(Potty training question)Problem: Bowl is too small...

[JakeW]

I need a potty trainer for my son that can hold more fluids. Every single one I've tried is too small for him. He is a 33lbs toddler(not fat but healthy) 2 year old but he almost always overflows it even in one go. And then the issue of it getting all over the floor and then the odor problem begins.

I might just have to start an effort of using a simple potty seat but he doesn't like it up there yet. He cries every time. Any tips? Have him go more often and not hold it in for too long? Any potty trainers with a larger container? I tried Walmart and Target and they are all too small. Advice appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[yunihara]

Its hard to tell how much liquid the chairs will hold (potty training myself right now) just from item specs on the websites. I went ahead and googled for potty chairs for bigger toddlers, and Baby Bjorn chairs seem to come up a lot in that regard. But its hard to tell by the pictures if they would work. You might be able to inquire on sites like amazon with the vendor and see if you can get a better idea.

I always preferred the potty seats myself, because it makes things a lot more sanitary, IMO, but it can be scary to be up so high. I think gentle encouragement would help, but wouldn't force it because you don't want him to regress. I think having him go more often is a good idea, as that seems like a lot of urine in one go! Its good that he can hold it that long lol.

But amazon can be your friend, and you might be able to ask the original vendors for more specifics.

 

[JakeW]

Yes, that is exactly what I'm worried about. That he will regress. So much money has been saved because he used to go through so many diapers and I don't plan on going through that road again. Thanks for the feedback. I will look into the Bjorn chairs.

My little one has quite the stream. It's unreal! I'm proud of him but it is frustrating.

 

[Xero]

WOW. Are you sure he fills it up in one go and you didn't miss him using it before then or something? Or do you fill it with any water or anything? I mean, with my oldest we had a pretty average potty and I kept it like half full of water and he could both pee and poop in it at once and it would still never overflow. And he has always drank his calories, like several cups of milk or juice per day. In fact until he was night time trained I could never use pull ups on him because they would never hold his pee and it would always soak through to his bed, so I had to use diapers at night until he didn't need any protection anymore. I mean, he used this little potty until he was like a little over 3 years old too lol. I am blown away at a 2 year old literally overflowing it. How was he ever able to wear diapers? I don't see how they could hold a whole potty bowl full of pee! I mean, the one I have for my almost 2 year old right now is one of the smaller ones and I would say it could easily hold a little up or down from 32 ounces. That's insane to think a two year old could produce 32oz of pee at a time. o___o

So, maybe you are putting too much water in or something? If nothing else works, I guess you'd have to encourage him to use the big potty. I'm still so confused at this though haha. I would honestly be surprised if my husband could fill up our toddler potty, without any water in it.

 

[JakeW]

HAHA It's definitely not 32oz!!! That would be insane. Where did you get your potty bowl from? I had to return three different ones and I'm pretty sure they weren't 32oz. I honestly think they should have that printed on the box (Specs) Maybe I just had bad luck three different times.

After what you said, My wife went to sanitize it and measure the content. His bowl is little over 20oz. It's one of the "Cars Disney Pixar" ones. So as long as I have something in the 30oz+ range, daddy will be happy. Thanks for the response and the laughs.

 

[Xero]

Oh, I didn't measure or anything haha I just held up my 16oz bottle of water to it and it looked like it could probably hold two. It's just the elmo one that makes noises, 20oz sounds possible enough. Either way there's no way either of my kids could ever produce 20oz of pee, even if they went together. lol I'm just saying that is NUTS.

 

[bssage]

HAHA His bowl is little over 20oz. It's one of the "Cars Disney Pixar" ones.

Ha. I had to read this twice. I thought you were talking about a bowel not a bowl. I was thinking "He has a bowel that looks like a car?"

That is odd. I did a little research. None of them mention capacity. I would think that is something they would list on these products. It seems like Cole was on the potty such a short time. And I am not sure Chloe ever used one. We had a seat that fits on top of the regular toilet.

I will look a little deeper.

 

[cybele]

I have never thought about the size either, but then we also did the seat on the toilet with the little steps straight away.

 

[JakeW]

That's what I should have done from the getgo cybele but it is too late for that. And Xero. He can keep a stream going for like a full minute! Bragging rights? haha perhaps. But it is problematic.

If anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to post them.

 

[akmom]

Browse the camping supply section. They sell a portable potty that is low to the ground like a child's potty, but suitable for adults. So it will probably hold as much as he can put in it.

 

[JakeW]

Excellent. That never occurred to me. Thinking outside the box! This might be the best method yet. The only drawback is they're all plain, boring designs, but we could always put little stickers around it to make it look more childish. Thanks for the tip.

 

[JakeW]

Hmmm..
Didn't quite work out like I thought this would. Connor started saying he wanted his cars potty back and would not go anywhere else.

So it's a no brainier: We got him two of them now! You should see how happy he is now that he has two.

That way he can slide right over when he fills one to the top. And this usually only happens in the morning. So really we just have to make sure to empty his bladder at night before bedtime.
And it should be a smooth transition when he learns to go standing up

I hope this is helpful for anyone who has, or might have this problem. Kids are getting bigger these days. I'm a big guy, but I don't think I was well over 30lbs and that tall at 2! 36lbs now!!

 

[akmom]

Are you sure? My 6-year-old is 34 pounds.

At least you know he is getting hydrated!

 

[Xero]

lol My 5.5yr old is 38lbs, just got weighed today actually. How tall is he, I'm curious??

Good luck with that, I know my almost 2 year old is not sharp enough to slide from one potty to the other mid-stream lol.

Personally I would just buy one of those pee targets or other pictures that stick to the bottom of the toilet, or throw some cheerios in there, and just make it fun to teach him to stand up at the big toilet, at least starting with pee. They make really cute "Cars" potty seats that sit on top of the toilet too though, that I'm sure he would enjoy for "#2". My oldest spent very little time sitting to pee. He liked standing up much better. Two potties, and sliding from one to the other, that just seems like too much work. Putting a stool in front of the potty makes it easier for them to reach, although it sounds like your little guy wont have that problem lol.

 

[cybele]

My 5yr old is around the 35lbs mark (I needed a calculator to figure that one out, haha) he was 16 kilos last time he was weighed, so I hope my conversion is correct.

 

[JakeW]

Hmm...34lbs at six seems very small. (I could be wrong) Was she a premature baby?

lol My 5.5yr old is 38lbs, just got weighed today actually. How tall is he, I'm curious??

Good luck with that, I know my almost 2 year old is not sharp enough to slide from one potty to the other mid-stream lol.

Personally I would just buy one of those pee targets or other pictures that stick to the bottom of the toilet, or throw some cheerios in there, and just make it fun to teach him to stand up at the big toilet, at least starting with pee. They make really cute "Cars" potty seats that sit on top of the toilet too though, that I'm sure he would enjoy for "#2". My oldest spent very little time sitting to pee. He liked standing up much better. Two potties, and sliding from one to the other, that just seems like too much work. Putting a stool in front of the potty makes it easier for them to reach, although it sounds like your little guy wont have that problem lol.

He's 3'4 or 41 inches already. He will be 3 in August.

Wow can this little guy pee! Went to empty his bladder before putting him to bed. Almost a full two minutes! one more minute and he has daddy's record. haha You're spot on about the mid-stream thing. Instead of sliding over when I told him to, he gets up walks around and by the time he sits down again it's all over the floor. So standing up is something he is going to just have to learn. I really need help with this. I'll try anything. Unlike your child, mine doesn't like standing. Could be an age thing or I guess he feels more relaxed that way. The target and cheerios sound like a great idea.

I didn't think our baby would get this much attention on here! I'm going to let my wife read all of this. Hope she gets a good laugh. I feel like I've been writing a journal here.

To cybele: Just google "kilos to lbs" and the conversion tool should show up.

 

[JakeW]

So I just wanted to update on what was going on if it's okay with you all.
And there are some ups and downs.
Wife and I went shopping at the Dollar Tree store for a few cheep items looking for something completely different, and we came across the pee targets in the toy section!

But they haven't worked out as planned. So no success yet. Maybe it takes a few days(I get a bit impatient sometimes)

But Connor said something that made my night!
I did the cheerios thing and when I threw them into the bowl the very first thing he did was look at me and said
"No daddy food doesn't go there. it goes in here(and he pointed to his stomach) To me that was pretty funny! Definitely a "kids say the darndest things" moment.

So the more I think about this, the more I'm interested in him standing up. I set a goal and that is to have him successfully standing and going by his third birthday which is the end of August. I'm not going to be pushy, as I don't want him to regress but I will not be too lenient either. But this is just something that need to happen. Work to be done.

Moms, and dads here...Does anyone else have any additional advice on what I should do? Greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[akmom]

A perfect solution would be to hire a plumber and have him install one of those tiny toilets like they have in the family restrooms at Walmart. But that is probably not the solution you were looking for...

I think what's going to work best for you is getting him to use a step stool and potty seat on the real toilet. It's just the fear factor he has to get past, because they are really easy to use. My son sets it up himself every time, and has been since he was two, I think. For our other bathroom (and this might be a better option) we have a potty seat that is actually installed onto the toilet with hinges. It fits over the adult seat. When an adult uses it, they just lift up the potty seat and lean it against the lid. I'll see if I can find an example online. Pay attention to the dimensions, because they don't fit all toilets (which is why we don't have one installed in both bathrooms). Unfortunately, he will still need to use a step stool with either option.

 

[akmom]

So here's a picture: http://www.plumbingsupply.com/images/toilet-seat-for-children-and-adults-583.jpg[/URL]

You install the seat between the regular adult seat and the lid. It fits over the adult seat but has a much smaller opening so kids don't fall in. It looks like this one is the whole unit (seat, child seat and lid), but the one I have was just the child seat and much cheaper.

 

[Xero]

^^^ That is the EXACT seat we have on our toilet lol. It was expensive, but it's very nice. Good quality. They sell cheap ones at walmart but they are junk IMO. This one is really nice, the way it is made is very slim and tidy, and the little seat magnetically connects to the lid of the big seat so it's out of the way unless a little one needs to use it.

My ODS did great with the separate potty seats too though, he set it up every time on his own as well from a very early age.