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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask when your children were potty trained?

206 replies

Chickensoupandbread · 08/07/2023 17:35

Starting to stress a bit and I know you shouldn’t but can’t even make the smallest steps as my toddler won’t even sit on the potty, just refuses to. 2 ys 8 months, and most other children we know are either trained or well on the way!

OP posts:
Original poster
Chickensoupandbread · 08/07/2023 19:48

Thanks @FlounderingFruitcake I’ll give that a try!

OP posts:
AliasGrape · 08/07/2023 19:49

About 2y 5m - we’d had the potty out for ages, talked about it, she’d done the odd wee on it. Then she started asking to go to the toilet when we were out and about. Couldn’t have seemed more ready really.

Decided to go for it and had got wees pretty much from day one, but poo became a bit of an issue.

Either way, pretty much done by 2y 5m - we had a weird relapse a few months later when we were on holiday and she started refusing the potty/ toilet altogether, was fine again once we’d been home a week or so.

Not dry at night though, not even close.

Friends with similar age children waited longer - till much closer to 3 or just after, and it seemed a much smoother process for them, plus they’ve been dry at night from quite early on. It’s made me wonder if we should have waited that bit longer, but she really did seem ready and was desperate for ‘big girl knickers’ like her cousins!

londonrach · 08/07/2023 19:52

Week or so before 3. Wasn't stressed by it ..she told me she wanted to wear pants. That was my potty training. No accidents. Glad waited till she ready as got friends who child want trained till just before school as they did it too early. Honestly don't worry about this....when they ready they ready. ..

londonrach · 08/07/2023 19:53

My. DD was dry on night at the same time ..

shelbabab · 08/07/2023 19:54

2yrs 2 months for first and 2yrs 4 months for second. Tried second at just turned 2 and it was a disaster. She's just didn't want to do it even though I knew she was more than able to.

There's not much u can do if they don't want to. I found when we had issues with poos we promised her a toy she really wanted if she done poos in the toilet for a week and it worked!

AlltheFs · 08/07/2023 19:55

A couple of weeks after her second birthday, we were in Covid quarantine for 10 days so it was easy as nothing else to do!
But we used cloth nappies which generally make it easier to train.

edgeware · 08/07/2023 19:56

2ish with both of mine, with 2.5 reliably. People leave it too late and that causes issues. A 2 year old is eager to please and will happily comply and love the praise - a 3+ year old is clever enough to know they’ve got something to get at you with.

Original poster
Chickensoupandbread · 08/07/2023 19:56

It honestly isn’t that I’m prioritising anything over potty training, I just genuinely don’t know how to get him to engage if he won’t? I’m guessing I can’t force him?

OP posts:
shelbabab · 08/07/2023 19:59

Have you tried using a toilet seat instead of potty. Mine didn't use the potty for very long at all and preferred the toilet seat. Potty was ditched after a day or 2 with both of mine.

Curseofthenation · 08/07/2023 20:00

22 months with the Oh Crap method.

Original poster
Chickensoupandbread · 08/07/2023 20:01

I can try the toilet! Problem is he won’t tell me when he needs to go so I’m not totally sure how that would work.

OP posts:
PinkPlantCase · 08/07/2023 20:01

Chickensoupandbread · 08/07/2023 19:56

It honestly isn’t that I’m prioritising anything over potty training, I just genuinely don’t know how to get him to engage if he won’t? I’m guessing I can’t force him?

Commit to it for a few days and just see what happens, it’s a skill you need to help him learn.

I do think being naked from the waist down makes a difference too, they first have to learn when they are weeing! It’s much more obvious for them and you if they aren’t wearing anything.

Kiwiandstrawberries · 08/07/2023 20:02

Genuinely cannot remember with my three but think they were between 2.5 -3 yrs . Granddaughter is 3.5 but refuses to use potty or loo to poo. Has history of constipation and it is almost a fear that she has ! She is 100% dry and happily uses potty to wee …all very odd !

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 08/07/2023 20:07

DD1 was properly potty trained by 2. She trained herself really. Just did it. Said she wanted to wear pants and did. We took her to a wedding wearing pants when she was 3 days past her 2nd birthday. Never had an accident. She did most things very early.

DD2 was 2years 5 months. But she insistent on doing poo in a nappy till she was 4. Actually told us that is what she was going to do. We sought medical advice about that. Nothing wrong. Just an outlier.

DS was an almost 3 (a couple of weeks shy of his third birthday) when we really cracked the potty training (after a false start a few months before that we abandoned as he was not ready). He never wet the bed but he did have the occasional accident when out and about for a further few months.

So mine had very different paths. But they all got there in the end.

Maray1967 · 08/07/2023 20:09

dS1 - 2 years 3 months. dS2 - a week after he turned 3. Quick in both cases but especially with DS2. He just would not engage before then but suddenly said one morning that he didn’t want to wear nappies anymore and that was that. Straight on to the loo, hardly ever used the potty. Nursery told me not to force it with DS2, and that he would get it quickly when he was ready.

LadyMacbethWasMisunderstood · 08/07/2023 20:10

i should add DS was not well on the way at 2 years 8 months. But when we did resume having a go again just before his third birthday he “got it” in a few days. Your DS might be the same.

TammyJones · 08/07/2023 20:10

Both 3.5
Both have degrees now
Please don't worry

GoodChat · 08/07/2023 20:15

Oldest was just turned 2 but she's 4 now and still not dry at night. We've just potty trained the youngest at 20 months but she's super independent so is now trying to refuse bedtime nappies.

Boys tend to potty train later than girls.

Blanketpolicy · 08/07/2023 20:15

Ds was 2 in the February, waited until 2 week easter break at the end of March and went for it. Happily used potty with reminders once he knew what is was and he would get a sticker. Nursery was harder as he would forget to go bit the nursery were great. We took his nighttime nappies off about 6 months later and had only a handful of random nighttime wet.

Yorkshiredolls · 08/07/2023 20:16

1st (girl) started at a couple weeks short of 2nd birthday. She got the wees straight away but was still having poo accidents until she turned four. Was dey at night pretty much the same week she cracked the wees, never worn any potty training nighttime pull ups.

2nd (boy) not interested until
his third birthday in February. Was having a lot of accidents for quite a while but he’s now reliably dry and takes jimself for wees and poos at 3yrs 5 months. Piddles in the night though so he definitely still needs a night time pull up.

seven201 · 08/07/2023 20:19

Just before 3. Was easy. Had tried briefly a couple of months before and realised it wasn't going to work without many tears from everyone.

toomanyleggings · 08/07/2023 20:19

I’ve just potty trained my 2.5 year old. I didn’t think she was ready but I gave her a chocolate star every time she managed to do a wee or a poo on the potty. My only issue now is how to wean off the chocolate stars 😂 I tried giving her a sticker and she nearly chucked her potty at me

QueenofLouisiana · 08/07/2023 20:22

About two weeks after his second birthday. We used cloth nappies which made me quite keen to get going and he didn’t like a wet bottom.

wingingit1987 · 08/07/2023 20:24

eldest was 3. The rest were 2.

crostini · 08/07/2023 20:24

It was around 2 years 4 months.
I will start earlier with my second because I hate nappies.

Have you tried Just taking the nappy off? Surely after his weed himself a few times, he'll not want to do it again.

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