(update in OP) If your child did not potty train until past age 3...

[daisymommy]

DS#1 Age 4
DD#1 Age 3.5
DS#2 Age 3.5...and still not potty trained. UGH. He can do it, but doesn't want to. And I'm not up for fighting it!

[k_null81]

I didn't think I would ever get the twins potty trained either but about 2 months ago we decided to eliminate diapers all together and they get pull ups at night. They have done pretty well but the first couple of weeks was a little rough. I think it has been almost 2 weeks without any accidents whatsoever besides at night of course. Though one of my boys actually holds his pee through the night 95% of the time but I haven't been brave enough to for go the pull up on him at night yet. My boys are almost 3.5 years old so you are not alone. I was just overwhelmed with the thought of potty training the boys but was getting tired of changing diapers so my husband and I just commited to being done with diapers for good...I know that may not work for everyone though as each kid and situation is different. Oh, and we use the ipad as bribery to go number 2 on the potty because we were having a lot of number 2 accidents. So they get 10-15 minutes of ipad time for going number 2.

Good luck, it will happen!

[icunurse]

I'm not a believer in forcing it until there is a good reason to....like school. That said, I made my first attempt with DS when he was 3y4m, three months before he would start preschool. He was a neat freak, so after a day of peeing on himself, he was literally trained by the end of the day, nighttime followed reasonably after. He would only poop in diapers for a long time, though (had constipation issues, so I wasn't going to push it), so he'd change into a pair after school. We made it the whole school year without problems. DD I started at 3y, three months before school. She learned over a couple of days and has been consistent other than overnight. She is currently 5.5 y and is abut 50% trained at night. The urologist said that is very normal, for her age, which surprised me. She sleeps very soundly, so I think that plays a big part of it.

As much as I can appreciate wanting to have one of your kids out of diapers, it will happen soon. Don't feel badly because your child isn't following a different child's schedule. Early potty training isn't indicative of anything and sometimes it can lead to later regression. Just pick a time when you feel that everyone is ready and you have the time to be consistent, stick with it, and it will happen.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

wow, thanks for all the responses... glad to know i am not alone. it's just hard bc nearly everyone in my mom's group potty trains their DC by 24 months, 2.5y max. I live in a fairly conservative area, and it seems like most parents tend to have an "old school" mentality (e.g. spanking is totally ok, nursing past 1yo is rare) and PTing past 3 is often seen as a discipline issue. at least at the kids school, they seem very open minded about it and say he is doing fine and will continue to work on it with him.

i will definitely ask the teachers about bringing treats in for PTing..that is great suggestion.

i am also going to start working on PTing with DD, who in many ways seems more ready/excited about PTing than DS (she is almost 22 months). it may be easier to potty train them together, and go from 2 in diapers to 2 without.

[Mommy_Mea]

We are still struggling with it at 3.5 years, at least with the poops training. We still give diapers for him to poop in sometimes because he is terrified to go on the potty. It is so frustrating, but he is such an anxious kid, I don't want to push too hard So you aren't alone!

[Kymberley]

Throwing my woes in here. DS turned 3 at the end of July. I'm still cleaning poop underwear. He's pretty much got the pee part down, but poop...ugh. He'll get it.

[boogiemomz]

I can commiserate, DD only just trained in the last week (and she's a girl!!), and that was only because we said she could only go to the circus (in Feb) if she knew how to use the potty. She too is very verbal and looks/acts much older, so it was ridiculous; she could have an entire conversation in detail about why she didn't want to use the potty! We knew she was holding out on us b/c she wore undies and did great for a couple of weeks last summer but then just quit (refused to sit on the potty, peed on the floor carpet and proudly showed it to us). She had been utterly averse to the whole idea since then and we were at our wits end. I had been hinting that her lovey bunny was going to have to go away for a while if she didn't start using the potty again, and still nothing. Then a couple of days before Christmas, I inadvertently mentioned that we could go to the circus soon, but I wouldn't take her to the circus in diapers, only if she was using the potty and wearing undies. She immediately said she wanted to use the potty and has been in undies ever since! (And if we weren't already sure she had been just holding out on us, we are now!!) A couple of accidents the first day but only one since then. Diapers still at night but I don't care, this is so much better! Maybe you've already tried this, and I know different things work for different kids, but an "event" type incentive might do the trick! Good luck and hang in there!

[maestramommy]

DD1 didn't pee train until a couple of weeks til her 3rd bday, didn't poop train until 3.5, overnight trained summer before she turned 4.

DD2 didn't train period until a week before she turned 4. Everything fell into place 2 weeks later.

With both kids I let it go and encouraged, but in the end with DD1 we offered an incentive (1 month sticker chart with prize to poop train). With DD2 I literally had to force her because I knew she could do it, she just didn't want to. After I made her poop (she was bustin' to, but holding it back for nap) two days in a row, she was over the hump and doing it on her own.

DD 3 trained all at once during a tummy bug when she was 2 years 7 months. She was FAST.

So I don't care what anyone says about gender, I think it's bunk. If they can AND want to, they will. If they can't but won't, you're forced to wait until they're old enough (cognitively) for YOU to force THEM.

[kijip]

Oh, I so feel your pain.

With our first son we were DONE with all this well before 3.

Our second son just turned 4 and is not trained.

Yeah, he knows when he has to go.

He is fully verbal and can certainly tell us.

He will use the potty consistently if not wearing pants. Not helpful for, say, LEAVING THE HOUSE.

But if he has underpants on, a pull-up or whatever he will not use the potty pretty much unless he just happens to be sitting on it when he needs to go. No amount of "accidents" matter to him.

We have tried every method in the book and then some. We've taken breaks and restarted to see if he is ready later etc.

I know he won't leave for college like this but man I wish dude would hurry it up all right all ready!

[hillview]

I PTed both DSs right after they turned 3. It worked in a weekend (give or take). Normal IMO. I wouldn't have pushed it except they HAD to be for preschool and DS1 went to preschool a month after his bday and DS2 went 2 weeks after he turned 3 (yes I delayed too long with DS2 but it worked).