i sooooooooooooooo need parenting advice!

[brigid67]

I know I am jumping into this a little late but I have some experience with this as well.  Being potty trained is about the only thing a toddler can really control about their environment.  And IMO, the more you fight and get upset the worse it is going to be.  I know how frustrating it can be and how it is easy to lose control and act frustrated or angry with your kids, but this will cause the same reaction from them.  Maybe if you relax a bit - don'tmake a big deal out of it and see if eventually he will decide" you know being potty trained is not such a bad deal."  We used a potty chart with  my son with stars.  We had it in the bathroom and when he got 5 stars he got a prize.  My girlfriend went to the 99 cent store and got a box full of little toys and wrapped them up.  Everytime her daughter went pee she got one toy to unwrap and poop was 2 toys.  That worked pretty weel.. It is using positive reinforcment.  Much like training your dogs.  Toddlers are really good at know exactly what pushes your buttons and they they will keep pushing because they are testing their boundries. 

[Stacey]

We had it in the bathroom and when he got 5 stars he got a prize.  My girlfriend went to the 99 cent store and got a box full of little toys and wrapped them up.  Everytime her daughter went pee she got one toy to unwrap and poop was 2 toys. 

I did the same thing with my daughter.  I had a closet full of dollar store toys, and she would get "potty prizes" for going a full day with out an accident.

At some point, just about every child will become resistant to potty training.  If you can help it, when Aiden does "act out" try to not react, don't make any faces (I know that is going to be soo hard!), just calmly tell him to clean it up.  Children are always behaving in different ways, to get the reaction.  If Aiden stops getting the reaction he is soliciting, the behavior is most likely to stop.  When he only gets a reaction from positive behaviors, then that is what he will start looking for. 

We used to throw "potty parties" for Macey as well.  When she would potty, I would give her candy and we would dance (one of her favorite things) and sing.  She would get such a great response for using the potty, that she stopped looking for the response for using her pants (which was me making her clean it up by herself). 

This thread is flooding me with memories, not good ones either.  It is making me dread the upcoming potty training years with Sam.  He is about to be 1, so I have some time yet....but I am already starting to shudder, lol. 

[LibbyP]

  We used to throw "potty parties" for Macey as well.  When she would potty, I would give her candy and we would dance (one of her favorite things) and sing.  She would get such a great response for using the potty,  

We did this as well they thought it was great fun

[bigdogs@5501]

My kids are now 19 and 20 and potty training seems so long ago. Sometimes I wish that it were potty training that I was dealing with instead of other issues with the kids. Hopefully Aiden will just decide- ok - time to be done with the diapers.

[schelmischekitty]

sorry i haven't put in a word for a while!  thanks for all your advice!  i really appreciate it, we moved into a neighborhood where there is only one kid aiden's age that we've seen.  ya'll are so great!  thanks!

[shangrila]

I don't have kids of my own, but I work with special ed kids and toilet training is one of the things I do. I believe strongly in the power of positive reinforcement, so I have to reccomend it like a few other people have. Start small (ie - one potty is one candy/toy/whatever) and once he's doing well, you can gradually up the ante (2 times for a reward, a few potty trips for the reward, a whole day, etc).