Here's our Potty Training Story...so far

[kedss]

Hiya-
I just wanted to see how your potty training was going?
We started serious potty training this week, he turned 3 in December.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'll post our story though the details will be a bit lacking as it was a year ago.

We decided to try to train ds when he was 3y5m. It ended in disaster. It was a power struggle for almost a solid week (maybe just 5 days). He would hold it all day till it was time for me to make dinner then he would pee everywhere.

We tried all the tricks in the book. We had bought the little potty ages before, talked it up, read books (no videos though), offered rewards (stickers, candy, small presents). Ds was also showing the signs of readiness that I had read. It seemed like it would work.

It finally came to an end after we gave up. It got to the point where dh held ds on the potty while ds was crying. We just didn't want to quit/ give up/ lose the power struggle. Finally we just couldn't do it anymore. There was no bribery, peer pressure...that we could find- no magic solution for ds.

When he was 5 months older his friend was pt'ing and she had a video called "Potty Power." He loved that video but it still didn't make him want to use the potty. But I think that video and his friend training set wheels into motion in his head. Oh, and he also noticed me cleaning the top of the fridge one day- where the box of "potty presents" had been for months. I told him he only got one for trying to use the potty.

About 2 weeks later everything just clicked for him. He decided he was ready and just started using the potty. It has been a year now and he has never had an accident.

We did give him a present every time he succeeded on the potty. That 1st day he cleaned out my stash b/c he figured out how to pee out just a tiny amount, stop the flow, collect a present, go back, pee some more... I thought pooping may be an issue so I offered a trip to the toy store for that success. He went right to the bathroom, sat on his little potty and had a bm. We went straight to the toy store.

There was no power struggle. It was so easy and pleasant that I so regret forcing the issue with him before. I had heard that when they are ready it will fall into place. So true!

Our pediatrician had told us years earlier that 4yo was normal for a boy and not get too stressed about it before then.

Now, some kids just are more open to things. The parents can just say it's time and that's that.

My ds has always done things in his own way and his own time. He is not influenced by others (which is a good thing, right? :)).

He was probably the latest trained in our group but it was the perfect time for him.

I just wanted to post that story so if anyone is trying and hitting a brick wall they may be encouraged. It was so worth it for us to just back off. I had every intention of really trying in earnest on his 4th b-day but he beat that deadline by almost 2 months. If it is turning into a battle just back off. No one will win otherwise and it will be really stressful. AT least it was for us.

Additionally- ds is an only, there are no kids but him in the family but he was going to preschool. Most of the kids in his class were training in January of that year but he waited a few months after that. Just may be helpful to know that so you could see peer and family influences. It seems like #2+ are easier to train (and train earlier) since they have older sibs around for inspiration and instruction.

HTH someone.

Beth