will only use potty when naked from the waist down!! what to do next?

[Needtochillax]

Hello, was looking for some advice as I am a little stuck ... :)

I'm a pretty clueless mother when it comes to most things, and potty training appears like a mysterious world to me and I'm really not sure what I am doing and if I am doing it correctly.

My son is 2.4 and will only use the potty (for wees and poos) if he is completely naked from the waist down. If he has his big boy pants on he either wets himself through and not pay a blind bit of notice or sit on his potty and wee through them :) The same for poo. I've just spent the afternoon cleaning up a poo explosion on the floor from the one minute I leave him alone in his room.

When he is naked he doesn't tell me he needs his potty, he just takes himself off and will sometimes tell me afterwards for which he receives a very enthusiastic congratulation.

I'm not sure how to get to the next stage of wearing big boy pants / trousers and having him tell me he needs to go. Because of this, when we are out I put him in nappies but I am guessing this is leading to confusion between nappies and pants?

My friend has said you have to let him feel wet / dirty and I have but he doesn't seem that bothered!

Oh, and another question. Is it the norm to take your potty out with you and have the child use it in public or is it best to try and use the toilet? My son seems to have no issues with the toilet at home.

Anyone in the same situation or have any advice?

Or any tips for boys? I've just read on another post you have to teach them to push it down to stop wee spilling over?!? I don't have any family around and feel totally alone on this. HELP!

i'll be interested to see the answers to this one.

my boy also is only really reliable when at home and naked from the waist down. he also just takes himself and doesn't really tell me. pretty much every time we put him in pants/trousers he wets them. im not sure if that is because we are out of the house and he is distracted or because he is in trousers.

i think just give it time....

i take my potty out with me and have son use it in public in a discrete place, normally in the passenger side of the car!

i dont have to push my boys willy down as he hasnt wee'd over the edge yet but i have heard this.

good luck!

Thank you for your reply! It is reassuring to know that other parents are having the same issues.

I think you are right about giving it time. I had him play a game pulling his pants up and down this evening and he seemed to get the hang of that. Hopefully one day he will manage to coincide that with a wee or a poo.

It's just strange that whilst completely naked he is a boy wonder with the potty. He's been in enough wet / soiled pants now to know the difference between pants and nappies I am sure.

I've decided to be brave and go cold turkey with the nappies. I shall take a potty with me. I'm just a little nervous about any outside accidents but I guess they need to happen for my son to learn...

When I started with dd the first few weeks on trips out she wore older bottoms and Welly boots that way it was easy to clean her feet and if she had a massive poo I could decide if the clothes were worth saving and just bin them if I couldn't deal/carry around with me.

I also took loads of spare pants and socks and we had a collapsible potty (think it's called a potette) which worked really well for us.

I went onto Amazon and have invested in a Potette and a waterproof buggy seat :)

i sit my son on a towel in the carseat and pram - just in case!

he wears trousers and pants at nursery, he got a smiley face in his book today with a note that he had done lots of wees in the potty - which is good!!

slowly slowly....

just to add, we are in exactly the same situation, he's totally got it at home but am finding it really hard not to get annoyed when we're out and he poos / wees sometimes 10 mins after me sitting him on the potty and him insisting he doesn't need to go! We have accidents when out basically every day unless I am v. lucky and manage to catch him at the time he decides to do something. I think it's partly cos he's distracted when out and partly cos he forgets and thinks he's in a nappy...was thinking I might try putting him in pants at home for a bit and see what happens - sorry not to have a solution, would love it if someone has one!

I've got this situation with my dd at the moment! Any updates from anyone?

try no underwear, just trousers.