 08
My first born prefered using the real toilet bowl instead of the potty trainer. We used pull ups for a month before she got trained. I think at 24 months, she was no longer using nappies. I patietly waited with her in the toilet until she finally peed at night while we were training her. There was a time when she would say poo or pee after doing it so we tell her to tell us when she feels that its coming already and not wait till she's done.
2 people like this
@mansha (6298)
• India
25 Mar 08
I rush with my child to the potty as soon as she makes her potty face most of the time it turns out to be the false alarm but still I keep trying and then I grap her toys or any thing that makes noise and make her bang it on the floor or walls not a thing that can damage something like cloth pins which sometimes I find them in bathroom or used brush or anything like a small stick and she keeps playing with it and I ake faces with her and ask her to do potty and sing do whatever it takes to make her sit on it for atleast fifteen minutes and by that time if she does it its fine and if she doesn't I keep my antenna up for the next go, lol. My daughter is also 22 months old and is resisting potty training with all her might and so I am forcing it with all my might. lol
@subha12 (18441)
• India
28 Mar 08
it is many time sa problem for oarents. I am not mother. have seen those in my niece. but she was much younf=ger. take her to bathroom when you can understand she needs to relieve herself.reward her if she does so.
• Philippines
26 Mar 08
Well potty training a kid is real hard you have to let them know the real use for it and show them how it is used. We put ours in the comfort room and tell him or her that the big one is for mama and papa and this little one is for you. Then when we go to the comfort room we tell him so he knows that when we need to pee or poo we have to go in there. Hope that will work out for you. Good luck.
• United States
25 Mar 08
The first thing to remember is the child's muscles have to be ready for the potty training issue. If they aren't ready then you just will keep working with the child and have no results. What I mean by the child's muscles is that does your child have the urge to go. Your child may not realize this but there are signs to see if this is happening. If she holds herself is one of the signs. If she starts to run to you and saying that she has to go. These are indications that those muscles are developed enough to start the potty training. I didn't push the issue with my son. He potty trained himself pretty much. My son's three kids did the same. I wouldn't worry about it or make a big issue about it. Your child will become potty trained when the time is right. I worked in a child care center and this is how we explained it to our parents.
1 person likes this
@mememama (3076)
• United States
25 Mar 08
Sounds like she isn't ready. Telling her big girls do this and that isn't going to help either, it's going to pressure her to do it, and we all know kids will do the opposite of that! Keep the bathroom door open while you are using the potty if you don't do so already, and explain to her what you are doing. Have a little potty chair for her near your toilet, and tell her she can sit on it if she would like and that's her potty. After a diaper change, let her run around naked if you feel comfortable and ask if she would like to use it. If she doesn't show interest, put the diaper back on. Also ask her if she would like to use it when running bath water or after a bath. Just don't pressure her. Eventually she'll want to use the toilet when she feels she is ready.
@clrumfelt (5490)
• United States
25 Mar 08
When I was trying to potty train my first child, everyone told me to wait until she is two years old. They were right. Apparantly many children are more ready to train at the age of two. Your daughter is almost there. Give her a few more months and she may come by it more naturally. In retrospect, I wish I had listened to what everyone told me and not stressed over the potty training as much as I did. Good luck.
@jreel424 (21)
• United States
25 Mar 08
Well potty training is a very time consuming process. I potty trained my kids by taking them to the potty every hour. This seemed to work fairly well for me. I also used rewards. Everytime they used the potty successfully they would get a special treat. I found that if they knew they would get something special for using the potty they had less accidents.