Should I force the issue of potty training at nearly 3 or just keep waiting until she is ready?

[sjcmum]

DD is 3 next month, and still showing no interest whatsoever in potty training. People keep telling me to just wait until they are ready, you'll know when, but it seems like I've been waiting a long time, and she is about the only one of her age that I know still in nappies. Should I force the issue, or just keep waiting??

As far as I can tell the main reason is that she doesn't want to stop doing what she is doing... having to get up to go to the bathroom is a bore, when you can just stay where you are and do it in your nappy! We've tried stickers, suggested bribes of chocolate, have bought purple pants (her favourite colour)... but she resolutely refuses to have anything to do with any of them. She does know when she's done something... but will also deny it as she doesn't want to go and get her nappy changed.

She keeps saying she'll have no nappies when she is 3 - so might be worth waiting one more month, then she won't have that excuse... Any one with similar experiences and words of wisdom to share?? I really would like to stop having 2 lots of nappies to deal with (DD2 is 6 months)

Thanks

i forced the issue with two dc after there third birthday. took a week, and they were dry during the day. with dc2 it was particularly an issue, as the school nursery flatout refused to change his nappy.
it worked for us.

Thanks - think as she's got hung up on the being 3 thing we'll wait until just after her birthday, and keep trying to prepare her before then..... just can't wait to have one dc not in nappies....

If she has a doll she likes you can warm her up by having her take her doll to the potty. If you wanted to you could also buy her one of those dolls that piddles water. (Just throw away any nappies the doll may come with.) Studies have shown that the positive peer pressure they get from seeing their friends potty train is also effective with dolls/toys.

same here - she decided that she would stop wearing nappies on her third birthday - and she did! trained in a day. You should probably keep reminding her that after her birthday, there will be no more nappies...
good luck!

In April I took 4 days holiday from work to concentrate on potty training Ds2 who had just turned 3 that month. Not the funnest holiday, but it worked! One thing I did on the advice of a friend was to get rid of the pull-ups because they are just like diapers and too comfortable. I put him right into underpants (Thomas ones he chose himself)and placed a junior toilet seat that fits on the top of the big one in each bathroom (the option he preferred). I also gave treats (2 smarties for each success).

I made the whole process into as rewarding, yet matter-of-fact as possible. I didn't give him the option. Like your Dd, it was more a question of him being too involved in play to take the time rather than not understanding the process. He always told me when he'd gone but would not want to be changed "yet". The first day I took him to the toilet about every half hour. He wet his underpants only twice and didn't like the feeling at all. I just kept him in underpants and a t-shirt that first day. It took only three days to completely toilet train him. That was 3 months ago and he has only had one accident since. He does still wear a night time pull-up, but he is now even popping onto the toilet all by himself at home and calling me when he's done.

A happy third birthday to your little girl!

Thanks for the tips - all her friends are in pants already... and she likes watching them on the potty! - but that peer pressure hasn't worked yet. I think I might try the dolly/teddy approach though - could work.... and smarties too could be very useful...then just stay mostly at home for a few days.

Less than a month to go!

Personally, I would wait until she is ready. Remind her that she has said that she will when she is three and she may just do it. If she doesn't want to though then don't push it. You'll both just end up stressed.

It depends what you mean by forcing the issue. Nothing wrong with keeping up positive, non-recriminatory mentions of the potty/toilet, etc. Can you get story books about potty training? My ds was like your dd, and a potty story helped to keep his interest up even when he didn't want to do it himself. But don't make her upset if she really refuses, because that will be counterproductive.