What is causing his fear?

I had my oldest potty trained completely in 2 weeks. we lived back where it was woods around the house and he thought i was awsome to either pee on a tree or off the porch. haha. but it worked.try cherrios in the potty and have him try to shoot them :)

I wonder what he is afraid of... the flushing?

Maybe he thinks the potty will suck him in? If so (and this might sound odd) you will need to prove to him that he potty can't suck him in if that's his problem. Sit yourself on it and flush while on it, then something smaller like a large stuffed animal, then something smaller.

Maybe he's afraid of getting splashed?

One thing I can say on the peeing is: Cheerios. Seriously. Put a handful in the potty and tell him to shoot them. Helps with aim too.

Any luck with the cheerios? Have you tried rewards? My daughter responded well to m&m's (at first I would give her one or two just for sitting so she would get used to the idea), or a sticker chart? I agree with letting him watch you use the potty so he knows its safe. Good Luck!

Letting him watch you and daddy use the potty is a great idea! I bribed my daughter with chocolate. She was soooooo easy to potty train. I had her potty trained at 18 months!! ... well besides bed time and public places (im a germ phobe).

Hi. I have a 4 1/2 year old too, with the same problem and I just dont know what to do about it. I have tried to start her in school, but I am told that she must be potty trained first. It's very frustrating. It makes me question my parenting, but I know I have tried. My little one is afraid of the big potty (I call it), so I try her on the little one. But she just sits, and wont go potty. I have tried routine with her on a daily basis, but nothing. I did get some advice that I have not tried yet and I think I will and that is to completely remove all diapers. No more. And maybe that will kickstart the process, maybe she will then realize that she should go on the potty. But I dont know. I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in this. And sometimes knowing that might help. Maybe we can both work through it. Let me know if you find something that works.

With our boy we had him run around naked and put the potty chair out where he could see it. Worked for us...of course he could only be naked inside the house, but letting him pee outside is a good idea to...ours loves to do it and it helped as well, but we are in the country so you may not have that privledge.

Hi! I'm sure this is very frustrating to you. I have a very "strong willed" 3 yr old that was impossible to potty train. I did some online searching and found a program about an hour from me and I signed my son up and he was potty trained in 4 days. It was a tough 4 days, but it worked and he's relatively accident free. She's in the Chicago area, but she also has a DVD for sale and maybe instead could suggest someone where you live. Check out "bottycampmom.com" Check out her testimonials and media section...she specializes in kids with potty difficulties. The class was worth every penny! Good luck.