Monday, October 8, 2012

To Potty Train or Wait??

I'm sure a lot of Mom's have this question. So I will start from the beginning of my potty training experience. I work at a day care part time which means I see a lot of kids going through the potty training phase. Some are little like the nearly two year olds and some are older the 3 and a half to 4 year olds. Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with waiting to potty train or starting early it's a family decision. But for me I am so SICK of buying diapers.

My son is 21 months. When he was 13 months I ordered a froggy potty from Amazon. He loved it. We just set it in the bathroom and let him sit on it to read books or while I went to the bathroom he would sit on his potty. He liked it. We weren't "forcing" him at all. At about 15 months we started putting him on the potty before bath time (he would be naked). He would go pee and sometimes even poop (TMI I know)! We would also give him an m and m or skittle for going. I was pretty impressed for how young he was and going.

So now we have been doing this for a while. When I'm at home and were not at work I will ask him throughout the day if he has to go potty and he tells me yes or no. We have even put him in big boy undies for about 3 hours at a time and he stays dry (we take him to the potty about 5 times during that period). I think I'm going to wait until Christmas break and I have a week off to REALLY go for it.

Now, I have told other Mom's at the daycare about this when we were talking about potty training and some are like "Wow! Thats awesome blah blah blah," but then one was like "Ugh, I don't believe in FORCING my child to go potty when there not ready." Ok other Moms does my story sound like I'm FORCING? I don't think so. I honestly think every child could be potty trained earlier but society believes they have to be 2 or 3 to start. Again this is just my opinion. If Hunter would have cried and whined and didn't want to use the potty I would not have kept up with this.

Here is my little guy about 4 months ago on the potty! :)

Anyways, what do you Mom's out there think? And if anyone wants to try with their younger toddler I highly recommend buying a little potty and letting them get used to it first like I did. It has worked for some of my friends as well. 

Adios Amigos/as!



16 comments:

  1. First of all, it doesn't sound like you're forcing him at all. Some kids are just ready earlier than others. Secondly, that other mom needs to back it up. Just because she doesn't feel like her kid is ready doesn't mean she has ANY right to judge you. You know your child better than anyone else and from the sound of it, you're doing a great job. My daughter was potty trained around 2 1/2 but still wears pull ups to bed at 4. When they're ready; they're ready.

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    1. Yes I agree all kids are different and some are ready sooner and some later. Thanks for the encouragement!

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  2. I think a mom "knows" when their child is ready. You are doing exactly what I'm doing. We have an M&M jar and some potty books in the bathroom and some days we try and some we don't. I think introducing the potty and getting them acquainted with the words and what happens is smart and the rest will come. Kendall tells me " I poo-poo" after she has done 1 or 2 in her diaper, BUT atleast she knows what's going on.

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  3. I think you're doing an awesome job with it! It does NOT sound like you've been forcing him at all! To me, forcing would be him crying having fits over it and a mom getting frustrated that it wasn't happening - that's forcing! But your little guy sounds super content with it and it sounds like you're all on the right track! Good job mama!

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    1. Thanks Laura! You just made me feel much better! :) Loves!

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  4. Does not sound like forcing to me at all, and i think it's great he's actually going! I wanted to start training my oldest at 24 mo old and his babysitter was adamant it was too early and not to start. Being my first I listened to her, even tho I knew he was ready. At 2 1/2 he trained in 2 days, super easy. My 2nd was very easy, also, at 2 1/2 (he was not ready at 24 mo). Each kid is different, do your think, Mama! You know your kid better than anyone else, and that mom talking about forcing your son to train is just jealous that he kids didn't do it that early. Hate on haters! :)

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  5. My son is 2 years and a few months and we do the same thing. We have the potty in his bathroom and he goes on it in the morning, before bath, and before bed. He actually prefers going on the "big potty" so we are working on that too. I ask him throughout the day and he gets SO excited to go on it. He totally is NOT like "mom I gotta pee" but he is "learning". We are introducing the concept and getting prepared. I am also going to "hit it hard" around Christmas.

    See my daughter was potty trained at 22 months and this is time it is just different. I am not going to lie - I am sick of diapers and would be so happy to have him out.of.them.

    I think what you are doing is totally FINE and honestly what the "books" tell us to - keep rolling with it. Happy Monday.

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  6. You're not forcing... You are being a smart mama. Chris potty trained Haven in one week-- I kid you not. He is like the Potty Whisperer. He just let him run around nake for a good four days and kept putting him on the potty. After 145 accidents, he got the hang of it.

    Do what works for you because you're the mom-- and you know what's best! HAHA :)

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  7. I don't think you are forcing him. You are easing into it. I am also trying to ease into it with my 22 month old. I don't think he's really "ready" but we are just getting familiar with it.

    I'm sure you and the little one will do great!

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  8. No way, you are not forcing him! He seems interested and isn't fighting it so that Mom needs to listen next time! :-)

    Our experience was that I wasn't the one who was ready! I was pregnant with Bean and Jack was 2 years and 3 months old and I kept saying "Oh, let's wait closer to the end of the year (b/c Bean wasn't due until February - but came the end of January). But our daycare provider, whom we absolutely love, said she thought Jack was ready b/c she had just potty trained a little girl and she said Jack was really interested in what they were doing. She mentioned it to me a couple times and I'd blow her off - finally I was like, OK - let's do it. We set the ground rules (well she did) - if she was going to be the one with him the majority of the day (she is) then she said I had to promise to work just as hard as she was. She doesn't do pull-ups - it's fat panties only from the time they get up until the time they get in bed for the night. Jack was potty trained in 1 week! First day, 7 accidents. Second and Third Day, 3 accidents. Fourth and Fifth Day, 2 accidents. Sixth Day, 1 accident. And he was pretty much done. Sure he would have a couple random accidents over the next couple months, but he was day potty trained in 7 days! It was awesome!

    I say do what you want and how you want - you are the Momma, of course! :-) Good Luck!

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  9. We did the same with my oldest son as you did with yours. We bought the little potty, also a frog potty :) We actually have 4 bathrooms and he has a potty in each one! He would go before bath, just as your son, and we would remind him throughout the day etc. But my son however, was not ready. He would pee his pants a lot, and when he'd wear a pullup for naps and bedtimes....he let it go! lol he would soak that pullup! He was probably 2 1/2 almost 3 when this was going on. He's 3 1/2 now and he just now is pretty much fully potty trained. I stopped using a pullup at nap...I just use one for bed and that has helped! I think he was just lazy!! he knew what he was doing! So long story short....no I do not think you are forcing him! If he's interested, and going for you, and not whining, crying and terrified, lol....then he's ready! Good job buddy! and good work from Mom! I ended up stopping the process twice with my son until he was ready. I still have a problem with him not going though. He won't have an accident, but he will hold it. He is much better about going #2! I may have the only child in the world who does better with that! lol. Any tips on how to prevent him from holding it??

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  10. I think you are doing fine! You aren't forcing at all! We took 6 dedicated days to try to train Cooper when he was 2.5 years old, but he just wasn't getting it, so we sucked it up, went back to diapers and at 24 months he just 'got it' for the peeing. We still have to work with him on pooping, but we'll get there. (He just turned 3 last week). I think it's completely dependent on how the child is, if they are ready they'll do it, if not, they won't!

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  11. Thank you for this post! My son just turned 2 and my mother and mother-in-law have been telling me that he is ready. He also has a little potty and he's very interested when we go potty. He's my first baby so I have no clue where to start or when to start. It's good to hear other mamas' experiences.

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  12. no way are you forcing your kid to go potty. He shows an interest and you ask him to remind him, thats how it works.

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  13. I wouldn't say you are forcing it at all, and I don't think he's too young. Apparently my mom potty trained me at 9 mos?!! I can't imagine. Anyway, keep following his lead...you know him best!

    For our experience--T started attending a private school at 16 months. He's in the 2-3 y.o. classroom, so he is seeing a lot of kids potty training. He came home asking (signing) to go potty, so we have done it as he asks. We also ask him if he wants to go, but he doesn't. He refuses to sit on any type of small potty--only the real toilet. I thought about doing a crash PT weekend with real underwear but have decided against it for now. He'll be ready when he's ready.

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  14. Ok, so I started potty training yesterday and it's actually going really well! He's doing #1 and #2 in the potty with some accidents in the pull-ups too. He loves sitting on his little potty and even tells me when he wants to go. Maybe your little boy won't be hard either!

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