Potty training

[Kab30]

Help ...my lo was 3 on Tuesday so I need to start...how do I start ...tips please xx

I would start by not panicking they don't have to be trained on the dot at three. If they're ready just get a potty, go to the library get a book about potty training, buy some big kid pants and give it a go on a week you can stay close to the potty at all times. Good luck!

Don't faff about with potties, just go straight to the toilet or you'll obly have to do it all again. I've toilet trained 3 this way. Reward chart by the loo, mark off every trip and every few gets a small reward. Works a charm and dry in a couple of days in my experience.

Put a positive spin on it eg not bring a baby so they can have big toys, start a hobby thru want etc

Use reward charts, with a treat at the end.

Some people time every 20 mind amd take the child the toilet.

If they feel strange pooing. Put up a picture by the toilet that they can colour or paint. Or whatever will distract them.

Never make a fuss of accidents.

Don't expect too much and you do need to be near toilets at the start.

Read the book oh crap.
Make sure they can manage their clothes just trousers for now.
Spend at least the first day at home and keep the little on naked from the waist down. Watch them like a hawk and as soon as they start to wee pick them and up them on the potty and say now you wee on the potty. Keep doing this and then they will start to recognise that they need a wee and will start doing it themselves. You can then put on clothes but no undies for 6 weeks and start small trips out with the potty but it’s fine for them to stay naked at home.

Should have started with letting them choose their character underwear.

Master dry of a day before you do night.

I'm so nervous .....xx

You might find the ERIC website helpful: they have a lot of resources and advice for potty training:
www.eric.org.uk/pages/category/potty-training

I second the Oh Crap! Potty Training book / approach. If you have a kindle you can download it.

I started pt with just a vague idea of what to do, was a messy stressful day. Speed read OCPT (there is also a fb group) and it gave me a process to follow and milestones to meet before moving on a stage resulting in very quick progress.

Be warned though the authors view is that age 3 is getting late in the prime window of pt but don’t let that put you off it’s otherwise pretty straight forward:
Start with them naked and a potty close bybin the same room
Get them sat on the potty as soon as you spot they’re about to or they are already wee-ing
Once they're self initiating introduce pants
Then same thing kept getting g them to the potty
Prompt and ask if they need to go but don't over prompt and making it stressful
Then add clothes etc
Take potty EVERYWHERE

I’d say DD had mastered it to a good degree within 5days but don’t expect them never to have accidents once they’re pt. it’s common abd normal for accidents / bed wetting to occur until around 5yrs old

In the middle of this now. Large arsed toddler would not sit on the potty AT ALL. Tried to entice him all the right ways and eventually I bribed him with a biscuit, yes I did. It worked. And now it’s day 3 with roughly 1 accident a day. No more biscuits, just stickers. Good luck!

Also, some practical advice. I use every opportunity to get him to sit down on it. Every hour or so, after a drink, before we go out, whenever I go, I preempt every wee so that I’m not waiting for him to be wet before he realises. Today he told me he needed to go and held it till we got to the potty, so that was a massive success!

I just trained (I didn’t train really, he was ready) my eldest at 4 in a few days (we have other complications, so a reason why he is 4, so please do not judge). But, he took to it like a duck to water, we left potty around the house and put pull ups on - encouraged, but made it not compulsory (so no pressure), nappies then off for a few days, at home (all day), then put big pants on. He is so proud of himself, still screams with delight when there is a poo and a wee (just like pirate Pete). Within a week, he is also dry at night. I know he should be ready as he is 4, but for our own reasons it is such a big milestone. At first I found potty training very stressful, youngest found it stressful too, but more so, so we called it off for them. I didn’t know that 3 was the ‘age’, does it matter if they are not quite there at 3? If anyone judges, they should have a word with themselves. Best of luck!

Placemarking cheekily as I'm fast approaching this stage with my b/g DTs so need all the tips I can get. Good luck OP!

Second the forget the potty approach.

Go straight for the toilet. At 3 I would expect them to be ready unless there are other medical issues.

3/4 days where you don’t leave the house. Take child to the toilet every half and hour and sit them on it.

Once you take the nappy off DO NOT put it back on during the day. Stick with it. I also put my DS to bed without a nappy and put it on him as soon as he fell asleep so he never felt like he was wearing a nappy.

@Autumnbloom sounds like you’re boy has done brilliantly well

The OCPT author has the view that after three the average child has a strong sense of self and immense will power so if they decide that actually ‘no thank you, I love my nappy and will not be parted from it’ then the parents are going to struggle to break the habit.
Where as the average 2yr old is much more malleable and eager to please / easily rewarded with a high five and a well done, so they’re easy to train.

She does make the point that for many reasons some children sit outside her ideal age bracket and still pt very successfully

I’d also go straight to toilet and get a toddler toilet seat to place over the seat. If you have a boy teach him to push his willy down before weeing or he will wee all over his top!

Agree with go straight to using a toilet. We got a padded seat insert and footstep to help them onto the toilet. Planned to stay indoors for a few days (managed 3 I think). Dressed them in baggy top and no pants, heating cranked up so not cold. Gave them plenty to drink then took them to the toilet every hour until they peed!! Loads of praise, small treat each time.
When we eventually ventured out I used pull ups with pants underneath so they could feel if they'd had an accident. But used public toilets when necessary (yuk). The pull ups took away the stress of getting them onto a public toilet ASAP as sometimes they were unsure.
Stay calm, keep positive, good luck!

Buy lots of socks, knickers and legging / jogging bottom style pants. Keep lots of old towels nearby!! It takes longer to get the hang of pooing in the loo compared to weeing.
Set aside a few days when you don’t need to go out. Importantly Persevere with it!
Don’t bother with pull ups during the day, they will confuse your little one.

@MimiSunshine we are very proud, he’s had a lot to deal with in his short life and we are brand new to parenting! He took this on himself and conquered! Some kids are just much younger than their chronological age, for Reasons beyond their control.

Watching.
What age did you all toilet train yours? Sorry op not trying to hijac your thread

Sounds like he has the perfect parents in you both then and will continue to thrive and flourish with your support

I also agree with the 'straight to toilet' approach. My first DD pretty much toilet trained herself at just over 2 and a half. Never used the potty and has only ever had 1 accident and she's now almost 6.

My second DD is now the same age my first was when toilet trained and she will often sit on the toilet and just sit there. She's yet to actually do a wee/poo but she does try. We bought a family toilet seat because a lot of children are scared of falling in the toilet so at least with the family seat she can sit comfortably without fear of falling

2yr1mth but DD was telling us she was going and wanting to take her nappy off straight away (especially 💩 ones) plus was dry for long periods before doing one big wee

My DS was just turned 2, he was telling us he needed to wee, and pulling nappy off to poo 🙈 but he took a longer time to be reliably dry. He loved producing a little minuscule wee in the potty every 15 mins at first ! He wore a pull up at night for about 6 months though.
DD was 2.4 and needed some persuasion to try at first but got the hang of it within 3 days.

I'm away next week for few days so thought it's only fair I do it when in back and not to lumber anyone else with the beautiful job x

We found some good advice on this forum and other websites like this one (just picked randomly as these are the bed pads we used) www.brollysheets.co.uk/pages/help-advice it seems to be about reading up and finding what works for you.