How long did you stay home...

[titsmcghee43]

...when potty training?

Planning on starting with my 2 year 9 month old in the next few days but feeling a bit overwhelmed with the prospect of staying home for days on end. We try to get out once a day even if just for a walk. She also won't nap unless in the car or buggy so I know it's going to be testing on a number of levels.

Also the fact that I'll have to watch her like a hawk so won't actually be able to get on with anything at home like tidying or cleaning while she'd usually be playing within earshot, because I'll have to be with her and checking she's not secretly pissing anywhere lol.

How did you navigate leaving the house when you were in the early stages? I'm feeling quite dismal about it all but I know it has to be done.

We used pull ups if we had to go out in the early days and mostly lived our lives as normal… maybe it took us a little longer (not sure to be honest) but it worked fine

Didn't stay at home at all. DS used nappies when out until he'd got the hang of using the toilet at home. No potty.

Was it not confusing for them to have nappies or pull ups on?

I'd be happy to take it slower but I kind of always believed that if you went back to nappies after taking the plunge (other than at night time obviously) it might confuse them.

I have got pull ups for bed but I was planning on lots of bare bum time at home and just hoping for the best.

4 kids and I never just stayed home all day to potty train. Go out for a walk when they've just been to the toilet, use a pull up for the car, it will be fine ☺️

Not confusing at all. He learned to use the toilet at home then you just extend that to other, more risky places

No time. If they’re ready then they are ready. If they’re wet constantly then they’re not ready. If they need pull ups then they’re not ready. There are public toilets most places if you think in advance and if you’re going somewhere more tricky there are travel potties.

I know it's boring and you won't get anything else done but I would stay home for the first few days, sit her on the potty at least every hour and encourage her to wee. There will be accidents so be prepared and don't make any fuss. When you get a wee on the potty, masses of praise,stickers, the whole works! If you have to go out for a walk to the shop, putting a pull up on for a short time is fine.

How do you know they're ready though? We've been chatting about the potty for a long time, it's left around the house and she understands it's to wee on. Also sees her friends doing it at nursery.

But I'm pretty sure it will take some time for her to get the hang of it and actually be able to tell me she needs to go.

We used the book OH crap - no messing with pull up nappies, he was done in 5 days (we stayed home for 4 days). He was 22 months old, then he was dry at night time a few weeks later.

We used the Oh Crap book too and stayed home 4 days. After that we had just short trips out (necessary as I had to drop off eldest). We never used pull ups - stopped the nappies and went naked for a few days (it was summer) and then put trousers on (no pants until later).

Ten days.

It was so worth it.

We tried before my son was 3 and it didn’t work. He ended by traumatised by having an accident on the floor that he ended up being terrified of not having a nappy on. Wouldn’t go in the bath. Tried again 5 months later & stayed at home for 1.5 days. Went out afternoon of second day in pants, used toilet at soft play never had any accidents out, just one at nursery. Went also went straight for the toilet second time round rather than potty. He was also the last one in his nursery class to toilet train, he wasn’t bothered he was the only one in nappies!
I found it really stressful but my advice is if they aren’t getting it dont worrt about leaving it and coming back to it. It was very easy once my son was ready as opposed to when he wasn’t.
good luck

Never stayed home. 3 children.

Toilet trained DC1 at 2 years, 2 months.
-Before we began training, from about 15/16 months DC sat on the potty every night after a bath to get used to it. Sometimes DC did something other times not.
-We stayed in for 2 days in just pants for ease (it was Summer). Also had a child friendly toilet training book.
-After 2 days in (very few accidents), we went out for shorts bursts. Grandparents, a local walk, quick shop visit. I always asked DC to try before leaving the house and in DC car seat I used puppy pads just incase of an accident.
-We actually went on holiday about a week after toilet training. And DC only had 2 accidents in a week.

DC was closer to three when dry at night. Some nights nappy was dry others were full. So we waited until DC had 2 full weeks of dry nappies. Which fell at Christmas so we waited for the Christmas chaos to be over as we didn’t want to set up to fail with all the routine changes. Then toilet trained at night too. Which was easy because she was ready. I only ever remember DC having 3-4 accidents ever at night and in late primary school now.

We gave ourselves about a week but didn’t need as long as that, by 4 or 5 days in he could get out and about and use the potty on the go.

On the time it actually worked, we spent very little time at home. One day naked below the waist and then two days at home wearing pants and only going places we could walk to with the travel potty. After that, he went back to nursery on the Monday. From that point on, we took him out as usual, just avoided long car journeys and took the travel potty everywhere with us.

He very rarely had accidents but I'd say it took around 2 months before we weren't constantly on edge. We kept the travel potty with us as backup for another month or so after that, then just used it for places where toilets weren't easily available.

The only time we used a pull up as backup was for the flights when we went on holiday about 3 months into training.

Having worked with numerous families through toileting time I absolutely agree that pull ups are confusing for some children. I have to acknowledge that many of the children had developmental delays. Pull ups absolutely are the worst thing when you are trying to give the no-nappy message. I much prefer to use incontinence pads in buggies and on car seats and sofas.

The last family member who was trained at 2 yr 8 mo was trained within a couple of days going out and about with his portable potty. He had to learn that bit first with his bare bum time.

so you can start using the potty around bath time and after meals to learn that part. After a couple of week ditch the nappy. Praise success, ignore failures. You can start leaving the house after a couple of days. Good luck

We left the house for short periods on day 2, just brought a potty on our walk, and asked every 10/15 minutes if she needed to go. We waited til day 3 to chance the car I think, but just overall kept to short journeys for a few days, with frequent reminders, no need to stay in the house if they seem to be getting it.

I found that stage easier than a couple of weeks later, when she wouldn't use the potty anymore. Then I had to constantly find toilets everywhere we went, which was more limiting until I could trust her to wait 10 minutes to get to a toilet.

Have a look at Oh crap it’s time to potty train well worth every penny!! Very intense few days which is sounds like you’re anticipating anyway but done and dusted with no accidents at home after first 3 days and none out and about after 8 days. Makes logical sense too - I swear by it!!

theyre all so different, ds1 no time at home - a couple of failed attempts but then one day he said I will wear pants today and he went off to nursery and not one accident since. He was about to turn 3.

ds2 was a different kettle of fish. He was 3 years 3 months by the time it worked, after trying and failing a few times going to nursery in pants or bare bum weekends - it ended up being me taking a week off work, spending a couple of days purely at home, then only short journeys and also for me to learn that he hates being bare bummed, and he hated the feel of pants on his legs so we got little boxer shorts and that’s what nailed it.

Many years ago for me but remember staying home for 4 days. Then out & about with travel potty. I wanted to spend that time/ was prepared to do that. Worked for us.

Wr tried and failed a number of times between 2 and 2.8. At 2.8 he said "want pants". Hmm I thought. On they went and we went about our day. First stop the supermarket. He said he didn't need a wee on arrival. We did the shopping and as we hit the queue. "Mummy I need a wee". And we went for one. At 2.9 he was dry at night.

When they're ready, they're ready. He had been offered the potty since the age of about 2 but until then showed v little interest.

I totally agree with this.

2 days.

I just bought a couple of those pairs of potty training pants - sort of padded things, mine were bambino mio. So if he had an accident he wouldn’t start to feel the wee hit his pants and we could bundle him off to the loo.

accidents happen, I wouldn’t be staying home!