Getting used to potty/toilet - advice please

[curlyLJ]

DD is almost 2.2 and begun showing an interest in the potty/toilet a couple of months back. One morning I sat her on the potty when we were getting dressed as I noticed her nappy was dry when she got up, so I know she would need to go fairly soon... Sat her on it and kept talking to her, cleaned her teeth while she sat and eventually she wee'd. The look on her face was one of shock, as if to say 'what the hell is that?'! That was about 2 months ago and since then she has not done so much as a dribble on the potty. I regularly sit her on there, and she even asks to sit on/got to the toilet often (although she has usually already done it in her nappy by this point).

One day last week, I noticed again that she hadn't wet her nappy in the night and sat her straight on the potty thinking we were sure to have sucess... 10 mins or possibly more later, after face wash, teeth clean and book (all whilst sat on loo) and still no wee! She looked as if she was 'trying' to go but coudn't/didn't know how. By this time i was running late so had to get her ready. I put a nappy on her, got her dressed and she promptly wee'd about 2 mins later.

I don't want to push her if she's not ready, but clearly the asking to go means she is nearly there, but it's almost like she has a fear of it, or just doesn't know how to control it herself.
Can anyone offer any suggestions?

Sounds like you're doing the right things. Just be very relaxed about it all, make toilet time fun, be a bit blaze about it and reward when she succeeds.

Just persevere. Maybe make it part of your morning and bedtime routine?

Good luck

Try pants/nappy off time when you're home ? And try to show her the way by going to the loo with her there. This in particular helped intrigue my DS to fancy doing a wee like mummy.
I put the potty next to the toilet so he could have a go if he fancied.
Like other poster, keep it v chilled, they do it so quickly when they want to - its quite galling!

My nursery ladies said these are the ways they would ideally support potty training ie showing children by doing, and also having knickers off so its easier for them to sit amd piddle, but can't due to child protection. So they suggested I try to do this on our days together each weekend. It did def help.

My post was v garbled sorry, hope it vaguely makes sense..

thanks for the replies.

littleweed I have been taking her to the loo with me for ages - when home or out in restaurants etc. She always comments that she can 'hear it' so when she sits I comment that 'I can't hear it' 'let me hear you wee' etc (in a fun way, not to pressure her) but still nothing when she sits.

I might have to try some nappy off time, but will get the mop ready just in case!

With my dd we decided that when we were ALL ready to try we would take away nappies all together (apart from at night). So we talked about it a lot over a few days before the big day came and went out bought her some new big girls knickers, potty, toilet seat etc.. she chose it too. When it was time I got her to help me take her nappies upstairs and put them in the cupboard and said goodbye (told her we were going to try without nappies, not never again just in case we had to go back to them). We stayed in for about 3 days and she had a lot of bare bum time. It worked a treat and she just did it.
I do think she was v ready for it though as we had tried a couple of months before and she got v upset but we just put her back in the nappies and tried again later.
We kept it all v light, and there were numerous chocolate buttons and stickers involved too.
Hope this helps... !

It's actually a bit easier if the weather ever gets better - you could be out in the garden with the potty. You're being fab, and doing all the right things, perhaps your DD is just biding her time....

If you don't fancy bare bottoms, wearing pants and jelly shoes or crocs - easily washed out- for if out in the garden, will contain the accident a bit, are easier to access than having layers of clothes?

Perhaps ask if she fancies choosing some some big girl pants which you could put in her drawer, saying she is welcome to wear them instead of nappies when she fancies but leave it at that. Put them somewhere where she'll see them tho, just as a little reminder they are there... DS didn't bite for weeks and weeks, then woke up one morning saying he wanted to wear big boy pants.

Sorry if this sounds v obvious but regarding mopping up. It was this aspect of potty training, and not having a method set up, which really got me stressed and stopped me completely .... Going with the flow..!
So on the advice of my wise mum - a wodge of toilet paper under your foot to squeeze as much wee out of the carpet as possible, before using an old ice cream tub with some dettol and water (nice smelling dettol), with a cloth or two ready and willing to be dedicated to the purpose. Microfiber is great as you can machine wash them. Then keep Your little kit under the sink. Then you have it all ready to use when the leak arises.
For poo TMI- sorry - an old knife or palette knife used to scrape up the worst into a tissue to flush down the loo, before the above method.
Enjoy

Ps the knife is dedicated to the purpose of poo - honest. I do have some standards!

thanks for all the fab tips Jocooley and littleweed I think I will wait it out a few more weeks (carrying on as I have been) and then maybe bite the bullet when I can spend a good deal of time dedicated to the task - am thinking the long b/h weekend or even taking a week off work.

at the dedicated poo-knife!

Yes I think u have to be ready to deal with it too and then life is whole lot easier. Like all the other big steps and transitions they go through. Phew!