Potty training?

They say if your child is staying dry through the night and indicates when they are wet or have had a BM, they are ready. However I know lots of kids who are day trained LONG before they are night trained and for some parents that is fine. The average age at daycare is 2.5 years. We find most kids take to it much faster at that age. That being said, we've had lots of parents request we start sooner and months later we're training. We also have a few that refuse to BM train. Each child is different. It doesn't hurt to give it a try and if they are getting frustrated or not getting it, give it a rest for a bit and try again later.

I've been "trying" for the last few months with Kaden.

He doesn't always wake up dry, however, the indication for him was he would take his diaper off as soon as he peed (if he could get to it).

I'm not pressing it since he is young (we've been doing this for a few months and he's 21 months now) and boys tend to not take to training like girls do. He does get one treat when he pees and 2 if he poops (smarties are our incentives (plus stickers but he much prefers the smarties and i can't blame him and it helps him to learn his colours)

Now that being said he will both pee and have a BM on the potty or toilet. Lots of times he will even go completely on his own without me asking or prodding (sometimes I can tell he needs to go but he's too busy playing to go), however, I have noticed that if he is wearing underwear/pant or both underwear/pants that he will only go 50% of the time..if he's fully naked he will go 90% of the time..however, being naked all the time is not an option.

It's a slow process and I'm good with that.

Do you reward "trying"? I have a parent that wants us to give the child a smartie if they sit, regardless if they are successful. The child gets two treats if they actually are productive on the potty. This child now sits on the potty every 5 minutes to get a treat and still pees on the floor.

I personally do not reward trying with my son. If I were to do that i would be broke by the end of the week.

We all know that children are smart and know how to get what they want including treats. Some children need to know that if they do "something" they get "something. It's incentives...lots of us work in environments like that or do it for ourselves. However, I can understand wanting to get the child to try but it sounds like the child knows (how old?) how to get what s/he wants and that's candy.

Maybe there is another way to reward a child (if the parent is really set on rewards for sitting) (10 hand drawn stars on a chart for trying and they get a small sticker on their shirt) but the actual treat part (ie the candy) only if they are successful. I don't think it's going to help to be giving a child candy every time you turn around which is what it sounds like is going on.

Obviously this method is not working for this child and something needs to be changed..if s/he realizes that the treat isn't going to happen until results go in the potty maybe s/he will actually start using the potty.

RJ is actually waking up pretty dry most mornings. He's watching the other little boy at our DCP potty train and has started sitting on the potty at daycare and #2ing in his pamper. I'm really wondering if he's too young or if he's giving me signals.

I just bought a potty for home to see if he'll do the same here.

Doesn't hurt to try!

Jaxon started going to the potty on his own at 19months, but now he has no interest in it, Im not concerned he is only 21 months. His dad would put "pull ups" on him that go cool when wet and it didn't even phase Jaxon at all...He would come home from Scotts and his diaper would be soaking wet, so if it felt cool then it didnt bother J. Jaxon will sit on the potty when Im going potty, but nothing usually happens.lol