Is this potty training?

[MummyDayDream]

Dd is 29 months, we're 3 days into potty training. We are taking her to the loo/potty every 30/40 mins or so; she usually manages to do something, if only a dribble. We're doing the 'lots of praise, no criticism for mistakes' thing. She's still having accidents (3 this morning, 2 wees and a poo - sorry if TMI!). The thing is, she has never yet said that she wants/needs the potty. This makes me wonder if we are actually 'training' her at all, or just reducing the opportunities for accidents, IYSWIM? We really feel unsure of what we are doing - any advice, please?

To me it sounds like you are just reducing the opportunities. Does she realise what is going on when she gets it right? What happens if you just leave her bare bummed with a potty in the room?

agree about reducing the opportunities and leaving her bare bummed with potty in the room.

IME let her have accidents in pants for a couple of days and tell her that next time she can use the potty if she needs a poo or wee and then she'll click, the penny will drop and she'll ask for it, won't make it every time, but that's how they get the hang of it IMO

Yup, same here... DD was barebummed for a few days, and twigged quite quickly that if you didn't say anything, you got soggy feet - we then went into knickers, and had another few days of accidents while she got used to having something over her bum, but it not holding anything.

We had a reward chart. Ds1 got to move the airplane up a cloud every time he produced in the potty. It meant that he asked cos he wanted to move the airplane on. Every now and then he landed on a big cloud and got a little treat (a sticker, pencil etc.)

DD loved recieving little stickers for her successes. We would let her choose one and then stick it directly onto her potty - for a very immediate and visual reminder and praise.

Many thanks for your replies. I can see that we need to have a bit of a rethink and revise our strategy!

But no accidents at all this afternoon! - She still never actually said that she wanted to go, but we didn't pester, just took her every couple of hours. We still need the breakthrough of her asking, but hey, it's good to have something to feel good about (life seeming a bit tough at the moment).

Think she is still quite young to expect her to do the anticipating and asking. It will come but you may have to accept that you are going to be doing the prompting for a while. Rewards and gradually extending the time you leave between trips to the toilet may help but until she can recognise the sensation of a full bladder, and therefore that she needs to go, she probably won't ask. That means there may come a point when you have to be prepared for accidents again. If she starts to take herself off to try then that is a very positive step towards this. No harm in establishing good habits and routine first though, as long as she is cooperative.

Good luck