Potty training.

[callie]

Iam going to try and potty train my dd who is 21mths.
Would love some advice or tips.
Did you put yours straight in pants and put them on the pot every hr or so??

Callie, my advice would be to wait a while unless you're absolutely sure she's showing every sign in abundance and you're a cool as a cucumber! 21 months is fairly early in my experience. My boys turn 3 in March and one of them is still averaging 1 accident per day... If I'd started later (we've been going since 28 months or so) I'd have a better temper and a less smelly house!
Good Luck!

callie, it seems to be the trend to leave children in nappies a lot later than even 5 or 10 years ago. I have looked after over 30 children and I have to say that without exception I have potty trained those in my care by the age of two.

I'll probably stir up a lot of feeling about this but, I believe there is a period of time around 18 -20months where the child realises what is going on, if catch that time you can be very successful at training. My DD was dry at 15 months, because she took her nappy off everytime she wet it, she was dry at 18 months at night and never ever had any accidents. My DS , everyone told me would be different, well he is only a year younger than DD, he did everything she did, he copied her all the time, he was dry day and night together at 18 months.

Both my children walked at 9months and I think that this early developement stage follows though in terms of physical achievement. It's like the african thing of being able to put your hand over your head and touch the other shoulder, to determine whether youare ready to go to school. They were in their time big babies at 9.8 and 9.12, but DD was so petite at a year and DD was a hulking great No 8!

I would say Go for it, if you can tell by her face if she is doing something, ask her if she is doing a wee,poo etc, so she gets used to the idea of whats happening, if DD can ask for things, ie potty, and understands lots of things, show her by example, take her to the toilet with you, ask her if she'd like to sit on the pot at the same time. Use it whe she gets up, bathtime etc to start with, if you have a success, great, but do remain very relaxed about it.

My feeling about toilet training is it is a learned habit as well as a physical thing, and as long as children continue to use their bnapppies for toileting, it becomes a habit. My freind has realised this with her nearly three year old, she was dry during the day at 2, but as they had several long flights and were travelling over three weeks, she decided to put her back in nappies ans it would be less hassle while travelling. She knows now that her DD is just using her pull ups as a convenient place to do it!

Good luck, let us know how you get on!

I put my son straight into pants and then every so often asked if he need to wee and wanted to sit on the potty. It helped he had already showed an interest in the potty and was happy to sit on it with minimum cajoling.

We tried over a weekend. On the Saturday we let him run around naked from the waist down - that way any urgency wasn't hampered by trousers or pants. We had a few successes and some accidents. The next day we put him in a t-shirt and a pair of pants. Successes increased and accidents decreased. The following week at my mum's and childminders we put him in trousers to take him to their houses, but again let him take his trousers off during the day to help him feel confident he could get to the potty in time. After a week he had pretty much perfected it. Two weeks later his nappies were always dry first thing in the morning, so we left those off too. We averaged about one accident a week for the first couple of weeks and then nothing. That was last summer when he was 2 and 4 months. We still get the odd accident, its understandable, but I can't remember the last time I had to wash wet sheets or when he had a full on soaked to the skin day time accident. Good luck.

I started with DS when he was 22 MO and he was brilliant - had no accidents (except the first morning)... but I think I made 1 mistake... I tought him with his bottom naked. So he would always go on the potty (I didn't even need to suggest it, he just went on it). Unfortunately, when I started training him in pants he started diaohrrea... so we stopped for a few days.... but now it seems that if he is naked he is 100% clean and if he wears any sorts of clothes, he wets himself (and doesn't even care).
Alibubbles... do you think I made a mistake by training him naked ?
How do you think I should handle it now ?

Thanks for the advice!
I have started a little bit today. Put dd in pants whilst we were in the house then sat her on the pot every 30mins.
She did wee afew times in the pot and also 2pair of nics. But after she wet her nics she came to tell me.
Will try again tommorrow.

Pupuce, no I don't think you did the wrong thing at all! I always left them naked if I could, sometimes it helped for the lazier trainers to feel the sensation of a wee going down the leg or on a foot!! How old is he now? I wouldn't worry about it too much, not much help I know. Perhaps leave him in pants and let him get used to being wet for a while before changing him. I always prefer not to put back in nappies if you can help it.

Callie, it sounds as though you are doing really well, try not to ask her too often as she won't get the idea of a full bladder. Keep offering her lots of drinks to fill her up and then she will need to go rather than being asked to go. It's brilliant that she is telling you she is wet, so she is aware of what is happening. Well done!

Glad to be of help, the number of mums who have said to me, it's brilliant, send them to me on a Monday and I send them home trained by Friday! I do not expect too much late in the day and overlook accidents after about teatime, as they are normally getting very tired by then, you could put a pull up on them, I always used terry trainers , you can get some really nice fine soft plastic backed ones in John Lewis, not those horrid voluminous barrage ballon sized ones from mothercare!! They're great for going out too, they feel and look like Knix!

Message withdrawn

Hi, I am so glad we are talking pottys! I need some help. My daughter is 3 and will not sit on the potty! She definately knows when she is going to do a wee or a poo, but seems to have developed a toilet phobia. She used to just sit on it but not do anything. I have tried training her in the past but after a few days she was still wetting everything, so i reverted back to nappies. I have a 6 year old and she was fairly easy to train and dry at 2.5. The 3 year old seems to be holding her poo in and does become constipated at times. I have tried a star chart but she just doesnt seem interested at all. Her speech is very good so she does understand me. She is very strong willed and will not be talked in to doing things. Anyone got any ideas, I have tried all the tricks i know.

Bloss.
please don't worry, if your son is not showing any signs, there is nothing wrong! I don't mean every child is ready then , just some will show obvious signs and if your're lucky enough you'll be aware of it too!

Yoy DS has got too much his plate at the moment, he'll soon not be the baby any more and will become a big brother, thats tough enough with out taking on board nursery and potty training. Not a good idea to start when a new baby is arriving soon. Let him be a 'baby' for a bit longer. He'll be fine!
Good luck with number 2!

Yes Bloss! Please don't worry. I was only thinking of starting with dd because she has been showing some signs such as telling me when she has wet and sitting on her pot sometimes with results. My ds was a different story he NEVER showed any signs and even at 2.5 yrs would have been happy to sit in a dirty nappy.
Eventually I just put him in pants and just changed him every time he wet himself. Surprisingly this sink or swim method only took about a week and then he was dry by 2yrs 10mths.
He was in nappies at night till his 3rd birthday though and they were still wet every morning. Until soon after his 3yr birthday horrors I ran out of nappies before bedtime. I decided to try him without and surprise he was fine!
Never wet the bed ever.
So sometimes I think leaving it late can be beneficial.
And it is most definitley not an indication of intelligence, As my now 9yr old son is v bright for his age and tops his class every year.

I put mine on the potty every morning and after her afternoon nap. I know this is only toilet timing but it helps her to realise that she has done a wee wee in her potty and that she gets a big hug for it.

She's 18 months and will tell us when she has done a poo. She knows she is supposed to do it in her potty but is reluctant for me to even touch her when she is pooing. So we've decided not to rush, eventually we hope that she'll want to do her poo in the potty as she hates having her nappy changed.

There is a very good site called www.ukparents.co.uk and there is a discussion forum on potty training, one of the mums said what I said- there is a time when a child can practically train itself, miss it and there is outrage if you want to train them and they don't!!

Message withdrawn

Alibubbles... he is 25 months old - we've put our son in regular pants this AM and he wetted himself again. Naked he has no problem... I know he gets it...(he can wait and goes on the potty on his own - never any accident) but for some reason won't ask to go on the potty or remove his own pants when he is dressed...
Any tips ?

Pupuce, I've had this from one or two of my little ones, I just left theier knix off! Sometimes get off comments from visitors, but I just say, he's potty training and this is the way he wants to do it! Easier said than done if you want to go out, but then when I've decided to train, I've always made sure that we have a week at home, people can come to us etc, after a week they've usually cracked it. Try putting them on for an hour and then asking him, are you panats still nice and dry, good boy etc. It all I can think of!!

I don't mind him staying naked and he enjoys it.... we have done it 3 days in a row. I'll try your suggestion. I just can't help but think he is ready but I don't want to stress him too much either.

It's amazing how potty trainig seems to generate such discussion. My almost 4 year old DS is only just starting to get the hang of Potty training, but his bowel motions are still really loose (despite no cows milk etc) and did pooh in the potty for the first time ever tonight and I think that happened more by good luck than management. he has a terrific vocab and is well developed in other areas but everything can't develope all at once so even though it sometimes seems like every other shild of the same age is completely trained I refuse to stress about it NCT (National childbirth trust) have a really good book called surprise surprise 'Potty Training' which I find really helpful to touch base with every now and then

Ds is 26 months old and after reading this thread decided to try him out. We put him in little knix (how cute?!) and brought the potty downstairs. Trouble is he won't use the potty, the big toilet is fine he goes on that all the time. He was going to sit on the potty after he had wet himself so he does understand to a point. He also did a pooh and took his knix down to do it then went and sat on the potty after the event. Do we give up or persevere? Tried to explain to him that he has to tell me if he wants a wee but with him not talking much anyway that doesn't work. Short of spending all day upstairs in the vicinity of the toilet what do I do. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Well I think we are beginning to crack it after nearly 8 months of trying (I thought I'd start in the summer and have it cracked by then!) we are finally getting mostly dry days, last week 5 out of 7! My dd is 2 and 11 months, and knows where she should go, would tell me, but just wouldn't do it. I am sure it was a power thing! Anyway, now all we need to crack are the poos, so more bribery needed. She know she gets a present for a dry day (one sweet at a time just made her do constant teaspoons and still wet!), so it's now presents for a clean and dry day. Hopefully a week of these, then we can move to a week of dry/clean days for a present etc etc At less than 3 she is so mercenery!!

Batters, sounds like she's nearly there. Regarding the constant washing, we used absorbent wet/dry sheets. I can't remember what they are called, but they are square in shape, very soft and absorb everything. They wash at high temps., tumbledry and save washing umpteen sheets etc. I bought them, I think, from the the great Little trading co. catalogue (£20 each). I used them for my son and shall with my daughter. (Also useful for when waters might be about to go!

Regarding night-time training, we lifted our son at night when we went to bed and popped him on the loo. This worked well until he finally went through the night. He then slept on the wet/dry blankets/sheets (if that's what they are called) for several months after giving up nappies and I think this gave him confidence. I'll get back if I can recall more info. re the sheets etc. Good luck.

Are they called Care Mats? Anyway, if they're not, Pampers do something like it to put under them when sleeping and they're great according to a friend.

Batters, might sound obvious (but I forgot recently and ended up with the first wet bed in AGES), but no drinks at all for a good hour before bedtime and lifting at 10pm worked for my ds. Good luck.

Any ideas for encouraging ds to even get started? He's nearly 3. He know when he's about to do wee and poo. When I've read various guides that detail signs of readiness he meets all of them, but he just doesn't want to. He refuses to sit on potty or toilet. He has done with clothes on a few times, and is moe than happy to put his toys on, but he has only ever once sat on the potty without nappy . He agreed to do it and was in no way forced. It was totally low key and pressure free. I wandered off, but was still hovering in the next room so I was there if needed and after a couple of minutes he rushed up and said he didn't like the potty and was crying. I certainly don't want to force him or upset him, but what can I do to make it appeal? We're not even at the foot of the ladder yet, and it's starting to feel like he's never going to do it.

He's quite interested in the topic. He's very keen on going into the toilet with any family member! He also asks questions about wee wee and poo poo. He has a couple of book, eg the one about Joshua and his new potty (can't remember title), but despite his interest in everyone else's toilet habits, he doesn't want to do it himself. (Nanny bought him some underpants - Thomas t.t.e.) He really liked them but he doesn't want to wear them - or use the potty.
Do I really just wait or is there anything I can do to break down his resistance?

What about letting him run around half naked ? If you only have carpet this might be an issue though.