HELP! He Won't Potty Train

This is my kid.   ------------------------------------------>

He's awesome.  He's almost three and he rides a tricycle, can run just as fast as his (almost) 5 year old brother, digs for worms like nobody's business and eats better than my older son ever did.

Seriously, he's great!

But he won't potty train.

We've been trying for months.

Here's the thing: he will go pee...if I take him and make him. But he won't do it in public, he won't do it in unfamiliar toilets (even standing up), and he won't do it if anyone is watching.

But he will never poop on the potty.

He will poop in a pull-up, he will poop in his underwear, he will take off his pants/pull-up/underwear and poop on his brother's bedroom floor. But he will not go on the potty or toilet.

I feel like we've tried it all.

We've been ultra encouraging, done rewards (stickers), offered treats (he loved that but it was a bit counterproductive in-that he only would go to the bathroom for candy), sang songs and did potty dances. We schedule potty time and bought cool Angry Birds underwear. We got him his own little potty (that he loves!), taught him to pee standing, never scolded when he wet or soiled his underwear. Despite the desperation in what I'm writing today, we DO NOT pressure him- ever!

And yet- nothing.

And I know, kids learn in their own time. I've been down this road with my first son. The moment my older son was ready, he potty trained.

But in this case, my almost three year old is ready. He meets every single criteria you can find for potty training readiness.

Even more- I am ready.  I need him to go to the bathroom. I need to be done with diapers and wipes and all that comes along with it... yes, it's selfish but it's true. I have spent months working patiently with him, but I am nearing the end of my sweet mommy voice telling him I'm totally not upset that I'm cleaning poop off new underwear or the carpet for the millionth time. Totally not upset!

But not only that, he is missing out on things because he's not potty trained.
He can't go to the amazing preschool his brother went to until he is trained. He can't go to half-day day camp (which he is so desperate to attend with his brother) because he's not potty trained. And I've seen the embarrassed look on his face when he's playing with his friends and realizes that he's forgotten to go to the bathroom and ended up needing to sneak away for me to change him.

So what am I missing?
Is there a secret to potty training I have yet to uncover?
A way to motivate my sweet little one to pee and poop on that darn toilet?
A magic key to unlocking the I'm not going to go in my pants gene?

Help! He just won't potty train!

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 4

Well, I think the diaries may stop today.
Not because Z is perfectly potty trained. He's not. But the accidents are few and far between (although I am losing a bit of patience when he obviously has to tinkle and refuses because it wasn't "his idea" and ends up going on my floor. URG!). I'm really proud of my little guy. He's a tough nut to crack but if you can approach him from the right angle he catches on really quickly.
He seems to have grasped the concept that pull-ups are the same as underwear and we have worn them outside of the house with no "accidents".  My reminders nagging to listen to his body seem to work pretty well, as the only time he really has trouble remembering to go potty is when I am busy with Will (ahem, I wonder why?).

The only issue left?
My bathrooms are WRECKED. Seriously, FOUR days of potty training and two of my three bathrooms look like a tornado went through them. Stained toilet bowls, wet floors, pieces of toilet paper strewn about, towels askew. Oy. Is this what it's like to have boys? Because my housekeeping skills cannot keep up!

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 3

aka: How to humiliate your child by writing all about their poops and pees:)

aka: Operation: Use The Freaking Potty 

Day 3
Verdict: Well DONE!

The Method: Bribe. Today he was in love with the idea that I would give him an Oreo cookie when he pooped on the potty. He pooped 3 times...will have to rethink these bribes I'm using:)

The Good: He is using the potty ALONE. Only my butt-wiping skills are necessary as he pulls down his own pants, gets on the toilet, holds his own winky dinky and poops and pees as needed. The thing with Z is that he's all about independence and once he realized he didn't need me around to help him, well the toilet became even more awesome to him! He also wants to sit right on the toilet seat and not use the potty attachment because he can, "see my poops and pees better". Whatever works. 

Z is also really into the shape of poops (again, can't wait til he gets married or becomes a famous athlete. He's gonna DIE). Yesterday he had a poop shaped like a "dinosaur tooth", "a hexagon", "a big fluffy cloud in the sky" and "a small dog". Again, whatever works.

The Bad: He had 2 accidents (if you're following my diary, that's one less accident a day). One was a poop in his pants again that he tried to hide from me.  The pattern I am noticing is that he has his accidents in the morning, when he's still sleepy and the evening, when he's ready for bed. I think I'll endeavour to remind him a little more during those times. I also am not going to use a pull-up unless he is a) sleeping or b)on a long trip away from the house. He seems to treat pull-ups like diapers (and they are, so fair enough) and is more likely to just pee in them.

The Really Unexpected: DRY IN THE MORNING!!!!

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 2

aka: How to humiliate your child by writing all about their poops and pees:)

aka: Operation: Use The Freaking Potty 

Day 2
Verdict: Pretty Good

The Method: Bribe. Doritos were his poison of choice today. No doubt that he's my kid!

The Good: Z was really really receptive to the potty today. He was dry when he woke up (SHOCKING! this has literally never happened before) and did a great first-of-the-morning pee. Proud mommy and proud kid! In total, he used the potty more often than I expected and was only reminded three times (I can't help myself). I think the Diego underwear, reminding him of friends who poop and pee on the potty, and positive reinforcement are working really well. HAHAHAHAHAHA, just kidding. It's the treats.


The Bad: He had 3 accidents. One was a poop in his pants. BARF. He also was in a real snit today. You have no idea what a mood this kid can get into. Needless to say, this made him a real treat;) Despite the mood and the poopy pants, there is very little bad to report.

The Really Unexpected: He announced he is going to potty alone (i.e.: without me standing there holding his winky dinky) tomorrow. We shall see...

The Potty Training Diaries- Day 1

aka: How to humiliate your child by writing all about their poops and pees:)

Zach is going to be 3 in May. THREE. And, according to any list of "potty training signs" he is ready to potty train. And, according to his mother who is so tired of changing up to 15 diapers a day between the two boys, he is ready to potty train. And, according to his father who is revolted by the man sized poops in his diapers, he is ready to potty train. So, starting Monday, we decided that Operation: Use The Freaking Potty would commence...with a blogged diary to ensure that he is appropriately humiliated when he is older and reads all about his poops and pees:)

Day 1
Verdict: Successful and Hopeful

The Method: Bribe. Every time Z initiates and goes to the bathroom, he gets a treat of his choosing (a Diego cookie, a Dora fruit snack, or some mini marshmallows). Bribery works because he normally does not get treats like this. Sure, he's full of sugar but he's pooping and peeing and that, my friends, is the goal. I let Z tell me when his body is ready to go, rarely reminding him because I want him to get used to listening to his own body and not his mother's nagging voice. We wear underwear for the first 3-4 days, with pull-ups at night and (maybe) when we go out or he's at an activity where he may forget to go potty.

The Good: Z successfully used the potty almost the entire day. He pooped twice, initiated on his own *WHOOT*, and peed at least 8 times. He is excited to flush the toilet (we have a potty seat that fits over top of the toilet bowl) and wash his hands and turn off the light afterward. And of course, he never forgets his treat. He loves pooping on the potty and practically puts his head in the toilet bowl in order to watch that poop plop (gee, I hope they read this at his wedding). By the end of the day he seemed to be pretty in tune with his body's needs and was initiating pee, even when he was watch tv, which is a big deal.

The Bad: He had 4 accidents. Three were little dribbles and one was a full-on pee...on the bathroom floor. I have to admit that I was annoyed at that one and gave him a bit of a talking to because he knew he had to pee and refused to go. He actually didn't have an accident after that talking to so perhaps it clued in for him...  I am also chief butt wiper and 'winky dinky' holder because he's not so great at that part yet. He enjoys seeing his pee spray everywhere, 'like a fire hose'. We'll work on that;)

The Really Unexpected: He WOKE UP DRY! He never does that. And he asked to potty first thing because he had held it. SO FREAKING PROUD.

Check out the rest of the week...

Day 2
Day 3
Day 4