Positive story, hope it reassures someone!

[Zooforhouse]

Hi,

Don’t normally post much but would have liked to have read something reassuring after our first attempt so here goes....

Little one is just shy of 3. A month ago I read the ‘Oh Crap’ book and gave it a go. Disaster from start to finish. I felt like a failure from the offset as according to the author if left it too late. Child didn’t want to be bare bum. At all. Did want stickers. Would spend the day sitting on the potty to try and get a sticker, get up frustrated and then wee 10 seconds later and look surprised. He was frustrated and sad, and didn’t understand why we were stuck indoors, I was fed up, must be because I’d left it too late, not giving full attention (baby) etc etc and I was continually mopping up wee. Abandoned it and felt like a failure. He spent the next few weeks refusing point blank to try it again.

Today, 5 weeks later-noticed his morning nappy was dry, he agreed to sit on potty, wee in potty, delighted. Wants to wear pants, sticker chart back out. Lots of prompting but only one accident today. Not a stressful day, very relaxed. He can wee on command if put on potty at the right time and can tell me he needs a wee with a few seconds warning (poo another matter, but will get there). We went for a walk, he did wear a nappy for the walk (his choice) but he got to go out and didn’t feel like the evil pants were trapping him in the house.

He’s gone to bed happy, I’m happy, this may have been a fluke, but I feel he’s just ready now, and that is really a thing. He has some control now.

I’m not disputing the oh crap method-I know it can work amazingly well, and has for lots of my friendsWho have potty trained successfully early. This is also not a brag, it may all go massively wrong tomorrow, but I felt I felt so defeated after the first attempt that I thought I’d share in case someone else is frantically googling for reassurance like I was a month ago!

[Laura17111]

I love a positive potty training story, sounds like you are doing amazing!!

I always heard people say wait until they are ready but just wasn't sure with my little boy, he had no interest at all until we tried a few weeks later and since then he is doing so well, they definitely know when they are ready :)

[ColourMeExhausted]

Just seen this. Well done OP, sounds very encouraging!

The Oh Crap method did not work for us, all it did was send me into a state of stress and worry that my DD wasn't ready at 2.8. I stopped (even though the book tells you that if you do that it is WRONG), tried again two months later...she was dry within a week. With DS we tried a few times before he turned 3 but it was obvious he wasn't ready. So we waited and at 3.4 he pretty much got it again within a week. No drama or trauma, despite the dire warnings given in Oh Crap. Tbh I advise people to avoid that book, it has some good context but it also gives a heavy guilt trip if your child isn't trained by 2. Every child is different and they're ready when they're ready!

[Houseofvelour]

We tried the oh crap method when dd was 2 and a half and it was disastrous and left her truly traumatised. She would get hysterical any time she had a bare bum to the point we had to use swim nappies for baths for a while.

She never showed any interested in even trying to sit on the potty after that and I honestly thought it would not happen for years.

In March, she did a random wee in the potty and I decided to get rid of all her pull ups and told her they'd all gone and she uses the potty now.
She's been potty trained since with only a small handful of accidents! So happy with our success story and so happy for you with yours xx