Any Advice - 4 days into potty training and not going well

[jenkel]

My dd is 2 years 9 months and we have had the first real go at potty training after a few half hearted attempts a couple of months back.

Anway, this is the 4th day and we havent really achieved anything apart from getting to find out that dd does have bladder control.

She normally has 2 bowel movements a day, as regular as clockwork, well she has only had 2 in the last 4 days, one on the toilet and one in her nappy after she had just woken, so that is bothering me a little.

But she is now beginning to hold her wee, for as long as possible and then when it comes its a flood. She had even woken up from a sleep crying for her nappy (she had one on). Over the last 4 days we have only managed a wee twice in the toiler/potty and all the others have been accidents. I try to praise her as much as I can when she does do a wee in the right place, we sit on the potty/toilet every half hour and read a book and I dont make a fuss at all of the accidents.

Should I give up or carry on, the nursery she goes to says I should carry on, they are really supportive and put her on the toiler every half an hour and she gets stickers when she achieves something and they dont seem at all bothered by accidents.

Or am I rushing it, she has proved she has bladder control by holding it, and I dont want to stop and undo any good that we have done. But saying that I dont want to continue if she is going to get really stressed by it all. And if I stop will I have this problem again just a bit further on down the line.

Just dont know what to do, all my friends have had a really easy time at potty training, we are just having a nightmare.

Any advice will be gratefully received.

If things are getting really distraught, I would say give up because that sort of atmosphere is not going to help any. If you are able to stay calm and make light of the situation, I would say keeping trying as she is clearly old enough to do what is required. Have you tried good old fashioned bribery (a chocolate button for a wee in the potty) or does that go against your principles?

Thanks lonelymum, we do the chocolate button thing, to be honest that doesnt seem to work that much. I think she just has to learn that its OK to go in the potty/toilet, she has proved she has bladder control and bowel control to a degree as she can hold it all in. I'm just wondering if I'm expecting too much too soon, is 4 days to soon.

Just potty training my twin boys, i'd probably give up, however I'm a great fan of bribery. We have been giving them a choc button for everything in the potty!

Well......being strictly honest, I think my kids all showed some progress by then (I trained them all late though: ds1 - the month before he was 3, ds2 - 2.8 years, dd - about 3) I suppose your dd is a comparable age, but everyone is different. Perhaps keep trying for a bit longer? With mine, once they got it, there were very few accidents after the initial first days.

My dd is 2.10 and I have never really potty trained her as such. She is still in pull-ups but her potty has been out for months and we talk about it all the time. For the last couple of months she has been asking to go for a poo in her potty (she tends to go every night just before her bath) although she is still wet (unless a wee also comes out at the same time as her poo!!). I am not bothered at all as I am sure the day will come when she does it herself.

Although she is my first I decided early on that I would not bother with the whole tedious business of "training" and just let her lead the way herself - and it seems to be working!

Sorry, just re-read my message and it sounds a bit "well, never mind about you....here's what I am doing"

I would guess you should be seeing some progress by day 4 so maybe she is just not ready? I would try waiting another couple of weeks and then tentatively try again....it shouldn't really be so stressful for you both so perhaps you should gauge her and your readiness by this?

Well, after just having a screaming fit after an accident with her asking for her nappy I have given in. We still have plenty of time for potty training and at this stage I'm not prepared for us both to get stressed. The one thing I was always adament about was that I didnt want to create any hang ups about using a toilet and it looked like it was going that way. She is 3 in August and the summer seems a good time to try again so watch this space

Summer is the best time to do it jenkel as they can run around with no clothes on and lots of accidents might take place outside in garden!

DS is 2.6 and is showing little inclination so far. Quite frankly I can't get too excited and am waiting for the warm spring weather before starting in earnest. We live in Austria and here it seems quite normal to let the child take the lead, they seem to potty train much nearer to 3 years of age. In addition I'm not keen to do it in the winter when he spends half his time in layers of clothes and a snowsuit, too much to take off in a hurry!

I used to know somone from Scandanavia, and they didn't potty train until well after three and couldn't understand what the British obsession was all about!

my son is 2.7 & will occasionally sit on training seat on toilet & force a wee out but usually only when stalling before bedtime! he tells me he is pooing & when we ask if he wants to use a potty or the toilet he just says no, need changing. all his friends are trained so am just pleased to read that he is not on his own as was starting to worry about it. think we will just go with the flow (so to speak!)