about to start potty training next week - advice on what to do/need

[foxy1]

hello

i have a son who i want to start potty training next week. he is 2 years and 8 months old. i have bought pants and a potty. Do i need 2 pottys and seat for toilet? Or do you do potty first then progress to toilet later. i want to make this as smooth as possible so any advice would be great thank you!!!!!!!!!

I gave my DD a choice of potty or toilet (she just had one potty though, not heard of needing two).

The first toilet seat we got was pretty rubbish, it slipped about on the loo and made poor DD unsure about it. She much preferred a padded on with handles which we bought later from Mothercare. She found it more comfy and the handles made her feel more secure.

Microfibre cloths are very absorbant and mop up a lot of fluid for their size so very handy at this time (and you will find many uses for them once you've got one).

Dont forget stickers if you are going to use them as incentive (not sure boys go for all that sort of thing though - just got DDs so far)

Good luck

You need more pants than you ever thought possible. Think 20 pairs.

Don't bother with pants for the next 3 days, leave him bare bottomed. Have the potty in the same room.

He will wee on the floor. Pick him up and sit him IMMEDIATELY on the potty and clarify "weewee on the potty!"

If he gets even the tiniest drop in the potty, show him, go fucking Nuts with joy (Hoorah hoorah a weewee has blessed our sacred potty etc) and REWARD. If stickers are his thing, good, if not raisins or choccy buttons.

Patience, patience, patience and a permanent thought of - I will be nice no matter if he poos in his pants for the next 3 months!!!! Good luckx P.S. This comes from a big dollop of experience as I had two complete nightmare children followed by a 3rd who was dry day and night by day 2 - due entirely to me seriously not giving a toss!

thanks - how long do you think it will take before he takes to it? he is going to pre school in jan for 3 afternoons a week and they have said that if he is not fully potty trained to put him in pull ups but i don't want to confuse him with pants one minute and then pull ups the next (apart from bed time). any opinions???

We've managed to avoid pull-ups so far because I felt same as you about them; DD2 is just potty-trained at 2.9. She has the odd accident and I just keep a spare pair of knickers and leggings in her bag for playschool, and in the changing bag when I'm out.
You will know if he needs them when the time comes; I'd say if he's mostly getting everything in the potty by then, leave them!
If he's ready now, everything should just click really; it all clicked for DD2 a month ago and has been quite easy

foxy just lie. If the preschool is ofsted registered, they are not allowed to insist on children being potty trained anyway, but even if he is only halfway there, just tell them he is trained and needs reminding. Don't put him in a pull up - worst thing I ever did with ds1.

silly pre-school rule! Don't think pull ups will help you potty train tbh.

If you have to go down the pull up route then try a cloth pull up which is just like thicker pants. Worked wonders for us. They don't hold lots of wee but will stop an accident leaking. They are pretty cheap too I paid about £2 each for mine - didn't need anything fancy, just something to save the clothes!