[Harmone]

I have a 3 year old daughter. She does not tell us when she has to use the bathroom. She would rather go in a corner and poop in her pull-up or pee and not tell us. She tells us when she needs to be changed. We have a potty seat...I have tried everything from stickers, to gummy bears, to lollipops. I also set a timer and when the timer went off, that was her signal to use the potty. My husband thought that we were training her to use the potty everytime she hears a bell go off! I don't know what to do! She is 3! She really needs to start using the potty so that she can start preschool! HELP!!!!!!
Harmone

[twinzplus3]

Your husband is wrong. Taking kids to the bathroom every time a bell goes off is a pretty good method. Sometimes kids don't realize that they have to go in time to go to the bathroom. They recognize when they really really have to go but not right when they start having to go. Putting her on the potty every time the timer goes off will help her learn the feeling before it's too late. Just a thought but is it possible that she doesn't go potty because she doesn't want to go to preschool?

[Adara]

We didn't have good success with pull-ups since they were too similar to diapers. So ds would rather pee in them instead of pulling them down or telling that he needs to pee. Maybe it's time to try underwear and if you have a garden let her run with only underwear. So, she will have to tell sooner or later since she will wet herself. The timing wouldn't have worked with ds, but every child is different. So when I saw him jumping from one leg onto the other because of his urge I took him to the bathroom. He really didn't like me putting him on the potty and screamed, but since he had to pee so hard there was a moment when he couldn't hold it in any more and he peed. So aparently he was afraid of letting go for the first time. But then he liked it.

[twinzplus3]

Oh I completely missed that you were using pull ups! Total waste of mone IMO. I do use them for the twins. . .but that's because there are two of them . It's a little trickier. Anyhow, I agree with pp--ditch the pull ups in favor of underwear or even nakedness.

[Harmone]

Thank you so much for your reponses! I will definitely have to take the time to sit with her on a weekend where she can run free in nakeness or with undies!

Harmone

[2006Mama]

Lots of Luck

[BuckeyezRule74]

Wish I had an answer. We did all the same w/ my almost 3 yo DD. She has flat out said she wants to wear a diaper. This is one thing we cannot force her to do. I tried undies, & training undies, & all she does is pee & poop in them. She has to want to do it. She CAN do it, & has for almost a year now (when we 1st started training her older bro) , she just doesn't WANT to do it. =(

[tymee]

With my stepsons (twins) potty training was AWFUL! We did the pull up thing for a while. One was potty trained for us, the other was not at all, and neither would go for their mom...finally at our house, I took the stack of pullups out of their cupboard and replaced with their underware. So if they had an accident, they had to go in and change their underware and clothes. We refused to help them...finally they were 100% potty trained for us, but not their mom. DH and their mom talked and he told her what we did at our house, finally she followed suit and 1 1/2 weeks before they turned 4, she was also putting them in underware and they were going for her too. Also every time we were going somewhere, or after they got done with a nap, dinner, whatever, we made them go potty and wash their hands, and it became a habit for them, and now they still do that...or will tell us that they just need to wash their hands, or just go potty...

I think the best advise is to be consistent, rewards didnt work for us at all...just the repeativeness (mispelled i am sure). But I 100% agree that pull ups do not help, but okay to use over night

[swt1899]

My neighbor did something pretty risky. She put her son in regular undies and made him experience how uncomfy it is to be wet and dirty. She blocked off the carpet areas of her house. Thank God it didn't take long before he tried the potty. But it was like a tough love type of thing, but it worked.

[BuckeyezRule74]

I like tymee's idea, & might try that. But, what did you do if they pooped their pants? Did they clean that up too, & put on new undies? I'm not being a smart you know what, I just was wondering. =) If my DH can't even clean up that mess properly, I don't know if my almost 3yo DD could. If it's just making them change for pee, I can do that. =) & what about pants? Did you have those out that they could change them too? Sorry for all the questions, I'm lost here too! =)