Right. I HAVE to get ds out of nappies.... where do I begin??

[zephyrcat]

We started a while ago but then he was in and out of hospital and we moved house etc so I left him.

I think we are ready to go again but I just don't know the best way to do it. DD was so easy, she went straight onto the toilet and dry at night in a week, I get the feeling ds isn't going to be so simple!

Any fool proof tips?

Also is it wishful thinking to try and bypass the potty and get him straight on the toilet? (I hate potties!)

How old is ds? I think you have to pick a time when you have nothing on for a few days and then go for it. Buy him some lovely pants, explain that he's a big boy and he's not going to be wearing nappies any more. I think potties are good as you can have several - one in every room for speed - explain that when he needs to do a wee wee (or whatever you want to call it) he should go on the potty. When he gets right give hime a smartie and lots of praise - if he has an accident don't make too much fuss and just mop it up. I used this method with both my children and they got it within a day (barring a few accidents) for my daughter and within 3 days for my son. The crucial thing in my opinion is not to put a nappy back on except at night - accept there will be a few accidents and keep reminding him to go to the loo. If you keep putting a nappy on while you pop to the shops or go out in the car etc its harder for him to realise that this is something he has to do all the time. I used to carry a potty uner the pushchair for emergencies (although boys are much easier than girls in this respect - they can just go at the side of the road!) Accept that your movements will be curtailed for the first few days while he gets the hang of it. Go for it now - much easier in the warm weather than when you have lots of clothes to contend with in winter. Good luck!

Oh, forgot to add - you could try and bypass potty, but my son hated the toilet to start with - think he was frightened of falling in!! He soon made the transition though.

He turned 3 on Sunday. He is ok with the tiolet so far, he is happy to sit on it and has quite often done a wee in the 'big toilet' - the problem is he isn't telling me when he needs to go. I'm wondering if that is because he is in his nappy so he knows he doesn't need to. I'm wondering about the taking to the tiolet every 15 mins or so... does that work or would that also make him think he won't have to say when he needsto go because he thinks he'll be taken anyway?

If that makes sense!!?

I think you need to take his nappy off - he will have a few accidents (maybe even a lot in the first day) but that's part of the learning process - he needs to learn that if he doesn't go to the loo he will be wet. We had tiled floors in our house - if you've gor carpets I'd spend a few days in the garden or the park/beach. I would definitely take him every 15 minutes or so - or at least ask if he needs to go. In my experience boys aren't very good at remembering and need reminding. If he's happy to go on the big toilet I'd stick with that. Try and find a few days when that's all you do (not very glamorous but very effective) he'll soon get into the hang of it.My dh always wanted to put a nappy on him if he was taking him anywhere in the early days - he couldn't really be bothered seemed to think it would just sort itself out. Stand firm - it's worth a bit of inconvenience for a few days to get it nailed!