What's the lastest anyone has left potty training?

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 2010-07-14T19:51:52+00:00

DS is 2 years 9 months. He keeps saying "no I don't want potty", "I don't like it" "me wears nappies like my baby brother" Ah!!!!!!!!!! Done chocolate, stickers etc etc Shall I just go for it....wet pants and all?

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Set a reminder

GazzasDressingGown · 14/07/2010 20:56

maybe not ready yet?

ddis 4.5 and still not trained.She has sn tho

whoopstheregoesmymerkin · 14/07/2010 20:59

DS 3.5
Waited until he was really ready and did it in 4 days (wees that is, he had issues with poo but that's another story!)

TheBreastmilksOnMe · 14/07/2010 20:59

As the saying goes: If you potty train at 2, they will be dry by 3, if you potty train at 3, they will be dry by 3.

Original poster

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 14/07/2010 21:02

Like that line TheBreastmilksOnMe, he moves up to the big room at nursery then too and I think peer pressure will very much help!!

OP posts:

purepurple · 14/07/2010 21:11

Hi, tryingtobemarypoppins2
my own children were over 3 (DS) and 2 1/2 (DD).
But, I work with children aged 2 and 3 (35 of them) and have helped potty train a lot of them.
The thing is, they are all different and all potty trained at different ages. The youngest was just 2 (although there is a little girl not yet 2 in the other room who is in knickers)
The oldest was 3yrs and 4m and was done in a couple of days.
There are several children who are still in nappies (4 actually), one was 3 in June, one is 3 tomorrow, one is 3 this month and one is 3 in August.

MassiveBumperlicious · 14/07/2010 21:13

DD is just 3 and we have made a start, but not pushing it, we have days where she will use the potty and days where she won't. Also she is giving herself a tummy ache by refusing to poo on the potty so I totally don't want to push it. She'll hopefully do it when she is ready, as will your DS. Don't feel pressured.

mintyfresh · 14/07/2010 21:13

Just starting it now at 3.2. DD has low muscle tone so not even entertained it until recently tbh. She hates it so far so will try for a few more days and then give up if we're getting nowhere...

DS (NT) was 2.11 when we started. Was dry in a week but not at night until nearly 5 yrs.

IMoveTheStars · 14/07/2010 21:14

DS is 2.7 and nowhere near ready yet. Several friends of mine didn't PT til they were just about 3 - a 3yo (esp boy) in nappies is perfectly normal..

muggglewump · 14/07/2010 21:19

3.8. Two accidents and that was that. She could hold it for a good half hour too and was old enough to understand she had to go before getting on the bus or while we were near a loo and didn't need reminding either.
She was wiping herself and washing her hands independently within a couple of weeks.

It was so easy and I'd advise anyone to wait until their DC are really ready.

My neighbour still goes on about all three of hers being out of nappies by two. Yep they were, they were having daily accidents for at least another year though.
I don't see the point of that.

Leo35 · 14/07/2010 21:30

Hi, DS1 was 3.11. He wouldn't rather than couldn't. He refused any kind of bribery, sticker charts were a non-starter and we (us and pre-school assistants) found that 'toilet training' was the key: he never once peed in a potty! Also peer pressure was never a help - he really didn't care what everyone else was doing!

He was sorted in two weeks,(wiping his own bottom, washing hands etc), but night time will be the next round, and he's not ready yet. I will bide my time and work out when to start.

I would concur with the waiting until they are ready, but with the proviso that you might have to make the running at some point - I initiated the training at 3.11 after a couple of trys earlier (both post him turning 3 yrs old). Good luck!

char3mum · 14/07/2010 21:43

never saw the rush, i didn't potty train mine at all, just encouraged them to go to the toilet before leaving house, meals and bed, it all fell into place at 3.5 with my eldest, and slightly earlier with my second, straight onto the toilet worked for us, lets be fair everyone has one and they can't get stuck on heads or turned upside down, little one will do it when hes ready, good luck

DorisStrop · 14/07/2010 21:54

Potty Training - Poo problems

Help! My daughter is 3 in August and we are trying potty training for the 2nd time. On the whole she is ok with wees but will not use a potty or toilet for poos. She waits until I'm not watching her and poos in her pants and then tells me afterwards. I've tried bribing her with a chocolate button but it doesn't seem to work. I'm having to throw out lots of soiled pants that are too dirty to clean. Any tips?

SantaLucia · 14/07/2010 22:00

All the evidence I see around me from various friends children says - leave it for as long as you can!

I felt some pressure when my daughter was 2.5 to start training. All her friends were trained. People talk about how marvellous it is that their DD is being trained at 2 as if that has a direct correlation to their intellectual and social development. What utter crap! Its just the same as training a puppy and it has nothing whatsoever to do with intelligence or anything else.

Like yours, my DD cares nothing for peer pressure or being a "big girl" or anything else.

I gave it a go at 2.5. DD is bright and willing and tried hard on Day 1 but the accidents and pressure distressed her as she wasn't ready to initiate trips to the potty herself. By day 2 she was throwing the potty across the room and begging for nappies. Lots of people say "Don't give in to them. They have to adapt." But, really, it was horrible for both of us and I was so relieved to give it up.

DD is now 2.10. I bought the Gina Ford potty training book and followed the advice in there. Essentially this meant 4 weeks of getting her to sit on the potty before her bath. After the first few weeks she did this every night and started doing some wees. There was no pressure because it really didn't matter. By the end of four weeks she did a wee on the potty before or after her bath every night. We did all the usual encouragement (stickers etc). For a month or so I would also show her the poo in her nappy, tell her how good it was and then put it into the potty or the toilet so she was used to this happening.

2 weeks ago I started full training (still following Gina Ford). She was dry within 3 days and has done a poo each day on the potty at her own instigation. I am delighted and so thrilled that I waited! A lot of my friends DDs who started 5 months earlier are only now at the same stage as my DD who has been doing it for 2 weeks.

So...very long reply from me...but stick to your guns. Delay, delay. Something happens when they get close to 3 which helps them understand lots of things, including pee and poo!

And good luck!

SantaLucia · 14/07/2010 22:09

DorisStrop - some ideas:

put the poo from her knickers into the potty or toilet. Get her to watch. Tell her (in an enthusiastic way) that is where we put poos. Compliment her on what a great poo it is. Then when she goes off somewhere to be "alone" follow her and say lets try to poo on the potty/toilet today. Mummy won't look at you. You then leave her alone in the room to give it a go in private.

Leave a pull on nappy for her somewhere obvious. Tell her that she can put it on to do a poo if she wants. I know this sounds like regression but it worked for my niece. She did that for a few months and has now moved on to doing it on the toilet.

Try leaving her with a bare bottom for a while around the time that you think she might be needing a poo. I know this can be tricky but it works for a lot of reluctant and secretive poo-ers! Just make sure she can get to the potty easily and that she won't be disturbed.

StripeyMoon · 15/07/2010 13:49

I would wait til he's ready. Introduce the potty every month or two to see if he's interested but if he's not ready you will have a horrible time. He will get it but he has to want to.

Themagicnumber · 15/07/2010 14:04

With DS1 I felt peer pressure to train from 2yrs and I found it very frustrating. I did a 2 week 'project' at 2.6 and after a couple of gold stars he started weeing on the furniture for fun and treating it all like a game for attention. I waited until he was 3 and gave it another go in a more relaxed fashion and used a reward chart for 2 weeks - all went very smoothly. He has always been fab with toilet from that day onwards. Wish I hadn't stressed over it so much when he was 2.

This time around with my twins (boy/girl) I have waited until lots of serious interest and then just have nappies off to 'practice' at home with potty nearby for whenever the mood takes them. Will not expect them to go out in pants/knickers until they are at least 3. Very relaxed about the whole affair this time!

Themagicnumber · 15/07/2010 14:06

forgot to say the twins are 2.6 at the moment

Egg · 15/07/2010 14:12

I tried once with DS1 age 2yrs 10 months. Was useless.

Tried again when he was 3yrs 2 months. Worked really well. We had some (lots of) poo issues but that was (I think) down to his constipation medication!

As with themagicnumber, I have b/g twins age 2yrs 6 months and am not worring about it at all. They have potties at home and DD esp does use hers a fair bit when she can be bothered, but they still wear nappies. If I try to get DD to use potty more she is not keen so am letting her go at her own pace.

I would definitely not think 2yrs 9 months is "old" for potty training, esp for a boy.

JemAndEllie · 15/07/2010 14:32

this has reassured me so so much. ive just read the thread after worrying about training my DD who is only 2.3 i had no idea where to start and was beginning to feel pressured by others eventhough i know for sure she is not ready. her speech isnt developed enough and she gets upset if she has an accident on the floor. she has a potty which she freely sits on before bath or if mummy has a wee but now i know its perfectly fine to leave it til alot later

thanks all xx

Original poster

tryingtobemarypoppins2 · 15/07/2010 21:36

Just wondering about the Gina Ford training in a week book, is the idea that for months before starting training you get LO to sit on the potty before every bath? Just wondering about the idea behind it?

OP posts:

BeLove · 15/07/2010 22:37

Hi Tryingtobemarypoppins2
My son was 3 when he finally stepped out of nappies. and it was a very easy transition.

I havent tried the Gina Ford potty training book, but i did use her routines for sleeping and feeding - brilliant.

From about the age of 2yrs, i sat my son on the loo before bathtime (a la Gina Ford), sometimes he did a wee, sometimes not. but during the day, he totally refused to use the potty or loo, prefering nappies. However the week before his 3rd birthday, we had a few convos about babies wearing nappies and big boys wearing pants. Then, the day after his birthday, I suggested we try underpants. he wasnt too keen, but took to it straight away. We only had 2 days of accidents (only wee) and then one day of wetting himself on purpose (smiling and laughing usually).

Interestingly, he refuses to use the potty or kiddie seat, preferring to sit on the proper loo seat. maybe sitting him on the grown up loo before bathtime helped with that.

I was going to potty train really early but didnt get round to it, I'm glad I didnt now as leaving it later seems to have made it so easy.

muffint · 15/07/2010 22:38

We were exasperated by potty training. My DD had dry nappies in the morning but utterly refused to potty train. Even got to stage at childminders where she changed her own pull ups. Eventually at 3.5 after many failed attempts she decided she would do it (peer pressure from pre-school i think) and was completely dry day and night ever after. I think this is a much better result that a friend of mine who has (dare I say) yelled continuously at DS from age of 1.9 to go for pee-pee. He is now nearly 5 and still wets his pants - I don't think he knows when to go, he just goes when he's yelled at. I honestly think if you're struggling - wait until they show an interest.

Leo35 · 16/07/2010 11:15

I think that I should have added about my proviso about making the running, that my son has a June birthday, so starting in the May was just before his visits to school, and also it gave us the summer holiday to ensure that he was really sure of toileting before school started in the September.

I was pretty sure after one day of starting that if he could hold on to wee for THAT long then he could get to a toilet by and large!

Incidentally pull-ups rather confused matters, he just used them as nappies rather than grasping the whole going to the potty/toilet thing with them. IME you have to go for broke and wet pants and puddles onthe floor! He never expressed an interest in using the toilet, and I used to check with the pre-school assistants as well, I think he feigned a disinterested air. As if it would all go away. He hates change though, unless it's initiated by him.

Karoleann · 16/07/2010 22:14

Everyone I know who's left it late (after 3) has had poo issues, I'd do it now (unless you've a big holiday planned). You'll have a few days of wet pants and then it'll be fine.
I actually don't think you've left it late at all.
I did find it quite daunting - like most things you've not done before, but as long as you persevere its okay.
DS1 was also dry at night by 3.2, potty trained at 3.5.

twopeople · 17/07/2010 08:57

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