Potty Training Advice

[JSass]

My daughter is 3.5. We are having problems potty training her. We have tried on and off since she was 2.5. She just always ends up resisting after a couple of days. She has no problem sitting on the potty but going in the potty. She will pee and poop the first 2 days and then will not go after that. Soon as i put her training pants on or underware she goes. She does not care if she pees and poops in her cotton training pants or her underware and will not tell anyone until we notice it. She is adopted from Guatemala when she was 10 months. She did have delays as she was barley sitting up at 10 months and still drinking a bottle as often as an infant. But now she is very bright and right there with every other 3.5 yr old. We have tried every method i have seen. Charts,rewards,training pants,underware,the every 15 minute Dr Phil method yet nothing seems to work as she is content in going in her pants and never tells us she needs to go or she has gone. Any advice? Its very frustrating.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Have her sit on the potty on a regular schedule 2-3 times daily, and reward her each time she uses the potty successfully. While most children are trained by her age, by no means are all children trained by that time. Be patient and supportive; she will master this. It's not unusual for children to be uneven in their development, particularly when they have already shown some developmental problem. Be sure not to press her too much or you may inhibit rather than help her.