Started potty training today - anyone else want to give / get a bit of moral support?

[Biscuitsandtea]

Hi, DS is 3 and we've started potty training him today. We were hoping to wait until he woke up one morning and said 'I'm done with nappies thanks very much Mummy - let's go wild with the pants', but this hasn't happened so we thought we'd just try him with nothing on at first and then pants and see how it goes.

Just wondered if anyone else was starting too and wanted to go through it together?

We've done various bits of nappy free time for months with varying amounts of success, but only ever an hour or two here and there with no consistency to see how he was doing and whether we thought he knew when he was weeing or pooing. It's only recently that I've thought that he actually does know hence deciding to give it a go today.

We had a quiet weekend so thought 'no time like the present!'

Now a couple of times in the week we'd had no nappy on and a fair bit of success in the potty. Wednesday = lots of mopping up wees but a few 'hits' at the end of the afternoon. Thursday was better with no accidents. but this was still doing everything bare bum!

Today we were doing pretty well this morning. Everything going in the potty and no accidents, so after lunch we thought we'd try adding pants into the equation. previously pants = accidents (I wonder if he would forget it wasn't a nappy?) so we never persevered with them, but we have this afternoon. Certainly more accidents this afternoon, which is I think a mixture of being tired and the 'pant effect' and we had a very rough few hours between say 3 and 5. Then we've had a few more wees on the potty and going a bit better this evening.

We're planning more of the same tomorrow but we have a birthday party to go to in the afternoon and I'm in a bit of a predicament about that in as much as I don't want to go back to nappies and confuse / demoralise him, but equally don't want loads of accidents at my friend's DDs party so as yet we're undecided. I think at the moment we'll be erring on the side of a nappy as it's just not fair if he has an accident in the middle of the party?

Anyway, anyone who wants to join me for the ride, please come aboard :-)

I'll have , and to help the journey go along!

Cara it takes time I have been doing it since ds was 18 months he is now 2 it takes time & patients I have gave up before for a few months than I restarted again & it seems to of worked don't worry if u stop & try again further down the line it dont make u a failure good luck with whatever u choose ?

Shaz thanks, it's hard knowing what's best for them isn't it? My DS is such a lovely boy normally but he can be a little demon when under pressure, and he got like that a bit today. It's hard to stay relaxed all day when you have a bucket full of wee soaked trousers and pants. We were eating lunch and I looked down to see wee dribbling down to the floor, unnoticed by DS who was eating. Big puddle, nice,

Me and my OH have had a relaxed approach to parenting so far and he is brilliant at sleeping, eating and mostly behaves pretty well, so I guess something had to be difficult!

Hi everyone - I haven't been on this thread since it started and can't believe how big it's become.

I am into week 2 and I think my DS is starting to get it. Today was the first day without any accidents. The first few days he didn't ask to use the potty but now he will ask but I wouldn't say I could guarantee that he is potty trained just yet.

Everytime he has an accident, I kick myself as I think "I should have put him on" or "where the heck is it all coming from?" Yesterday we had our first accident in public but again, I do blame myself as we had been out shopping and were having a cup of tea. I had finished and was about to take him to loo when he informed me that he needed to do a wee. He had already done it in the seat and I felt so sorry for him walking legs akimbo to the loo.

He has also got over his fear of using public loos - I thought I'd never be able to go shopping again. I bought a pottete plus and he will sit on it when used as a toilet seat but haven't tried it as a potty yet. I seem to have spent a lot of time knelt down on the floor in the middle of public bathrooms while DS sits on his potty and I read him stories with long lines of women watching me.

I need to read through all your messages and see if I can pick up any tips. One thing I have learned is that even using pull ups makes him think he is back in a nappy again although I did see a good tip about putting nappy/pull-up over pants so they can feel the damp. It's not quite the chore I thought it would be and he goes to nursery 3 days a week so they have continued with it and give him lots of stickers. We have a sticker chart at home but I don't think he really sees it as an incentive to use the potty. I do feel very proud of him and in a way feel a little sad that we are saying goodbye to nappies although I am now left with two full packets of Pampers that we may never use! He has been dry at night for some time so I would be quite happy to leave the nappy off during the night but DH says "not yet" (words of wisdom from a man who has left the potty training to me and sticks a nappy on him at the first chance!).

That sounds great Rathlin - certainly seems like DS is getting the hang of it . I think they'll all have the odd accident now and again.

Onwards and upwards ladies

Cara put him in pull ups for a few weeks than go bare bum once he has mastered that than put him in pants that's what I did not saying it's going to work but it could b worth a try

Rathlin I know how u feel my dh used to be like that so we spoke about it & I said to him he was undoing everything I had achieved so now he let's me do it & just goes along with it I think with dh they can't face that their child is growing up that is what my dh admitted to but I said to him weather he likes it or not he is growing up & there is nothing he can do about it, I hope things continue to progress

Cara obviously you'll have a better feeling about this, but if your ds isn't aware when he's actually weeing (did you say he was weeing while eating lunch but not aware?) it may be worth leaving it for a little while and trying again? As Shaz says you could try pull ups (although like Rath my ds just treated them like nappies, but having said that, they weren't the potty training pull ups that let you feel wet, they were just the nappy ones that are easier to get on and off!)

I think there are 2 approaches to potty training (and I'm not saying one way is better than the other). The first is to try sitting them on the potty every x mins and hope they'll learn it that way. I think this works better with younger children and is how my mum got me trained at 12-18 mths I think. I think that way works if they don't yet know if they're weeing/pooing so you're helping them to learn the sensations more quickly. But I guess it takes commitment to 'remember' to put them on the potty?

Then if they're a bit older, I think they're that bit more aware if they are weeing so a bit of nappy free time teaches them fairly quickly to go to the potty themselves.

It's probably not as simple as 'either method A or method B' because it will depend on the age of your child, and just the fact that each child is different anyway, so maybe more of a sliding scale and the older your child, the less method A you'll need to do?

I'm still to ascertain at what age I could actually signal to my mum that I needed a wee, ie at what age she could stop just putting me on when she thought I needed a wee?

Because ds was 3 before we did much other than a bit of nappy free time, we sort of missed out method A, but as I say, this isn't necessarily better as he is that much older now before he's trained

Anyway, I don't mean that to be contentious or anything, just seems to be the two approaches from what I've read / heard from my mum.

Cara - I also agree with Biscuits. I think 15 wees with little or no realisation he was weeing could mean he isn't ready yet?

Also I do think that with us it worked because I had introduced the potty a bit in the evenings (pre-post bath depending on timings). I got her to try and sit on it in front of the TV first. She hated it and refused to sit down. But I bought her a book about potty training showing big girls wearing pants and sitting on the potty and gave her a sticker if she sat on it and basically used the tv - it doesn't matter at all about using the tv - don't feel bad - it's one of the first steps - they need to be used to and comfortable with the potty for potty training to work.

GF's book suggests a "Stage 1" which involves just that - getting them used to the potty at night and putting them on it regularly - be in it front of the tv or you reading to them etc. Then after a few weeks progressing to "stage 2" which is nappies off, all in potty training. If after a third day there isn't much improvement (ie should be at least 50% of wees in potty) then they might not be ready yet and back to stage 1 (ie just having the potty around, sitting them on it, getting them used to it - feel free to use stickers and chocolate as bribery etc). My daughter had done several wees in the potty in the evenings before I decided to actually start "potty training".

Have forgotten how old your son is? I think different children are also ready at different ages - and girls usually sooner than boys apparently.

Again, as Biscuits said, don't want to be controversial or sound smug - it just makes sense to try and make it as easy as possible for you and I think if it is a massive hassle/stress then it could be that it is not quite the right time yet?

Ladies - having thought we'd cracked it, disaster has struck!
DH is off today so I had a lie in and then nipped out. by the time I'd got up, DS had pee'd on the floor after point blank refusal to sit on potty, a poo in pants at the library and 2 pee's on the couch...thoughts/ (I'm stumped)
DS did however has a pee on the toilet before I put him down for a sleep (he wanted to sit on the toilet)

Oh no monkey!

Well, maybe he is just having a temporary regression? Or maybe doesn't like the potty and wants the loo instead?

How annoying for you (note to self - this will be me soon I am sure )

Sorry not to be able to be much help!

Sorry to hear that not everyone is having much luck today today I have had 2 accidents one which he managed to hold on & finish of in the potty I hope everyone's luck changes ?

Haven't been feeling great today so gave up potty training for most of day.
Have been giving it a go for the last couple of hours but nothing yet.

Hi thanks for the advice everyone! He had a better day today, getting more aware, but still nothing on the potty. I'm going to lay off a bit as I don't think he's ready, go back to nappies but give him nappy free time. In the kitchen with a bare bum worked well today as the floor is easy to clean :-)

Morning all - sorry for being so quiet - was out with my mum all day yesterday do no time for MNing

Sorry it seems to have been a bit of an accidenty day yesterday. Cara definitely nappy free time where the floor is easy to clean . I think it sounds sensible to ease up a bit and see again in a while. Like Kings we left the potty around for a long time and used to get DS to just sit on it. And yes, we used the tv too . He'd sit for ages on it and then get up and have done a wee but had no idea when it was happening, whereas now he is aware.

Yesterday was okay for us. One poo accident when we were at the park and he said 'I need a poo' but was already doing it. Anyway I got the travel potty out for him even though he'd already done it and got him to have a sit on it (as we'd never actually used the travel potty thus far). Then I explained that if he could give me just a little more notice then we could get them in the travel potty. Then when we were walking home, he said he needed a poo so I whipped out the travel potty and he did it in the potty . Other than that he was accident free, but is a bit obsessed about doing lots of poos for treats . He managed about 4 yesterday....

I think I'm going to start making the treats one at the end of the day for being accident free all day...

Hope everyone else is ok xx

Hi all yesterday was a ok day but most of the time ds spent bare bum & when he was in pants we only had a couple of accidents but today will b a tester as it's his first day at nursery & I have sent him in pants with spare clothing hope it's enough we will see fingers crossed ?

Oooh good luck with nursery Shaz

Update 2 accidents so far one at nursery & 1 when we got home

Hello Potty Crew - mind if I join you? DS is 2 years 8 months and I have a good not-doing-much-window for the next 10 days so we're going for it. I've ordered in a job lot of his favourite Cars stickers and a Baby Bjorn toilet seat. He has already got 2 potties and he knows what they are for. Today we had three hits in the potty and 3 on the floor. he asked for a nappy earlier on but we put him on the potty and he did a wee. Trying to remember to put him on the potty every 30 mins or so. He has been sticking his stickers on his potty each time he's done a wee in it and he's had a lot of praise. We went oout for 2 hours this am and he came home dry. So far...so pretty god for Day 1 but I know that it's early days.

Welcome If (can I call you that?)

That sounds like a pretty good start :-)

We've had a good day I think, no accidents. Brought in the revised reward structure for a whole accident free day which DS has managed so it seems to have slowed down the production of multiple tiny poos every time he's wanting a treat!

Nursery again tomorrow. Shaz how did day 1 of nursery go apart from the weeing?

If is fine Biscuitsandtea :) 2 of the three accidents today were when he had pants on so I will definitely try to keep him bare bum as much as possible tomorrow. I hope he doesn't feel too cold but when we tried in the summer he wasn't interested at all and now he's just going to have to put up with chilly cheeks for a bit! DS starts nursery in January and while they are happy to help with potty training I'd rather have had a decent go before he starts. I think he's ready (famous last words).

Yes, pants confused my ds too - I think he forgot that it wasn't a nappy whenever we tried them. But when we started with a concerted effort (a week last Saturday) we left him bare bum until he was fairly reliable that way then bought in pants (to some degree of regression!) but then he got the hang of them too eventually

Evening everyone. Was feeling very smug yesterday as we had no accidents all day - what a result. My silly smug grin was wiped off my face this evening however - karma I guess! We had a pee on the way home (thankfully I use the pampers change mats in the car seat so think it got most of it). DS didn't tell me he had done it although shortly after leaving nursery he said he bum was sore. I'm thinking that was maybe why. So got him changed at home and about 30 mins later, another one on the floor (he advised me of it as his was doing it). You think everything is going well and then they just pee all over you (not literally but I'm waiting on that). Anyway, he is at home with DH tomorrow so we'll see how that works out.

Biscuits, I haven't tried the bare bum approach mainly as I thought it was a bit too cold at the moment and I am pulling down trousers/pants for him as well. I suppose that could be a bit of a hindrance for him. I might give it a try at the weekend though. DS does try to pull them up but only at the front until they are nearly at his chin and leaves his bum hanging out

Shaz, I think nursery has really helped my DS as they give him lots of stickers and encouragement and he is asking to use the potty there moreso than at home.

If best of luck with the training - I found the first few days the hardest and longed to put my DS back into nappies.

I wasn't sure if any of you ladies are using any particular method. I saw GF mentioned above. I got her book out of the library and it wasn't bad. I did try the stage 1 idea as DS has been dry in the mornings for some time so started putting him on the potty first thing and he was consistently peeing. I think I am definitely going to try a bit of bare bum time this weekend once DH replaces the leaking radiator in the living room -it's freezing in there at the moment as no heat but DS doesn't seem to mind too much as long as tv is on. I'll second the use of books/tv/food as a way of keeping them on the potty!

Hi biscuit wasn't too bad screamed for 30-40 mins but after that he was fine & the accident was no surprise but to be honest I was expecting more accidents so I was well pleased

If - same here - my daughter got very confused by pants for the first 3 or so days as she thought they were nappies. However, I just kept telling her to tell me and I would help her pull them down and made up a funny song about pulling pants up and down up and down and then I asked her what we do with pants when we do a wee wee (answer: pull them DOWN) Anyway she soon worked it out though still can't pull them up and down by herself - does the same as rathlin's son - pulls them up at the front but not the back!

Good luck with it today.

rathlin - that sounds like a great day - and he would have been tired at the end of the day maybe so had those accidents? I think it sounds like he's doing very well though - well done you!

Yes we have GF book - given to me by a friend. Quite good but mostly common sense and my daughter can't do some of the stuff she says they need to be able to do (pull her own trousers / pants up or have a dry nappy after her 2-3 hour lunchtime nap) but she has been fine at potty training. But I did think it was helpful to have a guide!

Still going well here - no accidents yesterday either - but she does have a big sleep in the middle of the day with a nappy on so that minimises the likelihood of accidents I suppose. She likes wearing no pants at home - so she can take herself to the potty. And is now great at telling me she needs a wee and holding it for 2-3 hours etc.

Good luck today - onwards and upwards!

Ah Kings that all sounds great. Makes sense I guess that your dd would like being pant free as it allows her to be that bit more independent I guess - if the removal of the pants is the obstacle then I it does make sense.

DS used to do that pulling up thing with his trousers when he was younger too - up at the front but showing all his nappy at the back. He's got the hang of it now, although still can't quite manage the popper (or anything more complicated). I do think it's easier pulling up trousers without a great big nappy in the way though :)

They'll all get there with the pants on and off malarky - especially on the getting them down bit with enough practice :)

DS doing great since yesterday. Did a wee on the loo before his bath and then just as I went to put his nappy on for bedtime he said 'I need a weeeeeee' which was actually him needing a poo (and wanting a treat which he didn't get as he'd had his one treat for a good day). But I was pleased that he still asked to go even though we were putting his nappy on - shows he doesn't want to give in and do it in a nappy :)

Upstairs he's happy to use the toilet, but downstairs the potty . We''l work on that one though..... Oh, and he did a poo out on the loo at a cafe which was good - I had wondered how (if?) he could do one holding himself up on the seat but evidently he can :)