HELP! Potty-training advice...

[JazzMama]

Okay, here's my sitch: 26 month old girl AND my one & only (i.e. no older siblings to look up to). We started potty training Sunday, 14th. She's doing AMAZING so far. My problem starts about 6PM after daycare. She just seems to forget all about the potty. We go through about 2 pull-ups in between 6PM and her bedtime of 8PM. Another problem is that I'm not sure how to address when she goes to bed. She has always gone to bed with a glass of water and gets another around 2:00 AM. So, when she gets up, we're lucky if her diaper hasn't overflowed.

Questions: (1)How do I make her understand that at the end of the day, she still needs to go to the potty. (2)Do I tear her prying hands away from her glass altogether? (3)How do I start to explain that if she's asleep and needs to go to the bathroom, to go to the potty?

Any help's totally appreciated!!

[Ladytiger]

I had aan easy time with DD (she's 14 now), I would be glad to let you in on some things that I did.

*I had the portable potty wherever we were, and set her on it every minutes. Eventually she would go, also I gave her a coice of what "reward she wanted". I would go to the dollar store and pick up some things, put them in a box, then let her choose. I don't believe in reawrding with food, because that sets in their minds that food is a reward for anything they do good.

She had a favorite book that she would "read" only when she went to the potty chair. Eventually we then kept the potty chair in the bathroom, but I always went with her. She would say "Mommy, it's time", and we would go.

Also, NO pull-ups. All they did was confuse her. I made a big deal of taking her to the store and picking out what "big girl" panties she wanted.
She only had one accident, and that was when she didn't get up the stairs fast enough.

DD's biggest fear was the regular toilet at home and OMG, the public ones! I bought a little seat that went over the toilet. It folded like a pie and fit in my purse for when we went out too. I think I got it at www.rightstart.com

Good luck!

[ttistin]

I also agree with the pull ups, the are just like a diaper to a child. We never used them, underwear all day unless nap time and then bed time. Also I would start cutting back on the water at bed time, just slowly give her less and less. I give the kids a cup of water out of the little bathroom cups before bed, that is it other wise they pee the bed.

Good Luck

[Donnagg123]

Just like everyone that has already posted, I agree to get rid of the pull-ups. We had a SUPER hard time with our youngest. WE did not get him potty trained till he was 4, which was only a few months ago (June). We used pull-ups all the time and he did not get trained till we took them away all together. He had NO interest in getting trained till we took them away. After we did, he was trained in about 1-2 weeks. I believe if we would have cut him off of the pull-ups sooner he would have been trained sooner. I agree that it is just a slight step up from a diaper and it still pulls the moisture away from them, thus making them comfortable in them. We had a few accidents at first but it did not take him long to get the hang of it and now he does super! Sorry so long winded, but I do not want others to go thru what I did. HTH & GL :)

[OX_Love_OX]

I agree with getting rid of the pull-ups. They are too similar to diapers. When I potty trained my son he never had an "accident" once we switched to underwear only. The only time I used pull-ups was at bedtime and luckily no "accidents" there either...and after the first 2 weeks or so I switched him to undies at night too. I used the Big Bear In The Blue House potty training video, he watched it so much that he memorised it. I highly reccomend it.

[jdglmg]

I potty trained my daughter this past July, but I still put a diaper on her at night until they started being consistently dry in the morning. At first I thought it might confuse her, but she did fine that way. A lot of children's bladders are not big enough to go all night without wetting, so I decided to go that route. She now has an occassional accident, but they are few and far between!

[Unicornmom77]

I agree with everyone eles and When I did my kids I bought a mattress cover and just did laundry ALOT! lol They also have waterproof covers for their pillows also!

GOOD LUCK!