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Potty training

Is your child ready for potty training at nursery? Here's the place for all your toilet training questions.

Having a nightmare is this normal?

5 replies

dontcomeatme · 17/10/2025 21:11

My DS is 2.5YO, we started potty training 2/3 weeks ago as he was showing all the signs he was ready.
The first week he smashed it, only a couple of accidents, telling me he needed a wee, loved the potty seat, sat on it regularly, had poos, and was even dry overnight a couple of times. We did the "goodbye wee and poo" routine every time and the reward of a little chocolate button. We used a timer to remind him to try, we call it "beep beep wee wee", no issues. We stayed home a week, then went back to normal routine. He's been on days out, buses, cars, walks, park, friends house etc and no accidents, used his potty great.

Then the last few days it's like none of that has happened at all! He's screaming, point blank refusing to use the potty, he's weeing all over the house and just calmly saying "mam wee, need new pants". I tried to go naked with him again because he was soiling all of his clothes, but he insists on wearing his big boy pants. But it's all just become a struggle, and he's refusing to put a nappy back on during the day so everything is getting ruined. I've tried going back to the basics but he's kicking off every time I mention wee, potty or the timer. Its making him really cry and I just dont understand whats changed. Hes also holding his wees for 6+ hrs. If he had behaved like this in the beginning I would have thought he wasn't ready and that would have been that. But he did 2/3 weeks and I thought great, this is it.

Is this normal? Is it like a potty training regression? Anyone else's DC went backwards like this? I don't know whether to persevere or pop a nappy on him and hope he forgets about it all. Just seems such a waste because he honestly did great! Any advice appreciated 🙏

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TeenLifeMum · 17/10/2025 21:14

Get a toddler toilet seat and try that. Potty pee is a bit gross and he’s likely quite big.

that said, it could be he’s getting a cold and that’s thrown him out of whack. Persevere and maybe go back to basics again but with the toilet seat.

Don’t go back to nappies. It’ll be a very hard step to go back and then get rid of them again. I do wonder if many parents struggle because they’ve left it too late (after 3). Keep going.

dontcomeatme · 17/10/2025 21:20

@TeenLifeMum we have a toilet seat he doesn't like it, he will only use the potty. I was looking at buying him a spiderman toilet seat as encouragement, but most reviews for the toilets seats say they're awful for boys. We have been trying to teach him to point his willy down but he's still shooting out the bowl a lot of the time 🙈 we have 1 potty that has a high splash guard and that's our favourite and his thankfully.
I will get a toilet seat and see how we go 🤞

I was worried he was coming down with something, he's not a crier normally so this has thrown us x

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dontcomeatme · 17/10/2025 21:22

@TeenLifeMum just seen your edit, this was my worry as well. That's why I thought it was great he seemed to be doing so well, 2.5 seemed to be the right age for him, his language has come on leaps and bounds and I didn't want to leave it any longer. Hopefully it's just a phase x

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TeenLifeMum · 17/10/2025 21:35

I know it’s hard but try and be totally chill about it in front of him. He’ll get there.

dontcomeatme · 17/10/2025 21:43

TeenLifeMum · 17/10/2025 21:35

I know it’s hard but try and be totally chill about it in front of him. He’ll get there.

Thank you ❤️ x

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