I am terrified of potty training my DS2 (16 months). Let me start from DS1's story - DS1 showed loads of signs being ready at 19months and was dry with us since 22months, and brilliant with poos, unless it was somewhere exciting like playgroups where he would have a couple of wet accidents. He has however, always had loads of wet accidents at nursery. He has since had a traumatic expulsion from an independent school at age 3 from wet accidents after attending for 7 weeks (even though IMHO it really wasn't that bad but heyho that's independent schools for you). Now he has behavioral issues, v.strong ADHD characterisics and has constant wet accidents at nursery and with us all the time, at age 4, he's starting school this Sept.... We are stressed, worried... the lot. Seen and spoken to doctors, HV, pead.
Moving on, DS2... switched him to cloth nappies at 12 months. Not long after, he became very aware of being wet/dirty. He started telling us 'after he had done something', to 'when he was doing something', and finally 'telling us before he started to poo'. From DS1's experience, I didn't dare to potty train him, and refused to do anything about it initially, to the point where he was marching himself upstairs to the toilet(demanding that we opened the stair gate for him), he then gets DS1's potty or toilet seat out to sit on, desperately tries to take his nappy off before sitting down (very cute btw!). So at nearly 15 months I gave in, whenever he says 'weh weh or po-po', I quickly take him to the potty.
This is the bit where I'm desperately seeking advise, what am I supposed to do? I have no experience with such early potty training (or indeed any sort of potty training from my failure training DS1)? I have so far failed to catch any wee/poo with DS2 in the potty/toilet, as he would sit on the potty/toilet for a couple of minutes, before proceeeding to run off, hide in corner and then quickly does his wee/poo there. He quite often goes into another rooms, shuts the door quickly and then does his wee/poo behind the door. So he is obviously very aware and very in control of his bodily functions, but does not want to do it in the potty, despite insisting he sits on the potty before then running off to perform his business. We've tried ignoring when he says 'weh or po-po', which just results in huge tantrums and screams because he insists on stopping everything we're doing to sit him on the potty, but he doesn't actually DO anything apart from run off and wee/poo on our carpet/curtain etc. I had thought after DS1 surely we deserve a straightforward, typical DS2 who would, snap of a finger be potty trained in 2 weeks when he's 2.5. But no.... what were we thinking! :)
Hopefully someone has had experience of a young toddler behaving the same way my DS2 does... thanks