Potty training relapse..............

[NellyTheElephant]

So I potty trained DD over Christmas and somehow it all just seemed too easy (I should have known............!!). By new year she was clean and dry and soon we had had over two weeks without an accident (although some poos in night time nappy, this was getting less and less too). She would always tell me when she needed to go rather than me asking her.

Then she got a sick bug (literally sick every half hour for about 12 hours), then the diarrhoea set in and lasted for about 3 or 4 days. Initially I was v impressed as she was still making it to the loo, but then as the days passed it became more and more hideous runny poos in the pants and she was very distressed.

Anyway, she's over the illness now, but not over the poo phobia. She has done a few poos in the loo since all this, but not many. Most are in the pants, usually about 5 mins after getting off the loo (I usually know when a poo is coming from her body language etc even if she doesn't tell me so take her to the loo). I didn't help things by getting cross with her today when it happened (WHY - I guess I'm stressed / pregnant / hormonal / sick of poo), and clearly that has upset her more.

How do I get her back on track. Obviously she needs reassurance (and not me getting cross) but what else?? Any ideas?? She doesn't have any wee accidents. She's almost 2 if that's relevant.

Hi there. I think she's done so well considering she is not yet 2...and being so young probably means that she may be thrown off track more easily by something like a nasty bug. From my experience you are just going to have to stick this one out and be patient. Keep on reminding her when you think she needs to go and praise loads when she gets it right. Try not to get cross (which I know is very difficult when you have yet another pair of pants covered in the stuff!) or do what I did and do your ranting and raving out of earshot! Also buy really cheap pants so you don't feel bad about throwing them out. My son used to do most of his poos in pants but he was 3 and we'd just had our 3rd baby. In the end good old fashioned bribery worked - ie yes you can have that sweet (or whatever) if you get to the toilet on time...in the end he got over it but it does take time. You'll pobably find she's better in a week or so. Hang in there!

OUr dds are same age and stage. dd is 2 on Sunday, we started potty training a few weeks ago. She can be clean and dry for days on end, but poos are a bit less reliable.

Anyway, our motivation/bribery for her is that she can choose her pants first thing in the morning - great selection of flowery/stripey or dotty ones - but if she has an accident she has to go into plain white pants. She doesn't like these so much and as her brothers always ask her what kind of pants she's wearing when we go to pick them up from school, she loves to be able to say she still has the exciting ones on.

It also deflects from me being cross if she does have an accident. I can just say "oh dear, white pants now then" and she understands.

Must say you're lucky about your dd asking to go. My dd is useless about that, but happy to do a wee or a poo if I take her every hour or so, and doesn't wee in her pants. She just doesn't seem to recognise the 'needing to go' sensation though.

Sorry a long one. Would like some help.
Starting training DS 2 weeks ago. He is 2yrs 6 months. He seemed to get the poo part strsight away. Everything I read says clean before dry which he was but then after about a week he started goinsaying he was going to bathroom and even went in by himself for a pee but it is prescisely at this moment he seems to have forgotten what to do when he needs a poo. For the first week he would say I need a poo and go and do it but was having quite a few accidents peeing . Now he gets all his pee in the toilet but NONE of his poo. I have tried stickers, biscuits etc but he just doesn't seem to listen at all. I also have a one year old and he seems to wait until I take my eye off him for one minute to tend to the baby and then goes in his pants. Any suggestions?