Potty training struggles once clothed

[GreenBayTractor87]

My son is 2 years and 8 months, delayed speech which is making this trickier.

He has shown the signs of readiness for a little while, when he’s wearing nappies he’ll pat his bum or front and say “wee wee” so we have tried a couple of times to start potty training.

We have done a couple of days naked at our house and he’s cracked it, runs to the potty when he needs a wee etc. but the minute we put clothes on him, it’s accidents nonstop, and nursery are saying he does not give them any indication that he needs to wee or anything.

how do we crack the wearing clothes part? Or is he not ready until he starts talking? Or should we try training pants?

Stay away from pull ups if that’s what you mean by training pants. They don’t help at all because your DS needs to make the association between being wet and uncomfortable and having a wee.

If he can control his bladder, which he clearly can if he can use the toilet when naked, then he is ready. He doesn’t need to be verbal to be toilet trained.

When he’s clothed, use easy to wear elsdticsted joggers and shorts and don’t wait for him to tell you. Take him to the toilet regularly for a try and give him lots of praise for every try and success.

Have you read the Oh Crap method?

I would try with shorts but no pants, as for some kids the pants feel snug and they forget they're not wearing a nappy

Loose trousers/pyjama bottoms or loose shorts and no pants at all. Once that's cracked add the pants.

Thanks everyone, we’ve been putting him in loose elasticated shorts but it’s not clicked for him yet! Nursery said they take him to the potty every 15 mins and he’ll sit on the potty fine, do nothing, and then wet himself a minute after leaving, and I get the feeling they’re getting a bit frustrated (although that could very well be me projecting my own worries!)

edited to add - I mean loose Elasticated shorts with no pants

How long ago did you potty train him? I did loose joggers with no underwear with my son. I think cuffed joggers might contain the mess a bit better than shorts. We had the same problem as you when we added underpants a few months later as it just felt like a nappy to him, only took a few days and he was dry again in no time though. I'd redo the training days at home but with trousers on (no underpants), once that's sorted at home then might do better at nursery. I don't understand how kids can do the no pants method and then get dressed and go to nursery anyway as it obviously feels different

I'd just give him a few more days being bottomless at home. If he's cracked it then he is definitely ready. Give it a bit longer to bed in before you add clothes into the mix.

I have an alternative view, which is to use the pull up nappies for a couple of weeks like underwear and to give praise when the nappy stays dry. Offer the toilet/potty once an hour, pulling the nappy down like it's pants. Then only once the pull up is clearly redundant (remaining dry all day) then switch to pants.

Both my kids were trained successfully this way at around 2.5yo (dc2 very recently, and it only took a few weeks). It's the least stressful way to do it imo, for the child as well as you.