It was all going so well, now started to go backwards :-(

[confusedofengland]

Potty training 3.4yo DS. Started last Friday afternoon. He did OK over the weekend & then got pretty good in the early part of this week - perhaps 2 small accidents a day (where he started in pants then finished on potty). We have been keeping pull-ups on to go out & these have been largely dry after a couple of hours. It is however still a case of me reading his signals (ie looking down or saying wee wee) & then rushing him over to the potty.

Yesterday he was at nursery for the whole day. We sent him in pull-ups as we weren't confident of him in pants, especially as nursery has less adults per child then I do at home. They said they tried him at regular intervals & he talked about wee but didn't do anything at all. They have little toilets not potties.

Today, he did a wee in the potty about half an hour after breakfast, which was because he said 'need wee wee' so I put him on potty. Then we went out for about 4 hours including having a drink so he had pull-ups on, they were sodden when we got home. Since being home he has done 3 wees (2 big, 1 small) on the floor, 2 in pants, 1 with nothing on. He has also done 1 big poo on the potty when I was out of the room, so he must have anticipated that & gone all by himself.

I just don't know where to go from here. DH insists that DS should wear pants all the time but pull-ups out & about. I'm happy for him to wear no bottoms at home, but put him in pants because DH says so. Earlier in the week he was taking pants off & doing a wee so not always a problem.

Maybe he's just not ready yet, I don't know. I do know I'm fed up with not being able to leave the same room that DS is in even to out DS3 up for a nap or to make a cup of tea

He's just done another wee - started this one in pants but finished in potty, don't know if that's an improvement or not

just thought I'd say keep it up!! we put ds 3yr old straight into pants. we take spares with us everywhere. we also have a sticker chart which he gets a sticker for every dry day. he uses the big boy toilet. and stands on a stool to wee. expect lots of accidents and try not to be mad if he wees himself. praise him highly when he goes. we also wake him up about 10 pm then first thing in the morning. hope this helps

we also took him every hour and if he didn't want to go tried again ten mins after. we have had loads of tears but now have a dry 3.5 yr old with only the odd accident x

Thanks for answering. I know he's doing well overall but that makes it frustrating when he has little (or big) accidents. If we are only out for a short while or round a friend's house I do use pants, but today we went to soft play (a necessity as kids were going mad at home!) & I thought that if he weed in there they'd have to shut the whole place down, which is not fair on anybody. Also having nursery each week complicates things as I'm sure pants wouldn't work there yet.

He is very keen as he keeps saying about doing wee & even sitting briefly on toilet, but for some reason it's just not happening today. Maybe it's just a case of 'we all have off days?'

it does take time. my ds goes to nursery full time at first we had loads of accidents and they were great. Loads of changes of clothes and loads of washing. he will have off days but can be great for weeks. we always pull him out of soft play to go to the toilet a pain in the bum but it's got to be done. be patient and keep smiling it will happen xx

Hooray, a wee on the potty with none on the floor! Was a case of me seeing him look down & knowing he'd had water about 20 mins before, but I'd say it counts!

DH wants us to go up to ILs' with him & DS1 tomorrow (they are going to football, we'd spend the afternoon with ILs ) but I think it's a bad idea potty-training wise. It's 120 miles, so 2.5 hours in the car each way, so it'd mean pull-ups, which I think would set us back again. So, looks like another day of me, DS2 & 6-month old DS3 in the house (there's a massive event going on just outside my village so everywhere is far too busy to contemplate going out, especially when PT & anyway, DH will have our only car)

I really think your DH is wrong and you should ditch the pull ups. IME they do not work and send a mixed signal. This might mean staying closer to home for a few weeks.

DD called them her knickers and couldn't then understand why she couldn't wee in her real knickers. They simply aren't helpful in my view.

I did the same as you for a few weeks.... Potty at home and pull ups when out. DD improved massively and instantly once I put her in knickers full time.

Nursery won't mind accidents. They are set up to deal with it and I know my nursery are just see it as continuing to assist with the child's development.

I do sympathise re going out though.... I have a 5 month old DS and found to begin with I could only go to places with friends so I could leave DS and rush DD to the toilet / places where his pram would fit in toilets.

I quickly learnt they don't go as much as you think so it's not as hard as you anticipate when out iyswim?

Oh yes. That definitely counts! You will need to anticipate it to begin with whilst they learn to recognise signs and hold their bladder a bit longer etc.

Defo counts I agree with pasta about ditching the pull ups x

Finished off the day with a little wee on the toilet before bathtime, on demand So glad the day got better

how did today go? x

Ditch the pull ups. Few days at home in a row - maybe walk/trip to park/somewhere close but not in company. Huge hoorays for every success (inc. finishing in potty). We also found 'freestyle' (outdoor!) wees helped for emergency situations (he rather enjoys selecting a weed or something to aim for).
Hang on in there, drink wine in eve if necessary. He will cotton on with lots of praise & crucially, no palatable alternative (no one liked wet pants).
At least, thats how we cracked it.

No pull-ups at all today. He's been mostly naked from the waist down with about 2 hours total in pants. Pretty much stayed at home except for a 30 minute trip to the local shops with my parents & a 5 minute walk to & from my parents' house.

All in all he had 1 tiny wee accident on returning from the shops, 1 tiny wee accident at my parents' house which finished on the potty, 1 poo accident on the floor at home & 1 more poo accident on the floor at home which finished on the potty. Both wee accidents while wearing pants. So pretty good, I think.

One thing which I think is a huge improvement is that I have barely had to prompt him today at all, he has mostly either been saying he needs a wee & then going to the potty or just going straight on the potty

well done little dude. keep up the good work. it will come with lots of perseverance, a few accidents and maybe the promise of a treat if he has a dry afternoon/day x

Nice one. You've cracked it :)

Update - DS is now taking himself off every time for a wee & even did so when round a friend's house yesterday We are only using pull-ups when we are going to be out for a significant amount of time - yesterday we went to soft play again & he wore them then for about 2 hours. He did a poo in one but not a wee (still a bit hit & miss with poos) & then a big wee in a second one, but he told me he needed to do it, so if I'd had the potty I think he would have gone in there (won't go on public toilets, will maybe try taking toilet seat, also won't go standing up so bushes a no-no). But overall I am very pleased

Also, this morning when he woke up his night nappy was completely dry & he did a big wee on the toilet as soon as he got up