Potty training

[rustyspoon45]

Dd is nearly 2.5 and we are starting to think about potty training. She's a very good talker and i feel like she will understand what she needs to do...whether or not she'll actually do it is another thing.

So do I just take her nappy off, put pants on her and leave the potty in whatever room we're in? And obviously keep asking / reminding her to use it if she needs to go.

How many days am I likely to be house bound for?

I think we had DS1 not even in pants for the first few days so that trying to get them down wasn't a hassle. 5 days housebound I think when we did crack it (but it was summer, so we were in the garden a lot). Maybe 4 actually, but on the 5th day we went to the local park rather than somewhere inside where an accident would matter. We did it over a bank holiday then DP and I took a day of annual leave each.

Good luck!

dd is 2.5 and we did potty training over the summer. Although I didn’t follow everything in the book super strictly, I found reading oh crap really helpful. Dd picked it up quickly, but she’s always hated nappies and a nappy change so she was keen to get out of them. It’s definitely worth a go if you think she can do it, life’s certainly been easier for us since we ditched nappies

we did a few days nothing on the bottom, a few days in loose trousers/shorts then added pants. On day 1 she seemed to get it, then on day 3 I was about to quit as she just didn’t seem to get it at all and was peeing everywhere except the potty, then day 4 I gave it one last go and it clicked for her. So be patient it’s worth sticking through it

Thank you. I think she's ready in the sense that she understands and remembers things quite well. But equally she can be stubborn and if she doesn't want to do something she won't. I don't want to make it into a trauma for either of us. I'm not one of these people that is in a rush to do it, I'd rather wait until she's ready and make it easier on us both.

But might be worth a try. We have such busy schedules with work, nursery, groups etc that it will be hard staying in for days on end. But I suppose it has to be done.

Oh Crap method. My twins were potty trained within the week. First phase is nude (or at the very least nothing on the bottom – pants, trousers etc signal the muscle memory to pee involuntarily) and watching them like a hawk for the 'clues' that they need to go – puddles on the floor are inevitable, rush them over to the potty and make a big fuss when they get there. Second day they can have a top on. Continue with that until they are consistently recognising that they need to go and getting there in time. When they have achieved that, put very loose bottoms on, and do as above. If they go back a step, then you go back a step. Once they have consistently mastered with loose bottoms, then you can try underwear and short trips out – as above. When they go back a step, go back a step in the method.

It's meant to be 'stressful' for you, but not at all for your child. I'd advise against bribes to sit on the potty, making them sit on the potty on a schedule or prompting them to sit on the potty without any physical signal they need to (it will prevent them from recognising the urge to 'go'), and do not have them over drink.

In my experience, 'readiness' and 'trauma' is massively overrated when it comes to potty training. It's an extremely simple concept that your child can learn and every animal on earth learn to go to the toilet in a designated area. If they can sing a nursery rhyme, they can learn to use a potty.

2.5 is definitely old enough. Good luck!