Potty training tips?

[fryjack2]

The boys are 3.4 years old ( born almost 2 months early, but you wouldn't know it now) and still in diapers.  They don't tell us that they have to go, very very rarely will tell us that they pooped and don't ask to use the potty.  They will pee when we put them on the toilet (morning and night and randomly throughout the day) but they won't initiate using it.

We tried sticker charts, and M&Ms.  They will poop and then ask for an M&M. LOL.  I tried putting them in underwear and taking them to the toilet every 15 minutes one morning. Still pooped their pants.  Maybe I should have tried it for the 3 day method?

We know when they are pooping because they go make a fort around themselves and squat.  I've tried to get them to the potty when they start building their poop fort or as they call it, "I'm in here somewhere" but they freak out.

Is it just too early?

I'm starting to get self conscious about it because all of their friends are out of diapers and preschool starts again in 3 weeks.  Last year, half the class was potty trained by the end of the year.

[origami]

My boys were pee trained and in underwear before they were poop trained. They still to this day don't poop at school, so I think you could be fine PTing them now. My kids had a few poop accidents in their underwear, but mostly waited until night and pooped in a pull-up. When they did this, or had an underwear accident, I made them take a shower b/c it was so messy. They HATED that, even though it wasn't meant as a punishment, and wasn't cold or in their face or anything. But end result was they hated the shower so much that they figured out pooping on the potty was a better alternative. So I highly recommend it

In school, are they in a classroom where the teachers take everyone to the bathroom together? If so I wouldn't worry too much about them not initiating going to the potty. Once they get in a routine they'll get better at telling you/the teacher. I'm sure the teachers are very used to seeing "the dance" kids do when they really have to go and will remind them. And if not, well, accidents are extremely common in preschool so no biggie.

[Deleted]

We did the 3 day method for my oldest (twins are just shy of 18 mos). It worked really well for us. But there was a lot of pee the first day. We have hardwoods so we rolled up the rugs.

J didn't poop at all the first day but he did the second day and has since then. For several months afterwards he definitely would sit there dancing around and not go when he clearly needed to so we had to make sure to watch this and make him go. But with poop he always told us he needed to go. I do think the 3 day method saved us a lot of annoyance! But we has to push through those days.

Eta: I remember on the second day we have him prune juice and apple juice so that he would HAVE to go. And then as soon as he started to look like he had to go we put him on the potty and started reading books to distract him. When he first really started going I remember he was a little scared about what was happening and I had to hold his hand lol. But after that first time he was fine. He just had to get over that initial shock of it.

[lobstertail]

Should we buy two potty training toilets, or does it not matter if they share one?

[demandypants]

Oct 4, 2015 11:58:19 GMT -5 lobstertail said:

Should we buy two potty training toilets, or does it not matter if they share one?

DD never went on her potty and preferred the ring seat on the toilet. So I would start with just one.

[macchiatto]

We did 3 Day Potty Training when my boys were 37m. It worked pretty well. (We didn't quite do the full method though; we stuck with pull-ups for naps and nighttime until they were ready--about two months later for one and a year or so later for the other, which is still well within the normal range.)

For twins I would definitely go ahead and get two potty chairs, or at the very least a potty chair plus a ring on the big toilet and then a second potty chair if they both prefer it. Even now at 6 there are many times when they both need the bathroom at the same time and despite my best efforts, they still have bad aim so I hate letting one of them use my bathroom.

[twotrue]

fryjack2 - how's it going? Both of mine peed on their potties this week. I however do not want to start formally potty training them until after a vacation we have planned for November.

[fryjack2]

Oct 27, 2015 14:56:16 GMT -5 twotrue said:

fryjack2 - how's it going? Both of mine peed on their potties this week. I however do not want to start formally potty training them until after a vacation we have planned for November.

Its going okay to good?  I really think going back to school was the flip that switched for them.  75% of their class is potty trained.  I also bought them some Paw Patrol underwear and pjs and hung them in front of the toilet so they could see them every time they went.  They knew they could wear them if/when they pooped on the potty.  It took about 4 days, but they did it!

They are in underwear all the time now except at night.  No pee accidents in a week.  A few poop ones when we haven't been fast enough or close enough to a bathroom.  Or today when they were too busy playing to say something.   But they don't like to be in dirty underwear, so I think we are getting there!

I started by putting them in underwear all morning before school and making them sit on the toilet every 10-15 minutes for a week.  By the 2nd week, their teachers told us to send them in underwear.  Sometimes I put a diaper over their underwear for longer rides in the car.  I don't know how I would clean pee out of a carseat.

Good luck in November!

[was5]

It's nice to see this post. My boys will be 3 in less than a month and I feel like I'm behind on potty training. Sometimes they'll use the potty, sometimes they won't and they are in diapers full time. I was going to get more serious when they turn 3, but we are driving from Michigan to Texas in June and some people have said to just wait until that is over. I'm starting to agree with them.

[blissful23]

I bumped into this potty training journey of a mom of multiples. Her strategy seems feasible. You might want to try what she did. Get started with the stickers

[sparty04]

I was convinced DS2 would never potty train. He only pooped in one spot (the playroom), he wouldn’t even go at daycare or when we went away for the weekend. One day I told him if he pooped in his pants, it would fall to the floor and everyone would laugh at him. That freaked him out and was the end of diapers. He was just over 3.5.

DS1 potty trained just after 3 when one of his older friends made fun of him for pooping in a diaper when they were playing. So I guess peer pressure and a little bit of teasing works in our house.

They may just not be ready yet. I didn’t do any method but we really didn’t use pull-ups unless we would be out and I didn’t want to deal with an accident. I just waited until they felt like they were done with diapers. Both of my sons were fully potty trained within two weeks of starting the process (including nighttime).

[fryjack2]

sparty04 LOL! They are now 7.5 and potty trained but thank you for your post

[tarajane]

Sept 27, 2019 15:28:15 GMT -5 fryjack2 said:

sparty04 LOL! They are now 7.5 and potty trained but thank you for your post

So it does happen eventually?!?!