toilet training boys under two

[ima1]

Well, as most ofyou know, I am about 4 months pregnant.  I also have two children, a daughter, almost three, who was trained in about four days when she turned two.  my son will turn two in November, and I am due January, however there is a good chance that I will be induced at 36 weeks because I had a stroke when I was in my ninth with my son and lost a lot of my hearing.  I also know you arenbt supposed to start training three months beofre or three months after a baby is born, because of all the emotional stress it puts the family under.  So I can either start basically now, or wait till he is two and a half, which I stobngly feel isnt the right thing for him.  he can walk, talk very well, take off his own clothes, has a regular bm schedule etc.  My husband has been doing live demos of their man parts and how to pee in the toilet, how underwear is different from diapers, he has a potty we put him on sometimes, etc.  The thing is my daughter at two and two months caught on within a few hours, and Ive been trying since friday and he has yet to pee or poop on the potty.  He goes in happily, sits while we cheer him etc. then will promplty pee after he gets off.  I dont want to pressure him at all, and i wouldnt even be trying except for all the above listed reasons, and Im a little confused.  Any advice from someone who has trained an under twoer would be appreciated.  BTW anyone know whats going on with onetwinmom?  Havent seen her around since she went to the hosp, and i was just wondering.

[siren of the sea]

you know boys are different! wonderfully different. my son didnt totally potty train till 3 1/2.  in fact he would tell me when i asked why he wouldnt use his potty "i want you to change me mommy". we tried the cheerios in the toilet thing (you put some cheerios in the toilet and they aim for them while they pee, it will get all over from time to time lol) going outside with the dog (he loved that one). what actually was his final straw was his best friend at daycare. she was also 3 and they decided together one day to not use diapers anymore!!. i know that it will probably be difficult having 2 in diapers but i say dont rush. i have a feeling he will get it soon on his own. my sis with her daughter used a chart and when she used the potty for the whole week got something special (of course it can be going to the park anything) and it did the trick. good luck with the rest of your pg and your delivery!

[who_is_this]

Boys are notoriously harder and take longer to potty train than girls.  Even if by some miracle you get him to "go" on the potty now reliably, you can expect he will regress when the baby is born.  Regression and losing skills can be emotionally harder on a child than simply waiting.



You will hear different opinions from some of the members of this forum, though.  It's like everything else in life, some things work for one person, and don't for another.  Just keep the basic physiology of maturation in boys in mind, that they potty train later as a rule of thumb.  

[baby4me?]

I totally agree. BOYS ARE HARDER!!! My son was 3 years old. They take more time and patience. I would suggest wait, he will let you know when he is ready. My girls (I have 4 girls) were all potty trained by 2 yrs., my son- uh uh!!! Good luck!

[dmichaelsmom]

I believe it's more traumatizing to a child to be forced into potty training. A week after I gave up with my oldest son he decided he was ready. He was 3 1/2 at the time he was completely trained. We finished potty training with son #2 a month after he turned 3. It takes longer to potty train some children. But in almost all cases it takes longer to train boys. I know it would be nice to have it done before the baby gets here but don't use that as your motivation. He'll do it when HE wants to and not a minute sooner.

[ima1]

wow.  i guess i need to reevaluate this whole thing.  thanks foryour tips gals:)

[myproblem]

I potty trained my daughter at 19 mos., but like people are saying, boys tend to be harder. Anyway, let me tell you how I did it. At 12 mos. when I would stand her in the tub she would pee, I think because the bottom of the tub was cold and wet. So I told her what it was, and started asking her to pee everytime I put her in the tub. Soon, she would pee on command. At 13 mos. I put her on the potty, and told her to pee, and the of course, cheered for her. So this went on for a while, having her pee on the toilet before her bath every night. At 14 mos. She started to tell me when she had pooped her diaper, but had never pooped on the toilet. I had not really planned on potty training her so early, so I waited a while. but at 19 mos, she told me a couple of times that she had to poop, so I set her on the potty, and she did it. I went out and got her regular, thin panties, and put them on her one day. I told her not to pee in them or she would get all wet and yucky. (My daughter HATES to be dirty.) I took her at least every hour, whether she wanted to go or not. She lasted a few hours the first day before an accident, and then was very upset about the pee running down her leg. She was able to go a little longer each day, and by the end of a week, was dry almost all day every day. She only had to poop herself a couple of times to learn that she ddin't like it. at the end of two weeks, she would usually tell me if she had to go, but I would also try to take her about every hour, because she is very small, and has a small bladder. She still had occasional accidents for a couple of months, but was pretty well trained within the first 2 weeks. I did not bother trying to train her at night, and she still wears a diaper or pull-up when she sleeps. I would like to train her at night, since she will be three next week, but she still can't hold it that long. I think the reason she trained so quickly was a result of peeing down her leg, and being able to feel it. Good luck with your son.

[Morgan277]

The new theory of potty training is not to even begin til they are two years of age.  I have heard that you can try before but it will take you longer and end up finishing up the same time.  Not worth the frustration.  Might as well wait til the child is really develpmentally ready - emotionally and cognitively- to begin the process.  Boys typically take longer to train.

good luck!