Potty Training Resistance - How To Deal With It

Your toddler just turned three and you figure it is about time to start potty training. You get a potty with his favorite cartoon character on it and buy some big boy underwear and are ready to start. Unfortunately your toddler isn't willing to cooperate. How should you deal with this potty training resistance?

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How Do You Know Your Child Is Resisting?

Recognizing your child's resistance toward potty training is pretty easy. He simply won't cooperate. He refuses to even try to pee or poop in the potty and goes in his pants instead. Some children will simply "hold it in" until you put a diaper back on them.

What Is Causing This Potty Training Resistance

Your child may simply not be ready to give potty training a serious try. The idea may seem just a little to scary to him and he's not ready to give up the comfort of wearing a diaper. After all he's been used to wearing them for years now.

How Should You Deal With The Potty Training Resistance?

Your strategy for dealing with your child's potty training resistance. You want to back of from the actual potty training, but at the same time, keep the idea of it on his mind. You also want to start preparing him for a future try at potty training.

Put him back into diapers, but keep the "Big Boy" underwear in a drawer in his room and the potty in a corner of the bathroom. Ask him to help you change him by taking his pants of by himself. Get a few potty training picture books and read them with your child. Let him know that you are going to the potty and that that's what big boys and girls do.

Wait a few weeks and suggest using the potty again, if your child doesn't decide for himself to give it a try. Before you know it, the two of you will be well on your way to getting him potty trained.