Potty Training
I've really been enjoying the potty training reports on Kim C.'s blog , and I'm thrilled that things are going so well for her, but I'm afraid it's not going quite that well here. Joshua (2 1/2) is my oldest, so I'm in uncharted waters. He knows when he's going and sometimes he holds it until I put him on the potty, but sometimes he doesn't. He never tells me when he needs to go...I have to ask him every 15 minutes or so, and the answer is always "no". I try to take him every 30 or 45 minutes, but he doesn't at all mind wetting or soiling his pants. I know the "experts" say not to discipline a child if he soils his pants, but they also say to let a child pitch a temper tantrum because he needs to express himself (or at least that's what some of them say). Needless to say, I'm not too concerned with following the "experts'" advice! It's starting to become very apparent that we know what we need to do but we don't want to stop playing long enough to do it. Joshua is an excellent talker and speaks in complete sentences all the time, so I know that he's capable of telling me when he needs to go. So, is there any advice out there? Have any of you disciplined your children for "accidents" during the potty training process?
posted by Laura at 1:34 PM
2 Comments:
Homekeeper,
I've never trained a boy yet, but I hear that they often learn a little later than girls, and 2 1/2 is a thoroughly average age for either gender. 3 wouldn't be unusual at all, especially for a boy.
Even if he can talk and has most of the muscle control that he needs for potty training, it could be that he still lacks the maturity in other areas.
Maybe he's just not sufficiently disgusted at the thought of sitting in his own poo yet. :)
In my humble opinion, 2 1/2 is too early to get worried. I would keep him in diapers a little longer and see if he expresses a desire to get out of them.
Warm weather seasons are easier for potty training anyway - less clothes to get in and out of, less to wash in case of accidents.
Yes, our pediatrician said that the average age for boys to be potty trained is 4. That sounds a little ridiculous to me though! Maybe Joshua is a little young and maybe I am pushing it too hard right now. I often forget that he's only 2 since I've got two others that are younger than him. I think I expect a lot more out of him than I would if he was my only child. He has been doing much better since I posted about this though. He's definitely not disgusted with sitting in his poo, and that's our major problem now. :-)
Thanks for commenting...I've had two people comment now. Yay!!
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