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How can I stop her weeing all over my furniture???!

5 replies

plipplops · 24/02/2011 08:26

DD1 is 3.5. We left it quite late (over 3) to try potty train (was hoping she'd be one of those who one day announces they're going to wear pants and is dry from then on - I know, I know, it was stupid Blush.

Anyway she's in pants all the time now, and has gone over a week in the past with no accidents so I know she can do it. We really praise anything done on the toilet.

The problem is she just doesn't seem to want to actually use the toilet. For instance, the other day we were in the kitchen and she went "ooh, I need a wee", then went and sat cross legged on the carpet and did one. Yesterday she was sitting on the sofa and started pointing at her bits and she was sat in a puddle. She's wee'd twice in the last week on a lovely fabric ride on caterpillar, twice on the sofa, on an armchair and on a window seat cushion. Recently we were at a soft play place and another mum came and told me that she'd weed in the play bit and just stripped off from the waist down and carried on playing.

Encouraging her to act 'like a big girl' doesn't work - while we were training her she'd say she wants to wear a nappy and be like a baby. I've tried telling her that I don't want a baby I love her as a lovely big girl etc.. I've tried totally ignoring her for 5 mins after she wees, she doesn't like it much but it hasn't solved the problem. She doesn't like wearing wet things but will take them off herself (in public) and happily run around naked.

We've tried a sticker chart and the promise of going on an adventure day out if she can go a few days without an accident. Neither really worked.

When I first trained her we gave her some chocolate every time she used the potty. This reached a stage where "poos mean chocolate mummy" which isn't where I want to be but it's starting to sound like a good option.

I think it's an attention thing but I really do try to praise the good behaviour and ignore the bad. Mayeb I just need to try harder????

Any thoughts???

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spanky2 · 24/02/2011 08:47

My ds2 was like this. I went back to putting him on the toilet an hour after a drink. This lead to hideous paddies. He would wee lavishly infront of the toilet. When I made him take his wet things off and put them in the washing machine and clear up the wee off the floor he didn't find it as amusing. I also didn't speak or look too much as I think it was an attention thing. My ds1 wasn't trained until he was 3. He didn't want to so I don't think it matters when you do it. He was ready at 2.6 as he was dry at night. I tried two other times to train him and he would not do anything in the pot and the instant his nappy was on he would do it. I did give a sweet to them for success as stickers didn't bother them. It didn't really work with ds2 as he is abit of a willful sod. He didn't like cleaning the wee up so he stopped.

plipplops · 24/02/2011 09:16

OK I'll try getting her to clean it up. I just wonder whether it's time to start actually punishing her (naughty step?) every time she does it? I know sometimes she's so involved in what she's doing that she might just forget, but sometimes she blatantly knows she needs one and chooses to do it somewhere naughty.

OP posts:
spanky2 · 24/02/2011 17:58

My ds2 would wee on the naughty step. I had forgotten about that! I didn't punish more. I thought cleaning it up was punishment enough! My ds2 was blatent but I thought the more I make of it the more he will know he's managed to yank my chain! A couple of weeks ago he fell head first out of the front door on to his head to prove to me he couldn't put his coat on. He can put it on and had most of it on.

BoysAreLikeDogs · 24/02/2011 23:43

my advice would be to spool back a bit timewise and almost 'start again'

Increase fluid intake

set a timer and take her to the toilet every hour

no big fuss when accidents happen, clean her up with no comment

no naughty step as she has quite possibly worked out that she gets maximum attention payout from you for not weeing on the toilet

BecklePhoenixBird · 24/02/2011 23:54

I started potty training DD just before Christmas, she was 3 in January. She did really well to begin with, then progressed from the potty to toilet on her own and I thought we'd cracked it! Then she started refusing to go and holding it so long she'd wet herself. She also said she didn't want to be a big girl - IIRC DS1 also said something along those lines when I toilet trained him so perhaps it is just a scary thing for them that they are getting bigger?

With the reward chart, maybe smaller rewards would work better? I have one for DD's poos (she will hold and hold for days so I am encouraging her to go more regularly) and I have a small bag filled with treats - bracelets, sparkly beads, fairy wand, small toys (sylvanian babies/littlest petshop) - if she gets 3 stickers in a week she can choose a treat. Because she has usually eyed up what she'd like the following week she tries really hard and goes when she needs to instead of holding it in.

I don't think punishing is a good idea though because then weeing will be associated with conflict in her head. DS1 was a bugger difficult to toilet train and I got frustrated and cross with him and it took faaaaaar longer for him than the other 2.

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