The years before kindergarten your preschooler will grow leaps and bounds, mentally, emotionally and physically.
Parents share resources and advice about raising 3 to 5 year olds, including potty training, early education, behavioral struggles and more.
I’ve been thinking about starting potty training and I know day cares always support and try to help! But I’m worried that if I take a 3/4 day weekend to really try and nail it in, will it all go down hill when he gets to daycare? They have 10 other kids to worry about, not just my sons pee schedule. What was your experience? They have those little (but real) potties in his classroom, should I... More
How long did it take for you to potty train your toddler during day time? What method did you use?
Emily Oster's new book Cribsheet has a great chart showing the average amount of time it takes to potty train, depending on when you start. At earlier ages, potty training takes longer to stick. But you don't want to wait too long to start. We started at 28 months and 2 months in she's pretty much trained during the day (with lots of reminders, and we're still working on getting... More
I have a new job and am going to be working outside the home now which brings the struggle of finding daycare. My stepson is 5, autistic and not potty trained. I am having issues finding a childcare facility that can take him because he is in diapers at 5. What alternatives or solutions has anyone else found for this issue? We have tried potty training and it stresses him out because he doesn&#... More
I was pretty sure my son was giving me the signal that he was ready to be potty trained, but I can’t seem to get him on the potty in time after he goes in the morning. Plus, he won’t poop in the thing at all. He’s 23 month btw.
When you potty trained your kid and you had to travel (say short trips to the mall etc 45 min-1 hr), what did you do when the child said they want to pee and the car is still in motion and the child is not in diapers because you don’t want it to regress? I will be buying a travel potty but the first trip after potty training will be my dread. I’ll also make him go potty before the trip. Any oth... More
Other than trying to go beforehand, we just hoped he was clear of any potty to prevent that situation, but that being said, it’s inevitable to get the “I have to go potty!” while driving and you just hope to get to a bathroom before an accident happens. We would talk about how we’ll get there soon and to try to hold it to not have an accident, and kept praising him for holding it all the while ... More
Thank you for your replies 😊
My son will be 3 in Sept. Currently rides the tricycle to park which is like a 15 minutes walk. Last year his legs had no strength to pedal at all btw his a big boy like a 4 yo . This spring he starts pedaling with trouble but still pedals not all the way to rhe park but we still have to push him now & then. The best thing is to let him figure out rather than always be there to push the tri... More
I have a 2 year old who is staying with a nanny currently during the day. I am trying to put her into a Montessori or a day care. I am not sure what are the pros and cons .. please help
Hi there, our 2 year old daughter is currently in a Montessori school for half days during the week. So I can’t really speak to daycare as a comparison, but here are a few pros and cons from our experience... Pros: - Emphasis on learning life skills. Wiping/blowing her nose and throwing away the tissue, caring for her environment (like watering plants/checking to see if their soil is dry eno... More
How do you deal with a child at night that says he is scared, faking crying, and delaying bed time by 30-40 mins? Need help. My husband and I don’t agree on the right plan of action to deal with these behaviors. I say to leave it alone and don’t go in at all after reading and saying goodnight. He thinks to go in multiple times and try to console him until he falls asleep. Any advice?
I think Ceecie is right, both ideas together may work! Comforting him when he's scared is a way to show him he is safe because his parents are there. This helps a child to grow confident and secure. But I think prayer over him and his room will help too! Children are vulnerable and sensitive. Us parents can protect them in all areas and aspects.
Thank you everyone for the advice. We did try that technique tonight as it was a routine night for him unfortunately. He does have a night light, he has two actually. We didn’t even have to reach the 7 mins mark thankfully. It was hard for my husband to wait that long but I made him promise. I also pray every night with my son. Thanks again everyone!
Hi everyone, so my daughter is 21 months and is fully potty trained while at home during awake hours. When she’s at school she’s doing well but is required to wear a diaper so she has more accidents. My plan is to start now with trying to get her trained when we’re not at home or at school. She will almost always tell me she has to use the bathroom but the one time I took her to a public bathr... More
My 29 month old girl is potty trained but doesn’t say, just uses actions and it works. What I want is for her to learn to climb potty using a tool and bring her pants down herself and possibly wipe herself. Become independent at least at home. I’m not sure if it’s all possible at this age?! I don’t want to mess up her progress
Mine had been going to potty for about two months now. I can avoid accident if I take her every hour and hour and a half depends really. I never used any training undies. I showed her “big girl” undies and she was psyched. I only problem because she’s not verbal which is same with your daughter, it’s hard to move on to the next steps. I pray our daughters become independent soon 😊
My very very small almost-2-year-old can climb on the potty and sit by herself so that one is possible! I would be cautious about completely giving up the reins on wiping until 5ish. Kids have a tendency to not wipe so well by themselves. Certainly teaching her how to do it is great but offering help is important, especially when there's poop involved.
Find a few days where you can be home bound then let them be naked all day or at least the bottom half. I have a daughter so she just wore dresses no undies. She had a few accidents but after having to clean up and reading about going potty and watching us, she figured it out. Took a few days but she’s a pro now. She only wears a diaper at night. Kids books or videos are a great resource ... More
My three year old boy does great during the day but I’m at a loss for nap and bedtime. Some days he wakes up dry from both other days he is soaked. I limit liquids but I’m just not sure what else I should be doing?! During the day he can hold his pee for like 6 hours. His pedi told me that if he isn’t using the potty every 2-3 hours that when he is sleeping his muscles just kind of let go, I th... More
My daughter is three she was potty trained at two but has worn pull ups this entire year because one to two nights a week she wakes up wet and nothing is done differently on those day she just isn’t ready yet my 5 year old has never had one accident or ever peed at night each kid is different and there is never any reason to rush ..... of course buying the dam things is a pain but it’s nothing ... More
My son likes to flush the toilet and that is it. He only sat on the toilet once. He didn’t pull his pants down. He just sat and went in the diaper. I was told I should put regular underwear on and he will get the idea. I should also give him a treat when he does use the bathroom. It’s been really hard more so because he is autistic. Any tips?
He’s not going to magically know how to pull his pants down and go. He’s gone in a diaper his whole life. I recommend a weekend at home (like literally not leaving) in underwear where you have him sit on the toilet every 30 min and when he goes lots of praise (or one m&m) and talking about how he peed on the pot
When I train I do nothing or just underwear, and I help them with running over to the potty and show them how to pull it down, and I usually spend 3-7 days at home all day so we can catch every opportunity and have lots of repetition.
My 3yr old daughter is SUCH a picky eater. She basically lives off of chicken nuggets and peanut butter. Anybody have any grand ideas on getting a picky kid to try a fruit or veggie. I’ve tried smoothies, I’ve tried hiding them in things ... I am at a loss.
So I read the Oh Crap book after I saw it recommended on here, but in practice I don’t think it’s a good fit for my family. So what are the other ways to potty train? You put them on the pot every hour and give them candy if they go? How long do you wait to see if they go? Pull-ups or underwear? (My mom says use pull-ups at least the first week, but he already wears them because he’s big and ... More
Choices. Don’t be afraid to leave the house. I keep a travel potty, bags, and wipes in my car. Before we get in the car seats, I set them on the potty. When we get out of the car, I set them on the potty. If I know we will be out for a long time hiking or something, I put the potty and supplies in my backpack. Putting on pull ups is sort of a regression because it is a diaper and they are train... More
Gloria, i just finished one week of potty training my 28 month old toddler and i’d say Oh Crap book helped me get a kick start. He resisted with being naked at first because he’s been in diapers all his life but i distracted him with something to do. I think they can’t do anything else being naked at this time because he can’t just take back a diaper and put it on back. He was commando style fo... More
I am going crazy! My daughter is over 2 years old. We started potty training 6 months ago and she showed interest in the potty. She’s pooped, peed multiple times and on occasion will tell us that she has to go. That was through the pull up method. About 1-2 months ago, whenever she was home, we would have her in panties so she could feel that she peed. If you ask her where she goes poop and pee... More
We’re in the process of potty training my 2 and a half year old. It’s not for the faint of heart for sure! We are wearing training pants instead of pull-ups or regular underwear, it has a thicker layer of material so if he has an accident it doesn’t make as big of a mess, but still feels like underwear. You can get them on amazon and I’m sure Wal-mart or other stores would have them too. The ot... More
So I am in the midst of training my 18 month old 3rd child, my other two started training at 20 and 18 months old and took a few months to completely daytime train. I personally don’t subscribe to the readiness thing, but clearly your daughter understands. However, that doesn’t mean that she isn’t developing. I’ve found that since both my older two were trained (now 4.5 and 3), they would have ... More
How do I potty train my 3 year old son in a carpeted apartment? I want to let him run naked but I'm scared of the carpets smelling like pee and they are white-ish 😫 please help!
SCHEDULE FOR 3 YEAR OLD? Ok so if I put my 3 year old son to sleep at 745pm what time do I feed him dinner?? I have him in a bad schedule I feel... He wakes up at 645ish and goes to school at 750 for 8am Comes home at 12 and if he didnt eat lunch at school I'll feed him. If he did I'll give a snack then let him play a bit. Put him down for a nap because hes ALWAYS cranky by then... h... More
Some times when they’re over tired they fight the sleep. And he may be tired because of the later bedtime. Do you need more time in the morning to get him ready? If so... start waking him up a little earlier. It’s going to be rough for the first couple of days but if you shift his wake and bedtime all together it may help. Earlier nap.. from 1-3 pm and then get in that earlier dinner around 530... More
Yes the rule I’ve read is not to let kids sleep after 4 pm. I limit even my 1.5 year olds naptime to 2.5 hours, otherwise she struggles to sleep. My 3 yr old has dropped napping, but wakes around 645, eats around 7-730am, snacks around 9, lunch is usually 11-12 ish, then rest time from 1230-2ish, 230 snack, 530ish dinner, 715 protein bedtime snack, and usually he’s asleep by 8. I don’t know if... More
Hello to all; my son is a super active, high flying, non-stop running, jumping any moment possible little man. He is super fun and loves every minute of playtime there is to have in a day. From the moment he wakes he wants to run and jump, etc. However, at the end of a super active day he is crying and saying he is in pain. Always the same leg, same general area and I’m wondering what this coul... More
Our daughter is the same. Started as legs, now mostly her feet. Pediatrician and a podiatrist have both said growing pains at this point and we have supportive shoes with temporary orthotic inserts (real ones are expensive and only when necessary). Apparently evening is bad because that’s when lactic acid settles. We rub her feet and have taught her how as well. On really bad nights, we give ... More
I’m out of ideas I don’t know what to do anymore my son doesn’t like anything he was eating spaghetti and pizza and chicken and rice with veggies but now he gags and almost throws up if I make any of that for him he won’t try any new foods he will cry and scream to the point of hyperventilating his dr said not to give him anything till he tries what I’ve made but he’s gone a full 24 hrs without... More
A lot of kids go through this. It's totally normal! My niece only wanted chocolate muffins for a while. The doctor said, as long as she is eating give them to her! It will pass.. just keep encouraging foods dont give up although it can be VERRRY frustrating. Try applesauce packages.. shape the food, get those cutters in his favorite characters or shapes. Make it more appealing for him. Also... More
Pinterest is a lifesaver as well.. they have so many recipes for sneaking veggies in food ...
Talk to them about their procedures. How often do they take him? Will they be on board with not using pull ups? Do they reward? Try and train him with those things in mind, if they will only take him once an hour, then try to train him to go once an hour at home. And I highly recommend after the 1st day or 2 to take him on short trips and get him used to regular toilets. Or u can probably get t... More
Following. I have the same question! My plan is to follow oh crap and potty train her over a long weekend but also not sure about going back to daycare