Huge wees going straight through my nappies - time to train?

[frazzledgirl]

DS is 19 months, and I'm using Wonderoos, BG and Pop-Ins.

For the past year they've been brilliant, but the last two weeks or so I've had LOADS of leaks. Seems like he doesn't pee for hours and then does an enormous one which soaks through the nappy and his trousers in minutes.

E.g. today: checked before leaving shops, dry. 15 mins later, great wet patches on both sides.

Is driving me mad, and can feel cloth-hater DH building up to the let's-ditch-them convo...

I've been told big wees are one sign of readiness for potty training. DS will also tell me when he's pooed, and just started saying wee-wee or nappy when he's wet.

Is it worth starting? And if so, how would you?

DD trained herself pretty much at 21mo, so it is do-able, though maybe (and some folk will shoot me down for saying this) I wonder if it's an idea to introduce the idea of the potty and what it's for, without removing the 'safety net' of nappies. Did this with ds2 and it worked. The first stage is huge wees and telling you just after they have done it, they don't know about 'before' but know when they are wet. He sounds like a clever little chap, my boys were much older.

In a situation like today, I'd put him on the potty or toilet (sitting. yes I know he's a he but standing comes later)at the point where you were about to leave the house; also choose key points in the day, like before bed, first thing in the morning, plus whatever else suits you. If you can get an idea of how far apart his 'huge wees' are then you could help him by asking him to use the potty at around this interval, he will then learn what it feels like and tally the two together. At 19mo I don't think he is going to do it for himself just yet, but with lots of support he could perhaps head in the right direction quite soon.

Good luck!!

DD did this - I worked out eventually that it wasn't just the huge wees, but also the fact that her legs had got thinner, so the nappy wasn't fitting as well. Serious boosting (thick microfibre cloths) sorted both of these out!

She's still in nappies 6 months on - I can't be doing with toilet training until it's nice weather and she's not wearing so many clothes!

I'd keep using nappies for now (add an extra booster or two in ), but start making the potty part of his daily routine (e.g. sit on it as soon as he gets up, after naps, before bath etc). Sit for about 5 mins, read a story, get off. If you catch anything - great! Also, when you are at home have lots of nappy free time with potty to hand and a relaxed attitude towards any accidents. I started doing this with DD2 at around 20 months. Had occasional successes, but it was more just getting her used to the idea.

I went cold turkey (nappies off completely) at about 22 months and she trained pretty easily. I have to add that in the last month before I started potty training properly (i.e. in the warm up stage when I was incorporating lots of trips to the potty into her routine, but still had her in nappies) I did use pull up disposables a fair bit - not due to any leak problems (I found boosting up kept in even the most enormous wees), but because it was so much easier to pull them up and down for regular potty trips.

Hmm, lots of interesting ideas here.

I think I will buy a potty today and some potty-themed books, and start letting him play with it a bit.

Gigglewitch, I think he is quite bright WRT vocab and so on (trying not to sound like a proud mama of PFB, which of course I am ) but I know that doesn't necessarily mean he is emotionally or physically ready to potty train. We'll have to see.

I bought some Kushies trainer pants, maybe will start using those at home when we're pottying.

He's very interested in following me to the loo as well, and yells byebye poo when I flush his nappy liners away, so I think he's getting the general idea...