Potty Training Tips http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:25:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 en Regression Years Later http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/regression-years-later/ http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/regression-years-later/#comments Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:25:22 +0000 Susanne http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/regression-years-later/ I’ve been reading your potty training newsletter with great interest and think it contains a lot of wonderful information that can really help parents. I’ve got a problem and I’m not sure there is a good solution, other than take the “wait and see” approach and hope for the best. So would you let me know if I am handling the situation correctly and offer any advice you think might be helpful.

I’m a young mother with a 5 year old son, Elliot, who has been potty trained for almost three years. He’s is only child and I, not having any prior experience with potty training, was quite proud of how easily he made the transition. The problem is that about two weeks ago he started regressing backwards and was wetting and sometimes pooping in his underwear three to four times a day. He has always worn cloth diapers and plastic pants at night, but now the mess has become so bad that I have started diapering him throughout the day too. He kicks and screams when I remove them and try to take him to the potty, so much so that I am hesitant to even mention the word “potty”.

My mother said I am doing a terrible thing by putting a 5 year old back into diapers, and while I agree, I don’t see much choice if he doesn’t want to cooperate. A friend of mine, also a young mother, says it’s because he was potty trained too early. Is this even possible? Should I keep him in diapers a while longer and see if it’s just a phase he’s going through, or do I demand he sit on the potty and put up with the mess and dirty underwear? Is there anything you can suggest that might motivate him to start using the potty again? He’s such a sweet boy I don’t want to do anything that might interfere with his normal development.

Thanks for listening,
Carla

Hi Carla,

First of all, I’m sorry you and your son are going through this. I’m sure this came as quite a surprise to you after 2 years of being potty trained. I don’t think your son reverted back to going in his pants because he was potty trained to early. It is much more likely that he is going through some sort of traumatic experience right now and is expressing his helplessness with that situation by not using the potty anymore.

Think of anything that may have changed in your life recently … some things that can cause this behavior are moving, a parent or other person close to your child leaving, a new person in his life, a change at daycare or school.

Your main goal right now should be to find out what’s upsetting your child enough to case this behavior and help him through this situation. Once you get to that point, stop putting him in diapers and help remind him in a calm manner about going to the potty.

You can also slowly transition him towards cleaning himself up when he soils or wets himself. Offer your help, but make him do at least part of it.

The important thing is to remember that he is not doing this to spite you. Stay calm and positive and the two of you will get through this in no time.

]]> http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/regression-years-later/feed/ It Could Be A Urinary Tract Infection http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/it-could-be-a-urinary-tract-infection/ http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/it-could-be-a-urinary-tract-infection/#comments Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:44:41 +0000 Susanne http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/it-could-be-a-urinary-tract-infection/ I wanted to share something a fellow Potty Training Ecourse subscriber shared with me recently. She was very concerned because her daughter suddenly started to pee all over the place. She’d pee in buckets, shoes, squad down right in front of her and pee… Needless to say this mom wasn’t very happy about her daughter’s behavior and looked all over the place (online, in books etc.) for more information about this behavior.

She finally took her daughter to the doctor who quickly discovered that the poor child had a urinary tract infection which caused her to pee so frequently and I’m sure the pain resulting from it was at least in part responsible for her “acting up” and peeling all over the place.

Here’s the thing… as annoying as it is when our perfectly intelligent kids don’t use the potty, even though we know they could do it just, there is usually some sort of underlying reason for their behavior. Think of it as a cry for help. Your child may have a urinary tract infection like this little girl did, or it may be a response to some emotional trouble your child is having. Potty issues tend to come out a lot when there’s a new baby in the family, you’re moving or your child gets a new teacher in school. In those cases some extra time and reassurance can do wonders for both your child’s emotional wellbeing and how successful the two of you are in your potty training efforts.

]]> http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/it-could-be-a-urinary-tract-infection/feed/ Potty Trained At Daycare But Not At Home http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/potty-trained-at-daycare-but-not-at-home/ http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/potty-trained-at-daycare-but-not-at-home/#comments Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:04:32 +0000 Susanne http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/potty-trained-at-daycare-but-not-at-home/ My daughter will be 2 on Nov. 1. We have started introducing her to the potty, letting her sit on a little potty chair while mommy goes and letting her sit on the big potty before bath time and when she wakes up.

She has just recently, over the past 2 weeks,been going all day at daycare on the potty. I have her in a great daycare that helps with potty training since she is there most of the day. She is very successful at daycare going both potty and having bowel movements. They do a rotation of the children about every two hours.

However, when she gets home she seems to go potty much more often and I can’t set any kind of ‘timer’ for her to go because it seems she is pottying all the time. We don’t have too much of a problem when she has a bm, she knows when she needs to go and can tell me, but the pottying is an issue. I have let her pick out her own ‘big girl’ panties to try and help, cut out on so many drinks but nothing seems to work. She seems very preoccupied. What do you suggest?

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]]> http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/potty-trained-at-daycare-but-not-at-home/feed/ Ready To Give Up On Potty Training? http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/ready-to-give-up-on-potty-training/ http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/ready-to-give-up-on-potty-training/#comments Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:16:46 +0000 Susanne http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/ready-to-give-up-on-potty-training/ I get quite a few emails each week from parents who are feeling their child will never get this potty training thing down. Whether it is that their child will not even try to poop in the potty, or they are still wetting their pants or beds after weeks and sometimes even months of potty training, for some reason or another the parents get discouraged and are ready to give up.

I came across a quote this morning I’d like to share with you. It holds through for all kinds of different areas of our lives including potty training your toddler. Here it is.

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by
people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at
all.” Dale Carnegi

The best advice I can give you is to just keep trying. Your child may just need a little extra time along with lots of encouragement and hugs. Believe me, no matter what it feels like to you at the moment, your child is not doing this out of spite. Sure, refusing the use the potty can sometimes be a child’s way of testing just how powerful he or she is, but it’s a natural (and necessary) developmental step.

Write down this Dale Carnegi quote and stick it on your fridge, or your bathroom mirror to remind yourself that there is light at the end of the tunnel and as long as you and your child stick with your potty training routine, there will be a fully potty trained child at the end of the tunnel.

]]> http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/ready-to-give-up-on-potty-training/feed/ She Just Wont Go To The Potty At Home http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/she-just-wont-go-to-the-potty-at-home/ http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/she-just-wont-go-to-the-potty-at-home/#comments Mon, 21 May 2007 00:13:15 +0000 Susanne http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/she-just-wont-go-to-the-potty-at-home/ The hardest part about potty training for us is that our 3 year old little girl just hates to go on the potty at home. I ask her, i have put her on it, dangled her feet in the bath tub (just before a bath) and then sat her on the potty - still didn’t work. she goes all the time at school but not for myself, my husband, or either sets of grandparents. I have been trying for about 6 months now to no avail. Your steps seemed to help a little as i have actually gotten her to sit on her potty - but then she goes to our potty and then just gets disinterested. She will sit for about 10 minutes between both potties but never goes. Most times she will wet herself in her diaper and then say she has to go potty.

-Answer to “She Just Wont Go To the Potty At Home”

]]> http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/she-just-wont-go-to-the-potty-at-home/feed/ I can’t Get My Child To Poop In The Potty http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/i-cant-get-my-child-to-poop-in-the-potty/ http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/i-cant-get-my-child-to-poop-in-the-potty/#comments Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:22:48 +0000 Susanne http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/i-cant-get-my-child-to-poop-in-the-potty/ I have been working on potty training my 3 year 9 month old since the beginning of the year. He will pee with very little accidents….but he poops in his underwear or waits until night time with his pull up. I have tried just about everything. I am losing my mind. Everyone says when he is ready but!!!!!!!!!!! These are not accidents. Sometimes he will do it 3 or 4 times a day. Please Help.
-Answer to “I Can’t Get My Child To Poop In The Potty”

]]> http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/i-cant-get-my-child-to-poop-in-the-potty/feed/ Welcome http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/hello-world/ http://www.mypottytraining.com/blog/hello-world/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2007 19:05:43 +0000 Susanne Welcome to the potty training blog. I set this up to be able to share even more potty training tips with you quickly and easily. You’ll find some potty training tips and articles on here as well as the occasional general parenting info. I also receive quite a few questions from the readers of my potty training ecourse. Take a moment to sign up for it as well. I will answer some of the more general questions here in addition to the info in the ecourse.

Susanne Myers
Learn more about potty training - Sign up for my free potty training ecourse.

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