At what age did your DD use the loo completely independently for wees?

[Anna8888]

Ie takes herself off, pulls down clothes, gets on loo, wees, wipes bottom, flushes, washes hands and dries?

Probably from 3 1/2, before when at playgroup.

my dd1 is nearly four. She can use the toilet independantly for wees, but I have to remind her every time to wash her hands.

Belgo - LOL, I nearly took the handwashing bit off my OP as I realise that's actually the hardest bit for my daughter to do.

Big confession: I ask, because I never actually potty-trained my daughter - I wanted to go straight from nappies to the loo. I'm just checking out that by doing so she actually is reaching the "independent wee" stage at the usual time .

We didn't do cots, either...

Thank you for your replies

actually dd2 (aged two) also uses the potty independantly - at least she thinks she can use it independantly - but she usually comes out having forgotton to pull up her panties or something!

belgo - I didn't want to do potty training because it was so complicated to do so living in a flat in an urban environment - how the hell were we going to use a potty when out and about? On the pavement in front of Bonpoint? .

So - I just kept her in nappies, crossed my fingers when she started school that she could hold out in the morning until she was taken off to the mini-loo (her bladder control was pretty good as she had stopped weeing at night months previously) - and waited for her to use the loo at home.

I can't remembe,r but she is 3 3/4 and has been doing it for some time. Actually thinking about it, she could manage it on holiday last summer when she was 3.2 which I think was the first time without a step. I think that with a step she could do it from about 2 1/2. But she has a slightly older friend she is competetive with.

bozza - indeed, competition . Peer pressure at school meant that I never really felt anxious about putting her in pants for school - I was sure she'd want to use the mini-loo like all her classmates.

Anyway, she's 3.2 now and nearly there apart from the handwashing.

Well if you are in an urban environment you either take a potty into a public toilet or just use the public toilet on that occasion. Actually in public toilets I do generally assist my DD because she levers herself on to the toilet with her hands if it is a bit high for her which is obviously not pleasant in many public toilets (especially ones I have used in France ). And actually DD's bladder control increased rather when she was face by the option of using certain dodgy French toilets or holding on until we got back to the villa.

I just hold my dds over public toilets. It's never been a problem.

I do agree with you about peer pressure and think at nursery DD was definitely doing it all by 2 1/2 but she was early trained and all the child sized toilets and basins helped there. Unfortunately though she has picked up (I assume from nursery because her friend also does this) of putting her hands on the floor with her bottom in the air when she wants it wiping.

bozza - the public loos around here in Paris are just not possible to contemplate (that's where the tramps go), unless you are in a park with a children's playground. And the shops have no loos for customers.

Basically you either do what I did (on advice of a friend with four children) or you stay at home all day with your only outing to the park. That's OK if you have a nounou (as absolutely every except me does...) as she does the staying at home / only going to the park.

I live in a small flat with carpet in an urban environment and I used a potty. Though to be fair I think in many ways waiting until your dd started school was quite clever, though I think with some children it may not have worked.

I personally just made sure we were near loos a lot and got the potty out and used it in a discreet place (i.d down an alley or something) if we weren't but I appeciate that some people find this difficult.

I did have a few weeks where we didn't go much further afield than the park and toddler friendly places but it only took a couple of weeks and then we did day trips out with the potty.

There were even one or two cafe toilets that failed to meet DD's standards so yes I can imagine that public toilets in central Paris wouldn't have gone down too well.

You don't need to use public toilets just the nearest shop or bar is fine. You'd be surprised how helpful shoopkeepers are if you expalain that their floors might be needing cleaning soon unless they let your child use the loo (asked very nicely of course )

Not in Paris, unfortunately, Lazycow .

I have tried to use the loo in shops around here in an emergency, but they don't have customer loos and don't want to be helpful. And there aren't many bars that have proper loos - they are à la turque. Even my stepson only has Turkish loos at school...

Gosh what a pain.

I have been know to smile nicely at people in normal grocers, butchers etc and ds has been given use of their staff toilet with a smile and usually a lolly to boot.

I know all about à la turque as Italian bars used to be the same though many of them are changing now. I've never understood them but then I suppose they are really just for men. I hated them as a child when I had to use them when on holiday.

Anyway - I digress (as usual). As to you OP -I do sometimes answer them

Ds is just now (3.2 yrs old) beginning to go by himself. for a wee he just uses the toilet as normal but if he needs a poo he generally likes to use the toddler loo seat as he can sit more comfortably.

This means I have to help as he is generally desperately hopping from one foot to the other shouting 'I neeed a poo I need a po' to put the seat on properly.

He still needs a step though otherwise I have to lift him onto the seat but then he's never been much of a climber.

As for washing hands - hah !! he would never do it if I left it to him. I generally have to tand over him and usually end up washing them myself as he takes SOOOOOO long.

DD1 is 2.1 and would do all that but she cant get on and off the loo..however she often goes off to the potty in the bathroom and does it.

ph but apparently insists on doing it all alone in nursery with the tiny toilets.