Chocolate for potty training...

[buzzy bee]

...is there anything wrong with it?

Up until now I've thought "there's no way I'd ever do this" and when I had a 3-year-old who got a sweet every time he used the loo I didn't like doing it as I didn't agree with it.

However, DS has just started to show an interest in the potty and when he does a wee on it I feel so proud of him I want to give him a little chocolate button or something...

And I want to say to him "if you tell me when you need a wee and you do one on the potty you can have a chocolate button"

But a big part of me thinks this is the wrong way to go about it...

What are your (more experienced) views?!

[sonia ann]

why not let him choose a packet of stickers and design a sticker chart, then when he gets 5 stickers say, he has a little pocket money gift or something similar........... I'm not a fan of rewarding with sweets either

[buzzy bee]

I did think about stickers but he has stickers all the time as he loves them so much so it's not really a treat for him. And when I've tried doing a sticker chart in the past it hasn't worked...

[Baildon bears]

Personaly I would not use chocolate, sure theres nothing wrong with giving him a treat if he has been good all day, may be some chocolate buttons as a reward. but not after every wee, I used a sticker reward, kids love stickers don't they, he had them stuck all over his potty.

[mama2three]

Im sure there are other things he would be just as happy about getting? Stickers is the first that springs to mind but there are all sorts of things depending on the child.
Im not a fan of rewards with food - feeling it can sometimes be the cause of issues later .

[caz3007]

I had a LO whose mum had devised a reward system and he got a smartie for every 3 wees in the pot. He got a sticker for the others. It worked as we were having real problems with this LO and potty training and he was off to nursery soon and they wouldnt take them unless they were dry by 3

[QualityCare]

personally for your own child l see nothing wrong with rewarding him with a single chocolate button.

[AgentTink]

My little girl loved getting high fives for number ones and big high 10's for number 2's. 3 months on and she still insists on the big high 10's for number 2's and if your not around when she does it she will shout it all over the house until you do.

However I do think that if something works for your child even if it is just a little sweet than so be it, it is a big step using the toilet.

My friend went one step further and bought vitamin jelles so every day when her little one did a poo on the toilet they got a " sweet"

[PixiePetal]

I can think of worse things than a single choc button - whatever works for you, especially as it is your own child. My DS who is a teen now had a smartie - he has no food issues because of it! once he had the hang of it the smarties sometimes 'ran out' or he got a sticker for the potty and he forgot about them

[karens knippers]

For something different why not get a small branch off a tree, put it in a small pot in the house.When child uses potty they can colour a 'beautiful blossom or lovely leaf'. When they tree is full why not let them then choose a toy, or activity that they really like...or as it own child treat then to a new toy/clothes or dvd

[Bridey]

He's your son, if you want to give him a chocolate button then do My son was toilet trained using a smartie as a reward and, when he eventually overcame his fear and did a poo he got a whole mini box! The smartie phase only lasted a couple of weeks and then gave way to copious amounts of praise before the whole process became normal and everyday. He's now a tall, lanky 14 year old who only occasionally eats chocolate and he has perfect teeth. It didn't damage his health in any way - mentally or physically!

(I'm now smiling at the thought of him still coming to me for a smartie after a wee )

[PixiePetal]

He's your son, if you want to give him a chocolate button then do My son was toilet trained using a smartie as a reward and, when he eventually overcame his fear and did a poo he got a whole mini box! The smartie phase only lasted a couple of weeks and then gave way to copious amounts of praise before the whole process became normal and everyday. He's now a tall, lanky 14 year old who only occasionally eats chocolate and he has perfect teeth. It didn't damage his health in any way - mentally or physically!

(I'm now smiling at the thought of him still coming to me for a smartie after a wee )

that's what I was thinking when I wrote my reply - mine is 15yrs old and 6'2" now

[Bridey]

that's what I was thinking when I wrote my reply - mine is 15yrs old and 6'2" now

Can you imagine ... "MuuUUuuuum, canava smartie?"

[buzzy bee]

Thanks for the replies... well I decided to give him a sticker to stick on the potty and he seemed to really like it, and I've promised he can have another one when he does his next wee so we'll see how that goes...

It's funny as I never give him much chocolate and don't use food as a treat, I just had an urge to give him some - it's amazing how proud you can feel!!

Another question... if they tell you they need a wee, sit on the loo / potty but don't actually so anything, should they still have a sticker for telling you and trying?

[Bridey]

One sticker for trying, two stickers for a wee and three for a poo?

[Mouse]

One sticker for trying, two stickers for a wee and three for a poo?

I'd have to do two for a poo and three for a wee - it rhymes nicely

[Bridey]

[scoobydoo1]

What about doing a potty training chart, he then gets special stickers to go on that chart when he does something in the potty. I got a picture from the net or clip art and put the days of the week down and when he gets so many he could get something special at the end of the week xx

[Bridey]

when he gets so many he could get something special at the end of the week xx

Chocolate buttons

[nipper]

cheerios float better than buttons...sorry couldn't resist that