Potty Training Tips and Ideas

When it came to potty training my son it was nice and easy and smooth sailing. He was easy! The time came then to potty train my daughter. I thought it would be just as easy as it was with my son. I was totally wrong! With my son I sent him in to watch my husband go "potty" and he wanted to be just like his daddy. He had it down really quick. I thought if that worked for my son why not try it with my daughter. I put her potty seat next to the toilet and everytime I had to use the restroom she went in with me. I sat her on her seat while I did my business. She didn't want to sit on the potty seat. I tried this for weeks but everytime I sat down she got up and ran around.

During one of her check-ups I asked my doctor what he recommended to do. He recommended taking her to the store and letting her pick out her own "Big Girl Panties" to wear. I thought well lets get to it. Right after her visit we made a trip to the store where she stood and looked at all of the different panties. Then she wandered over to the diapers and picked up the brand I usually buy her. I told her that we were here to get her "Big Girl Panties" so that way she would be a big girl. After taking her back over to panties she decided on Princess panties. We bought them and made our way back home. As soon as we got home, I sat her on the potty for a few minutes and then let her help me put her panties on. For weeks and weeks I washing Princess panties everyday. My daughter would hold it until she got up from the potty and had her panties on. I was tired of washing the panties everyday for the next day to have to wash them all over again.

A dear friend of mine suggested that when I sit her on her potty seat to give her a sucker. She said that was how she had gotten her daughter to start using the potty. So I made another special trip to the store. I bought Dum-Dum suckers. Well, needless to say this didn't work. She would stay sitting on her potty seat while she ate the sucker but, the moment she'd get up there was another mess in the now very faded panties. I sat down trying to think of something besides suckers that would maybe make her use the potty while sitting on it. I sent my husband to the store this time to get popsicles. Everytime she sat on the potty she got a popsicle. I thought that maybe the coldness of it and the "juice" from it would make her have to go while sitting there. I was wrong again. Back to the drawing board I went.

One day while I was at work my manager and I were talking about our families and I told her about my problem with my daughter not wanting to use the potty seat. She asked me if I was using the same one that I had used for my son, when I told her yes, she said to have her pick out one of her own. So my husband, daughter, and I made a yet another trip to the store. She picked out a potty seat rather quickly. She chose the one that plays music, has real flushing noises, and all the bells and whistles to go with it. We took it home and set it up in the bathroom and placed her on it. She more interested in playing with it than using it. She must've thought we had just bought her a really big toy.

Another one of my friends suggested putting the potty seat in front of the TV during one of her favorite shows. Well, my daughter loves Spongebob. Everytime it came on, I got the potty seat out and placed her on it. She never went in it until the show was over and she got up. We tried this for weeks as well.

I got online and read where one mother used a "I Went Potty" sticker board. Thank goodness I had some poster board and stickers. I really didn't want to go back to the store again for potty training things! We wrote in the middle of the poster "SAMANTHA WENT POTTY" in bright colors. We showed her the poster and the stickers and explained to her that everytime she went pee in the potty she would get to put one sticker on the poster and everything she went poo-poo she would get to put two stickers on. This idea she seemed to like. However she still wouldn't go in the potty after 2 weeks. I thought that maybe I was going to lose my mind!

I sat down and began to think really hard about what I was doing wrong. I couldn't think of anything. I thought maybe she just wasn't ready yet. My doctor did tell me not to push her that she would tell us when she was ready in her own way. However, she's 2 almost 3 now. We've been at this potty training now for almost a year without one single time that she's actually used the potty. I couldn't figure out what to do next.

Last week my daughter came into the bathroom while I was going "potty". She said, "Mommy go potty. Sammy go potty." I thought oh no she just peed in her panties again and I just put a clean pair on her. I got up and went to see how bad it was when she walked right past me with her Dora step stool she used to wash her hands and brush her teeth at the sink. She set it down in front of the potty and removed every single bit of clothing she had on. (I'm not sure why she thought she'd have to be completely naked!) She climbed up onto the stool, turned around, and sat on the toilet. What she did next just amazed me beyond belief. She not only peed in the toilet but also went poo-poo!! I was so excited I started clapping and cheering. Which made her smile from ear to ear! I went and got her stickers and she got to put up two stickers.

Our poster is now covered with stickers. Thinking back now I can see why she didn't want to go potty on either of her potty seats. In her eyes, mommy was a "Big Girl" using a "Big Girl Potty" and she wanted to be like her mommy. All of the frustrated days of trying to get her to use the potty were erased from my mind as soon as used the "Big Girl Potty" on her own!

I would just like to add that just because these potty training tips didn't work for my child doesn't mean that they won't work for your's. I hope that this will help someone else out there that has tried everything just like me and can't figure out where to go next!

GOOD LUCK!