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Potty training

The Potty- to bribe or not to bribe?

11 replies

RedLemonade · 11/11/2016 10:37

DD is 2.5 and able to tell us when she's about to wee or poo but has no great interest in potty training as yet.

She sat on it for a bit the other day when she was in the bath and felt she needed a poo. Nothing happened but we had a nice chat and she inspected It every so often while sitting.

Now when she mentions doing a poo I offer the potty and she has so far declined in favour of nappy.

I wonder should I offer a small casual bribe. "Maybe you could try the potty? People sometimes get a chocolate button if they use the potty..."

Or will I just keep waiting for her to take the lead?

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RedLemonade · 26/11/2016 08:05

I'm just going to update in case anyone is interested in future!

I did do the "casual" chocolate button mention. DD quietly assimilated this and that evening we did some nappy free time. When a wee was needed I offered potty or nappy and she did indeed go for potty! Wee done, chocolate administered, celebrations etc.

The next morning she did a poo in the potty (no chocolate needed this time) and since then we had 2 accidents that day, 1 the next, and none since. Her night nappies are generally dry now so I think she'll be ready for that soon too.

So the gentle push worked for us as she was very clearly ready

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M0stlyHet · 26/11/2016 08:19

Chocolate buttons certainly worled with my DC. I think bribery is a much undervalued parenting technique. And don't worry - I can reassure you from personal experience that your DD will not still be expecting buttons every time at the age of nine (despite the dire warnings in some parenting books).

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Reiltin · 26/11/2016 08:41

We don't bribe, as a general rule. But nothing was working so we went full-on bribery! We went to a pound shop and filled a basket with stuff for her. Went home and wrapped everything and put it in a bucket. After every success, she got a lucky dip. Worked like a charm!!!

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SweepTheHalls · 26/11/2016 08:43

Bribe all the way!

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n0ne · 26/11/2016 08:44

Bribery worked brilliantly for us half a year ago, and now DD has lost all interest. She's now 3.7 and uses the potty/loo maybe twice a week

I'm glad it worked for you, though

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RedLemonade · 26/11/2016 11:52

Oh no n0ne! I hope she comes around

Touch wood for us. Finally crappy new palm oil ridden Cadbury's chocolate does some good!

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GeekyWombat · 26/11/2016 16:25

Thanks for this... we're braving DD 2.5 the weekend after next to tie in with being home a lot doing Christmas bits. There shall be chocolate bribery here too!

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daisiesinherfootsteps · 26/11/2016 16:55

Full on bribery worked for us. I made a sticker "poo chart" for the toilet door and got a sticker (plus tonnes of praise) for every poo in toilet, plus a kinder egg for every 5 poos in a row on the chart. Worked within a week!

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daisiesinherfootsteps · 26/11/2016 16:57

Should have said this was just under age 3. DD to this day never did a poo in a potty, straight from nappy to toilet for some reason.

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Tfoot75 · 26/11/2016 16:59

Did the same with chocolate buttons, worked immediately. Dropped the bribe after a couple of mini packets of buttons (over a week or so) and never looked back, barely an accident at all, 2 years 4 months.