inmypjs
12-27-2007, 04:19 PM
My son is 3 yrs 1 month old. He is not using the potty at all and resists even sitting on the little potty or toilet most of the time.
On a couple of occasions in the past 1-2 months, he's asked to wear underwear and try the big toilet. The first time, he sat on the toilet every 20 min. or so all morning long. He seemed excited and would say "Mommy I did it!" but of course he had not. He finally peed on the BR floor just after he got off of the toilet in the late morning. He was so surprised and said "What is that???" It was actually kind of cute :).
The next time, a few weeks later, he wanted to try again, so we did the same thing. He did not go on the toilet and did wet his pants. But he didn't tell me about it - I discovered it when I went to take him to the toilet. He was not bothered by being wet at all.
My thoughts on these experiences are that he doesn't really understand the concept of releasing/holding/going very much, and that he's a busy boy who doesn't want to stop what he's doing.
Today I brought out the little potty and suggested he might sit on while he watched TV or read books. He freaked out and said "no no no", so I stopped. I have really tried not to push at all, but every 2-3 weeks have made a suggestion like this. So I put the potty away in the BR and told him to let me know when he'd like to try again.
He has read a number of potty books and seems to like them. He has also on occasion observed peers using the toilet and that seems to be what leads to him wanting to try. He does not have an older sibling and he is not in regular childcare with older children, although soon he'll be around a 5 year old boy once/week. He also doesn't repond to rewards in the way that I'd hoped. Once or twice we've talked about getting magnets, small prizes, treats, or even a bigger reward when he decides he's ready, and he is not interested.
I guess my question is - is there a point when you stop waiting and you just have to push it? I'm not there yet, but I'm wondering! I feel like this could go on forever...
For anyone else who's trained between ages 3 and 4, I would love to hear your experiences!
On a couple of occasions in the past 1-2 months, he's asked to wear underwear and try the big toilet. The first time, he sat on the toilet every 20 min. or so all morning long. He seemed excited and would say "Mommy I did it!" but of course he had not. He finally peed on the BR floor just after he got off of the toilet in the late morning. He was so surprised and said "What is that???" It was actually kind of cute :).
The next time, a few weeks later, he wanted to try again, so we did the same thing. He did not go on the toilet and did wet his pants. But he didn't tell me about it - I discovered it when I went to take him to the toilet. He was not bothered by being wet at all.
My thoughts on these experiences are that he doesn't really understand the concept of releasing/holding/going very much, and that he's a busy boy who doesn't want to stop what he's doing.
Today I brought out the little potty and suggested he might sit on while he watched TV or read books. He freaked out and said "no no no", so I stopped. I have really tried not to push at all, but every 2-3 weeks have made a suggestion like this. So I put the potty away in the BR and told him to let me know when he'd like to try again.
He has read a number of potty books and seems to like them. He has also on occasion observed peers using the toilet and that seems to be what leads to him wanting to try. He does not have an older sibling and he is not in regular childcare with older children, although soon he'll be around a 5 year old boy once/week. He also doesn't repond to rewards in the way that I'd hoped. Once or twice we've talked about getting magnets, small prizes, treats, or even a bigger reward when he decides he's ready, and he is not interested.
I guess my question is - is there a point when you stop waiting and you just have to push it? I'm not there yet, but I'm wondering! I feel like this could go on forever...
For anyone else who's trained between ages 3 and 4, I would love to hear your experiences!