I’ve just started trying to potty train my son for the third time, with many months gaps in between attempts, and I just feel utterly hopeless with it.
He is happy to do all the performance of pulling down his pants and sitting on the potty but he CANNOT seem to just wee. He doesn’t seem to know how.
We’ve talked about how it feels, asked him to say “potty!” when he feels wee coming and practiced it. I’m getting him to sit on the potty every half hour but nothing happens, and then in between he does a wee. He doesn’t tell us if he does a wee or a poo or seem to care.
When he does a poo in his nappy though he always runs away and says “no” if we ask him if he’s doing/done one. He hates having his nappy changed after a poo and having his bum wiped, so I don’t know if he CAN do a wee when he wants but just doesn’t want to?
I’ve told him he’ll get a sticker if he wees in the potty and he sits down eagerly and says ‘I did it! Sticker now!” But he never actually wees.
I’ve tickled him, blown bubbles with him, read books to him to keep him on longer, turned on the tap, sprinkled water on him, nothing has any effect.
In previous attempts, there were a couple of times when he managed to do a wee while he was sat on the toilet but didn’t to do it on purpose, just coincidence, but he’s not scared of going he just can’t.
Is my only option to keep waiting? I find it very difficult. I struggle to stay positive because we have carpets all over the house and he’s just weeing freely all over the place for me to discover a few minutes later.