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Is your child ready for potty training at nursery? Here's the place for all your toilet training questions.

Potty training

Will only wee/poo in nappy

2 replies

violeta · 17/03/2011 14:56

Hi, hope you can all advise.
My dd has just turned 3 and I've been trying to potty train her for the last month/6 weeks or so. All went well to start with and with bribery (playing with balloons / chocolate), she would sit and eventually wee on the potty. From the start she would never even consider the idea of doing a poo on the potty, but I just thought 'one step at a time' and let her have a nappy.

Then, we went away for a week to stay with family. I couldn't take her potty with us, and throughout the time away she wouldn't sit on the potty they had there. So, I was quite relaxed about it and let her have a nappy when she needed to go. Throughout this whole time, she hasn't wet/pooed in her pants, so is essentially continent.

However, since we've been back (a few weeks now), she won't do anything in the potty at all. I have tried every bribery trick I can think of, but she won't play ball. She just screams for a nappy and will take her pants off, get a nappy and put it underneath her for me to put on.

So, my question is (after this rather long essay), do I:

  1. continue as we are, and hope she'll ask for the potty/toilet (we have a Peppa Pig toilet seat she chose) in her own time
  2. go cold turkey on the nappies, but knowing how she is, I worry it'll put her off from wearing pants at all (which at the moment she is quite happy at wearing)

    Any other tips/reassurance/guide as to why she's doing this?!
    Thanks!
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pottynursey · 18/03/2011 07:52

This is such a common problem - do not worry!
Leave her in pants but allow a wee/poo nappy that has to be put on in the bathroom and where she stays until she has finished. The nappy is then taken off and pants put back on - if she has done a poo try and put the poo in the toilet (as that is where poo goes!) and get her to flush the toilet and wash/dry hands etc) Do this until it is routine - then you move the goal posts! She can have the nappy on BUT she must sit on the toilet/potty with the nappy on to wee/poo - no sitting no nappy - once she is sitting to wee/poo you have virtually cracked it! It is important to meet her half way and allow a nappy under your terms otherwise it becomes a battle!
Once she is sitting there are a number of strategies you can try to remove the nappy. I work for the charity PromoCon which provides advice and info about all sorts of toileting problems and related equipment etc and we have a helpine 0161 834 2001 - give us a ring if you get stuck!

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violeta · 18/03/2011 11:45

Thank you very much indeed for the sensible advice. Meeting her halfway is a good plan and I'll put all of this into action!

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