Can we have a support thread for parents of stubborn children.....?

[MakeHayAndSneeze]

Dd(3.2) is refusing to sit n the potty even when bribed with iPad or cbeebies. She's dancing around, clearly uncomfortable, and keeps seeing little bits everywhere. Please tell me it gets better, and not to give in?! She is ready, I know she is - and we had 2 wees and a poo yesterday.

Anyone else got a stubborn dc?!

Can I join you?

My DD is 3.5 and still hasn't "got it" She will not do anything in the potty or toilet. She will do it in pants or a nappy or on the floor but not where we want it to go (toilet or potty).

How are you going about it? Have you ditched nappies apart from bedtime?
I am wondering if I should do this?

I'm so glad its not just us. Dd is 2.8 and we've been potty training for about 4 months (feels A LOT longer). The irritating aspect is I know she can do it as we've had brilliant days. But a good day can be followed by a bad day more often than not.

She knows how to use the potty and the toilet, knows not to do it in her pants, knows she'll get rewards for potty action (stickers for wee, choc egg for poo). But sometimes she just doesn't feel like playing ball and will do it in her pants seemingly completely unbothered. It seems to be very much a control issue at the moment (as it is with everything!) so I've got to hope it will just improve with age!

We're in knickers during the day and nappies at night still. I am literally out of ideas now!

I'd like to join this thread. Thanks. DD 2.10 is very aware of weeing & pooing but totally not interested in potty. DD 1 was so easy as she'd sit on it whenever I asked her to but this one won't! I don't know whether to keep trying or just leave it and hope that before long she decides herself that she wants to. I was going to post a thread to ask if anyone has done it this way.

My ds is 3.5 and I have been so stressed about getting him toilet trained. I think he is the only one in his nursery class who is not using the toilet. I have been trying for 6 months to get him toilet trained and it is only this week that we have had a bit of a breakthrough. He has decided to use his potty for pees in the house and a thing I bought from Amazon called a happy pee when we are out and about. I actually cant believe he has had dry pants for 5 days! Maybe it will be another 6 months before he will do a poo in the potty. I worry about him not being able to use a toilet by the time he starts school. Good luck!

That sounds like a great breakthrough - well done! I have to shamefacedly admit that we gave up yesterday - it was making both of us too upset. (I have a renal history that, although dd has not inherited it, is worrying me so I think I need DH to do the majority of it). We had tried to go nappy free during the day but after the first day when she did 2 wees and a poo in the potty she just refused to sit on it, and kept doing little wees everywhere so she spent essentially 2 days desperate for the loo and really uncomfortable.

Have to go - will post again later.

MakeHayandSneeze - I dont feel like I am in a position to give anyone advice about toilet training because I have had so many problems with it. All I can say is I know exactly how you feel. It is stressful and it feels like you will be stuck in this situation forever. Ds eventually seems to have got it at the age of 3.5 (pees only but says he will try doing a poo on the potty). I gave up on many occassions because it was too stressful for both of us and affecting his behaviour. He was very badly behaved when I ditched the nappies and put him in pants all day. It didnt persuade him to use the potty or toilet and gave me heaps of washing and cleaning up. I had him in pants for 2 weeks at a time on 3 occassions. Each time I gave up and have found more success toilet training him in pull ups (though I know this is not recommended). He has been completely dry for a week now but is still mainly wearing his pull ups instead of big boy pants. Not sure why he is reluctant to give them up. The first time he seemed a bit more into using the potty was after watching the Elmo potty training DVD a few times. I think this helped turn things around but I am not sure. I think he just finally decided he wanted to do it. The best thing you can do is not get stressed about it. One day it will just happen. Gook luck!

Really don't know what to do about the school run. DD has been wearing pants all morning, had no accidents but also not done anything on potty or toilet.
Don't want her to wet her pants on the school run.
Would I be doing wrong to put her in a nappy for the school run? or do you think that would be wrong?

Really don't know what to do about this potty training cause it's hard if you can't stay home!

I have decided to go with nappy for school run then take it off as soon as we are home. Have tried her on potty and toilet since school run and still nothing.

What I've got problems with is how they can hold it in! We're currently having a less than great few days with dd as whenever we ask if she needs a wee the answer is 'no,no, no, no!' But she'll then do it in her knicks 5 minutes later! Or she'll do a wee in the potty and then still do some in her knicks 5 minutes later! So I have no idea what to do but it definitely feels the control is with her at the moment. The irony is she spent the day with her godparents on Saturday and was brilliant! Loved using the big toilet at their's, really responded to the reward sticker book we use, stayed dry the whole time including an hour in the park. But at home with us she's more than happy to just wee herself and be completely unbothered. So it would seem the problem is me and dh!

I have a stubborn child and went through this banging my head against a brick wall thing re toilet training. Eventually she decided at 3.9 that she could do it......and I do wonder why on earth I put us through that angst, I really should have been more laid back.

I agree with DisBoCo. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to have them toilet trained by a certain age. They do it when they are ready and not before. I wish I had been more laid back too.