Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

Original poster

What would you do? Stubborn 2.5 year old!

13 replies

MrsWood · 27/12/2005 17:40

Sorry for long post!

Decided to start potty training dd who's 29 months (2 weeks short of 30 months), yesterday. She's shown all of the signs books advise to look for, and she's managed few wees and few little drips in the potty before - she's had potties around the house since she was 1.5 - basically just to get her used to them. We even bought few different potty books for her to read and she deffinitely understands the concept, talks about potties etc. In my opinion (and my dh's) - she's more than ready. Especially as the other day she decided to have a wee in her musical potty - all by herself, with no prior encouragment, whilst hubby and I were trying to work out how to put Xmas tree up. She dragged it to the kitchen and had a wee. All chuffed, had a sticker and a smartie and talked about it for few days. So, anyway, we stripped her in just her nickers and nightie all day yesterday as we planned to have a quiet day in with her. We kept asking her if she wanted to use a potty and kept showing her where her potties were. Her potty books and her kandoo wipes were there, we talked about nothing else with her all day, telling her how big she was to wear big girl knickers etc. - the works. She had about 6 wees and 1 poo - all accidents, not one on the potty. And every accident happened just after she's been sitting on the potty. We made no comments, and just praised her for sitting on potties and wearing big girl pants. Today, we decided not to be beaten, and did the same thing - had two lots of "few drops" in potties and just after that she's go and have an accident. We kept asking her if she wanted the potty and she kept saying "no" then having an accident. I asked her to do a wee in the potty next time she needed it, and she replied "I don't want to do a wee in the potty". After few such replies after accidents, we gave up. Is it the wrong thing to do? Should be persist or if she's not co operating, shall we just try again in few months?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

SenoraPartridgeinaPearTree · 27/12/2005 17:45

I think I'd have given up too if i had carpets. we don't have carpets so i did put up with a few days of this from dd, who went on to train up well after a few days. "don't want to do wee in potty" wouldn't have put me off by itself - she may have meant she didn't want to do a wee at that moment.

also though, do you think you might be making too big a deal of it?

Mud · 27/12/2005 17:48

put her on the loo instread she's probably too used to seeing the postties lying round the house

ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta · 27/12/2005 17:51

I would leave it. You could wait until a later date when she tells you she wants to start using the potty / toilet herself - she knows what it's for, obviously, but for some reason doesn't want to / can't get the hang of it. She's still quite young.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting

Original poster

MrsWood · 27/12/2005 18:04

We bought her one of those toilet seats that goes onto a big toilet seat and she's just been on it (after saying she needed a wee and taking her nappy off) - quite happily for 5 minutes talking about toilet stuff like "washing hands" afterwards, using "toilet paper" and "toilet brush" to "clean poo poo" etc. She didn't wee in it, but she still goes (like all other times) "finished" and gets off.

OP posts:

Original poster

MrsWood · 27/12/2005 18:10

Also, may I just add that mess on carpets doesn't bother us at all as we have a brilliant "hoover" carpet cleaner which we bought when the dogs were puppies. We didn't give up potty training because of mess - that really isn't the issue and to be honest, we think we are very relaxed about the whole thing, so there certainly wasn't a big deal made out of it at any time. She didn't get frustrated with us, and I think when potty training, you can't escape talks about potties and what they're for and most of all, asking whether or not they needed to use it - kids get quite busy playing and can easily forget if you don't ask, so I don't think that's making a big deal - I believe everybody does the same? More so, this is straight from "horse's mouth" - Gina Ford's potty training book, so can't be wrong.

OP posts:

thecattleareALOHing · 27/12/2005 18:16

I'd give up, frankly. Sounds far too messy and stressful.

SenoraPartridgeinaPearTree · 27/12/2005 18:25

didn't mean to offend - I just meant that there is more than one reason to give up. if you're not getting stressed with it then maybe keep trying for a day or two and then leave it. like I say, dd did this.

lol at "Gina Ford's potty training book, so can't be wrong". it is not the only method. dd responded better to plain vigilance - i didn't keep asking her about the potty, but I did sit her on it the minute i noticed that she was doing/had done a wee, like you would a cat. just a thought.

PennyLess · 27/12/2005 18:29

When I "did" ds2, he wasn't really ready but it was a "now or never" situation (which I won't go in to). I took him every hour and a half which was really hard work, but it worked. I had to do it for about 3 days, and it at least meant that we didn't have puddles everywhere (at that point he pooed in his nappy in the morning so that wasn't an issue). After a few days he started holding on longer, so I just took him at certain points -ie, before and leaving the house and after getting in, and before mealtimes. It took a while but it worked. A girl would probably be quicker, and I personally wouldn't go backwards now you;ve started but it depends whether you can face it or not.

daisiesinaline · 27/12/2005 18:30

Yeh, I would not ask her. When I potty trained I just kept putting on potty frequently. Don't ask, just put on. If she resists still, I would just forget it for a while. You don't want the whole thing to get into battle of the wills.

Original poster

MrsWood · 27/12/2005 18:47

SenoraPartridgeinaPearTree - sorry, didn't mean at all that you offened in the slightest - sorry if it came across as that ...

Anyway, brilliant suggestion to do it as you would a cat/dog - should have thought of that!

Thanks for all your suggestions and comments - I think I might give it another go tomorrow with some new methods.

OP posts:

ISawFrannyandZooeyKissingSanta · 27/12/2005 19:16

PMSL at the suggestion that Gina Ford cannot be wrong!

Sorry, I'll get my coat...

bobbybobbobbingalong · 27/12/2005 19:24

We have found Bob will only go if he is in his room on his own and we promise to only come back when he is finished. So we pop him in his room and tell him we'll see him when he has used his potty. Yesterday he was dry all day and had one spontaneous wee on his potty all by himself, but the other 6 were all prompted wees.

Frostythesurfmum · 27/12/2005 19:32

I think I would be inclined to try for a couple more days, but if she really isn't getting it then give up for a few weeks. My friend had similar thing with her ds, but when she tried again a few weeks later they cracked it.

With my dd, I only ever asked her if she wanted to go if we were out, when we were at home I would just leave her to go or ask for the potty herself. I figured that it was only by having accidents that she would learn for herself the signs of wanting a wee/poo.

Flip