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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To reply that my child isn’t potty trained?

247 replies

whattosayy · 17/04/2024 16:57

95% reliable for we
8 months after starting still soils pants - we’ve never had a poo on potty or toilet 😭

I have been on Eric contacted hv team etc but so I just need to accept he isn’t trained & may not be before school?

OP posts:
whattosayy · 17/04/2024 20:44

He’s not in nappy pants 👍🏻

OP posts:
softslicedwhite · 17/04/2024 20:45

whattosayy · 17/04/2024 20:42

No Sen we know of. We have a toilet seat.

What do his private nursery say about the accidents? Is he just soiling himself and walking around unbothered or is he bothered by it? And without going into any detail because this is such a delicate area is he smearing?

ANiceCuppaTeaandBiscuit · 17/04/2024 20:47

Am gonna suggest leave him be a few months, every kid is different and it will click with him in time. Take the pressure off all of you as that won’t be helping. Go back to nappies for a couple of months. Leave the potty out but don’t mention it, keep reading the odd fun potty book, and then try again in a few months. It can make all the difference

softslicedwhite · 17/04/2024 20:47

Also I asked about understanding because maybe he could explain why he doesn't use the toilet? My DD was able to understand what we were doing and also tell me what her fears were. My DS at that age absolutely could not.

WithACatLikeTread · 17/04/2024 20:48

TheMuskratOfDestiny · 17/04/2024 18:42

Toilet seat for the toilet. Packet of chocolate buttons every time he takes a shit on the toilet.

Believe me it works.

It doesn't. A chocolate button doesn't help if they are too scared to do one.

Pogpog21 · 17/04/2024 20:48

Our son is the same age and not potty trained. He is 3 years and 2 months. he’s starting a school nursery in September and it’ll be what it’ll be. In our case he’s at full time nursery and they haven’t got him trained so I hope that a more structured environment in September will be better and they’ll be more focussed on him (he’s at a good nursery at the moment but despite us spending 1400 a month they seem very stretched - from sep he’ll be at a private school nursery with more focus on him).

TomatoWrap · 17/04/2024 20:50

My two were 3.5yrs and just over 3.5yrs.
They weren't ready before that (we tried), and when they were ready were done in a weekend. No regrets.
What's 'too late', kids train at all different ages and apart from medical conditions are almost all out of nappies by starting school!

OP: have seen you mention the Paw Patrol toy bribe, but do you have this already - if he can actually see it, and then you put it somewhere so he knows it'll be instant when he uses the toilet/potty. If you think it may help. I know it sounds a little mean to take it away..

One of mine was fully on board with the bribe. The other point blank refused! Chocolate buttons worked better for her. Instant reward. But even that took many months.

Ghosttofu99 · 17/04/2024 20:56

Pogpog21 · 17/04/2024 20:48

Our son is the same age and not potty trained. He is 3 years and 2 months. he’s starting a school nursery in September and it’ll be what it’ll be. In our case he’s at full time nursery and they haven’t got him trained so I hope that a more structured environment in September will be better and they’ll be more focussed on him (he’s at a good nursery at the moment but despite us spending 1400 a month they seem very stretched - from sep he’ll be at a private school nursery with more focus on him).

Maybe they are stretched because of parents expecting them to toilet train…

2mummies1baby · 17/04/2024 20:57

My niece didn't do a poo on the toilet until her 4th birthday (she'd never done one on the potty, either- she used to hold it in until my sister gave in and put a nappy on her). He's still very young, you have time!

curlydiamond · 17/04/2024 21:02

Hi OP

My friend's mum is a specialist continence nurse who lectures all over the world. I spoke to her when my 3.5 years old DS2 was dry in the day but would withhold all day until he had a night time nappy on which he'd then immediately soil. Every single day. (DS1 was out of nappies by 2.5 and was a breeze to train, a very different experience).
She reassured me it's very common, especially in boys. He eventually got better around his 4th birthday, still withholds all day (as a teen now disappears every evening for 40 mins in the bathroom) but we've not had accidents since he was 4.
DS3 was a witholder who would go for days on end, then have a large painful emptying and then be terrified of going until forced to next time. Tried movicol, additives in his diet, he ate a lot of apples and oats and a whole food based diet. He'd have frequent pants accidents, we thought it would never end. Tried potty /toilet training over several weeks with absolutely no success at all. Tried again 4 months later, sorted wees but not the other. The witholding finally stopped 3 months before he started school, we had not made any changes to his diet or routines at all. He still squats with feet up on toilet seat but happily goes most evenings and the only accidents we've had are very minor wees.
It feels like this is going to last forever, and it's grim while it happens, but he will get there and you will be so very relieved it's over!
As an aside, PPs have commented on the anxiety sometimes being associated with neurodivergence, as it happens that may have been the case with my two who struggled as they are ND, and their easy to train older brother is NT. Could be entirely coincidental of course.

Dragonfly909 · 17/04/2024 21:07

We didn't even try until 3.5 with dd and she got it pretty quickly, just to weigh against the 'critical window' comments. We don't use a potty, she went straight to using the toilet.

Initially she would poo on the toilet but then became secretive about it and would only poo in her bedtime nappy. One useful thing about her being older is we could talk about why. She said it felt more private to poo in a nappy. So we worked on how to help her feel more confident about using the toilet instead and now she is fine.

I have heard they can be funny about poo more than wee so maybe it's something like this with your ds, given you said he may go when you are not there etc?

Dreamingofthishouse · 17/04/2024 21:08

I havnt read every post so I’m not sure if I am repeating advice or not already given but here goes as I have been In your situation not once but twice with both children. There were days were I thought they’d be pooing their pants till they were 16years old as I saw nooo light at the end of the tunnel but lo and behold we got there in the end and so will you.
Both using toilet for poos by 3years 6/9 months… much much later than I wanted but it is what it is. General principles no shame at all, NO big reactions at all to the pooing in pants. Oh you’ve pooed, let’s go to toilet and tidy up. Poo goes in toilet. Repeat, no negative reactions, no shame, no irritation ( easier said than done I know!) then with first child we used an object of reference, so I figured out when he went to poo he always stood behind this wee coffee table thing, so slow slowly that coffee table over weeks moved closer to the bathroom. That eventually he was going to poo standing in bathroom. While we were doing that process I asked him to tell me when he was doing a poo so I could give him a pull up. Initially didn’t tell me however if I spotted him near the table I said it looks like you need a poo let’s get a pull up on . Poo done, no big reaction or praise just oh I’m sure your tummy feels better for pooing, poo goes in the toilet and we changed and flushed it together. So eventually we were left after a few weeks of pooing in pull up behind a table in the bathroom( ridiculous I know!) then we moved to moving towards toilet, sitting on toilet with pull up on then emptying .then eventually ( maybe6 weeks of this back into pull ups and table malarkey started) he pooed on the toilet with the pull up sitting in the toilet bowl ( again ask me before I had children if I’d ever see myself so invested in poo and the answer would be no!) and then next day no pull up in toilet just toilet roll ( to stop the splashes !) and I thought it was the happiest day of my life. And so it continued… a week short of starting pre school, pooing in toilet!

Second child, similar to a degree ,but was holding on and would hold for days( up to8) big fear of toilet . Started movicol so they pooed everyday. So again same principals no shame , no big reactions and back into pull up for poos, for that child there was no object of reference but I noticed they usually pooed in evening after dinner so every evening after dinner pull up on in case they need a poo nice and causal no drama then same tidy up together, poo belongs in toilet routine, I’m sure your tummy feels better etc. this continued for weeks and weeks but to be honest I was glad we’d moved from pants to pull ups ( narrative was pull ups just for poos) as I had less pants to throw out!! Then one sweet miracle day, we were out later one evening and for the first one ever they said they needed a poo ( never ever said that before) . I had no pull up . So I said no problem mummy doesn’t have pull up but was a public toilet and took them expecting no poos but to my absolute shock they sat on toilet and pooed. And that was it- enough to get them passed the fear. From that day on.. toilet for poos. So We skipped the pull up in bathroom stage and moving closer to toilet etc for that child. But I can’t empathise enough that I was 100% convinced that both children wouldn’t get it, but with time, no pressure ( I think that was the key) they did.
another thing i did during all this was to try to get them to realise when they needed a poo, so initially once they’d pooed themselves in pants and I’d missed it I said oh your tummy was trying to tell you you needed a poo, what did it feel like etc. then if I spotted them going to their spot I’d say oh I think you tummy trying to tell you you need a poo ( no pressure to do poo in toilet) Then when they did poo in pants I’d be like see look that feeling in your tummy was your tummy saying you needed a poo.
Not sure if any of that is in anyway helpful but I just wanted to reassure you that with miraculous levels of patience I’m sure your child will get there too!!!!

HcbSS · 17/04/2024 21:11

He is very young OP. Just be consistent with the training and don’t give up!
Aim for him to be getting it by Reception - nit by this September. That’s a good year and a half away and he will mature a lot in that time. 3 is still very little.

Dreamingofthishouse · 17/04/2024 21:22

Also just to add about the bribes/ incentives/ rewards… if a child has anxiety or fear about pooing then it was pointed out to me that incentives/ reward could make this worse… imagine you are so scared of doing something ( getting on a rollercoaster ) and someone said if you do il give you a chocolate button… will all the chocolate buttons in the world get you on that rollercoaster?! Likely not but you’ll feel more shame and fear that you weren’t able to do it. For feeling of fear their wee Brain is trying to tell them something scary is about to happen so rather than saying no it’ll be fine or this chocolate button will help etc you have to try instead to increase their feelings or safety and control. So pull could be on the pull up, reassure them you know they are scared, they are safe and etc etc

KomodoOhno · 17/04/2024 21:31

Don't be so hard on yourself. My sister has 6 kids I have one. My one and 4 of hers were trained at 2. But 2 of hers were 4 one actually 4 1/2. All of these kids were trained the same way so it just goes to show you some get it quick other's don't.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 17/04/2024 21:36

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

It's a wonder anyone born before the "Oh Crap!" book came out is continent at all, really. However did we manage before we learned about the "crucial window"?

🙄

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 17/04/2024 21:39

@whattosayy My son needs to be potty trained before he starts school in September. He's just turned 3. (We're not in the UK.)

He isn't potty trained yet, we've tried a couple of times but he's not quite ready (but showing signs of being ready soon). His teachers at nursery aren't the slightest bit worried and say that loads of kids get it in the last couple of weeks before they start school.

voxnihili · 17/04/2024 21:39

My DD potty trained at just after 3 but didn’t get poo at all. She started reception at 4 years and 2 weeks. I was so stressed because every poo was an accident. The accidents continued but fortunately there was only 1 at school in the whole of reception. I remember being really worried, especially when they went on school trips. We really had tried everything but nothing worked.

She’s 5.5 now (year 1) and it’s a lot better. There’s still minor accidents. I suspect she has mild constipation which contributes.

Saytheyhear · 17/04/2024 21:42

Does he need pants on during the day?
It's bucketing down with rain most days so if you're having a rainy day at home, no pants and estimating his bowels.

Contact incontinence team by self referral and by the time it gets to August you may find you can cancel the referral.

Don't start until they are showing signs they're ready.

And increase fluids before midday. (Not sips, must drink whole cup full).

Rainydayinlondon · 17/04/2024 21:47

WithACatLikeTread · 17/04/2024 20:48

It doesn't. A chocolate button doesn't help if they are too scared to do one.

You have to persevere. My husband sat for two hours on the floor with two year old on a toilet seat with chocolate buttons. He did one eventually and was so proud of himself

Josette77 · 17/04/2024 21:49

Boys are typically harder to train for poo in my experience as an ex nanny.

My son still had accidents in grade 2 but he does have sn's.

I would put him on the the potty every hour on the hour when you can. Bring an iPad so he can watch something for 5 minutes or so while he sits.

Also do you have extra potties? I had only one washroom upstairs so I had an IKEA potty downstairs as well.

Also when he's going to the toilet have him stand up tall and then touch his toes. It will help get his poop moving!

Does he hold it? My son would get so constipated which was it's own issue.

Itisverycomplicated · 17/04/2024 21:49

I’m wondering if you go back to nappies? I know you said you feel like it would be a step back but he’s become use to going in his pants. The association is there.

I didn’t potty train mine till they were past 3. DS1 was fine but DS2 developed anxiety around pooing. He started to withhold so I abandoned potty training and was so relieved when he started going in the nappy again. I left it 4 months until I tried again. Have just attempted again at 3 years and 6 months and we have been successful. Taking the break made sense to me.

I second pp. a lot can change in 5 months. Try and take the pressure off you both

jannier · 17/04/2024 21:50

5 months is a long time....think back 5 months and how much he's learned.
Have you ruled out constipation? Pooh goes home to poo land is a good story....lots of YouTube to watch too.

CrispieCake · 17/04/2024 21:52

It's fine, OP. He's on the later side but not so late that it's a problem yet. It might just click in the next few months.

Ignore the crap about "missed windows" and all that. All kids are different.

I remember talking about this with my mother. She says we were all ostensibly "trained" by age 2 because in those days children over 2 in nappies were frowned on. But apparently my little brother kept having accidents up until age 6 and she was absolutely mortified and used to get really cross with him. She says this is one of her big parenting regrets but people were very judgemental at the time.

justasking111 · 17/04/2024 21:53

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It worked 👏👏😊

In the meantime use pull ups to save on your washing pile. It won't set him back I promise. He'll be able to pull them down faster.

You could put the poop in the loo and let him flush. He'll get there.

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