Potty training at 3yr6mths - no progress, any tips?

[OfMiceAndMummies]

This is my first ever post as I'm hoping you can help with some advice. My son is 3 and a half. I've encouraged home to sit on the potty at bath time since he was about 2 and more often than not he will perform. We had a couple of aborted attempts in pants several months ago when he was just having so many accidents that I thought he wasn't ready but now given his age (and the fact that it's half term) I've decdided to go cold-turkey. So he's been in pants for a week now with LOTS of accidents. Whenever I ask him if he needs a wee or poo he always says no, then sometimes he does one a few mins later in his pants. Sometimes I'll encourage (force) him to sit on the potty and he'll do something but other times he doesn't do anything in the potty but then goes in his pants almost as soon as they are on again. I'm rewarding him with a sticker whenever he does anything in the potty or toilet, giving him loads of praise, mad clapping etc, and being v calm about accidents. So does anyone have any tips for me? Even just reassurance that he will get it in the end! I have a 16mth old too and trying to deal with both boys while wiping up poo and wee and trying to keep up with the washing is getting me down! Would love to hear from anyone who can help.

I was really laid back with DD3 as DDs 1 and 2 were dry by their 3rd birthday. Well, 3rd birthday came and went, we tried a couple of times - absolutely no idea on her part. Would sit on the toilet and do nothing, then wet herself as she put her clothes on. Gave up, was embarassed to let her wear dresses in case people saw the nappy and tutted. Was convinced she'd be the only child starting school in nappies. Last December, 3 weeks before her 4th birthday, she told me she needed a wee and went to the toilet. She didn't want her nappy back on, so I let her wear knickers. That was it - about 3 or 4 accidents and nothing else. 6 months later, she is dry day and night and we have had less than 20 accidents altogether.

Can't offer any practical advice, other than to reinforce the idea that wees/poos go in the toilet, and making sure he has "big boy" pants in his drawer that he can see every day when you get him dressed. But hopefully that reassures you that you aren't alone (I felt that EVERYONE had a child dry in the day by age 2 except me!)

If your boy is anything like mine, he will love toilet humour! Google "Poo Goes to Pooland" and print that out for starters. He might like the storybook about Pirate Pete goes to the potty (or something like that).

Something else to try is to let him go to the big toilet and stand at it. He might not like the potty you have. My son went straight to standing on a step at the toilet, but had trouble with the poo side of things and I would have to put a nappy on for him just to do poos. He got over this when we got him one of those potties with the soft seat that has a lid and looks like a miniature toilet.

So what I'm clumsily saying is that it could be something as simple as the receptacle!

Hi there ofmiceandmummies.

Bribery worked for us. Every poo in the toilet was rewarded with chocolate ice cream. Yes even in the morning. Took about a month all in - I still remember washing pooey pants daily. Bleee.

Thank you so much - some helpful tips here and it's nice to know I'm not alone in struggling with this (several of my friends' kids seem to have tackled it within a few days with only a few accidents). I'll have a look at those books.

Housemum - thank you for the reassurance. I know what you mean about people seeing the nappy and tutting - my DS is quite tall for 3 and he talks well so I'm sure people must sometimes see his nappy and wonder what on earth his mother is thinking!