Did you manage to not get cross with potty training?

[LetTheRiverAnswer]

I'm just curious, having just potty trained my second child, if anyone manages to do it without ever getting cross about accidents. I know all the advice is to tidy up matter of factly and to not be cross or make the child feel bad for having an accident, and of course its not fair on the child and doesn't help them to learn...but is it humanly possible to never get a bit cross and ranty when your cleaning up after the upteenth accident, when you've just put yet another load of washing on, the babies trying to crawl through the mess and the toddler is dancing about spreading it all about a bit more?

I did get cross once. Shouty cross I'm ashamed to say. DD had been trained for months and suddenly regressed stating quite openly she couldn't be bothered to go to the toilet and that it was only an accident. It culminated in her wetting herself 3 times in one day.

I was sleep deprived with a newborn and burst into tears shouting that she could put her clothes in the machine etc.

Suddenly all the reassurance I'd provided when she was learning was being thrown at me and that made me cross. Even though I know I was in the wrong she has never had another accident since as my own toddler tantrum was the que for a long, calm chat about needing to keep knickers dry etc which she really took on board.

It's really hard OP. I sympathise. I do not look forward to potty training DS!

I'll admit to getting shouty. DD1 is very stubborn and just wouldn't sit on the potty when asked despite obviously being desperate. Along came a massive puddle in which she paddled in bare feet saying 'splish splash'.

This was the low point at the end of a very long week at which point I put her in a pull up and asked nursery to have her for the afternoon! I think I dropped her off in tears. Potty training broke me!

It's funny when you look back cantmake but not at the time!

Me: we don't want to get Peppa all wet do we?
DD: why not, she is wearing wellies.

I can laugh now, Spaghetti!

lol at the wellies. Toddler logic wins!

I got shouty, I'll admit it, the day I changed seven pairs of knickers broke me, and sadly I was pregnant so couldn't drink. That was when I looked into cloth nappies for the baby, I mean if I can clean a three year olds poopy knickers I can wash bf poo off nappies, smells much less!

I didn't get cross at the accidents as such, but potty training coincided with a long hitting phase as he would get very stressed about needing to go and not admitting it. I did shout a couple of times when I was walloped in the face after taking him calmly to the loo, at the end of my tether after cleaning up. I took it both times as a sign to back off and not persist with it though. Third time of trying went very smoothly, everyone much calmer, as he was obviously ready to do it.

I say ready to do it, but he still needed lots of encouragement. I agree with pp it is not one size fits all when it comes to potty training. My ds was 3 years and 6 months when he did it, with two previous attempts to test the water from the age of 3. He doesn't like going for a wee now. He couldn't manage his clothes until recently, he never would have got the idea by himself if we hadn't taken the lead. The first attempts laid the groundwork.

I agree there's no point stressing about it at 2, but you can only be relaxed about the fact they did it in their own time if they do it in their own time reasonably early - if they are 3.5 and showing no signs of bothering, you feel like you are not doing your job as a parent if you don't start giving them a little nudge in that direction.

I hated it though, great once it's done. Awful when you have a baby at the same time.

If you're having lots of accidents and getting cross you started too soon. Go back to nappies and try again in a month or two.

Yep I got cross sometimes but in my defence I have an 11 month gap and was struggling with depression at the time, trying to potty train DD and cope with DS who pretty much screamed all day every day until a few months ago was hell. We got there in the end with sticker charts, chocolate buttons etc (and anti depressants for me!).

Potty training is more stressful for some than others, esp if you have younger kids and struggle with mess which I really do. Also my DD wasn't emptying her bladder fully so would go then wet herself minutes later. Once I realised this (after about fifty accidents in an hour) it got a lot easier as I'd make her stay on the potty longer / get up and do a twirl then sit back down. We also hit a lazy stage where she had been trained for months then would routinely wet herself and said 'oh dear, wet' and seriously didn't care, even my sister who is incredibly soft could see she was having us on. This was very irritating.

We're not dry at night, nowhere near, and I've started lifting her at night, but I'm not even sure if this is the right thing to do as three weeks in and she's still got wet pull ups every morning from early morning wees. It will happen and I don't even worry about it.

Tactical guerrilla pooing!