Potty Training Woes

[Brooksie]

Ok so this is about my very own dd. She is 2.5 yo and we've been working loosely on potty training for the past 5-6 months or so just with introduction of the training toilet and the potty seat for "mommas potty" and getting her various big girl panties. We really weren't working with her actively but more so just givin her a positive feeling towards the idea. Well now for the past couple months shes been showing all the signs of being ready and she always tells me when she has peed or pooped in her diaper and some days she will tell me she has to poop or pee and will take her diaper off to go sit on the potty. Some days she will go in the potty 2-3 times and then other days not at all. But I've been leaving it up to her because I don't want to force it or throw rewards at her (ie if you go poop in the potty mommy will buy you.. or give you candy or whatever). I want her to do it and be comfortable with it on her own terms.

So far I've been really happy with the outcome but lately she wont STAY on the potty during the process. She will poop a little bit and stand up and then sit back down and then stand up and then try to walk across the room or something. in my head I'm screaming DEAR LORD SIT DOWN THERES POOP EVERYWHERE!!! But to her I just try to explain we have to sit on the potty until we are done but this child is the definition of energy. She never sits still (neither does her father). I cannot get her to stay on the potty to finish the job. Any tips?

****While I was typing this we were having this problem. She pooped a tiny bit in her diaper but then wanted to finish on the potty so I cleaned her up and put her potty in the tv area where we were and she just kind of walked from here and there and I figured she wouldn't go. Then at the last paragraph she sat on the potty and peed!! I told her "great job! You went pee on the potty!!! I'm so proud" and she said "no me all done yet my pee pee momma... SOOOOON!!!!" But now she is standing up at the entertainment center again... ****

[Brooksie]

I should also note that her dad has her from Monday @3:30- Wednesday around 9-10 am. She has NOT gone potty for him at all (I bought him a training toilet MONTHS ago that is exactly the same as the one she uses here very frequently) I've told him about how I'm approaching it and encouraging him to do it too but he doesn't work with her on it (or anything for that matter, but thats a different story). So I generally get the best results with her towards the end of the week after she gets the encouragement. But we are in the middle of a custody battle atm (he was just served today) and I'm not trying to push anything else on him so I'm in this alone.. Any ideas?

[Cradle2crayons]

What about a visual cue like a timer. " let's sit down until the timer goes off" and you model the same thing. Out the timer on x minutes then sit there and hold it for a minute then potty and when the timer goes off... Finish the potty routine.


I found with my kids the easiest way to do it is to model what I expect.

[Unregistered]

Sing a song- can't get up until the song is done.