Commit or Quit? I can't decide!

[wasabipeanut]

DD is exactly 2 and a half. I have a nearly 6 week old DS2. DD has been pestering to wear knickers so we went with it at the weekend. She has been happy for months to wee on the potty & loo when given the chance. She is pretty much dry already but we had one brown accident yesterday and ths morning at nursery was a disaster - she pood 3 times in her pants, twice within 15 minutes. They have assumed some sort of tummy bug so she is now barred from nursery for 48 hours so her only other session this week - Wednesday is now off.

I know they use different muscles for each function and on one hand I am thinking, until she can control both of them what's the point? I do have DS2 and indeed DS1 (4) and a house to run as well so time is limired. On the other hand she is keen as mustard and really wants to wear her pretty knickers. Given that she's done so well on the wee front it seems a shame to roll back.

What do I do?

[Viewofthehills]

Could you buy a heap of really cheap knickers and treat them as disposable in the short term (but don't tell her that)?
Does she tell you when she's done it?
I wouldn't give up yet when she's doing so well with wees.

Sounds like hard work with three of them.

[curlyLJ]

Can't really offer any advice, but am in almost exactly the same boat. DD is about a month younger than yours and she decided herself that she wanted out of nappies about 3-4 weeks ago and has been doing great - with wees. Poos have been a different story altogether and I have lost count of the amount of pairs of knickers we have binned it's like you say, she doesn't seem to realise it's coming until it's in her knickers.

Anyhow, all of a sudden, she seems to also be having wee accidents too - loads yesterday (although her cousins were round and I put it down to her being distracted) but also more today and it has been a 'normal' day so no reason for the accidents...

So now I am wondering whether to continue or not as am thinking maybe she wasn't really ready, but that she just wanted to wear the knickers

It's so hard to know what to do for the best, isn't it?!

[Growlithe]

I had this very same problem with my DD, but she's through it now. As View suggests, I just bought loads of cheap knickers from Asda, and chucked them when she had an accident, which she often did.

It was really strange, because one day she said 'I'm not going to do a poo in my knickers any more' and she just didn't.

Personally I wouldn't put her back in nappies tough. If she's keen it's half the battle.

[wasabipeanut]

It's so difficult! The poo thing does seem to be a rather common problem. Th trouble is that I'm still bfing DS2 on a pretty regular basis so can't leap into action whenever I see trouble might be brewing. Based on the fact that we have a day out tomorrow and a long trip to see family at the weekend I've decided to go back to pull ups for now but keep taking her to the loo etc.

I'll try again in a few weeks I think - hopefully when DS2 is a bit quicker feeding and DS1 has started school! I feel like I'm wussing out but I can't take loads of accidents everywhere. Not now.

[wasabipeanut]

growlithe how long did your Dd take to crack it?

[Growlithe]

She was a late potty trainee. She was just under 3 when we started and made her big decision just before starting preschool (I think this helped) when she was 3 and 2 months. She also got a malteser when she used the toilet

How about telling her you are putting her in pull ups for the day out and the long journey, but when she's at home she can wear knickers? That would be less of a backward step

[Milco]

Was about to start a thread about this issue then saw this. Is anyone still around? Wasabipeanut, how is it going with pull ups?

My DD is 2 and 2 months. We started training just under a week ago - kind of by accident because the weather had been so hot and in the garden she seemed to really have the hang of doing wees in the potty and was very keen, so I thought we'd give it a go.

She is reasonably reliable with wees, including when out and about, but at home a lot of the time has nothing on her bottom half (her choice) which no doubt helps. She has done a couple of poos on the potty/loo in the last week, which I took as some evidence that she was ready, but now I'm not so sure...

She hasn't done a poo anywhere but in her pants for the last few (maybe 4 or 5 days). She does sit on the potty for a while and nothing seems to come. I think she's trying to do a poo, but I'm not sure. She also she is pooing quite a bit less than normal, so I think this suggests she has some control. I guess I'm a bit worried that she doesn't like the idea of pooing on the potty now and so is holding on and then doing it in her pants when she has to. But this might be me reading too much in to it.


My DS, now 4, started potting training at around 2 year 9 months. He did develop constipation (which he was always prone to, unlike DD) and went through a phase when he could/would only poo in a nappy, specially put on for the purpose. Although that sorted itself out at just over 3, holding on/constipation has remained an on/off issue (which I hope we are now over for good, but who knows). So I'd really like to avoid this! I don't think I have any poo hang-ups myself, but I'm starting to worry I might be giving off some sort of vibes...

Any advice on whether to stick with it or not would be much appreciated. I am looking carefully at how I behave when there is an accident to make sure I am not unwittingly worrying DD about poo.

Thanks in advance.

[wasabipeanut]

Well I decided to commit but with knickers inside the pull up so DD will at least feel something if she has an accident. We've only had a couple of wee accidents and she's starting to say to us when she wants to go - big plus. However still loads of poo accidents. She will poo literally 5 minutes after weeing so she obviously isn't making the connection. So today after her tea (prime poo time) I put the potty on a towel in front of the telly with her beloved Peppa Pig on. 15 mins later - ta da! She looked a bit shocked at first (confirming my suspicion that she doesn't really have much control) but was very pleased at all the praise and smarties.

We'll see If it makes any difference! Have also co opted DS to poo in a potty when DD is around so she can see him being rewarded!

[Milco]

Thanks Wasabipeanut. That sounds a great idea to ask your DS to use the potty. Mine would love to get the reward - in fact its not that long ago he still used to get one as we re-introduced it to encourage him to go more regularly. I think I will bring back rewards for both of them.

I spoke to a friend today who PT her DD (now 4) at just turned 2. Apparently she was better at wees than poos to start with too. She said she had a couple of weeks of poos in pants before she got the hang of it, and then it was fine. So that gives me hope. I think I'll try to carry on for at least over the weekend, and aim to make it a couple of weeks altogether before I think again.

Good luck to you and your DD for the next few days.

[wasabipeanut]

You too Milco - may the force be with us!

[MsPickle]

My ds did well on wees but we battled and battled hit and miss poos for weeks. He's finally (touch wood) got much more reliable and will also now poo on the toilet as well as on the potty. I found the 'dry like me' pads brilliant for helping deal with the poos, I only wish we'd had them all the way through! Still have to carry the pottete though, that's the next phase...there's always next phase isn't there...

[wasabipeanut]

Just googled dry like me pads - think I will invest, thanks MsPickle and congrats on reaching the next phase!

[Milco]

Thanks MsPickle from me too. Hadn't heard of them and they look great!

[MsPickle]

You're very welcome. I learnt about them on mn so think its only fair I pass it on!!