Need potty training help!

[jojo72]

I have an almost 3 yr old that is proving impossible to potty train.
We started a few times but he has never been ready so I've left it.
He is about to start nursery, and needs to be potty trained before he can start.
I've tried everything, reward charts, the whole bit, but he refuses to even sit on the potty, and simply wets his underpants, and saves his poos for bedtime when he has a nappy.
I can't understand it as I've managed to train 2 other children.

Anyone had a reluctant older child? Anyone got any helpful ideas?

[aussie mum]

just wondering how long you persist before giving up?
i thought my son obviously wasn't ready when he continued to pee in his pants for the first 3 - 4 days. he showed no signs whatsoever of getting the concept. I was about to give up and just put nappy back BUT on day 4 he finally used the toilet (with one of those smaller cushioned seats - always hated the potty!) and we never looked back. he was fine from then on.

[jojo72]

We are in our 2nd week of wet pants! I'm trying to persevere, but I am getting so frustrated.
We have both the seat and the potty.
He used to sit on both without actually doing anything and thought it was a fun game, he went once on the potty, we all clapped, he was thrilled, and he got to put a star on his chart, but that was a week ago and now he refuses to even sit on it.

This is crazy, we are talking about a 3 year old.
And he needs to be out of nappies soon. What am I supposed to try?

[aussie mum]

oh no! i feel for you

have you tried bribery with m&ms and lollipops? that is the only other thing i can think of. after 1 week of being potty trained my son seemed to get a bit bored of it so we resorted to a lollipop everytime he did a poo in the toilet and a couple of m&ms every time he did a wee. it got him back on track and we only needed to do it for a week or so.

worth a try maybe?

[mumto2]

i second bribery with treats! lol maybe a special book about potty training or dvd? or have you tried getting the older ones to teach him? maybe take a week off too just to give you both a break from the head space and then resume. You could also speak to the nursery teacher and just say that you're sorry but need a bit more time - I'm sure they would be accommodating - better he wears a diaper for just a little while than her having to change him all day?

[dimsum mum]

hi jojo
it sounds like physically your son is ready, so i will suggest this plan of action (and the other suggestions by pp's are good too).

is your son looking forward to going to school?
if so, take him to the school, if possible do a little walk around. if the school has a uniform, let him look at it.
tell him once he is using the toilet, he will be going to school and wearing the uniform.

we took our ds to his brother's school and told him he wouldn't be able to start until he was dry, and three days later he had been dry for three days.

[Little Monster]

I have no advice as for my son's case, it seems to be a natural progress. I didn't do bribery coz I didn't want him to do it for the purpose of getting something nice. So, I am just gonna share with you about my experience.

My son is 2.5-yr-old. I started potty training when he was about 2. I simply let him go diaper free at home. For the first few days, he would get wet, and every time he got wet, I pointed at the potty which I put in the living room for easy access, and told him to pee in there, and just kept reminding him to pee in the potty during the day as part of the conversation with him. After a few times getting wet, he started to pee in the potty. I praised him with big ****es and hugs and called grandpa and grandma and told everyone about it. He seemed to be very proud of himself about this. Sometimes, he might get wet again, but again kept reminding him to get back to the potty. Step by step, eventually I put the potty in the toilet, and now he pees and poos like an adult but on a mini seat. When he pees, he asks me not to help and to stay outside of the toilet. He even flushes the toilet himself.

Maybe you can ask the daddy to demonstrate and tell him this is the way the big boy does it.

[rani]

we used M&Ms and a reward chart.