IT WORKED FOR US:

When my grandson was little, his father was away much of the time serving in the service in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. So, when he was home, it was special and the little boy wanted to be just like his Dad. He noticed his Dad had "fruit" inside his "big boy" pants and liked them a lot! I got the idea to sew different pieces of fruit into his training pants so he felt he was important and a "big boy." To this day, one can still buy individual pieces of fruit, etc., from a fabric store and sew them into the back of the plain white "big boy" pants. My little grandson never once wet his special training underwear because he was so proud to be like Dad! 

- Mrs. Jack Pitts in Goodlettsville, TN

We began training our son at the age of two years and four months. We over did it at first, making him go too often, and he began to hate it and refused to go to the potty at all. A friend suggested food coloring. After he used the potty, we put a drop of different food coloring to see what color it would turn and he loved it! 

- Becky Thatcher in Austin, TX

I trained my daughter pretty quick. The only thing I used was determination on my part. I had one who was in diapers and the "new" baby was due soon. I couldn't bear the thought of having two in diapers. I sat her on the big toilet often and gave big hugs and lots of praise. 

- Josephine Dombaousln in Lorain, Ohio

Getting my 3-year-old son to go to the potty for wee-wee was not a problem. We used stars and prizes. It was when he needed to have a bowel movement that he demanded a diaper. I was so tired and exasperated after trying "everything" because nothing seemed to work! One day when he came to me for a diaper, out of total frustration, I told him we were all out and we couldn't buy any more! He refused to go to the potty and held it in all day. Finally he raced for the potty and after he had success, we both danced for joy! That was it, just getting him to do it the first time. 

- Beth McCracken, TN

We began potty training our son at the suggested age of three years of age. This went well in the beginning. But, when it came to a bowel movement, he would always dirty his training pants. After a month of dirty underwear, we finally realized he would hide under or behind something. We soon learned to watch him and would immediately put him on the potty as soon as he hid under a table or behind a chair. Finally, he got the idea it was OK to use the potty for this purpose as well and he never had another accident in his big boy pants. 

- L. Kapellen in Sheboygan, WI

Each child develops at a different rate. Do not feel pressured by friends and family who say their child was potty trained by two. If your attempts are unsuccessful, postpone until a later date. We found our two and a half son sitting on the big boy potty because he wanted to please us. When we became upset and frustrated when he messed up his training pants, he became just as upset. In fact, he started hitting everyone in the family (including the pets). We stopped and tried again in six months. We put a potty outside where he played and in no time, he became potty trained. 

- B.A. in Garland, TX

Make it kind of fun and not overwhelming. I put a potty in the bathroom when both my children were in diapers. They would both cart it around for a while and use it for a chair. This helped them to explore the "potty chair." When they started showing signs of really readiness for the potty, they would come get me or bring the potty to wherever I was. Don't rush your children by telling them what to do and how often. They will tell you; after all, it's their bodies and they know what their feelings are inside, not you. 

- Pat Jacobs in Rochester, NY

We made two charts for our son, one for wee-wee and one for a bowel movement. We hung them up in the bathroom. We gave him a sticker and let him place it on the correct chart after each trip. For making a bowel movement in the potty (instead of his underwear) he got to choose legos: cars, motorcycles, trees etc. This worked like a charm. We eventually stopped the rewards, but he still was very proud of himself and will occasionally still ask for a special sticker. 

- Elisabeth Loeser in Nashville, Tenn.

The most important thing to remember when potty training is to recognize that each child is different and develop at different rates. If one trained early, great, but don't expect it for the second, third, etc. Little children can be very stubborn and if you demand them to go potty, you will be the one who is surprised by the stress! Relax, don't worry abut the "experts," listen to your child. 

- Kristy Armstrong in Okinawa, AB, Wichita, Kansas

From Jodie:

With today's busy families, the complete toilet learning process could take up to six months. It will begin with the child feeling the urge to go, being able to walk/run to the potty, pull down his or her pants, get the business done, use toilet paper, (parents will help with this one for a while) pull up their pants, flush the toilet, and get hands washed. Learning and completing these steps before age two is considered early by most professionals, the "average" age being 36 months. Your child may begin learning by 20 months and others by four years. It all depends on the readiness of the child and his attitude. Of course, the time the parent, child care provider and/or preschool teacher has to give, and their attitude, will play a big part in the success process. Once he realizes he can control the adult, it becomes his ball game -- (more on this later). For now, go with the flow, begin at around the age of three for boys and maybe two to two and a half for girls (depending on the child).