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Potty training - is this a disasterous approach?

8 replies

IlanaK · 05/06/2007 12:50

I am on day two of potty training my almost three year old boy (he turns three in a week). He is not my first. DS1 was almost 3.5 when we trained and we did it in three days of staying in and offering a smartie everytime he sat on the potty and two for doing a wee. We had about a week of taking the potty out and about with us and that was the end of it.

DS2 is a bit different. We just can't stay in for three days straight. He is a bit younger and also we have not been using the potty before bathtime like we did with ds1. Anyway, when at home the last two days I have had him in pants and put the potty out. We have had a few puddles but if I remind him often enough to sit on the potty, we have successes too. Today, I got some smarties which is definatley helping motivate him. However, he is not initiating it himseld if you see what I mean. I would like him to tell me when he needs to wee rather then me just getting him to sit on the potty a lot.

To complicate things, I need to put a nappy on him when we go out. We live in central London and are on buses and tubes all the time. I just can't take the potty along and use it on the bus!

So, is this a disasterous approach? He is a very articulate child for his age and understands everything I tell him. However, I get the feeling this might drag on forever!

Please please tell me this is fine and that by the end of the week he will have got it! (not helped by two days trips out at the end of the week).

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haarpsichordcarrier · 05/06/2007 12:51

ditch it and wait a bit until he can tell you when he wants to wee. otherwise it will take forever.
imo

IlanaK · 05/06/2007 13:03

But my older ds never told me he needed to wee either. That's why we ended up waiting so long. IN the end we just did it anyway and it was fine. I don't think he would have voluntarily come out of nappies EVER if we hadn't insisted!

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haarpsichordcarrier · 05/06/2007 13:10

why are you going for this approach and why are you starting now? I doubt very much if he would always be in nappies but the
why don't you do the potty at bedtime bit for a while, no nappies in the house but no pressure to be completely dry until you have a clear week at home/in garden in the summer? (IF you have a garden in Central London that is ). it seems like you are setting yourself up to fail.

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IlanaK · 05/06/2007 13:13

Well, it wasn't a planned approach as such. We are changing the boys' room around in a couple of week and will no longer have a changing table. That, coupled with the good weather, just made me decide to give it a try. We don't have a garden or outside space, but thankfully we do have laminate floors!

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cedar12 · 05/06/2007 13:21

You have only been training him for a couple of days give him a chance. Sounds like hes doing fine it took my dd at least a week to start asking for the toilet. Why cant you take a travel potty with you most people dont mind or find a bush to go behind. He is bound to have the odd accident to start with. Just keep a spare pair of pant and short in your bag and make sure he goes before you get on the bus. Good luck.

LynetteScavo · 05/06/2007 13:23

Could you brave it and not take a potty with you? I never took a potty out with me. For the first week I didn't bother with pants, just shorts. If he needs a wee when you are out, just let him go behind a tree (I didnt' tell you tis ) Onece you ditch the nappies, they should disapear. For good. Cold turkey worked fine for both my boys, at 2.4.

elliott · 05/06/2007 13:30

blimey it took my ds1 about 2 years to start asking to go for a wee!
Ds2 was a dream in comparison - though even he took a few weeks....

IlanaK · 05/06/2007 19:44

Thanks everyone. QUick update - the afternoon went much better. We took a portable potty out with us (left over but never used by ds1) and I must have sat him on it a zillion times but he never did anything. We were out for about 2 hours. When we came back home, I asked him to sit on the main potty and he did a big wee right away. Then while I was cooking dinner he took himself off to do a poo on the toilet without telling me! and then he did a further three wees on the potty before bed, including during story time when he already had a nappy on for bed and asked for the potty!

I have a fairly quiet day tomorow so might just go for pants all day and go to the park or something with potty in tow.

Thanks again!

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