Toilet training? There is always a new detail to make it work!

Peter is now almost three years old and is still not toilet trained. He has always talked about having some of the perks that go with that achievement.

-Playing on the big slide.

-Getting a bigger cup for drinks.

-Getting a bigger spoon for meals.

-Line up with his friends to go to the bathroom before outside playtime instead of with the younger children to have a diaper change.

He finally says one day that he is ready to be toilet trained and we are very excited and supportive.

However, he goes days without any success. This is not really that unusual and everyone remains very positive including Peter.

After the interminable time of two full weeks of trying, he is partially successful. We share with him that we are not sure he has really emptied his bladder (we are looking for yellow water). We decide after an extended time to let him get off the toilet. Ten minutes later, he has had an accident and is somewhat concerned when this incident is shared with his dad at pick up time.

After two more days of the same experience, it is obvious he is having difficulty emptying his bladder. We decide to make a few changes to help him.

1. We lift the rim of the toilet so his body is at a different angel on the toilet. His backend is lower than his knees.

2. Instead of just pushing his clothes down to his ankles, we actually remove them so his legs have some flexibility and his body can be a little lower and more comfortable.

3. Finally, for the next two days he is able to completely empty his bladder each time he uses the toilet.

4. The next day he asks to be excused from the lunch table to pee and guess what? He has a huge B.M. at the same time.

He is awed by his performance and we have learned a new emergency technique.

There are high fives all around.

“I don’t need diapers any more ever!”

I hope this helps anyone out there looking for a new idea to achieve success.

Good luck!