Would you give it a go or keep pottering on?

[cbmum]

Advice please from those wiser than me. DD2 was 2 at the end of July. She has happily sat on the toilet/potty for months and for the past 6-8 weeks will, from time to time, wee either at home or at nursery. I have so far adopted a rather half-hearted approach towards potty training, in part because DD1 didn't 'get it' until she was nearly 3.

With DD1 we had a month of her wearing 'pull-ups' and going to the potty/toilet and getting stickers for dry pull-ups, then suddenly she announced she didn't need them, wore knickers and had a handful of accidents then that was it!

DD2 has been wearing pull-ups when she asked for them but otherwise I've just offered her the potty/toilet at nappy changes which sometimes she takes up the offer and others not.

I think she knows what it's all about. Several bedtimes she has asked for the toilet and got out of bed, done a wee then back to bed. But, when she's busy she clearly forgets about the whole thing.

This afternoon she asked to wear her 'big girl' peppa pig pants. She was dry from 4-5.30pm and did one small wee. We then went out on a bike ride so I popped a pull-up on her and that was dry at bathtime at 6.15. She then did a tiny wee on the toilet and refused to do more. Then she promptly let rip, all over me and the bathroom floor!

WWYD. Leave it a bit longer or try tomorrow with the magical peppa pig pants and see what happens?

Sounds like she understands the basics of what she needs to do and can hold for a reasonable period of time so I would go for pants and see what happens. I would give it a week to give her a fair chance to get to grips with it.

I am currently TT DS (DC3) since last Friday. He was doing similar to your DD. On the first day we had one wee accident, second day a poo accident, third day a poo in pants. Today no accidents. I have worked out if I take him to the toilet (seems to have decided he is happier on toilet like his big sisters than on potty) every 1.5-2 hours he goes, won't go if we go to toilet more often! We have spent lots of time at home and he is just wearing t-shirt and pants. I am giving it a week and then if it isn't working will leave it a month. He gets a dolly mixture every time he uses the toilet!

I'm a nanny and have been potty training the little one I care for for only a few weeks, I read about a trick basically if you put food colouring in the potty or toilet before your little one goes, after they get a great surprise and it entices them to go on the potty or on the toilet more often! Works a treat for the little ones I've tried it with hope it does for you too :)

A quick update. Tomorrow is 1 week in. In average we have had 2 accidents per day for the past 3 days which I don't think is too bad. She's still enthusiastic and so long as I remind her about using the potty/toilet we are ok. The test will be tomorrow as I don't work on a Friday and we need to go out and about to do some jobs. It's all well and good having an accident at home or nursery but not so good in the town centre shops!!

We are a week in tomorrow too. Wees we haven't had many accidents as I am taking him every 1.5-2 hours and he will happily wee : ) But we haven't reached the stage yet where he goes unprompted. Poos, we are half way there. Some have been in toilet and some in pants. He knows when a poo is coming as he stands still but not quick enough yet to tell me. I have kept going as overall we have made progress.

I have had to go out and about this week as DD1 and DD2 started back to school on Wed. We just go to toilet before we go and every 1.5 hours whilst out so far no accidents. I just have spare kitchen roll sheets to hand and with DD2 I did have to put some on a puddle in a shop then tell a member of staff the floor needed mopped!