Anyone else about to embark on the longest week of their lives? (ie. potty training the reluctant)

[BettySpaghetti]

A while ago I decided half term was going to be potty/toilet training DS week. That way I don't have to worry about the school runs, activities we go to etc.

I had visions of sticking him in the garden in pants with a potty nearby and Hey Presto!

Slight problem (or two):

1. weather forecast looks as if its going to rain all week
2. DS (2.11) is reluctant (to put it mildy) to sit on the toilet or potty.
3. DS says it feels nice having a poo in your pants
4. at the end of day 1 I'm exhausted

Anyone out there going through the same this week?

Its going to be a long old week.........

Sounds like the right move Zoe.

Glad theres some improvement PizPizPiz.

We're doing OK so far today. 2 wees on the potty and a couple of dashes to the potty when he thought he might need one.

Weather looks a bit hit and miss but hopefully we'll get out for a short walk to break up the monotony of being at home. Finding myself spending a lot of time on MN whilst DS is playing as I need to be keeping one eye open for the signs.

My 2 dc learned together, and it was 2 weeks in the summer holidays - rolled all the rugs up and put them away and kept all the doors open so they were outside a lot and it eventually clicked. I know at first I tried to just smile and mop it up after an accident but I did start getting cross with them after the 3rd or 4th puddle one day and that sort of made them try to hold it until they got to the potty!
Ds is very sensitive and he loved his nappies and he said it was because the potty is so cold to sit on that he would only stand over it so then I had to go and run his potty under the hot water tap to warm the seat ...the things we do!

how old were they admylin?
Poo in knickers this morning and 3 accidents already

Quite embarrassingly ds was 4 and a half and dd was 3, the summer before I tried it and ds totally refused so dd copied her big brother!

We tried this past weekend. Gave it 2 and a half days and gave up. My little boy was dry while wearing nappies, asked to go to the potty and was dry for three days we decided he might be ready for potty training told him all week we were going to start and bought him some big boy pants. He won't go on the potty once in 2 days. Went to mothercare and bought some proper training pants but he is very slim and they leaked all over the place. Don't know what else to do, any suggestions?

is it the potty thta puts him off? If so you could try putting him on the toilet. If he was dry for several days, he might be ready.

He was going on the potty while he was still wearing nappies, but as soon as I took him out of the nappies it was like he didn't know what to do. Someone told me to try letting him run around without pants, but he just went all over the floor. At least when he had the clothing on he was uncomfortable being wet. I had to take him back to nursery and thought 3 days was enough of a start that we would only have a few accidents.

Hello. Hope everyone's doing well and not having to clean up too much mess so far today.

I started potty training on Sunday and had mixed success. Dd is 2.2. She had a few accidents which she really didn't like. Then when I was in the kitchen she came running in with the potty saying 'look mummy'. She was so proud that she'd done her first wee in the potty. There was a bit of a trail on the carpet so she had obviously realised what was happening and made it to the potty in time to finish it off. She had a couple more accidents after that and I was so relieved to put her nappy on at bed time.

It's mum's turn to take over for the rest of the week while I'm at work. This morning she really wasn't happy about me putting her knickers on but I insisted. Even though we were going out in the car I didn't want to confuse her. We bought a Wetec pad for the car seat/buggy and luckily she didn't need it.

It's not much fun cleaning wee out of the carpet but she needs to be clean and dry by the time she goes to playschool in September. I'm hoping it's not going to take long but I won't be forcing it if it really doesn't work out. She'll just have to defer playschool for a term.

I'm surprised playgroups still insist on them being trained - ours will take them in nappies now and I thought that was becoming more common.

They tend to find the children aren't in nappies long anyway once they start playgroup - nothing like seeing all your friends using the proper toilet to motivate a reluctant trainer!

Not sure why they insist on it. Does me a favour really as the new baby will be born in August so it will be nice to only be changing one set of nappies. And it will be cheaper.

Welcome GillL. I'm almost in the same situation as you. dd2 is due in 3 weeks, and dd1 is starting maternelle (French preschool) in september so she also needs to be dry by then. Plus we're moving to France in August. A lot of changes in a short space of time for her. That's why I'd like PT out of the way asap, even if I expect some regression during summer.
But we've had ONLY accidents today so not too hopeful she's going to be trained this week. Fighting off the idea of giving up already for now... Sunday looks like a long way off.

Thanks PizPizPiz. I was feeling a bit disheartened on Sunday after only accidents. I'm sure it'll only take a few days for them to figure out the feeling they get just before they have an accident and then to associate that feeling with needing to use the potty. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.

Have just started training DS2 - he is over three now!
DS1 was slow too.
Have had nothing but accidents too. Tried about two weeks ago but gave up on the fifth pair of trousers - he wouldn't go bare- bottomed!
He is starting school in Sept so I don't want to leave it until August when big holidays are so it has to be this week really.

good luck fourjays
dd back from nursery in 1/2 hour. I've had a nice cuppa, a nice cake, a nice rest on MN, I'm ready, bring on the wee

lol at PizPizPiz -it leaves you thinking like that doesn't it? I spend all day saying to myself "Roll on bedtime".

However, saying that its coming up to bedtime on day 3 and we've had 0 accidents !

A bit different to yesterday when I had to put a load of washing on at the end of the day as we'd got through so many pants, trousers and t-shirts .

So don't be disheartened everyone, it can change overnight (I just hope it doesn't change back again tonight )

oh wow betty I'm impressed
Her nursery says there's light at the end of the tunnel so feeling a bit better tonight too. 1 hour to bedtime and counting ...

Ds is a bit older than most on this thread though (2.11) so maybe thats the difference.

I'm not counting my chickens though......tomorrow could be entirely different.

Hope everyone is having a good day.

Dd got 3 stars for doing 3 wees in the potty yesterday. There were several accidents as well but it's definite improvement. She cries every time she has an accident. She insisted that my mum put a nappy on her yesterday afternoon (she's a bit soft and gave in) and she even cried when she did a wee in her nappy. So she is obviously very aware of when she is going now. She refused to have a nappy on to go home yesterday evening (she always goes to sleep then) and luckily there were no accidents. This morning she was much happier about having knickers on instead of a nappy.

That's great GillL, keep up the good work
Not much progress here I'm afraid. We have to chase her around to catch anything in the potty so it's all down to chance really. I needed to go out this afternoon for my own sanity so I took her to a soft play center with a nappy on . I know... But we're still trying to stick to it until Sun. I think...

hi everyone

GillL- its interesting what you said about your DD crying when she did a wee in her nappy as she was aware of what she was doing. Every night since we started the potty training DS has half woken up quite distressed about 3-4 hrs after going to bed and I think its because he is weeing (has a nappy on at night obviously) and is partly aware of it. He never normally wakes at night.

PizPizPiz -I know what you mean about getting out for your own sanity. DP was around today so when DS went for his nap I escaped into town for an hour with DD (coffee and cake -a great pick-me-up highly recommended)

Any accidents today Betty?
And you ds still has naps ! Now I'm seriously jealous!

No accidents so far today (touching wood) -saying that though, we've not been far from a potty. I don't think I'd want to brave anywhere yet where he couldn't just drop his trousers and go right there and then!

The naps are still happening most days (DD had long given hers up by this age) . If we're at home I put im down for a nap for my sanity really . If we're out and about he'll go without one but is knackered by bedtime.

At night he sleeps 7/8pm until 6.45/8am (at the moment its 6.45 am ish but I'm wondering if thats because hes sleeping quite lightly by that stage and is aware of his weeing?).

DD was such an appalling sleeper that I think I was due a decent sleeper this time round

Hi all, hope you don't mind me joining in.....am taking a slightly different approach which worked with my first but isn't working so well with 2nd. After a couple of false starts my HV advised us to try this. The idea initially was to just ask him to go before we left the house and when we got back, before meals and after meals, baths etc. Once this became routine we then ventured to the pull up free zone. It did take a while but we got there.

Am now trying this with my 2.6 year old but can't get him to wee on potty. He runs around bare bottomed but he holds it in for up to an hour then asks for pants on (not nappies) and wees. Have tried just leaving him for ages to see if he caves but am scared of it starting to hurt then he'll never do it. He obviously has a certain amount of control to be able to do this. Any suggestions

Day 4....and nothing but accidents!!!!

Losing will to parent......

day 6 and nothing but accidents !
I give up, she's back into nappies, she's made NO progress at all in almost a week.
Hope you lot are doing better than me. I can't help feeling guilty now...