Most boys start to show some SERIOUS interest in potty training around age 3, so your son is not behind. We started to potty train our son about 1.5 months before turning 3. The doc said we should start when he was showing the right amt of interest or was ready but honestly I couldn't really judge whether my son was there. We were also getting some mild to moderate pressure from his school. We did the cold turkey method (diapers bye bye and no pull-ups or anything, except at night for the first 6 weeks). I kept a journal of how many accidents and how many potty deposits we had one each day and it took a good 3 weeks before the latter outnumbered the former. The school was pretty supportive and changed and cleaned him for all those weeks. We used rewards in form of small gifts early on. The bottom line as everybody has said> 1) try to be patient and don't force him to use the potty 2) know that there will be frustration ahead 3) don't give up and assess the progress or lack thereof to see if you need to try something different; 4) Trust your instincts - you know your son better than anyone.

I don't know how you feel about taking the pull ups away altogether (I have a friend who thinks that's cruel and will traumatize children) but if your son can tell when he's about to go, you could do the cold turkey method. Another advice I have read (but didn't really use) is to ask the child to do his business, in diaper or whatever, in the bathroom, preferrably while sitting down. After he's good with this step, ask him to just sit on the potty, again with diaper on if he wants. After he's ok with this, move to the next step of asking to take off the diaper and do it in the potty. Apparently, children will not put up a big fight with the first couple of steps and they can ease their way in.

Good luck.

this may sound harsh, when my son was 21/2 we told him when his pull ups were gone that he would get any more, it is time to use the big potty and everytime he used the potty he got a sticker. We began with sitting him on the big potty just before bath time as the tub filled and some times we had to refill the tub because he would pee in it instead. and we told him that he would get a big sticker and a treat for poop in the potty.
for 2 weeks we went potty before we went anywhere and when we arrived anywhere we went potty (it was exausting)don't get me wrong we had a lot of laundry and a lot of accidents but he learned very quickly to run for the bathroom and if he wet his pants in the bathroom it was ok because he tried to get to the potty and he got a very small sticker for trying. That is when my husband taught him to stand to pee only we stressed no poop while standing.
now we are working on the wiping of the butt by him self so he won't need help in preschool.
I hope this helps.
if you have any more questions just let me know.

I have a 2 year old little boy that I am trying to train now. I can relate to the frustration. His daycare teacher is trying to help and I think eventually he will get it but when. I work full time and my husband works away from home and it's frustrating at the end of a long day to try and have the patience with him. Not only do I have trouble getting him to go but he wants to sit down and use toilet paper when he is finished. His teacher at school noticed that too. They use a stamp as a reward when he goes. I figure if I can just get him to go, the sitting and standing thing can be conquered later.

My son is just turning 4 this month and is starting pre-school next Sept. We were a little worried that he wouldnt be potty trained in time because he didnt seam to want to take the time. He would ask for the potty sometimes but then others would not bother. Then one of the kids that is only in his daycare durring the summer (he lived in another stae durring the winter and then they visit family here for the summer) came back this year and was potty trained, and he is a year younger. That night my son came home and said that he wanted to use "big boy" underwear. He has been out of pull ups for a couple of weeks and has been doing great. He has had a 2 or 3 weeks accidents but mostly because he couldnt get to a bathroom. I dont know if this helps, but good luck.

Potty training is the most frustrating experience ever. My 4 year will not go to the pot. He does not pee on his self but poos. I have tried everything. It is getting even more frustrating b/c he starts school in June 2009. My 2 year old girl won't sit still long enough to sit let alone pee. I am single full time working mom. She starts PK at regular school next year and has to be potty trained also. Please help me.

My philosophy has been "when they are ready, it will happen." A few years back when my older son was 3yrs 4 mos he had no interest in potty training. IN short order though he got interested and trained quickly during his first few months in Montessori school. So, I figured he probably was ready sooner just not interested until his new peers and teachers inspired him....
Fast forward a few years.... Our younger son, around the same age,became very interested in attending his older brother's summer camp which requires training, and we were sure that inspiration would suffice to get him trained quickly. Unfortunately he just didn't seem ready, couldn't tell us when he needed to go, wasn't even aware sometimes when he peed in his underwear and seemed saddened when that happened. This inspired me to think that able but not willing may just beat willing but not able.... We'll continue to work with him, with gentle encouragement, and maintain our sense of humour about it all. Though some of our assumptions have been challenged, we remain convinced he won't go to college in diapers!

My daughter ruined me for potty training - it went like this....when she was almost 3 (about 2 yr, 10 mos)....
her: Mamay, I wanna wear big-girl panties.
me: well, big girls don't go pee in their pants, they use the potty.
her: ok

honestly, that was it! She had 2 accidents in the first 3 months and that was it!

Then, along comes my son...who just didn't want to be bothered! So, right after he turned 3 (October), I decided that enough was enough....for an entire weekend, I set the oven timer to make him go...at first, I set it for every 2 hours - which proved to be too long - so, I set it for every hour...and made him sit on the potty...if he didn't go, that was fine, but he had to try...by the end of the weekend, he was potty trained...I do still put a diaper on him at night, but we are going to adjust the times that he is drinking before bed and see if we can stop even that!

Good luck!
Lynne

I know exactly what you mean and it IS frustrating, which is why I reminded you to maintain your patience. To push a child to use the potty tends to make them push back. Which is why urging them, taking them and having them sit there, even if you take a book there and read for a while, or a toy to play with, or sing songs. Just sit there as long as you can possibly tolerate, and do it often.

If he pees in his pullups, he pees in his pullups. He'll get it eventually. Have faith.

OK you may thing I was really mean but seriously for a full time working mother, I had no time to put up with my son's shenanigans. So, during a long weekend when he was almost 2 and a half, I let him wonder in his underpants. The very first day, he passed water 19 times! Day 2: he did it 8 times while rest of the time he tried to run to the bathroom. Day 3: 3 times and then he was going to the potty. Samething happened to my second one! Cheers!

I've seen this with kids who are older and potty trained. They don't want to stop playing to go to the bathroom. It sounds like he knows what to do and this is more of a battle of wills than anything.
Have you tried having him help you clean up when he makes a mess? If he knows he's going to have to clean up, maybe that will motivate him to start using the potty.
I've also heard of parents putting a small toy in the potty and using it as a target to make using the potty more fun (for boys).
It can be really frustrating, but hang in there. He'll get the hang of it, it just takes time!

I understand what your saying, but its so frustrating. He knows what to do, he just won't do it. He doesn't want to be bothered.

Take him to the potty as often as humanly possible. Have him sit down and turn on the water to a trickle if it helps. And if you need to, let him run around naked when you can. Other kids do that too. (Mine just pees on the floor so I can't do that) And be patient. Strict will, in my opinion, make him less likely to want to go on his own.

GOOD LUCK. I'm PT'ing my 2.5 yr old son too.