My own son was 3 1/2 before he got potty trained. He went to a daycare center and around 2 1/2, he fell in the toilet...long story! But I think that's why it took us so long to potty train him because he was terrified of the toilet.

Anyways, to finally get him potty trained, we told him that all of the stores ran out of pull-ups. It totally worked and he got potty trained very quickly after that.

Well, 3 1/2 year old dcb is absolutely fine with having pee in his pull-up. He is poop trained but in no way pee-trained. I have to tell him to go to the bathroom; he won't go on his own. Well I've had this dcb for a year now. I have tried everything and his parents have tried everything.

I probably should have asked you all this BEFORE I told him this, but now I need your advice! I told dcb the same thing that I told my son...all the stores are completely sold out of pull-ups and they aren't getting anymore lol! His parents loved the idea. The problem, however, is its not working, at least not yet. We are still having to make him go potty and when he got here this morning, there was quite a bit of pee. I don't want to give him a pull-up because he will get confused about the whole no more pull-up thing, but I don't want to be neglectful and not change his pull-up. UGH! What do I do? This boy would be totally fine with sitting in a pull-up all day long, but of course I don't want to do that. Help!!! Lol

Reply

With my son, we did 100% naked time for a few days. Maybe his parents can do that over the holiday weekend coming up? Just explain, he almost needs to feel an accident a few times to get that its much better peeing in the toilet than on himself

That is what worked for me, not sure what other suggest! Good luck!

Reply

If he is not bothered by sitting in his waste, he is not ready.

One of the signs of being ready is to dislike or not want to be "dirty" and if he really does not care then he really is not ready.

Reply

I always put kids in underwear with a diaper /pull-up on top. (Or switch to cloth diapers) Kids have to feel wet when they pee in their pants. Pull-ups are too absorbent. Have the dcb take off his own underwear each time he pees in them. He'll catch on pretty quickly that it's a lot easier and cleaner to use the potty instead of his underwear.

Reply

I would stop potty training. He's not ready and you can't make him

Reply

100%.

Pullups and diapers do not hinder the toilet training process. I have used them with every child I have ever helped potty train and they never relied on them once they were ready. I am currently training my own 3.5 yr old and recently she started holding her pee and poo when in undies so I decided to stop and give it another go in a few weeks. My eldest trained in 3 days at 2.5 and never had an accident once trained. Every kid is ready at different times but "training" doesn't actually happen in my opinion. Their bodies becomes ready and we facilitate that process by helping them use the toilet. No amount of "training" will force a kid to be ready. This is why it takes some kids months and some kids days to be "trained".

Reply

Or he's so stubborn he'll put up with sitting in his waste just to keep a sense of control.

This. Continuing when he's resisting is just setting yourself up for battle you'll never win.

I'd switch him to cloth training pants, preferably with plastic pants over or a layer of plastic in so you're not cleaning up puddles all day long. Then let him know he's free to use the potty whenever he wants, but don't force the issue. If he pees in the pants give him a bag for the wet things and clean things to change into. Keep it light: "Oops! Looks like you need to change." The more you try to influence him to use the potty the more he'll resist, so don't try the "praise everyone when they use the potty" trick either - kids can see through that a mile away.

Reply

Exactly!

If his need for control outweighs his desire to be clean from his own waste he isn't developmentally ready according to Maslow's heirarchy of needs

Reply