Potty Training - how long until no accidents in your experience?

[AliceTheCamelHasFiveHumps]

DD is nearly 3 - like in 2 weeks. And has been potty training since October and is still having occasional accidents. Sometimes "choosing" to do poos in particular in her pants. Sometimes getting carried away with playing etc. She will probalby have an accident 2-3 days. And almost always a poo accident.

Anyway - I was wondering, what are your experiences really?

I read on here sometimes of kids "cracking it in 3/5/7 days" and took that to mean they absolutely had no accidents there after? Is that true? Or is that they just learned the toilet is where wee/poo should go? Or did they genuinely have zero incidents after?

I also know that some people misremember/interpret their kids training, Like my SIL says her son cracked it in 2 weeks, but actually he absolutely refused to do a poo on the loo and would only go on potty and would withhold until a potty was produced. and i know he had poo accidents as a result
So to me that isn't "cracking it" - it was only when
he was 4 did he only use toilet when they 'bribed' him with chocolate.

I read online sometime sit takes up to 6 months?

SO please can you tell me what you experience is? So i know if I am expecting too much from DD? Is 6 weeks on acceptable for her to still make "mistakes"?? It's so confusing. I know every child is different, but I've never done this before and I don't know.

p.s. IDC about night time - that will happen naturally i know. hormones and stuff - i don't count that as part of potty training..

My daughter started using the potty occasionally over a period of 6 months, but kept regularly wetting her nappy until we removed it one rainy weekend, when she was about 30 months old. She had 3 accidents on the day, and then was dry ever since. After a couple of weeks she was also dry overnight. This felt really fast and easy, and I consider her fully trained, but we still occasionally have accidents. We don't make a big deal of it, I think it's quite normal when they are this young. I feel it is generally because she's too busy playing to bother going to the potty until it's urgent, and then it's too late. I've heard this might even happen more often when the turn 3!

"but we still occasionally have accidents."

Ok so it's not 100%? But you'd still say she's potty trained?
I don't make a big deal if it. I just wanted to know what people's experiences are.
So like you'd report "fully trained" but actually id consider that not trained because of the accidents. Am i wrong?

Maybe this is why I'm thinking she's not "doing well" when actually it's fairly normal for accidents despite reports of "fully trained"?

It's so difficult to know:'(

One of mine trained at 3 and after about a month was completely reliable, with the exception of when she was sick.

The other of mine trained at 3 but was having occasional accidents until at least 7.

When I said they “cracked” potty training after about a week (which they both did), I meant they had grasped the concept, could tell me they needed to go, could get to and use the toilet most of the time, could wee “on command” before we went out and were out of nappies. I regarded them as “trained”. It didn’t mean no accidents! Your daughter sounds like she’s completely normal and doing fine to me.

One of mine only ever had 1 accident which was 3 days after we started training, at 2 and 8 months. She was also dry at night from 18 months. I don’t think she’s the norm, but it is possible. She just got it and seems to have good control.

my other one (older) had occasional accidents for about 6 months after we started training at 2 and 7 months. She still very occasionally has accidents now (she’s nearly 9) and wasn’t dry at night until 7.5 (we let nature take its course for night, didn’t try anything).

they were both trained using the same techniques (which a childminder in the play park told me, not anything special!)

I don’t think my nearly 9 yo would be very happy if I told her she wasn’t fully trained yet 🤣

Ok, thanks ever so.
I'll give her time.

Sometimes they have fewer accidents at the start and hold it in for ages, then once they relax into it the accidents start to increase. Weird but true. I wouldn't worry too much.

Accidents are normal and children can be otherwise 99% reliable. My daughter would have occasional accidents after reception class at school because she wasn't able to go as often as she wants.

At your childs age there could be odd accidents for a little while, especially at nursery where they are busy playing.

I only remember one of my dc having 1 poo accident - he'd been fairly reliable for about 4 months by then. I think he got over-excited - it was Halloween!

So, you took off nappies and he went straight in potty and he never had an accident (apart from the one mentioned) ever? Amazing!

We started in April, gave up on holiday in June as she just was not getting it and everyone was so stressed. Started again end of September and she seems much more ready. Some days totally dry, some days 1 accident, some days 2. Mainly have accidents when she is tired or very busy in play. Always wee accidents.
You do begin to wonder if they'll ever be dry lol.

My first we tried potty training at 2yrs 5 months (creche pressure) and had to abandon after a week or so as she wasnt 'getting' it. Tried again at 2yrs 9 months and after 3 days she never had an accident again.
My second we tried at 3 years, absolute disaster, wee and poo everywhere except the toilet. Didnt try again until 4 years 1 month, as he started asking not to wear nappies. Hes now 4 yrs 6 months and every now and then, maybe once a month, will wee himself while playing because he just doesnt want to interrupt play for the loo.

The word "acceptable" and potty training don't go together.

It is what it is and will be different for every child. One of mines 2 year old was very switched on and got it in about 4 week's ( a few accidents untill they fizzled out).
Mine started at 3 and then got it quickly with the odd accident until it fizzled out.

One lady started at 2 and was still trailing around her DC with a potty until 3!!

If you put pressure on you massively Risk "issue's".

Daughter at 2.5, was dry overnight in nappies so we started training. Probably 2-3 weeks getting to grip with weeing in the potty. Lots of withholding and then accidents as she was bursting. Pooing took longer as she only went every third day and so less practice. That was probably 3-4 weeks to crack. No accidents since.

Son, tried and gave up over about 4 months as he was 3.5 years. Eventually just went with the oh crap method and that was 10 days of accidents to crack weeing. Again pooing was another couple of weeks afterwards with one very bad incident where we forgot the changing bag! After that it was fine other a half a dozen times when he was upset or ill. They are nearly 3 and 5 now and no accidents at all for 4-5months.

What has really helped has been graduating straight to toilet. Youngest uses a mini seat that slots on and a stool but they prefer that massively to the potty.

Agree about causing issues. My daughter started potty training and spend maybe a week or more after nappy went, retaining her wee for a day or more. This meant that when we eventually relented and put her in a nappy she instantly flooded it and soaked what she was wearing or, if we persuaded her onto the potty she sat doing nothing, then stood up THEN did a massive wee all over the floor, scaring herself so much that she tried to run away trailing a waterfall of wee, she would then slip over (wood floor) and it was all very distressing. (Hilarious in retrospect) it took a lot to get past that, mostly bribery.

Yesterday I would have said my 2 year old had it cracked, even overnight, but today it seems he's trying to hold in his poop and has had an accident in his pants and wanted a nappy on 🤷

We'll, she goes by herself at home without assistance (other than wiping after a poo), and we've been able to comfortably drop nappies day and night. The fact sometimes there are a few drops of wee in her knickers and very occasionally (once every few weeks?) She has an accident at nursery, doesn't really make me think she's not fully trained.
I mean, since giving birth I cannot fully trust myself to sneeze with a very full bladder, but I am definitely considering myself trained!
Accidents can happen ;-)

We started potty training at 3. We tried before but she was having none of it. We took off her nappy at home and rushed her to the toilet when she needed to go. Within a week, most wees were on the toilet. However, she still did poos in her nappy. The only way we cracked it was every time we saw her about to poo, we rushed her to the toilet and then lots of praise. It took way longer to get there. A good couple of months. She still wears a nappy at night.
There's really no rush, just keep it positive, she will get there eventually!

DD started at about 3 and a quarter. She was naked from the waist down for 3 days, which I think helped. On day 6 we drove 300 miles. It took forever, as stopping at the services for a wee was a novelty she wanted to take full advantage of, but not a single accident after that.

I started when my daughter was 3.2. After 2 weeks we were down to zero poo accidents and 2-3 wee accidents per week, usually when she was tired. It took another 3 months to get to virtually no accidents (< 1 per month). That's daytime, not attempted night yet. I do think it was a case of waiting for readiness.

Over my years minding I've probably trained about 30 if not more. Generally yes it's about a week to be down to an occasional 1 or 2 wets a week ..then about 3 weeks in they get board so you have a wet week . .....providing they were showing signs of being ready before you start if you start because of their age it can be months.
Pooh depends on....are they constipated...not just not going but soft consistency so it doesn't hurt, are they scared.

They are all different some kids do jay crack is right away and hardly any or Jo accidents after.

First child trained at just gone 2. First day terrible basically peed herself all day and I nearly have up. Second day a couple of accidents and after that she hardly ever had an accident. Potty was gone by day 3 too and straight to toilet for pees and poos. Didn't get her out of bedtime nappies until she was closer to 3.

Second child was 2yrs 4 months and I'd already tried when she was 2 and it was a disaster. This time she was much better just a a few accidents day 1 with pees but after a few days pretty much dry. Poos were a problem for 2 weeks she wld just poo in her pants. Was terrified to poo on toilet or potty. We promised a light up mermaid Barbie (she really wanted one) and that did the trick. We occasionally had accidents for a couple of weeks with pees but not many. She was dry overnight right away. Once did a poo in her pants randomly after a few months when she had been reliably using toilet no bother 🤷🏻‍♀️ we were out at park and I think she was enjoying herself too much to stop for a poo 😂

She's actually really good I suppose. She takes herself to toilet at home and uses it without a special seat etc. So there's no problem if there's only an ordinary toilet anywhere, which makes things easier I suppose.

I guess I need to ignore the poos in the pants for now. Just take her to toilet to clean up and remind her poo goes in the toilet?

Thanks for all the reassurance that "my kid is fully trained after X time" actually means (in most cases) they're mostly there with a few accidents for a fair while.

If you think about it, potty training is about a child having the capacity to take responsibility for a key bodily function, which requires bodily awareness, communication, and willingness!

Being able to and being willing to vary a lot. They're all individual.

DD took a year to be reliable, ds took about a month and I can't remember any poo accidents. Trained at roughly the same age, method and approach. They're not robots, they vary and get there in the end. In the meantime you need a reliable mop.

We used the book Oh Crap when our DS was 22 months old.

He was dry within a few days, but was consistently dry within 2 weeks. Then at 26 months was dry through the night, he used to get up,go to the bathroom,have a wee and then back to bed.

Yes just keep cleaning her up and reminding her as you say.