A mother writes about potty training:
"My child is potty training today. We have stuffed her full of drinks and she pees about every 10 to 15 minutes. She has used the potty several times when we take her to it at timed intervals. She does not seem to understand that when she feels the urge, she should go sit on the potty herself. She pees wherever she is sitting (a few times on us) and does not seem to mind. I do not want to 'catch' her pee all day long. What do you suggest we do?"
I get questions like this quite frequently. The answer I have, however, may not be one that many parents want to hear. What you should do is stop potty training. But don't look at it as quitting or as a setback. Think of it more like taking a break. The reason: Your child is not ready to potty train yet.
Read more of this answer or leave your own answer to this mom's question below.
I agree with the take a break answer, I thought I had a little genius when my baby was going on the potty by 9-10 months…I didn’t change a dirty diaper for like a week, but it turns out I was just putting her there when I saw she had to go & she was too little to get herself off! Now that she’s 16 months & walking well, she will get off the potty, walk away, and poop on the floor every time! So it’s back to changing dirty diapers, she will get it when she is ready
be patient.
I wish I had this kind of advice with my 5 year old. I think I started potty training her when she was between 18 months and 2 years. And is was a disaster that has continued to this day. She is a big girl so at 18months she looked like a 2 year old so the sooner the better cause big girl equals big messes. I would sit her on the potty in front of the tv and I swear she would sit on that thing for 4 hours or more. I would go twice while she would sit happily on her potty and not use it. Once I got tired and put the diaper on her she would use it. Everytime! Finally it took her seeing the other girls at daycare go and she reluctantly went herself. Even now she will hold it for way longer than normal, adamant about not having to go. So it is still a fight, I just hope that once she gets to kindergarden it won’t be so much of a struggle.