Deciding when to PT

[mekia]

We did the 3 day method and the author actually said to not worry about PT readiness and just to do it.

DS was 2y3m when we started and he did show some interest in the potty, but refused to sit long enough and had never peed in one. So when we started, he immediately got it. He holds pretty well, but he has problems with making it to the toilet on time.

It's been 2 months and we still have some accidents here and there. He's starting to tell us when he has to go.

The only reason we decided to go for it was because 2 other boys at DC were doing the same thing too. Figured that peer pressure would work! The kids do much better at daycare compared to home, actually!

So in hindsight, I am not sure if he was actually ready, but I am kind of glad we decided to just go for it. The 3 day method was no means a miracle for us, but it kind of worked?

[simpsongal]

I think the Oh Crap books draws a distinction between "readiness" and "willingness." If your DS can communicate pretty well, and has decent motor skills for getting dressed and whatnot (not necessarily w/o help) it probably means he's able to PT. I think ability to sing their ABCs was one of the indicators in Oh Crap.

If it's any consolation, my niece was a complete PT struggle from age 2 until 3 until one day she just decided she wanted to do it and that was that. She's very stubborn. I think her folks pushed too hard in the beginning and it completely backfired.

Since you're sort of on the clock, I'd give it a go this weekend. Good luck!

[Deleted]

In my house signs of PT readiness were an ability to express the need to go potty (either with words or signs of some kind) and being over 22 months. My first decided to do it at 22 months, but I decided when to do it for the other two. I've never PT a kid that is over 2y2m so I'm not sure about that part of it. We did use the 3 day method with my third and it was amazingly fast considering everyone told me boys couldn't be trained before 3 and he was 23 months. He was easier to train than my girls who I trained by the seat of my pants. I'm sure it will be fine. I wouldn't ask, just do it. Toddlers notoriously want to disagree with you if you ask for their opinions on stuff that hey don't fully understand.

[thebreakfastclub]

DS was totally uninterested and didn't care at all about who was using the potty at daycare. Day one, he cried and said he hated the potty.

He had no choice though. I gave him half a can of Sprite, the potty was right there in the living room, he was pants and undies free.

He couldn't hold it forever, and once he did it and we were so excited, he was excited too.

[read247]

At about 33 months, six weeks before I was due with #2, DH was OOT and I decided to stay home all weekend with DD #1 and PT her. She'd been interested in a potty since 18 months but I never did anything formal about it until I suddenly got the urge to get it over with at that point. She was pretty much daytime trained by the end of 3 days, although we had issues with public toilets for a while longer. DD #2 seemed ready just after age 2 but it was a disaster so I stopped. We tried again a little before she turned 3, and although she was able, and mostly willing, it was a control issue for her and it took 7 months. She was ready when she was ready no matter what I did. I wasn't sure she'd be trained in time for preschool and most around here require it, so I ended up doing a lot of research and finding a place that would take kids who weren't. Turned out she made up her mind about a month before then and was trained, but it was nice not having that pressure on us even if the school wasn't my top choice (I simply then moved her ASAP to another school, no problem)

[zarapipe]

May 5, 2016 12:01:27 GMT -5 mekia said:

We did the 3 day method and the author actually said to not worry about PT readiness and just to do it.

DS was 2y3m when we started and he did show some interest in the potty, but refused to sit long enough and had never peed in one. So when we started, he immediately got it. He holds pretty well, but he has problems with making it to the toilet on time.


So in hindsight, I am not sure if he was actually ready, but I am kind of glad we decided to just go for it. The 3 day method was no means a miracle for us, but it kind of worked?

Yep! We did DD at 2y3m and just went for it. It ended up taking 5 days but I am SO glad we just did it. I always told myself if she wasn't showing any improvement by day 3 we would stop but she was getting it, just slowly.

I'm planning on trying with dd2 around 2y2m or 2y3m when I have long weekends as well. Hopefully it goes well.

In your shoes I would just do it and see what happens. It has to happen and I would rather be done sooner than later. Try it now and if he doesn't get it at all in three days I would try again in the summer.

[soozy87]

We tried the 3 day method a few months ago, gave up by noon on day one. He had no interest and was screaming his head off when we had him sit on the toilet. We will try again in the next few months.

[CloudBee]

It was SUCH a breeze for us because we waited until he insisted. It's hard to push so some kids. I held him back longer than I should have but I was recovering from surgery and couldn't comfortably help with the running into the bathroom / helping him hop up aspect.

I would hold off for a couple more months and if he still shows no interest, try the 3 day method in July.

[Deleted]

J was telling me right before he had a bm and had gone on the potty a handful of times. So a few months later at 26 mos we did the 3 day method and never looked back.

The girls are currently at that same stage so we will be going for it soon. Maybe memorial day weekend. I'm just scared to do it with two so I keep putting it off.

[wilbs]

DS will be 3 in July and had been expressing interest in January. He peed/pooped a few times, but all of a sudden was refusing to sit on it at all and we didn't push it.

We decided to do the oh crap method a few weekends ago and he picked up on it really fast. The first day was hell and I wanted to throw in the towel a few hours in, but we pushed thru it and by Sunday we were out doing stuff. He's had two accidents since then and both times, he told us he needed to go in the car and we couldn't get to a bathroom in time.

[dcn]

For ds1 he was going into the bathroom for privacy every time he peed or pooped and then asked for a dry diaper. He had one pee accident and that was pretty much it. Waiting until he basically did it himself was a good choice! So easy. He was 3 y 4 m.

[spwspw]

We waited until both kids were ready and willing, and honestly I'm so glad we did because there was no fighting with them and trying to convince them or force them to go on the potty. Both kids were a little over 3 yrs old when they trained.

[stealthmom]

If I were you I'd do the 3-day method. It actually doesn't require them to be ready. And at almost 3 there is almost no question of this being an issue of not being physically ready. Sometimes you gotta just rip off the bandaid.

[glitzy07]

I didn't push it very hard and we just trained last week, also at 2.75yo. We have been asking C for months if he wanted to sit on the potty and he didn't seem interested. But he was well aware when he'd go in his diaper and would tell us so. Daycare also said that he had started to hide at her house when he was pooping in his diaper, which was another side of readiness for her.

We tried Pull Ups about a month and a half ago and it didn't work. They were glorified diapers.

Then last Monday I was home with him and asked if he wanted to try wearing underwear. He was excited so we did. We had six accidents that first day, but he's been doing fantastic since (a few dribbles here or there and one poop accident). He HATES feeling wet in underwear and after the first day it's like it clicked for him what it felt like when he needed to go. He's even been waking up dry, which is sort of amazing to me.

Good luck!

[halfpint]

B JUST went in the potty for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Zero interest before, now he talks about it all the damn time. Like you, he has to be PT'ed for his new school starting in the fall.

We're going to try the three day method over Memorial Day weekend. He sits on it now every day, he's peed in it maybe 4 times total. No poop.

You might just have a day where it clicks!