Day one of potty training: persevere or try again later?

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Day 1 of potty training - should I give up or persevere?

background - trained my daughter using oh crap method when she was 2.2. I should have given up as after 3 days she was making slow progress but having invested 3 days in to it was reluctant to give up and have to start again from scratch and spend more time at home. It took her until she went to school to be reliably dry.

Decided to leave her brother a bit later as a result. He is 2.4 and I’ve set aside this week of the holidays to no plans and getting it cracked. Unlike his sister he is in cloth nappies and tells me when he’s done a poo and sometimes a wee. He HATES nappy changes which was another factor in deciding to try now rather than wait.

He is however extremely distressed at not having a nappy on. He cried a bit this morning then settled in and actually has done ok, 2 big wees on the floor (husband supposedly watching and didn’t intervene and get him on the potty) but a few where I suggested he sit on the potty and he said ‘wee wee coming’ and weed. Couple of little dribbles too with the rest of the wee caught.

Put a nappy on for nap time and again he was super distressed about taking it off. He’s just cried for about 40 minutes, he is often upset if woken from his nap (which is necessary or he’d sleep 3 hours) but no nappy is adding to it. I’ve now put soft loose shorts on him but he still seems to be uncomfortable and grabbing himself. He’s managed one wee on the potty (while screaming).

Not sure whether to keep going or abandon. On the one hand I do feel he’s actually been quite successful getting wee in the potty. On the other he is so distressed about not having a nappy on and I can’t deal with the screaming.

What I really don’t want to do is spend 4 days doing this and still abandon it. If it isn’t going to work I’d rather abandon now and spend the rest of the week doing nice things. Daughter (7) is in a foul mood as she hates the screaming and is already bored sitting at home after less than a day, which is adding to my desire to only carry on if it’s likely to be successful.

we have a busy summer with trips away so if we don’t do it now it will be October half term before we can dedicate 4+ days to it again.

Part of me thinks he’s young and I could leave it. But I am over washing cloth nappies 🤪😂 and he is so difficult over nappy changes that I thought he might be keen!

Abandon.

If he's distressed he's not ready.

You've got loads of time yet.

He sounds ready to me. If you stop now he will be just as distressed, if not more next time. Is it possible to put 2 pairs of pants on him? I'd try for a couple of more days at least, cos hes doing well.

I'd keep going OP. It's not nice seeing him upset but a child being distressed about something doesn't necessarily mean it's the wrong thing to do and potty training is a necessary process. I would try my best to reassure and comfort him without giving him a nappy.

I’d keep going , he’s distressed because it’s something new but he sounds ready .

I'd let him choose what pants he wants to wear instead of nappies

I would keep going, it’s just day 1. Good luck!

Thanks for all input, majority think stick with it,
it seems.

Since he got up from his nap he’s had one good wee on the potty (while screaming) and then I’ve put him on the toilet/potty twice when I’ve spotted a little dribble. Lots of resistance but once he did then do a bit more in the potty as well.

As I say I actually feel we’ve been relatively successful in terms of wee in potty vs wee on the floor for day one, but the resistance and screaming is hard work!!

Havent actually bought pants yet as following oh crap method you don’t introduce them for the first few weeks. But as he’s so resistant to nakedness maybe I’ll get some tomorrow.

Has he had much nappy free time up til now? Or has every moment other than the bath involved wearing a nappy?

If no nappy is a very new experience and feeling in his life then it's not a surprise that it's an adjustment.

He’s pretty much always been in a nappy to be honest. Whenever I tried nappy free time with my daughter pre potty training she just weed or pooed on the floor so I haven’t done it with him! so yes I guess it is an adjustment. However he hates nappy changes so I thought he’d be on board with ditching them. He’s been happier this afternoon since I put shorts on him.

Sounds like worth persevering OP, at least for 1 week if not 2.

We never did naked from the waist down during potty training with DC because they didn't like it, and also our nursery asked parents not to. We did do jogging bottoms with no pants, I think the feeling of wet trousers is helpful on the early stages.

You’re probably right. I’m just scarred (still, 5 years on!) from when we trained my daughter. I persevered against my instincts for a week and it was just a disaster when she went back to childcare the following week and I wished I’d given up after 2 days and tried again a couple of months later. A week or two weeks is such a long time to be stuck at home doing nothing if it doesn’t end up working out and you have to do it again a few months later!! I’m going stir crazy already and so is my older daughter.

I think with a second child you have to be realistic and do a less perfect version of oh crap. I remember doing a nappy with pants under for the school run because I wasn't going to take a naked from the waist down child out in public and the school run wasn't optional.

Yes I agree. To be fair even with my first child I had to modify as childcare wouldn’t take her wearing no pants under her shorts.

I think we are going to abandon. He’s now ok about no nappy on (shorts on) but SCREAMS about being put on the toilet or potty. We’ve had 4 times this morning where he’s done a dribble and I’ve tried to get him on the potty or loo and he screams and arches his back. Sometimes he has then weed a bit in the potty but sometimes not. He just gets up and does the same thing 20 minutes later. I don’t think he’s ready. I think we will do a bit more nappy free time before bath and so on and encourage casual potty/toilet usage and then try again in a few months when sitting on the potty doesn’t induce screaming fits.

My daughter showed all the same signs of being ready but we gave up after half a day as she was also getting distressed and just weeing everywhere. Tried again 3 months later and she got it instantly.