Potty training is really not a new thing for us. After all, we have 5 children. Three of which were fairly successfully potty trained by age 3. However, we now have boys. Things have apparently changed. Jake is, as of last week, a 3 year old. I have half-heartedly tried a few times over to the past months to get him out of diapers, obviously to no avail. So, today we decided that we just needed to dedicate a full day to one-on-one training. Ken is home from work, so we could divide and conquer. Or so we thought.
It's not going well. Not well at all. We're trying the pants-less method that so many swear by. We've also incorporated treats and lots of praise. Jake, however, seems to be determined to stay in diapers and defies us to suggest otherwise. What we have ended up with today, so far, is a very grumpy toddler from trying to "hold it" all day. And if we do "catch him in the act", he turns into a 3 legged ninja fending us away as we try to drag him to the potty. He could care less about the treats today and is hell-bent on getting his diaper back.
Our girls were rather easy in this department, so the full on potty rebellion has taken us a bit off guard. This... along with Ken's busy work schedule, nursing a 3 month old, summer entertainment for the big kids, all while staring down the barrel of our 8th move in 9 years... has got Mommy a little on edge. I know some of you have trained boys (or stubborn girls)...so I'm all ears for any advice you have. Do I abandon ship and try later or is there a way to get past the rebellion? Any words of wisdom or encouragement will be heeded and appreciated!
3 comments:
oh, i feel for you. my little leah was so easy to train and luke was so difficult (which is putting it mildly). once he got it, though, he really got it and never had accidents! i do remember telling michael that potty training him was the hardest thing i had done! this may sound gross, but i did let him potty outside at first because he thought that was fun. we stayed home for the most part for a week, so that i could let him go outside when he seemed anxious about using the toilet. i suppose i trained my child like most would train a dog! ha! by the end of the week, he was going in the potty, mostly because he wanted a betta fish (his ultimate reward for going number 1 and 2 in the toilet). i do think that every child is different, because what works for one doesn't seem to work for another. i'll be praying for you!
While I am certainly no expert, I HAVE been told that boys will finally make up their minds and then never go back. If I were you? I'd give him a "goal"- like "well, buddy they don't make diapers for 3 1/2 year olds so you have to start going in the big boy potty by ___. (whenever)- and then just let him continually wet himself and make him wait to get changed...that worked for our stubborn daughter who wasn't trained until 3 and it took a solid week- but by the end, there was no going back. She was good to go. Also- I've heard these tricks work for making it fun for boys.... dish soap in the toilet...makes "bubbles" when they go or cheerios in the toilet for aim. Sounds messy though? You'll have to keep us all posted. One of my good friends with multiple boys said her youngest LOVED his diapers. The oldest was making fun of him by saying "4 year olds don't wear diapers" and he very confidently said "Yeah? Well THIS 4 year old does." Yikes. I think we're going to be in the same boat because our boy is showing ZERO interest. Keep us posted!
I know this is crazy, but I am working on Potty training Jackson now -- know that sounds crazy, but this is when I started with Jordan and it worked. I got something off the internet, and followed this method...I will send it to you if you want. It involves lots of wet underwear..but I have seen some improvement in Jack since yesterday -- only two accidents since 6:00 am this moring. We'll see. Boys are definitely harder and more stubborn.
Thanks for your prayers...I am feeling them.
Kelly
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