Potty training an awkward toddler... please help!!! Very frustrated mum!

[Chuckmondo]

This is my second attempt at training my 32 month old son. I've done all the things you are supposed to do - big boy pants, showing him what to do, sticker charts, potty books, etc but my son is being so stubborn and gets very upset when I try to sit him on the potty or the loo. I've even tried bribery with sweets... but he's determined he is NOT doing it. I've had puddles all week, even straight after he's sat on it (which he will rarely do). We've had one successful wee and this was rewarded with a sticker and lots of praise but it's gone down hill since then.

I'm started to get frustrated and cross and trying best not to show him this as I know it can damage the process but it's so hard. I'm really fed up!!! I am convinced he will still be wearing nappies when he's a grown up :-(

Any good advice would be great... maybe I'm expecting too much - it's our first week.

Thanks x

if he's not interested then leave for a while and try again

him being upset and you getting frustrated = unhappy household

fwiw both of my kids were over age 3 when we did it, they were just not interested, like you bribery didn't work

leave the potty lying around, get a loo insert plus step, normalise the equipment

He's not ready. Leave it and try again in a month or two.

Loads of people that I know, including me, succeeded on the third attempt so it won't be the end of thworking if you stop and wait a little longer.

There's a separate potty training talk section if you want more advice, but if you have a stubborn, or shall we say independently-minded DS like mine, then try totally backing off. I did all the things you described in your post - books, charts, taking him to loo every half hour, with no success.

On the 3rd attempt I stopped asking him if he needed the toilet, and just cleaned up his accidents. The next day he just started going to the toilet by himself, usually when I was in another room.

Not the end of the world. Sorry.

End of message also got chopped off. What was trying to say is that my DS at 34 months somehow wanted to do this by himself, as he was getting pretty independent at that stage, and it was only when I stopped nagging that toilet training succeeded.

So incoherent, sorry, not even been drinking. Good luck with your efforts.