Friday, March 5, 2010

The Dreaded Potty Training

It terrifies me. I usually can handle just about anything and am up for the challenge. But for some reason, the task of potty training my little girl has become very daunting. I'm just not sure where to go from here.

When she was very little, I had high hopes and visions of an early potty training. I thought I knew what I was doing. Well, nothing I've tried has worked.

We have a small potty chair for her (she's scared of sitting on the big potty - not sure why, or how to fix that). We make a HUGE deal and get super excited when she uses it!

I made a potty chart she can put stickers on. Against my better judgment, and out of desperation, I offered treats for using the potty.

When she sits on her potty I make it fun - we read books and I paint her toenails. I've always been positive, even when she's decided to use her bath as a potty.

When I can tell she is about to poo, I say "Yay, you're about to poo. Let's go sit on your potty!!" To which she replies "Nooo"...she denies she is pooping and refuses to sit on her potty. Oh, but she's more than happy to sit there so I'll read books to her.

We even went to the store and picked out Elmo underwear, which she loves, and knows she can wear if she uses the potty instead of her diaper.

But...no progress...HELP!

Anyone have any brilliant ideas? Should I just jump right in with the undies and let her have accidents? This girl is super willfully! So forcing her is not an option...

Maybe I should read this book again.

Or teach her the Potty Dance.

7 comments:

  1. In my experience of potty training many different kids at the preschool I learned that kids have a hard time of learning to part with their poop. I know that it sounds gross, but they feel like it's theirs and they don't want to lose it. One friend of mine actually put her daughter in a cold bath (just a couple inches of water) and say she had to wash off the poop when she would poop in her pants ....and after two times, the little girl would go running to the potty when she had to go saying, "no cold bath!"...sounds kinda mean in the beginning but it only took two cold baths! Good luck!

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  2. My son was super stubborn too! I tried putting him in underwear one day and after it went horrible, I gave up for a couple months, and then tried underwear again and he happened to be ready and it took a day! Aiden was also scared of the big potty and used the little potty for the first while, but I got rid of that as soon as possible ‘cause I hated cleaning it up! I did the chart and the prizes too, but it did not seem to matter until he was ready. I would try underwear and see how it goes though, Aiden didn't successfully do it until he didn't want to ruin his Thomas underwear! My recommendation is not to push it too much! I never got mad at him for his accidents; he did have natural consequences of helping clean up and not being able to wear his big boy underwear. I let him be the one to tell Daddy when he got home from work whenever he made any progress too, this seemed to make him feel really proud! I would also recommend doing it on a day you don't have to go anywhere and don't mind cleaning up a few messes!! Good luck! I have never talked to anyone who did not find themselves frustrated with the potty training process at some point! It’s something I dreaded so bad, and am currently dreading with my even more stubborn daughter (who cleans the toilet with my toothbrush if she is allowed in there by herself!!)!

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  3. Most everyone I talked to said wait until they are ready not when your ready. Unlucky for me I got that advise a little too late. We had a huge "Potty Party" with lots of treats, stickers, and tons of excitement. For two weeks or more I battled him over going potty. It has been over a month and we finally have it to where he never has pee accidents but poo is another story, he has never gone on the potty. I don't know why... Lets just say potty training is the hardest thing I have done as a Mom so far. Unless she is really "ready" I wouldn't try it.

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  4. I have lots of things to say but...

    Barb,
    - decorate your big potty (on the lid, the tank, behind it, around it)
    -start talking to your toilet "Hi mr. Potty, how are you today" sounds nutty I guess, but we have talked to Welly's poo's. "Goodbye, have a good swim.".
    -use tinkle targets (even though I guess their really for boys).
    - start out with having her sit on the toilet lid for doing her hair or something. Or sit there to paint her nails. So she can get more used to sitting up there even if it isn't to go potty.
    -have a dolly that she teaches to go potty, have the doll have accidents and successes. I tell you Welly was shocked when he lifted up his doll off the kid potty and there was some poo (totsie roll squished up) inside
    -more bare bum time? Or with underware on.
    -have a potty party
    -have her watch you cousins, grandma's go potty (just be in there with you pretty much).
    -try everything to see what works (you'll do anything if your desperate enough); prizes (big and small), candy, stickers....

    Well I got more but I'll probably just make a post about it on my site.

    Good luck!

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  5. I think the best way to just to dive right in and go to undies. Why should she use the potty when she's wearing a diaper? I don't think treats for going potty is a bad thing at all!!!!! When I was teaching at the preschool, the 2.5 year olds had to be potty trained, so i know it's possible! Although-- Taylor's 2 year old totally potty trained herself, so who knows the real trick! Taylor didn't even want to start yet since she had just had a new baby, but Mad insisted!

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  6. I used the 3 day potty training method by Lora Jensen. She says the perfect age for both boys and girls is 22 months. The method basically consists of putting them in underwear and running them to the bathroom when they start to go. The first day will be the hardest but by day 3 my 22 month girl was a pro! I used stickers as a reward. I placed some paper on our bathroom mirror and she gets to put stickers on everytime she goes. When we don't have our potty seat I have her turn around backwards and sit like on a horse. As for being scared of the potty my little girl didn't want to even sit on the potty and now she is potty trained!

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  7. All i know is that when there is potty training and toddlers in the same sentence my sister would just cringe. I never understood until i had 2 kids myself and everything that is written here is true. Some parents just don't understand.

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