How did you do it? Please tell me how you potty trained ... every little thing! I would like suggestions on things that helped you get them to actually use the potty. Abby loves to sit on the toilet and use the toilet paper and wash her hands but she hasn't actually weed or pood yet. Last night I let her sit there for 10 minutes (read a book to her and sang songs with her) and still she did nothing. Then I put her diaper back on and within 5-10 minutes she'd done wees in it. I tried again later for about 5 minutes (then she was saying she wanted to get up) and still nothing. I am sure she is holding it in. I'm pretty sure she has good bladder control because when she has baths I take her clothes off in the lounge and her diaper. And then she has to walk from the lounge to the bathroom. And the whole time she never does anything. Nothing in the bath either. And nothing the whole time it takes to dry her and put a clean diaper on. This whole process takes about 20-30 minutes. So she is obviously able to hold on.
She has no fear of the toilet. She LOVES sitting on it.
If she is able to hold on then she must also be able to make herself go right? Please tell me yes LOL I know we only started PTing on Friday night (it's Monday here) but I really thought she was ready for PTing and that she'd just go just like that. Wishful thinking huh.

Anyway, I have one idea I am going to try which is taking her with me every time I have to go to the toilet (she has already seen me going before and has taken great interest LOL) and then saying something like "mummy is a good girl for going weewees/poopoos in the toilet" and then giving myself a sticker etc...
Then perhaps she will want the stickers enough that she will go as well. I'll feel stupid doing it :oops: :lol: but it's worth a try I guess. She does know all about the stickers and the star chart and she knows that if she goes she will get a sticker. I've told her a million times LOL

I had a look on the net for PTing information but some of the stuff was just ridiculous ... like recording on paper every time they wee or poo. Like I can do that with a newborn. And she wears disposables. I have no idea every time she wees. :roll: I can't check her diaper every 5 minutes or every 30 minutes. I'm a busy mum.
Another thing they said to do was to change them every time they wee. Well with disposables they soak/absorb a lot of wees and they don't need to be changed every time they wee. Also we cannot afford to change her diaper every time she does a tiny amount of wee because we'd be going through probably 225 diapers a week. :shock: That's if she wees every 30 minutes. And I am sure I read that they do small amounts every 30 or so minutes.
Oh and the last thing was to leave her without a diaper or pants on for 30 minutes each day so that she will learn where her wees and poos are coming from. Ah no thanks. :lol: I'm going to be cleaning up enough accidents as it is when she is wearing training pants/underwear. They want me to leave her without a diaper on for 30 minutes every day. Uh no way. LOL I figure she will learn that they come from "down there" when she wees/poos in the toilet for the first time.

I know everyone PTs different ways. I'm sure there is a way for some kids and a different way for others depending on their personality.

We are using a star chart and star stickers. I also got some little hand stamps and more colored star stickers. When she does something in the toilet she'll get two stickers and a stamp.
I bought some training pants with PVC in them. Should I just start sticking her in them all the time during the day? If she feels uncomfortable every time she wees wouldn't that make her want to use the toilet so she's not wetting herself?

Patience :) that's what it takes if you ask me... with my son I waited till he was three... he still could have cared less that he was using diapers but I cared let me tell you, especially since his sister is only 15 months younger then him. Anyway, I did just take off their diapers when I felt they were ready to learn. My son would stay dry for like 4 hours and then go hide in a corner and go in his pants :? He knew what I wanted him to do and where... I would take him to the bathroom every half an hour and leave him there for 10 minutes... my daughter I tried taking off her diaper and she must have wet herself 8 times in a hour... so she got her diaper back and a few months till I tried again (she was 2) anyway the second time I just stuck it out and cleaned up a lot of pee :( but she learned eventually :D :shock: once they get it... they get it.. it's just that initial getting them to do it in the toilet... if they are old enough and have enough control they shouldn't have many accidents after that... oh, and for mine, the poo always took longer to learn... not sure what they thought would happen if they poohed in there :oops: anyway good luck :)

Well I put training pants on her with plastic pants overtop :lol: I only have two pairs of training pants because they are $7.95 for one pair :shock: She has already wet both and they are in the wash :( :lol:
Neither times did she tell me she had wet herself. The first time she started walking funny with her legs far apart :lol: So I knew she was uncomfortable so I took her to the toilet. Well, I'm glad she had plastics over the training pants. She was soooo wet. So I cleaned her up and put the other clean pair of pants on her with plastics overtop. Well, within 45 minutes she'd wet those too. :roll: And she did tell me the floor was wet. But she didn't tell me she was wet :roll: I was planning on taking her every hour (to the toilet) but she beat me to it. So now she is in a pull-up. Guess I'll have to get more training pants. :(
I tried the rewarding myself with a sticker thing but it didn't work. I told her I was going to go wees in the toilet and she followed me and was watching and I showed her the wees in the toilet and flushed it and washed my hands and then I told her that "mummy was a good girl for going wees in the toilet" and that I was going to give myself a sticker and I stuck it on my hand. Well, it didn't work. She did point to the stickers and asked for one. I told her she had to go wees in the toilet to get one. Well, she didn't care. So that bright idea didn't work. :lol:
I'm thinking of getting this activity center toy thing that you can hang on the wall. Then I can stick her on the toilet for 10 minutes and hopefully she will want to play with the toy and stay there. I think that if she actually goes wees or poos in the toilet that she'll understand what she needs to do instead of weeing/pooing in her diapers/pants.

I want a wet & dry vacuum cleaner! :( :lol:

I was thinking about PTing and just thinking how in bible days they obviously didn't PT. I wonder who started the whole PTing thing...
And I have read that some parents just let the child train themselves... let them do it when they are ready. Has anyone here actually done that?

Hey, don't be discouraged! That's just the way it goes, they don't really understand at first... getting wet and realizing that this is not the right way to do it... it's all part of learning. I think you are suppose to give them LOTS to drink then wait about 10 minutes and start taking them to the bathroom every five minutes or so, or just leave them on a potty, that's what I often ended up doing with my dd. She felt better about watching tv and peeing then doing it on demand :roll: but once she got the hang of it, she could do it on demand... they have to learn how to control that muscle and want to :wink: Both of my kids also saw their little friends go to the bathroom, and well, my dd saw her brother learn too. If you know that she is ready then find a week that is good for you and concentrate on that all week... I know both times I found myself exhausted but the out come was very worth it. Oh yeah, and neither of mine started telling me that they needed to go till they were already trained for a few months! I just took them every once in a while, and always before leaving the house and where ever we went. Then one day, oh the wonder, :roll: they come and tell me they need to go... after that it was easy going :) don't worry it will happen, but don't stress out about it if you don't think she is ready.

I waited until Paris was 2 1/2 and Jackson was 3 (I wasn't going to TT two kids at the same time LOL) - besides we moved right around the "TT" age.

All I did was take her into the toilet with me (without directly showing her things she shouldn't see) and say "This is where big people go"

I never bothered with a potty, I used one of those inner toilet seats and a stool because to be honest the thought of emptying, steralising and cleaning some gross potty was just another chore (mind, I did have to steralise the inner toilet seat every few days). Plus I thought the excitement of using a big people toilet and being a big girl would be more of a thrill than a potty.

I used training pants and she pretty much got the general idea that we don't do wees in our pants from me just talking to her. She ended up recognising her need to wee with minimal accidents. I also got her some nickers she liked (my little pony etc)

It took a while for them to not have a night nappy (over 3 in fact) or a nap nappy and the only time Paris had an accident (which was rare) was through holding on as she was engrossed in her game, so I learnt to look for signs (such as holding herself).

Also running around nude in the yard can be a big help (we had a really private yard, that is why I allowed this) my sister recommended this as when they pee, they often stop to watch what is happening to them and then become interested in what is going on.
She swore black and blue thay really helped her son become TT.

ahhhhhhhhh oh to be going through this again in 2 years time LOL.

Not sure if any of these experiences help you?

AM

I waited until Paris was 2 1/2 and Jackson was 3 (I wasn't going to TT two kids at the same time LOL) - besides we moved right around the "TT" age.

All I did was take her into the toilet with me (without directly showing her things she shouldn't see) and say "This is where big people go"

I never bothered with a potty, I used one of those inner toilet seats and a stool because to be honest the thought of emptying, steralising and cleaning some gross potty was just another chore (mind, I did have to steralise the inner toilet seat every few days). Plus I thought the excitement of using a big people toilet and being a big girl would be more of a thrill than a potty.

LOL Yeah I am using the toilet with an inner seat too. I am not doing the whole potty thing. EWWW LOL And I don't want guests coming over and seeing that on our bathroom floor.

I used training pants and she pretty much got the general idea that we don't do wees in our pants from me just talking to her. She ended up recognising her need to wee with minimal accidents. I also got her some nickers she liked (my little pony etc)

Did you use training pants from day one? I need to get some more as I only have two pairs because they are $7.95 each :(

It took a while for them to not have a night nappy (over 3 in fact) or a nap nappy and the only time Paris had an accident (which was rare) was through holding on as she was engrossed in her game, so I learnt to look for signs (such as holding herself).

Also running around nude in the yard can be a big help (we had a really private yard, that is why I allowed this) my sister recommended this as when they pee, they often stop to watch what is happening to them and then become interested in what is going on.
She swore black and blue thay really helped her son become TT.

ahhhhhhhhh oh to be going through this again in 2 years time LOL.

Not sure if any of these experiences help you?

Thanks Em. How long did it take to PT Paris? My mum said it took ages to PT me... like 6 months. :shock:

AM

Not long at all - about 3 weeks. Mind you she was really eager also so that helped. I just made a big fuss and when DH came home from work I would say in front of him "Guess what Paris did today" etc.

I only had about 3 pairs of training pants, so she had panties on every other time.

I found soon enough even at times when I was feeling lazy or had a lot to do she would want to take her nappy off and go to the toilet.

Oh I so know what you mean about the potty thing - my brother advised me to line the potty with toilet paper but I just went "NUP! I am not getting one" LOL.

Paris is still a big fan of going to the toilet in the garden ewwww so we have begun to discourage that as she is getting too old.

Renee, my only suggestion is to turn the water on in the sink. the running water may help her go.

:P Both my kid's took till they were 3 yrs., my son just finished potty-training and he is 3 1/2 yrs. You need alot of patience & knowing when they are ready. With my son I had to let him go naked and feel the pee running down his leg's. I tried leaving him on the potty for 1/2hr. at a time and reading to him. Even let him go to the bathroom with his Dad. None of these worked. I eventually gave in and didn't care about the carpet's. He only had a few accident's. :P

DD1 turns 3 in two weeks and she just became potty trained about a month ago. She still has accidents now and then but she's out of pull ups. My dd has such a strong personality and stubborn streak. Her so called accidents are more like acts of defiant behavior. We know she can control her bladder cause she does it all the time when she goes potty. She thinks its such fun to start and stop mid stream. She kills me. But when she gets frustrated with us, she'll just go wherever she's at. That's her way of acting out her frustration. So aggravating for us.

We struggled for the longest time trying to get her to use the potty. We tried everything you could think of. I think that they have to make the choice to do it and you can't force them. They will use the potty when they are ready. It just takes patience and understanding on the parents' part.

I was having the same frustrations with PTing my 2 yo when I bought the book, "Potty Training 1-2-3" by Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo. As they outlined how to tell if your child was ready to be PT'ed, I could tell that, intellectually, she was ready (still will climb up and sit on the toilet, even now that we've stopped trying with her), but she's not physically.

I'm just watching for her to start showing more signs that she's physically ready. I don't want to turn this into a long, frustrating ordeal; if you know how to tell when she's ready, it doesn't have to be. (I have a friend whose son was showing all the signs of her son being physically and intellectually ready, and he trained in about a week. She hadn't read the book. Lol, she was actually putting off the PTing, she dreaded it so much. But he kept *begging* to use the potty when he had to go, so she finally bit the bullet and let him start trying.)