To continue potty training?

[2022FTM]

After some advice re potty training please!

Started potty training my daughter last Friday, who is 2 years & 5 months. She has been showing multiple signs of readiness e.g. announcing she has done a wee/poo then immediately asking to change it, staying dry for a considerable amount of time etc.

We did really well for the first couple of days, a few accidents here and there but mostly on the potty. I have been saying every hour or so 'shall we make a wee?' or 'lets sit on the potty' - but she isn't yet telling me she needs to go. She is in nursery full time, so been unable to monitor what is happening there - but it seems very hit and miss. We have sticker charts and high-five/cheer when she does something on the loo.

Over the last couple of days she has been saying 'no, I don't want to use the potty', asking to put a nappy on or refusing to sit on the potty/loo. Is this her way of telling me she isn't ready? Or general toddler defiance?

I know it has only been six days, but feels like we have taken a real step back with it/she isn't making the connection between feeling the urge and going to the potty.

There is so much conflicting advice online, it is hard to know what to do!

Any tips welcome, thank you x

Let her lead you. Try again in a few weeks.

Personally I'd keep going

Have you got many books to read together about potty training?

Yes we have three books that she loves reading:

• No More Nappies
• I Want My Potty (Little Princess)
• Princess Polly Potty

She recognises that the characters have had accidents/are sat on the loo etc. so she definitely knows what it's all about!

It's just defiance and testing the boundary. She's ready, but ready doesn't necessarily mean no effort or that it'll be easy.

Hey OP, we had exactly the same - he was quite interested for the first few days and did pretty well, self initiating some wees, but after a week (including accidents at childminders where I think she got stressed and he got upset) he completely clammed up, violently refusing to sit on potty even when very obviously desperate to go, holding both wee and poo and getting increasingly uncomfortable. Eventually he asked for a nappy and we complied and now he’ll very occasionally wee in the potty and gets stressed about pooing, even in nappy. I’m not sure what to do tbh, he seems so upset by the idea of it. So no advice but solidarity. Hope it gets easier!

Keep going! For every wee in the potty, my daughter got to pop a sticker on the potty! It was soon filled up. Poop was a little scary, but when she finally went, lots of praise, big stickers. Then it would be 'not making a big deal'. Buy loads of knickers, never turn back.

Do you think maybe you're asking too often? My daughter can hold it quite a few hours. If I ask, do you need a wee, and she says no thank you, I say okay and leave her longer. At first I would try make her go every 30mins, then moved to an hour, and she got so tired of her play being interrupted and me asking, she became frustrated.

I am in a similar situation and don’t know whether to continue with DD aged 2y4m.We are around 3 weeks in and she is so inconsistent with it, we’ve had some dry days, one or two accident days and then other days where she will pee & poo in her knickers and nothing on the potty / toilet at all.

I do think I am asking her too often but she isn’t yet saying when she needs to go. So for example at a Halloween party earlier we took her numerous times and each time she did nothing. Then 10 mins after one toilet trip she done a wee. perhaps we need to stop asking / taking her as often as she is getting frustrated.

I have no answers but you are not alone!