Would I be an idiot starting potty training over Christmas?

[user1471426142]

So, I think my 21/2 year old might be ready by then. Would it be a terrible time to start? It’s going to be the only time for a while I’m at home for a stretch but we’ll have travelling, being away from home
and excitement of Christmas so there is part of me that thinks it would be a terrible idea.

The next time I’ll have a stretch of time will be just before a new baby comes in the spring which seems equally crap timing.

Any thoughts?

[SPR1107]

Good luck to you all, I hope next time is the one for you!

I'm going to create a thread to see if I can seek out anyone doing it now for a bit of support ha.

[gnoomi]

@Ifyouthinkiwillsleepyoudream you are on!

[Ifyouthinkiwillsleepyoudream]

We should do another thread in a month with second attempts ha

[Ifyouthinkiwillsleepyoudream]

@gnoomi I did the same! Thought the holidays was the perfect time but DS had a different opinion

[gnoomi]

After more accidents and no potty success at all we needed to go out in the car today, so have given up. I'm going to try again in a month (and will hopefully have a tumble dryer then and not have mountains of unpacking from our house move). I was doing it now because we're off from school/nursery and I work 4 days a week so it will be tricky, but I just think she isn't ready.

[SPR1107]

Bit of a regression today. We have been letting him run naked up to today, today we put joggers on, and he's had an accident if each kind. So we've gone back to naked.

I know it's totally normal, but after two days of no accidents, can't help but feel a little disapppinted

[Dermymc]

I'm trying the oh crap method but don't feel I'm getting anywhere! I'm doing a lot of prompting (he isn't 2 though). He does know when he's weed as he says so and sometimes tells us in advance. All poos have been on the potty however. I guess we need to persevere!

[isitisitwicked]

I started my 2.7 year old today and he pissed and pooed everywhere but the potty haaa! He knows it needs to go in there but it just doesn't! Here's to day two!

[SPR1107]

Have you read Oh Crap @gnoomi? There's loads of stuff I would have been that it says not to. It's really waffly but I'm glad I read it.

It says that over threes are that bit harder to train, and there's a section in there about it I think.

Well I had declined to go because of the training, and they insisted we came, and trained him there. They have a son who is four months younger, and a daughter whose much older, so they've been there, and will soon be there again. It's going on in to the night, which is when most adults will arrive, but I'll be taking DS home around bedtime as don't want to disrupt the process too much

[gnoomi]

Sounds like it's going really well. Are there going to be other kids there? If it's all couples with no kids I'm not sure a semi naked mid potty trained child is ideal 😁, but I don't have an answer! If they all have kids around the same age none of my friends would raise an eyebrow.

I'm considering giving up. Nothing in the potty today and lots of accidents. I think I'm going to give it one more day... I thought she was ready (been telling us about wees for some time and really keen to wear pants), and she is over 3, but we have just moved house so maybe it's all too much. Unless it improves tomorrow (when we've got grandparents visiting!) I think I'll stop and come back to it in a month or so.

[SPR1107]

What day is everyone on?

We're on day 2, with no accidents. Well there was one bit of poop on the floor where he sat as he was going, and it missed. But I'll take that.

Wee's in a potty he seems to have nailed, but the poos he seems unsure with. We've put a potty on a towel in the corner of the room, so he feels like he has privacy (we noticed this seemed to be his problem), and he's taken himself there all day for wees.

When it was time for a poop, he was running with a concerned look from the toilet to the potty, and back again, about four times, I reminded him it was okay to poo in the potty as well as wee, which is when he slightly missed.

The little proud of punch look on his face melts me every time!

We are going to a friends tomorrow for a Christmas get together... so far he has been completely naked.

What are your thoughts on him being naked waist down at our friends house, with perhaps a long top on? Is it inappropriate. There'll be about 5 other couples there, who we've been friends with for 8+ years and a few other children. Should I be putting him in easy pull down clothes? I'm just worried I'll set him back too soon

[SPR1107]

We've worked out the potty resistance is a privacy issue. He wants to go in the toilet and shut the door. I set the toilet up with a seat and a step, and put the potty in there, and let him shut the door.. he came out and there was a poo in the potty!!!!!

[Dermymc]

We started a bit later than planned... Today!!

2 floor wees, a dry nap and 2 potty wees so half successful. He managed a pushchair ride dry as well. We're off to the shops tomorrow (new shoes necessary) so will have to take the potty!

[Labmum]

@SPR1107 I think they go through a phase where the novelty has worn off s bit and they get annoyed at you asking them all the time and disturbing their play. DS got a bit upset day 2/3 then he's settled again.

We managed a dry day today, it involved a lot of visiting people (we traipsed our potty round with us!) so am pretty pleased with him. Hoping it's starting to sink in. 🤞

[gnoomi]

Ok, I'm feeling a bit like we've got nowhere. I know it's only one day - we did get two wees on the potty (two 💩 accidents and several wees everywhere) but finished with her sitting on the potty and nothing, then immediately weeing all over the bath mat 🤦‍♀️. Please tell me that tomorrow will be better!

[Ifyouthinkiwillsleepyoudream]

@SPR1107 DS still getting upset with his wee and I admit on Christmas Day I caved and put him in a nappy. He just seemed too upset and thought maybe he is too young and I was pushing him. However even with the nappy on he seems to be conscious of the whole thing, and I wonder if he is still 'working on it' in his little brain... he announces that he needs to poo and pee and he weed in the bathtub a couple of times and he was looking at the event with great fascination I might try again if he looks more relaxed about the whole thing soon

[SPR1107]

So far he ran to the toilet without saying anything, pooed on the floor in front of it, then sat on the toilet while I cleaned it up and weed.
When he woke up from his nap, I put him on the toilet, but it was a little bit of a battle, he got upset. Anyone else experienced that?
I cuddled him until he calmed whilst he was still sat on it, then he said he didn't need to go, so I said that's fine and he got down. We went in the front room, and he weed on his scooter and cried. I sat him on the potty while I cleaned up and I explained he wasn't to worry, we'll clean it up, next time you wee wee in the toilet or potty.. and he weed instantly.
He really gives a bit of a fight to get on the toilet or potty, but when he does wee on it, you can see how proud of himself he is, he grins from ear to ear and dishes out the high fives. Just don't want him getting upset beforehand.

[gnoomi]

@Labmum have you tried cheap jogging bottoms? They have a tie waist which might help and seem to be popular with potty training boys round here! We've not left the house yet but leggings are a favourite here so I don't have the falling down problem

[Labmum]

@SPR1107 I've been encouraging DS to sit on the potty every hour, if he has a wee great, if not then we try again 15-20mins later. It seems to be working. Difficulty is judging what they're eating and drinking and how that might affect it.

@gnoomi I'll definitely be asking them to get him to try every hour just worry if he takes himself off to a quiet corner rather than ask to go, with 3 other kids to keep an eye on it'll be hard for his key worker to keep on top of. Sure they're used to it though and I'm worrying over nothing. He'll adjust to their potty routine I'm sure, he's always a star for them! I'll definitely be sending in lots of spares!

Anyone else struggling for trousers.....DS only has a little bum, even dropping down to 18-24 month size joggers he still ends up with them falling down and flashing a builders bum at everyone. It seems his nappies were adding much needed bulk to hold his trousers up (they were also filtering the smell of his trump's 🤢)!

[gnoomi]

@Labmum I think it does click, but different for each child, my first got the needing to ask (and ability to hold on) very quickly in just a couple of days. I'm not expecting that this time.

I think it's fine to expect nursery to remind regularly though, mine will, but you might need a few more changes of clothes to start with

[gnoomi]

I meant to start yesterday, but we moved house a couple of nights before Christmas and I couldn't find the potty and pants! So we've begun this morning. So far one poo in pants (and odd because she is very regular and this is not her usual time), but everything is very different and exciting, so she is a bit distracted! We'll see how the rest of the day goes...

[SPR1107]

Definitely sounds like your on the right track @Labmum! Especially with being able to do a journey too!
I've not potty trained before but I would say it'll just click definitely!

We have had nappy off for an hour and a half, and no accidents or wees in the toilet/potty yet. How often should I be expecting him to need to go?

[Labmum]

How is everyone getting on? Hope you've all had a lovely Christmas!

So we're now on day 6. We've had roughly one wet accident per day, we had one poo accident but have also had 2 successes. We managed a 2 hour car journey and a couple of trips out. He will use the potty when prompted but doesn't take himself off for a wee wee yet or tell us he needs it. Is this normal? I'm concerned that when he's back at nursery after new year that they won't have the time to be reminding him as regularly and he won't have open access to a potty, he'll need to ask. Will it just "click" over the next week or so?

[Eastie77]

Ah, I've found my people. Started training 3yo DS on Saturday and it's been a bit hit and miss (no pun intended!). He's been using the potty with his childminder for a few weeks but up until last week point blank refused to use it at home

We've had quite a bit of success over the last few days though. He is weeing and pooing in it when prompted. We've been out and about as well as staying indoors isn't an option. First day out he had 4 accidents while we were out. Day 3 we were out almost the entire day and had no accidents so felt like we'd made huge progress. However today we had a couple including one at home. He starts pre-school nursery in January and they don't take children in nappies so have been mildly stressed about it all!

[SPR1107]

Day one for us tomorrow! And after two days of sugar overload (grandparents!!!), DS has just fallen asleep!

Let's hope we don't have an overtired potty refusing toddler on our hands tomorrow!