AARGH! 3 yo regression with potty training

[Messing]

Hoping someone can help, I am at the end of my tether.

DS was potty trained around 9 months ago, aged 2.4. It was pretty successful - he became reliably dry quite quickly, and within a few weeks we'd got to the point of no accidents (or very rare, anyway). Most of the time he had to be reminded to go to the loo, although he would often go of his own accord.

However, he's now aged 3.1 and seems to have regressed in the last few weeks to the point where he's having at least one accident a day (thankfully wee only). We have started asking him at very regular intervals, and he just says 'no' but then wets himself not long after. When confronted, he just smiles and agrees that it was the wrong thing to do, but can't explain why he does it.

We have tried offering a (small, edible) reward for a whole accident-free day, and also taking away a toy when he has an accident, saying it makes mummy sad etc - but he just doesn't seem that bothered.

Has anyone been through anything similar? Any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated.

BTW - forgot to say - no major changes recently. He does have a sibling, but they were born prior to starting potty training. He has moved up a room in nursery (about a month ago) but that all seems to have gone well - he is happy there, although more kids and fewer staff/different key worker.

[amyboo]

Noadvice, but lots of sympathy. DS1 (age 2.11) was potty trained at about 2.4 and has been fine since then. He was even dry for naps - something he did of his own accord. Since January he's started regularly wetting himself at maternelle (Belgian kindergarten) during naptime - even if he doesn't sleep! It's infuriating, because he knows he shouldn't, he is more than capabale of doing a 2-3 hour nap without weeing, and regukarky does it for us at home. But at maternelle he seems to have seen some kids wearing pull ups for their nap and thinks he can also wee in his pants! We've been trying to praise lots when he has a dry day, and not make too mich fuss when he doesn't, other than to tell him he shouldn't do it etc. i'm hoping it's just a phase, and the achool certainly don't seem that concerned....

[blackteaplease]

We recently had this and reintroduced the sticker chart. Dd gets 2 chocolate buttons after 5 stickers and a present eg magazine after 25 stickers. After 4 weeks of charts and lots of positive praise and biting our lip for accidents dd has had a dry week and is taking herself off to the loo again.

It's very frustrating but should get better.

[SneezySnatcher]

We're going through this. DD is three next month and has been reliably dry for seven months. I am 32 weeks pg and, although she's very happy and excited about the baby, she is probably a bit unsettled.

We give her a coin (10p or 5p) every time she uses the loo. This is because one of her friends has a new little toy that DD liked. She puts the coin in her piggy bank and is saving for the same toy as her friend. We are avoiding chocs because of a high risk of developing diabetes due to family factors!

It's upsetting/frustrating when they've been dry for so long!

[financialwizard]

My dd did this too but it was purely down to change and improved after a month or so.

[Messing]

thanks for the words of wisdom, all. fingers crossed for all of us.

[libelula]

Same thing happening with my little boy he's 3.3 and has been dry since September but in the last month has started wetting himself at school and at home. Seems like he just doesn't know when he needs to go. Thinking of going back to star charts and reminding him to go to the toilet regularly. I have no idea why it's happening though, no new sibling, started school in September (they start early in Spain) no big changes in his life since then. Took him to the doctor to see if it was an infection but result was negative.

[mummy2benji]

Maybe the potty is a bit boring? My ds was much keener on using the "big toilet" so I got him a cheap toilet seat and we bypassed the potty stage. You can buy these blue balls (maybe search 'potty training balls' on google or amazon?) with smiley faces on that you chuck down the loo and little boys can aim at. Ds was so amused by this that he couldn't wait to try to "hit a peepee ball!" Maybe making it fun to use the loo might convince him to be a bit more pro-active about avoiding wetting.