Day 3 and appear to be getting worse not better

[MalmMumma]

DS is 2.4 and asked to have big boy pants on the other day so decided just to roll with it. He had one accident that day when distracted by a visitor. Yesterday no accidents but today he's had 2 in the space of about an hour. The first was a wee, the second was a wee and a poo. He's doing really well if I ask him does he want to go but doesn't seem to be able to tell me when he needs it. The wee/poo tonight happened when I was distracted by a phone call - if I'd have thought about it I could have put him on the potty as he usually poos before his bath. He also gets really frustrated if he says he doesn't want to go and I try to encourage him. Should I just back off a bit and trust him when he says no?? Thanks in advance.

[Gwenci]

Hi Malm

Just wondering how you've been getting on since your post? Only I came here for some advice and your post pretty much exactly nails what I was going to ask.

I started training my DD on Friday and today, the third day, was the worst. She'd been doing pretty well, but today it's been a string of half accidents in that she'll tell me she needs a wee but what she means is 'I'm already doing a wee', she'll then hold some wee back and so it on the potty so it's 50% in her knickers and the remainder in the potty.

She seems not to know the 'I need to go' feeling, just the 'oh, I'm already going' one.

Just like your DS, she doesn't react well to being asked if she needs to go. Her automatic response is just 'NO!!!!', despite then wetting herself 5 minutes later. She's a very dominant character and I do not want this to become a battle of wills!

Did your DS improve after day 3? Did you stop asking him and just trust he'd get the hang of the 'I need to go' feeling?

[RedRobin1]

Bumping and interested to know if there was any change? We are on day 2 and you could have written my post.

DD is 2.4 and had no accidents bare bottomed for 10 days. Then we put pants on and said bye bye to nappies and day 1 she had one accident and lots of damp knickers where she realised she's about to go and holds and does the remainder on the potty . Day 2 is starting to become a battle where she refuses when asked to sit on the potty and has had 4 wee and 1 poo accident. Any helpful suggestions? Should we stop? I don't want to battle with her as she's very strong minded but at the same time she took to the potty so well when bare bottomed. Never needed to ask her to use the potty, she just took herself to it. But with pants on she seems to forget and treats them like nappies

[Gwenci]

Hi RedRobin, yes, there was change!!

Day 3 for us was crappy, day 4 marginally better and by the end of the week DD had pretty much got it.

Its now 3 weeks since we started and I'd say she's totally potty trained - I think we've had one accident in the last 10 or so days. I'm so so glad I stuck with it as, like you, I was desperate to avoid a battle of wills and seriously considered putting her back in nappies on day 4.

It all became so much better when I stopped asking DD to sit on the potty and just trusted her to do it herself. We had a few accidents that way but it was much less stressful for both of us.

It sounds like your DD has really got it, she just needs a bit of practice now that there are knickers in the equation! My DD was just the same but after a few days she was much much better.

I'd say stop asking her and trust her to do it herself to avoid any battles. You might have a couple of days of accidents but she'll get better.

I also found a chocolate button as an incentive worked miracles. DD got bored of stickers early on so I told her she could have a chocolate button for every wee (and two for every poo) that went entirely in the potty. So we'd both check her knickers after each wee in the potty and if they were totally dry she'd get a button. If they were damp I said 'oh dear, they're a little bit wet but you did so well getting most of it in the potty. I'm sure next time you'll get it ALL in and you can have a button.'
I felt mean not giving a button but I really stuck to my guns and it gave her a massive incentive to get all the wee in the potty.

Keep going! It sounds like you've both done really well so far.

[RedRobin1]

Wow great to hear there was so much positive change. Dd had just one accident on day 3 and dry today on day 4. However she happily goes on the potty when asked to by childminder but I still have to coax her to use it. I try not to have a battle and just say come on let's go on the potty and give her buttons as reward and stickers but there are times she will just refuse and then have an accident. So I may try your approach of letting her choose when to go but I am scared we may have a lot of accidents as she will not go if she's busy playing.