Single father, need advice.

[BenDavis503]

I have a 3 year old daughter and a 8 month old son. I am trying so hard to teach my 3 year old how to use the potty... but I am having a hard time. Are there any tips or tricks that anyone knows that can help me?

I have to get her potty trained or she cannot go to pre-school and her mother does not help the situation at all. Long story short, her mother is a very bad person (which is why I am single now) and she does not potty train the kids on days she has them.

Does anyone have any advice?! Thanks!

[Sirk]

Honestly, bribery. I sat mine on the potty with a book and when they went, they got a tootsie roll or a sticker. They got the idea.

[BenDavis503]

haha sweet I will try that one! Anyone else have any tips?! I am going to come to this forum so much more. I need all the help I can get. I don't really have a mother either lol so I have no one to really ask.

[mom2many]

Honestly at 3 it is going to be a power struggle, take the diapers and pull-ups a way, dedicated a few days to just working on the potty, either put undies on her or allow her to be naked from the waist down, get a potty chair that can be moved around the house so it is always in reach of her, less chances of accidents if the pot is always available. And second get something you know she wants and use it as bribery (not my thing but it gets good results!). And if you are sending diapers to moms house, stop, only send underware. Who has custody? And how are the arraingments? might help us with some ideas.

[roxnne chilpsyc]

i find this a very good way as i have tried it on many children myself and advise this way to many parents.

heres the link: Dr. Phil.com - Advice - Potty Train Your Child In Less Than a Day

[Nikita]

I'm struggling with mine right now. He can go on the toilet, but for the most part he chooses not too. I've been waiting for time to dedicate a whole week to just focusing on him and getting it done. I will probably be using mom2many offered. Just get him out of the pull ups and get him on the toilet every hour and wait for him to pee. And of course bribery!

[Dadu2004]

Not much worked for my daughter except for encouragement and time. Consistent putting her on the potty every hour, even though she didn't go. Eventually, she got to the point where she went on her own, but it was on her own time. You just have to make sure that you stay consistent with whatever approach you adopt. Good luck!

[Sirk]

The naked tush method worked with my youngest as well. There were a couple of accidents to clean up, but I stuck the potty chair in the middle of the living room so it was right there when she needed to go and she was potty trained much faster than my oldest. (But we moved a couple of times with my oldest and she regressed.)

[Good Wolf]

M&Ms seem to work.

[AnKsMommy]

I just got my 3 year old potty trained. Some of the tips I think that would work are...

Make board that is in their level and write on it something like, "LOOK I USED THE POTTY!" Have some stickers on hand that your lo will like and each time you get to use the potty have them put a sticker there.

The potty dance! My lo loves to act silly so every time she would use the potty I would do a silly potty dance with her.

Have lo be around some kids that are potty trained if possible. My dd's bff is potty trained and whenever she had to go to the potty my dd would follow her and see. Her mom and I are good friends so we don't mind this at all. Think of it as setting a good example. If you can't think of any kids then you can show lo yourself. Although my friend showed his son one time and his son stuck his hand in the pee while it was going and then put it in his mouth...lol...poor kiddo.

A potty book. DD would sit on the potty while she was learning and read about going to the potty.

Talking about why we use the potty. DD and I talked about how she was going in the diaper. I asked her if she liked going in the diaper (sometimes they just aren't ready yet) and she said no it was icky. So I explained that there was a way for her not to feel "icky" and it was to use the potty. Of course this conversation had to go on a few times for her to get the hint.

The BEST ADVICE I COULD GIVE IS PRAISE!! I cannot say how much dd loved being praised for going to the potty. We made such a big deal about how great it was. Even a few months later she always has a huge smile every time she goes potty. She even has to make sure that we all stop what we're doing and come see that she went lol.