Wont tell me when he needs to go

[crunchyNurseMommy]

My son is 2 1/2 & seems interested in potty training, I think. He likes wearing big boy undies & hates having his diaper changed.

BUT here is my problem - he doesn't tell me he needs to go potty. When we are at home or I am with him (or hubby) we prompt him & put him on the toilet every hour or so. But anywhere else or with anyone else he doesn't do as well because he doesn't say "I need to go potty". He will, with me, ask me "are these big boy undies or a diaper" & I tell him undies & ask him if he needs to go potty. He will say now but within minutes he will pee his pants. So maybe that is his way to tell me he needs to go? Or am I pushing him?
I am washing 2-3 pairs of pants a day, which is fine if it will help eventually?

I have tried grovia trainer which he tends to think are more diapers because of the snaps but will wear them because they pull up. I don't trust them for nap though. I have ecoposh trainers which are great for around the house because it doesn't equal a puddle on the floor like regular undies but now that he has Mickey mouse undies he doesn't really want these. Gerber undies just seem like a waste because they don't absorb anymore than regular undies IMO.

Continue with having him have accidents, go back to diapers, find another pull up?

[WinterBaby]

It sounds like he is ready but may not quite have made the leap from "I'm peeing" to "I have to pee." I think you could either get another kind of trainer or try Oh Crap Potty Training. We used OCPT when DD was 22 months, and I swear by it! It sounds like you are in a good window of opportunity - go for it!

[Nerissa]

Sounds to me he is not ready. I hate, hate cleaning up pee accidents so that would not fly in my house. My boys were interested in the potty at about 2.5--meaning they liked to sit on it but only very rarely did they actaully go on the potty. About a month before turning 3 they were ready for underware/naked time and there were no accidents and they were taking themselves to the potty w/very little reminders for me. If I noticed them dancing around or it had been a few hours then I would remind them but that is it.

What I would do is leave him a diaper or trainer that is more absorbant and try again in a month. You can ask him if he want to go on the potty but then you don't have to take him every hour. Havinng to take a kid every hour to the potty and he still has accidents IMO, means he isn't ready.

[sisu]

With my son, a few months made all the difference between us having to prompt him to potty and him going himself without even needing to tell us. I'd back off for now and then try again in a few months.