Help! Toddler now petrified of weeing or having nappy off

[herewegoagain92]

We tried potty training my 2 year old just before Christmas and he was just holding in his wee all day long and waiting until we put his nappy on at bedtime before weeing, we maybe got 4 wees on the potty and 2 accidents in a week of potty training. So we decided to leave it with the intention of trying again in a few weeks.

However he is now terrified of weeing, he is refusing to go in the bath as it means taking his nappy off! Even though it's been a few weeks since we stopped and he has his nappy on he clenches his legs all the time, still trying to hold in his wee.

Since about 15 months he's used the potty off an on, no problems having a wee if I sat him on it and he would even bring me the potty when he needed a wee from about 18 months but his little brother was born 6 months ago so the potty got put away for a while and he now he hates it.

Any ideas what I can do? I need him to have a bath without a complete meltdown and he is now so paranoid about weeing even with his nappy on!

I know he is capable of potty training as he knows when he needs a wee and poo but obviously I don't mind waiting for a while but would it just be best to start training again and just stick with it until he is over his phobia of weeing?

[user137473]

Are you sure it is fear, not pain?

[Bunnybigears]

I would think maybe urine infection as well, seem strange to be so fearful of weeing both in and out of the nappy.

[herewegoagain92]

I took him to the drs for something else about a week after stopping and he checked him over and said everything seems ok. I had dipped his urine a couple of times when he had done a wee on the potty and it was clear but obviously we haven't actually sent off a sample. I'll ring the drs again tomorrow but I don't think it is pain as he is happy to go in the bath until I take the nappy off. He then just stands up and clenches his legs while saying wee even though it's just the water.

[herewegoagain92]

Just to add, he never had any issues with weeing in his nappy or being nappy free for a couple of hours before we started potty training, he didn't clench his legs or anything. It literally started the first day of potty training as he'd held the wee for so long he dribbled down his legs and he got so upset about it.

[MsChatterbox]

Maybe you can start rewarding him for weeing in his nappy? He might feel it's no longer allowed. I think forget everything about potty training for at least 3 months after getting completely over this fear. Then start back with the casual approach like he was doing at 18 months where he has a nappy but then can wee in the potty if he wants to. Then when you're back at that stage you can start a sticker chart and trying to encourage him to go more? I wouldn't try the nappy off approach with him again personally.