Questions covered below:
How did you toilet train your child?
Did you use pull-ups and would you recommend them?
Did you use rewards? What were they, when did you give them and did they work?
How did you toilet train your child?
- Just told him he’s no longer a baby, only babies wear nappies, he’s going to kinder next year and big kinder kids have to wear jocks. Next day he woke up and wanted to wear jocks and we’ve had no accidents and he’s been fully trained including nights for 4 months. (Mum of Lachlan 3 ½, Isabelle 2 ½)
- For Jack I introduced it to him (no potty just toilet) and he watched mum and dad use it. He sat on it and that’s it. I didn’t push it at all. By 27mnths he was using it once an hour with accidents during the day. At 28 mnths he was telling us when he wanted the toilet but still poo’d in jocks. At 29mnths he takes himself to the toilet and uses it for wees and poos. I don’t ask him. I never force him to sit on it and never have. He wears jocks when we go out if there are toilets otherwise it’s Pull-Ups. He wears Pull-ups to bed during day (3hrs) and goes straight to toilet when wakes up. He still wets quite a lot at night so he is in nappies at night time still (30 mnths). (Mum of Jack 2.5y, Emma 8 months)
- She initiated toilet training after lots of nappy free time outside and leaving the potty nearby. We often asked do you want to use the potty but never pushed her to. Then one day she was came up to me and said she wanted to wee in the potty. It took a bit longer for her to regularly wee in the potty. (Mum of Rochelle 3.5yrs)
- Well this might sound bad but I told my son that there was no nappies left (there was) and he needed to go toilet so he did all day and then it came to night time and I didn’t want to ruin it so I didn’t put a nappy on him he never wet the bed and from that day forward he went to the toilet all the time he is now 4 and he has never wet the bed!! (Mum of Dylan 5 yrs, Jayden 2 12 yrs, Lochlan 1 yr)
- I let her run around in undies and I followed her around the house – literally – all day, asking if she wanted to use the potty & putting her on the potty every hour – when I saw the signs I would make her run with me to the potty to try and ‘catch it’ and praise her when we did. (Mum of Miss SPK 2.8 yrs Master TRK 13 mths)
- We used rewards so every time they used the potty we gave them a tic tac or small lolly, for the first few weeks then slowly dropped the lollies out. Encourage them to go every 30 minutes to start with. (Mum of Kaylee 3, Zac 2, Tahlia 8 months)
- I tried to get in tune with his toiletting habits, ie. what time he usually wee’d or pooed, how soon after eating/sleeping, and would sit him on the potty at these times. (Mum 21 month old boy)
- We tried letting Daniel run around without a nappy for a week, but without success, so we waited another 6 months and tried again, but without interest by Daniel, just lots of cleaning up by me. We gave up. Even though we enrolled Daniel for preschool, kids are not allowed to attend until they can use a toilet. He could not so he missed out on the first 5 or 6 weeks. One day he said that he wanted to use the toilet like mummy, and that was it, he knew how to go, he had been taking it all in. I kept him in nappies for 3 or 4 weeks but without accident, so we put him in pants. We have only ever had accidents when he has been sick. (Mum of Daniel 10y, Emily 23 months)
- Jumping into it worked best for us. Chucked nappies out, straight to undies. Dd2 was day trained in five days, night trained 2 days later. The first few days were messy, but it’s important to persevere and not put nappies back on them. That will just set you back. Naomi
- I found no undies worked best with my eldest girl. I tried pull ups and undies but found she still didnt quite know she was wet. I started 2 weeks b4 she turned 2. Now in the midst of tt my 2nd girl who turns 2 at the end of march. Shes good with undies. I just take her to the toilet regularly (i dont like potties). If i catch her starting to wee/poo i rush her to toilet to finish it there. Also take her about 20 mins after shes had a drink. Plus b4 & after each meal/sleep to get into a routine. We have a few books in the toilet to read when shes there. Its very time consuming! And requires A LOT of patience! Jodie
- My daughter started showing signs of readiness at 17mnths. There was about 5 clear signs she was ready. I started her on the potty, taking her a regular intervals throughout the day. To encourage her to relax and sit on the potty, I would sit on the floor and sing songs, read stories etc. if she went, we threw a potty party! We cheered, danced, called nanna & daddy…made a huge deal of it and gave her a stamp. If she didn’t go or did it on the floor, I wouldn’t make a big deal of it, id just say ‘whoops, wee wee goes in the potty’ and move on. Because it was such a positive, encouraging experience, by the end of the week she was grabbing the potty and doing wees n poos by herself. I bought a step up stool for her to use the toilet and she transitioned no worries. by 18mnths she was dry both day n night. The key is- waiting til the child is ready, consistency, praise, encouragement and patience. Thats whats worked for me anyway with my own child and being a group leader in the 15mo-2yo age group. Tamara
- I used the 3 day to potty training program, best $25 i ever spent, dry day and night from day 4. As it says in this program, spend one on one time with them, dont leave each others side and you will pick up in the twitches, wriggles, dances etc. And praise any/all progress. No grouching… LOL Elizabeth
- I would have to be one of the luckiest parents. my 2.5 year old started toilet training we went sraight into jocks and using a potty. he had the occasional accident but nothing to bad. within 2 months and purely by accident we forgot to put his night nappy on and he didnt wee. we praised him so much gave him a sticker for his chart and that was that he was night trained. he has never wet the never and he is now 3.5 years but for around 6-7 months occassionally had anaccident. i dont like the thought of pullups just my opinion as i feel it resembles a nappie way too much and you tend to rely on the pull up stopping the accident. Emma
Did you use Pull-Ups and would you recommend them?
- Yes, I did but he didn’t need them really cause he had no accidents, just told him they were like jocks. I will use them again when my daughter is ready. Mum of Lachlan 3 ½, Isabelle 2 ½
- Yes, I use them but only for naps. I recommend them for naps but not during day use if you are at home as my son refused blatantly to go to the toilet with them on. It was straight into undies right from the start. Mum of Jack 2.5y, Emma 8 months
- We didn’t use them. If she had nappies on she will just wee in them, I felt pull-ups were probably the same. Mum of Rochelle 3.5yrs
- I did not with my first child, but I am with my second. Yes it is easier for them to be more independent and be able to pull it up and down on their own. Mum of Dylan 5 yrs, Jayden 2 12 yrs, Lochlan 1 yr
- Yes. They are great. But I don’t recommend them when you start potty training. We were doing really great – both pee and poo in the potty more and more but when I put her back in pull ups while at home – only for about a week – she went backwards and hasn’t bounced back yet!!! Every day is a struggle now! Mum of Miss SPK 2.8 yrs Master TRK 13 mths
- No Pull-Ups and not sure I would recommed unless the child was an older bed wetter i think it sends mixed messages still feels a bit like a nappy. Mum of Kaylee 3, Zac 2, Tahlia 8 months
- I use waterproof cloth training pants, as well as undies and non-waterproof cloth training pants – I like pull up training pants as they are similar to undies, but I think undies have made it easier to toilet train my son as it’s obvious when he wees, ie. there’s a puddle on the floor, all down his pants, etc. Pull ups are great if you don’t want to be cleaning wee all day, or if you are going out. Mum 21month old(boy)
- We tried pullups, but the were not necessary because the velcro style tabs work over and over, they are great. Mum of Daniel 10y.o., Emily 23 months
Did you use rewards? What were they, when did you give them and did they work?
- No, I don’t but daycare gives stickers. Mum of Lachlan 3 ½, Isabelle 2 ½
- At the very start at 24mnths I encouraged him to sit on the toilet and he got a sticker. Once he got the hang of it I let him flush the toilet once he has done something in it…that’s his reward. Mum of Jack 2.5y, Emma 8 months
- Not as such. Just lots of praise. We often called dad or grandma to tell them she had used the potty and for more praise. Mum of Rochelle 3.5yrs
- No. Just lots of praise. Mum of Miss SPK 2.8 yrs Master TRK 13 mths
- Yes, we used a small lolly such as tic tacs, everytime they use the potty they were rewarded with a lolly for the first few weeks then slowly reduced to no lollies. Mum of Kaylee 3, Zac 2, Tahlia 8 month
- We are still in the process of toilet training and I don’t think my 21 month old son needs rewards yet – he is quite eager to sit on the potty, and when he does a wee or poo in the potty, I verbally praise him – my appraisal seems enough to make him proud of himself. Mum 21month old(boy)
- No. Mum of Daniel 10y.o., Emily 23 months
