I am clueless about potty training! Help!

[mom to little e]

DS seems to be ready to move along in the potty training but I don't really know what I am doing. He has gone on the potty several times and has even "held" his pee twice if we have been out. It seems to be hit or miss. I've been talking up getting big-boy underwear and it came today from HA. We put on the training pants and had two accidents right in a row. Too early?

Also a dumb question - do you wear a cover over training pants??

Maryann
Mommy to Ean & Mia!

[Joolsplus2]

Naked...let him go bare bottomed, quick, before summer's over. Kids can feel they have something on their bums, think it's diapers, and just 'go'...but when they run around nakey-bum, they see exactly what they are doing. Yes, you'll have to clean up a mess or two...overall, it's easier than wiping poop off a bum (even when your smiling two yo poos on your spare computer on the floor... lovely...). Keep a little potty right in the room where he is (don't worry, he won't be peeing in the living room forever, I promise).

You can get 'plastic pants' from gerber, but they are kind of funky...it's easier to just change pants (I hear sweatpants are very absorbant, but offer a lot of 'ew, I don't like this wet feeling' feedback and are easy to change/pull up and down).

Good luck (and get some Urine Gone or Bac Out or Nature's Miracle to clean the carpet...works like a charm on all bodily secretions... I have a puppy, I know these things, rofl)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[mom to little e]

Thanks for the info. I'll start doing the nakey-butt thing today when he's up but what about for naps? Back to a diaper? DS was able to go poo and pee before nap (YEA!!!) and so I had him wear his training pants with a fuzzy bunz over it (I know, kind of defeats the purpose).

The timing kind of bums me out since he just wasn't quite ready to really get serious until now - and now he is back in Montessori for the mornings. Do you think it is going to be too confusing with diapers on during the morning and then naked at home and then TP/diapers for nap and bedtime?

He was excited about the big-boy pants but now I've learned he would like some "potty-training stickers." Guess the underwear and M&Ms weren't what he was looking for! LOL

Maryann
Mommy to Ean & Mia!

[Joolsplus2]

Does school have a potty training policy? Seems to me you could send him in pants, and they take them potty every so often, and if he wets his pants, he gets to learn to change them and put the wet ones in a bag (my dd wasn't remotely potty trained, but I sent her to Montessori all morning in panties and she never had an accident, silly girl :D).
I don't think they get too confused putting a Fuzzi Bunz (that's a good idea, actually) over training pants/underwear for naptime)..and extra stickers for staying dry, then.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[new_mommy25]

We were PT'ing for what seemed like forever until finally something just clicked in DS. I put potties in the living room, his bedroom, and left the bathroom doors open. I would put him in a pull up or just let him go naked. I would make him go about every hour or so on the potty of his choice. Most of the time he protested but I would make him just try. Usually he always produced something. If he peed in the potty chair we would take it to the bathroom together and dump it out. We would talk about how pee goes in the toilet. Don't know why but the kid enjoyed that. Now I don't really need to remind him unless it's been awhile and I think he should go but I do keep the potty chairs out just in case. Most of the time he goes to the bathroom but sometimes he will use the chairs if he thinks he can't make it.

Poop was much, much harder. He deperately wanted the Thomas train Smelting Yard so that was his reward for pooping. We talked it up for well over a month before he produced anything. Once he did finally poop on the potty it has been smooth sailing after that. He hasn't had a single poop accident, knock on wood. The trick I learned was to just put him on the big potty without an insert. He kinda braces himself with his arms and gravity takes over. I read that in the Toddler Bargains board I think and am so glad I did!!

Now he is in underwear full time but I do have him change into a pull up for bedtime. He wears underwear and nap time but I have him use the bathroom before and as soon as he wakes up. He wakes up dry most mornings so I am thinking of ditching the nighttime pullups soon and getting an absorbant pad from Onestepahead.