Weeing anywhere but on the potty

[Ginismyfriend]

Started trying to train DD (2.5) on Friday - she'd seemed ready for a while and has sat on potty in the morning very happily for a while.

Since we moved to knickers on Friday she's become really potty-averse. When she knows she's about to go she announces it and runs as far away as she can, but then when she wees/poos in her pants she gets incredibly upset. If you try to sit her on the potty she also gets upset and gets straight off (then usually wees on the floor). We've tried incentives, poo goes to pooland, sitting the potty in front of the tv, etc, to get her to sit on it for long enough to do something but none have worked so far (neither has trying the toilet).

Has anyone dealt with this? I'm torn between not wanting to create issues and knocking it in the head for a while and thinking we haven't given it long enough.

I haven't got any experience with this yet, but I've read a lot of parenting books (I know, I know), and the general consensus is that children can't control their bodily functions until they're at least 2 and a half. I know you said your DD is that age but maybe it's still a tiny bit too soon for her? I would imagine that when she has an accident she gets a bit disheartened and discouraged with the whole thing - like you said, she gets upset when she goes in her knickers.
Also, could you be putting too much pressure on her to go on the potty? One of my friends had a similar issue with her son (he was 3+ though, she'd been trying for ages), and her health visitor suggested that she stop fretting about it and just tell him what was expected of him, stop making a big deal when he had accidents, and just let him go of his own accord. And it worked, according to her. Maybe if you moved it somewhere a bit more out of the way and just sort of left her to it, rather than putting her on it yourself and then hovering while she's there (not that you do, but just in case), and then reward her for using it afterwards, that might help? Like I said, I've never been through it, just some ideas. Good luck!

Thanks... You're right about the hovering and I've been trying very hard today to just let her get on with it. That, combined with a ridiculous new potty in the shape of a duck, that has handles and squeaks , seems to be working. Not 100% there yet, but waaaay better than yesterday.