Where do i start ??

[hazemillie]

Hello .. this is my firs message

My daugther is 27 months now and is ready for potty training. i've even brought trainer pants and books (which she does like) but i've no idea where to start.

She uses her potty & toliet but only when mum/dad/childminer are going too. She knows what its for. She has also started to say 'yes' when i ask her if she has done a poo.

I do think she is ready but don't know how to devise a plan or even if i need one.

Help!!!!

thank you

Welcome! We're about a month into potty training ds1, 31 months, but I'm not sure I would hold myself up as a great example - we're doing ok but I do find it rather stressful....
For what its worth, I started getting him to go regularly on the potty months before I took his nappy off - so he'd sit after mealtimes and naps - he'd always produce something and we got to the point where pretty much all his poos were in the potty before I 'went for it'. I also spent a little while teaching him how to pull his trousers up and down. I talked about it with him and bought the pants (proper ones not trainers) and asked him every week or so if he wanted to try without nappies and go in pants. When he said 'yes', the next weekend we just put him in pants and explained what he needed to do. The first day was pretty much all accidents, but after than he got quite good quite quickly (most days we have no accidents).
HTH - but remember there's more than one way to skin a cat, and its largely just a matter of doing it and hoping for the best!

Is your dd telling you when she's wet her nappy yet?? I waited until my ds was telling me he'd done a wee before I started potty training. I tried several time before this and they all ended in total disaster so I waited until he was ready. He's now carcked weeing but won't poo at all. But from advise I've recieved from other threads on mumsnet this is quite a common thing with boys. Alos it's the perfect time of year to start potty training you can let your dd run around in the garden without a nappy on. Just try it and see how it goes. All the best.

we were very lucky, we decided to just go for it with dd 2.6 and she took to the whole no-nappy thing like duck to water. Actually read Gina Wotsit's 'potty trainin in 5 days'& modeled it on that approach. I bought 4 pairs of elasticated shorts (easier to pull up and down) and 8 pairs of pants in a bigger size, and we got a star chart set up with stickers for every time she did a wee/poo in potty. we put the potties (one on each floor of house) on a plastic sheet in a prominent place so she didn't have to go far or wait to get there nor did she have to ask. by end of first day she was doing the whole deal herself, pants down and up, little wipe with a wet wipe, hands washed. Since then (3 weeks later) she has had a total of 3 accidents when she has been tired or we have gone out & I forgot to ask her if she needed a wee before the return journey. The key thing for her was the independence, and the best incentive for her to start was visitng the house of another little girl who was using the potty herslef. The reason we wanted to start was that she refused to tell us or even admit to doing a poo and after several sore bottoms we decided enuf was enuf. HTH

Hazemillie, can she manage her clothes by herself? I'm two and a half weeks into potty training, my DD is now 26 months, so almost the same age as yours, and she is extrememly independent - won't let me help her pull her knickers downs before she goes - so it's very important she's not wearing dungarees!

In the first couple of days, I did a diary of when she did her weewees and kakas, and that was quite helpful in ensuring that I left roughly the right amount of gaps in between potty sittings. Also, giving her something to play with while she's sitting on the potty helps. And screaming and shouting and applauding with theatrical joy every time she goes also gets a good reaction. She hasn't had an accident in a week.

This is the right weather for it - makes things so much easier when it is warm.

Good luck!

If you are interested I have the GF Potty Training in a Week book you can have?

We did PT with my DD 2 months ago, when she was 24 months, and she was dry within 3 days. I used the book for a bit of background reading and guidance, but didn't follow it properly as such. Did find it interstinting to read first though.

This is what we did:

First day - no clothes bottom half at all most of day. Potty in same room, close by. Lots of reminders - every 15 minutes or so, maybe a bit less often. We had very few accidents but those we did have I quickly wiped away and ignored, but gave loads of praise for successes. And she got a little sticker stuck directly onto her potty - very visual for her and constant reminder.

Second day - had easy bottom half clothes on, including little pants. Had a few more accidents second day as she was holding on as long as possible and leaving it just a little bit too late. A small white chocolate buttom reward managed to solve this one And we withdraw the chocolate reward within two or three days after that.

Third day - almost no accidents at all since then. Started nap time 'no nappy' then too. Only accidents have been if she has had a very long afternoon nap, and not been just before sleep time.

We had some poo issues as she didn't liek doing that in potty to start with, but that has now been sorted within a month or so.

It's now been about two months and looking back I can't belive how it easy and quick it was for us. DD pretty much PT'd herself. If your Dd is ready it should hopefully be quite easy.

I also let DD choose herself some new pants - she felt very grown up, and both grandparents visited with gifts of big girl pants that week too She was very proud of herself!

Oh, forgot to add - we found that little dresses - quite short so not to get trapped inside potty, and baggier pants - made life easier for DD to start with.

Thank you everyone for your experiences. Its been really useful. Thank you hulababy for the offer of the book, but my mother-in-law has kindly already brought it for me!!

I've decided to take next week off work to try & train DD. I'm not expecting her to be fully trained but at least we can start the process.
I think its going to be a struggle. i work part-time and we tend to go out alot during the day, i feel i need to dedicate some time.

Wish me luck & I'll let you know how it goes.

Just about to start potty training so reading some old threads, dd is 27 months am plan to start Fri/Sat. During those first few days if you went out and about did you put a nappy on, ie. when picking up older brother from nursery and waiting about in car, going food shopping.

When I started with my DD I put her in pull-ups for trips outside for the first week or so.. I only moved her out of pull-ups when she was acheiving more than 50% success at home.. Then again I couldn't really admit I trained her : I tried off and on for about 2 months and it was a disaster and then she woke up on Monday morning came downstairs and sat on the potty and has been 90% - 95% trained since - ust the odd accident if she gets too involved in playing.

Hi indamb
its nice to know that my DD is not the only one holding it in!!

I've read in the NCT book on Potty training, one mother put a nappy over the potty and her son used it. she gradually removed the nappy to the back of the potty and then eventually took it away. it was a success.

maybe i'll try that next week. i'll let you know how it goes!

Well, we've been trying to train DS for about 2wks now. He is 32 mths. DS very good at sitting on potty and doing a wee and even a poo - so no issues there. But he NEVER asks to go - even when asked, and then will have an accident five min later. The only way we avoid accidents is to sit him on potty every 1.5hrs - does this sound right? Shouldn't they be realising something by now? He hates having accidents, and will ask to go back in nappies after the accidents - but will wear pants in the morning or all day if he doesn't have an accident. He knows he can do a wee or poo in his nappy or pull-up and that doing it in his pants is not good - but still doesn't appear to have any awareness of when to go. Any advice?

pepsi, I didn't go back to nappies at all, took Gina Ford's advice that it just confuses them, instead took a thick towel to sit on and made her do a wee before we went and immediately after we got back. Not one accident.

Here's the news from my lovely week of trying to potty train my DD.

Monday - good start with 4 successes of wee in potty & lots of accidents, stayed home most of the day and played in garden
Tuesday - did not sit on potty much and got annoyed that i kept asking her whether she wanted to go
Wednesday - started 'holding in' and did not wee or have accidents for 6 hours. I got into panic mode and felt it wasn't safe for her to holding in for that long. Gave in and put a nappy on her. 1 hour later it was full.
Thursday - she spent the day at the childminders and the same thing happened. No accidents when in trainer pants & knickers but as soon as her nappy was on, she filled it really quickly.
Friday - DD asked to be put back into nappies and refused to sit on potty or toilet. the star chart and treats could not tempt her. So gave up on the grounds that it was not safe for her to be 'holding it in'.

So it was fun and contradictary as I thought she would not know how to hold it - isn't that what potty training is about?!?!?!

I'm going to try again in a couple of weeks and see how she goes.

Wish me luck & any advice would be great.

Hazemillie, my dd is 31 months and each time I have tried to train her she holds it in. even upto 8 hours and i eventually give in with a nappy, this is soaked within seconds. Healthvisitor and doctor both ok with the length of time she holds it in and dont think it will cause long term problem ( I only try for a few days and then put her back in nappies). Hopefully one day it will just click. sorry not got anymore advice, but would also be happy to hear any coments on holding on.