My 3 year old won't use the potty, can someone help?

Question

My 3 year old daughter will say "potty" but will sit there all day and not go in the potty. She tells you when wet, etc. I just don't know why she isn't doing anything in the potty. I have tried many things. there were problems during birth that slowed her down, she is at a level of a 2.5 year old but almost all the 2 year olds I know are potty trained too. Help please.

Answer 1

Have you tried the "enticing" strategy?  Telling her not big girls, but "Ladies" go potty on the toliet... And each time you go, you put a quarter in a jar.  When the jar is full, she gets to buy herself that favorite doll or whatever it is she wants.  Post a picture of that toy on the wall in front of the toliet so that she has to see it when she sits down.  

It will take time.  When she tells you she is wet, leave her wet. Same thing with the poo!  Let her sit in it & remind her that Ladies go potty on the toliet...  Do not scold her, Do not yell at her...  Just state the fact & walk away...  She will get it!

Not to be harsh, but no more excuses that she was had problems at birth.  She hears this & uses it right along with you because you are enabling her & she knows nothing else...

Answer 2

Hi,

Some children are slower to learn to go to the potty than others. My little girl was about three when she started going to the potty. We would make her sit on the potty many times a day, and eventually she got the point. We also read to her the book 'Lets go potty' and watched videos with her and this helped. Positive reinforcement is the key. Congratulate her if she goes potty.

Encourage your daughter to use the potty and give her an incentive to go to the potty. Tell her you will reward her if she does go to the potty.When my three year old was two (about a month of so off turning three), We told her if she went and sat on the potty we would give her mickey mouse diapers (she is obsessed with mickey mouse!) and it made her want to go potty. If you start a routine and make her go and sit on the potty a few times a day, she should eventually start to 'do her business' in the potty. A website that helped me potty train my little one was http://www.pottytrainingtips.com/

Good luck,

Hope this has helped.

EDIT:

To sumtingsxy: It is possible that problems at birth can delay development in many areas and problems at birth causing late potty training is not an excuse, problems at birth could really delay learning such tasks. My 3 year old was a month premi and the doctor agreed that this could be a reason why she didn't fully start potty training until she was about 3.

Answer 3

i went threw this with my son. try to make going to the potty fun... like its a game. If she is into barbie dolls try acting out with the dolls the process of going to the potty. just keep encouraging her and she will come around. it takes some patience though. good luck

Answer 4

Just wait. One day she'll have to use the potty.

Answer 5

Act out, with dolls, a child going to the potty. Then with other dolls shows your child how they celebrate and cheer the doll after going to the potty. This illustrates how happy everyone once the task is completed and encourages you child to do so. Of course, follow-up with the same type of positive reinforcement with celebration and cheering with your own child.