Dare I say it… Potty Training

There was a question about potty training posted on Mamapedia that I thought I could offer some insight on.
Here is the question posted at Mamapedia:

My toddler knows when he pees & poos & he lets me know when he is going or has gone. He won’t use his potty chair or the big toilet. Once he used his potty chair when he pooped, but he seemed scared & he’s never done it since. I would really appreciate any suggestions on getting him to use the potty. I haven’t been trying to push him into it, but he’s been very interested for months now. I have kept him in undies or naked from the waist down when we’re home. Please help!!!

I have just successfully finished potty training my second child. And what an experience it was. My 3 year old son was much harder to potty train than my daughter. We worked on him for many months, while it took my daughter only one day. The most important thing I learned was that there is no “right” way to potty training. What works for one child, doesn’t always work for another.

It is good that he knows when he has to go and he can tell you what is happening. That is a huge accomplishment.

It seems to me like there is a fear of the toilet. Do you think it might be from the loud noise it makes when you flush? I know that at first, my children did not like to flush. When you have him on the toilet, I would try to distract him by giving him books to read or toys to play with. Let him sit there as little or as much as he wants to. If he doesn’t go, that’s fine. Just praise him for sitting on the potty. Let him know that he did a great job! Once he sees the excite about just sitting on the potty maybe he will want to try more. If he does go potty while on the toilet, I would wait to flush until he is out of the restroom.

I hope I have given you a little bit of insight.  Just be patient and enjoy the special time you have together with your son.