My 3-year-old refuses to potty train: Advice?

My 3 year old was like that. I had to take away any and all diapers even when he cried and begged for it. I spent the weekend basically in the bathroom just sitting there and he figured it out once he realized going potty without a diaper wasn’t his favorite… A few weeks later he was completely potty trained!

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With each of my kids it took until they were 4. Introduce it every once in a while. Eventually it will click.

We rewarded our kiddos we had a sticker chart every 5 stickers they got a prize. 1 sticker for #1 2 stickers for #2. We never had underwear on and no diapers or pull ups they can’t tell if they’re wet. It worked my boy was trained when he was 3 my girl was 18 months old my other girl was a little over two. Just be patient.

Maybe they still aren’t ready. Some kids need more time then others. If you think something is wrong talk to her pediatrician. Maybe your child should be checked out by a pediatric urologist just to make sure nothing is wrong.

Undies undies undies they start to fill themselves wet and yuck all the time they will get to the point where they’ll be like I need a toilet don’t give up you have to be persistent and consistent it can b a hard gig parenting

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My son was 3 he refused to potty so I took all diapers and pull up I hid them in the middle of the night. I only put one for bedtime I tell him if u use the pull up now u don’t have any for night night time. He saved it on his bed and he cried to wear underwear but it work after he had several accidents I told him go potty he said no I said ok you have to clean it up if you made a mess. I handed him the cheapest wipes to use to clean his mess and himself. He finally went potty and took him a week to get thru it. Then poop time I did the same thing. Then after 2 weeks he got it so I worked on his night night potty time I told him this is the last diaper mommy can’t buy no more I’m broke I don’t have money. Have to keep the diaper dry and go potty he did it for a week and finally the diaper fall apart he put on underwear and had couple wet bed and clothes but the bed had waterproof cover he got up after the several accidents and change his hard headed sleep to regular sleep. It works

My 1st decided that her sister was the baby and would wear the diapers. She was the big girl and would wear the big girl panties… 1 of each type of accident and we were done.

My 2nd me she loved her diapers. Then big sister got fun big girl panties and little sister wanted some. I told her she had to be clean and dry for 7 days and we would go pick them out. Done…

They chose the time and the incentive even though they offered many, many different rewards. They were both around 3.

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He will go when he is ready. Don’t push

Have you tried letting them keep their underwear on awhile after they have done #1or2? Sometimes that’s what it takes after a couple of accidents :joy:.They definitely don’t like the feel of wet or poopy pants. It sounds more like a power struggle,which happens at that age.

Play “shoot the paper”! Have them tear off a piece of toilet paper and tell them to shoot it!

20 bucks and this should do the job! I tried everything also. This is what finally worked. I went to the dollar store. I picked out 10 toys. I wrapped them all pretty and put them in a basket. He saw them. Wanted them so bad. I put them up high in the bathroom. He wanted them I said those are poo poo presents. He got on that potty fast. Screaming that he had a poo poo. I held the basket he got one! All the presents were gone! He tells me we are all out of poo poo presents! I got 10 more Wrapped them all up. That was my poo poo story! 20 bucks well spent! Good luck!

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When my son wouldn’t potty training I told him he was getting so big they didn’t make diapers is his size any longer. He was too big. He asked how many were left. I told him 12. We counted them down with every change until we put on the last one. He used the potty ever since.

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There’s a 3 say potty training plan you can read up on. I did that but with a week off work and I bought plastic undies to go over normal undies. There’s also cloth diapers too

He will do it WHEN HE IS READY!! I was worried too. My son did not fully train until he was a little over… 3 1/2. Give him more time. EVERY CHILD is Different!! My son is 29 now. A Very Smart Young Man. .College Graduate. ENGINEERING DEGREE. GOOD LUCK!:smiling_face_with_three_hearts::+1:

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THEY :clap: AREN’T :clap: READY :clap:
PERIOD
If you don’t have patience you shouldn’t have kids :woman_shrugging:

I was a tough kid to potty train for the same exact reasons. My mom put her final diaper on me and I went #2 in it and had to sit in it for hours because there was nothing else to put on me and she was fed up with me not using the potty. My sisters complained the whole time which I think embarrassed me. That was my final diaper and I figured it out. Might sound mean, but that was the final option and it worked. I knew how to use the bathroom and when to, but I was afraid. I’m a believer in tough love.

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If you can handle it… just stop buying diapers. They might believe you if you told them they stopped making them.

No underwear and sweat pants worked for my child. Cheap diapers that don’t hold much so it’s just feels gross worked for other . Found him soaked diaper on floor and him on the potty. Sounds like they will do on their terms . :pray:t3: you did not fail them at all . There are sooooooooo many kids who do this

Take the diapers and throw them away… make them change themselves when they have accidents …they’ll figure it out

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Dont try to hard…he will get it by 4…
Use pull ups so you dont stress about wetting the bed…
Leave him naked during day if you can…
He will get it…
Especially if he has an older sibling or even Dad
Dad could say I feel I have to go potty!!!

3… is that age. You take 1 step forward and 4 steps back. Consistency is the key.
What I do… I say that I’M going potty… leave the door open. Then say … I’M going to have a treat because I went in the potty. Have a small piece of candy ( I use kisses) . Eventually they will want one too.

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Some kids don’t like the feeling of wet pants…underwear. You could get training underwear and then put rubber pants(like would be used for cloth diapers) over.

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This was my daughter about 5 months ago. She turned 4 in December and I was so worried and stressed especially with her having to start school. I just kept insisting that she wore big girl underwear ( that she got to pick) and one day it just happened. I would read tons and tons of people’s comments/posts saying not to worry and it will happen and I didn’t believe it. It did happen and it was when she was ready. Your child will get there! If the pediatrician isn’t concerned then I wouldn’t be

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Some kids just take longer. I know it’s frustrating but you aren’t doing anything wrong.

As to a kid’s reasons why, I had a co-worker whose 3 year old son told him he didn’t want to potty train because he didn’t want to grow up. Can’t even argue with that!

Use pull ups, encourage him to use the potty every couple hours but don’t stress out over it.

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My child is special needs. He didn’t potty train during the day until 6. Not at night until 9. They have to be ready.

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I had a tough one too.
We finally had to have a potty weekend.
My child stayed naked and on the potty, with only books to entertain.
No tv, no electronics, no other toys.
By the time the weekend was over, he was potty trained

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keep trying. this requires patience. my middle son tried my gangster with potty training lol.

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I’m in the same boat with my almost 4yr old son😭, but he has a little brother who just turned 2 and believe he wants to be “babied” like his little brother. I believe this since.he was drinking out of a normal cup and went little brother switched from bottle to sippy cups, he went backwards to sippy cups

I put my kiddo in underwear one day and repeatedly took her to the bathroom and sat her on the big toilet (with a potty seat so she wouldn’t fall in) every 30 minutes. It was a rough 72 hours, she got her underwear wet about 6 times a day, but after that she got it. So, buy several packages of underwear and just do it. Expect accidents, but kiddo should get the hang of it soon.

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You did not specify. Boy or Girl,? makes a difference.???

Stop putting the diapers on them, don’t buy anymore

It will happen when he is ready- then it will be the easiest thing youve done! Dont force just encourage​:wink: youll see… :blue_heart:

My youngest is extremely smart, but he wouldn’t trian either. It turns out he has sensory issues. Things don’t bother him that should (like wet pants) and things bother him that shouldn’t. I was beginning to think I’d send him to college in a diaper! He finally got there though. Best of luck!

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Get rid of diapers. Training pants, No pull ups.

After 3yrs old potty training becomes extremely difficult. Patience is what’s needed!

Mine went through the same thing. We set “pee pee alarms” on my phone every 30 & extended to an hr in between trips. Also got a chart he got to put stickers on every time he pooped in the potty! After being consistent for a few weeks he got it down pat. Now had VERY few accidents! Worst he does is sometimes dribble on himself or try’s to wipe his poppy butt by himself… :sweat_smile::joy:

Stop using diapers except for bed. 100% and be consistent

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Have you tried commando? That is the one thing that helped my son . In public we still wear pull-ups but he does excellent at home

Don’t worry she will learn soon enough. Nether as mine. Just be great full she as good health or he

No more diapers just go straight to underwear. Sit them down every time you go and in between. It will be hard at first but you can persevere :sweat:. Repeat often every one goes to the bathroom if anyone watches him tell then to do the same 5 min or so on the potty every couple of hrs. Encourage of going oh not this time let’s try again in a couple of hrs. If it’s a sensory issues have a butt naked day of being at home with him to catch him in the act get him to run to the bathroom when it happens. A lot of parent with autistic kids have better results with that methods. Keep trying you’ll get there

My little girl is similar. I tried a few different times and ways and nothing really worked she would pretend to wipe and flush and she even peed in her diaper on demand before getting into a pool :woman_facepalming:t3: I knew she could do it she was just stubborn. Finally I told her we were going to learn to go potty took her to dollar tree helped pick out a lot of stuff make a potty reward bag. She did not want to take her diaper up she did not want the pull ups. So I told her if she wanted to wear the diaper she had to try and go potty we went ever half hr first day she didn’t do to bad only few accidents. Second day she tried to regress she peed in her diaper first half even tho I was taking her every 15 min. :woman_facepalming:t3: I had a talk with her don’t remember how it exactly went but something about she needed to try to use the potty if she wanted to go play and go to school next yr it changed her attitude she even switched to the pull up right then. It’s been a month no accidents since the second week. Now pooping is another story I’m still working on that one :woman_facepalming:t3::sweat_smile:

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He may not be ready. And that’s ok…

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All my kids potty trained around 2 but my 4 year old. He just recently became fully potty trained. My family made me feel horrible said nasty things etc. Just keep trying but dont punish them for not being successful. I know it seems never ending but after 2 years my son finally decided one day to just start using the big toilet and we did all the same things you did!!! Your not failing ok it’s just every child is different and I had to learn that after my first 4 children being trained at 2 and him at 4.

If they are scared, go in there at a non-bathroom time and show them there is nothing to be scared of. Tell them it’s a no monsters allowed zone and shout out ‘monsters, get out of here’ There, they are all gone. I remember wondering why people were clapping by me and going ‘yay!’ (yes, I can remember this and we all were trained by age two), because I wanted my privacy. Sometimes with very young toddlers, getting them involved, like carrying their little toilet in there, cleaning up when finished was a big help for them, and emphasizing ‘big girl pants’ now and telling them how great it is to not be a baby anymore. And it is NOT the job of childcare workers to train anybody’s kid!

Just think about my poor grandma who had to do this with at least ONE sibling when she was only 15 years old!!! She was left to raise them when her mother passed away. ):

I’d just drop it and let him decide when he’s ready. Save your sanity and prevent medical issues like constiption and encopresis.

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Boys take longer then girls if you have a boy. But there is a chance they are not ready. I use to do the potty dance. I looked so stupid but my kids loved it. I started with taking them to bathroom with me and then doing the dance and song after I went then when they would try I would do it again.

My first was terrifed of the flushing noise but was completely potty trained by 3. My second would stay dry, wore underpants under a pull up. He was very self conscious bring without a pull up. He gave me no mote pull ups for my birthday. He was 4 and a half. That weekend he had “morning wood” and was very embarrassed and afraid there was something wrong. I even asked if that was why he wanted his pull up on and he very shyly nodded. We talked about it being normal. He asked his dadand grandpa and any male he saw that day. Every one of them said oh, every morning. He hasn’t needed a pull up again or worried about an erection

Have you tried making them change their own diapers? And/Or going to cloth diapers, which are not as comfortable?

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This app helped with my son

https://pbskids.org/apps/daniel-tigers-stop--go-potty.html

Get a timer and make them go every other hour, even if they dont go they’ll get used to sitting and trying. I worked with toddlers for years and potty trained hundreds of 1 year olds it’s all about consistency and reward. It could be anything a sticker, a gummy, favorite cartoon, cereal, chocolate milk, cookies whatever you just have to stick to it without breaking routine.

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I make my son get in underwear and not training pants. I’d like to say the wetting himself thing works but my son is incredibly stubborn to a point u wanna just give up because he’s hard-core “my way or no way” so I had to bite the bullet and stop putting diapers on unless for nap time or bedtime at night. Aside from that he’s only in underwear, I ask every 25 minutes if he needs to go poop or pee or if he appears to be holding himself down there or dancing around cause usually he has to go but won’t stop to do it unless I direct him to the toilet. So. It’s hell, not gonna lie. Potty training is the hardest challenge I’ve been facing with him aside from his screaming fits when he doesn’t get his way, I thought 2 was bad haha 3 is making it feel like it was a walk in the park :sweat_smile::sweat_smile:. I’ve had to start taking things away too, when he goes all day without accident he gets a toy directly after i put a diaper on for bedtime. Or he gets it in the morning depending what time it is tbh. Then if he continues to choose to potty on himself (it’s a choice for him cause he’s not scared of the toilet and goes too much to not know how) I take his tablet or something he plays with a lot away and he can get it back when he stays consistent with pottying for the day. Patience is needed but so is consistency and the consistency is the hardest obstacle for me so far​:sweat_smile:. However I can say I see progress as when we keep him in undies he instantly takes them off if he wets em cause he doesn’t like the feeling, training pants I find are so padded that they mys well be a pull up and he got confused between those and diapers so i only use underwear with my son. I tried pull ups and training pants but ran into the same issues with him thinking it’s like a diaper. So now he has maybe 2-3 accidents one day here and there which Is amazing considering we wasn’t in this spot a month ago, not even close. :sweat_smile:

Take the pull ups away and get them undies. That’s what I did with my daughter. She peed and pooped her pants once and that was enough. She started using the toilet right after that incident.

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Jeez…mother take a breath…chill out!! The more pressure you give the more stress he feels because of the vibe," :monsters" what’s going on there…could be the sound of the echo in your bathroom when flushing…“maybe”…have you tried bringing the potty in a different room and let him see how he gets on and ignore him see if he knows what to do? Leave tv on or let him have his tablet let him sit on the potty for him self the more relaxed he is the better for you.

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Neither of my boys would use potty or toilet and would scream blue murder when I tried so I gave up abandoned let them decide. At the turn of 3 both went straight to toilet. 4 yrs between them so younger one not copying. I was totally baffled.

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You haven’t failed at all, When they are ready they will use it, In there time, Try not to worry about it too much, I was very lucky with my Daughter by the time she was 18 months she was dry in the day time, used the potty all the time, also sometimes wanted to use the toilet with a child seat on it, Wee in potty, other on Toilet, My Son was more than a problem yes potty train in the daytime by he was 2 years, but Nights I had more problems with, but I didn’t blame him one bit, I knew he will be OK sooner than later, Sometime it takes longer, than out of the blue, it happen no more wet beds,

My now 10 year old didn’t like toilet training either. I tried everything as well. In the end he was four when he was finally day trained. I bought ‘special stickers’ for him to play with while he sat on the toilet. He stuck them to the wall. It worked a charm.

Another thing we did was, “where’s your wee. Come on wee”. And then when he did we would say “there is your wee, yay… We found it. Good job”.

Good luck Mumma! Don’t stress yourself. Your little one will get there eventually :heart::relaxed:

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My daughter was scared to use potty because she thought and still thinks there is a monster in my washing machine. She was using potty one day and washing machine started making a thumping noise so she thinks it was a monster trying to get out, so now I have to go with her to the potty everytime she goes. She’s 3 and has been potty trained since 1 and a half.

I’m a mother of 4 my oldest is a girl she was easy she didn’t like mess and always wanted to us the big girl toilet now my 2nd I had whent threw he’ll and back he refused to go only really 100% when he started school my other son 4 he is refusing my daughter she is 2 and she always ask I think if the kid is ready they will go the more u let into it the more ur going to have a hard time when they are ready they will go …

Eww this post is full of Spam, where are the moderators

If your toddler has expressed that they like diapers have you tried no longer putting them on them? I know it can get messy but putting them in underwear and letting them make a mess on themselves can be quite uncomfortable and possibly the push that they need.

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I worked at a daycare for years and i helped potty train so many boys and girls. First, get rid of pullups. Let them pick out their fav underwear. They can’t stand that feeling when they do pee or poop. And this sounds mean, but dont change them right away if they do have an accident. That way they know next time it happens, they have to wait on you, which they hate. Second, calm down. They will eventually figure it out. Also, I threw plastic balls (think ball pit), in the toilet (just one). Boys loved to pee on them and make them spin. Just a few ideas.

Take underwear shopping and spend full days in underwear. If they go in them, they will learn how uncomfortable that is and possibly remember to just use potty next time. Make sure you buy at least 2 packs.

I am in the same boat!!!

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