2 year old doesn't care about being wet and wont use potty. Help please!

[Karma1387]

I really need some help. I am currently on my 3rd attempt at potty training my 2 yrs 7 month old and we just arent getting anywhere. He asks for toilet but wont sit on the toilet or the potty. If I put him in trousers or underwear or naked and he pees he does not care and will happily sit in it if I haven't noticed he has done it.

How on earth do I potty train him when he doesnt care about being wet and wont sit on the potty. I don't want to be a parent with a 4 year old still in nappies but honestly I am at a loss on how to get him moving forwards.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

If you do manage to get him to wee even once in potty make the biggest fuss ever, lots of clapping hugging, kissing, cheering, showing your baby what he has done. Keep going until he's fed up with all the praise.

Being happy to sit on the potty or toilet is the first thing you need to work on. This really is the first step. Going straight to underwear without this first step is just setting them up to fail. If you choose to go straight to the toilet then make sure there is a step and little seat do they will feel safe and secure. Have a bag of potty/toilet toys or things they can only hold whilst sitting on the toilet or potty. Something to help them see it's okay. No expectations to do anything in it to start with. Encouraging them to sit at every nappy change, before a bath or when getting dressed that kind of thing.

Do you have a toilet seat insert, step stool etc? It sounds like he is recognising that he needs to go and that he understands the toilet is where he is meant to go, but for whatever reason he is avoiding the actual experience of using the toilet, so I’m wondering if there is a way to make it easier or more comfortable for him.

Yep we have a special dinosaur toilet seat and step stool as well as a potty. He wont sit on any of them.

Can he sit for a minute or two to share a book or do a puzzle in other circumstances nor involving the toilet or does he struggle with sitting and focusing in general?

Is he scared of the Dino?

50/50. If it is something he is really interested in like tv or magnatiles yeah. If he isn't bothered you don't stand a chance of him paying attention.

God no. He is dino obsessed!

There use to be this book about dinos in underwear if I can find it I will send it here theb

I gave no idea if this would work but a friend of mine did this.

She took her son shopping for pants with his favorite cartoon character on. She told him that if he had an accident the character would fade and eventually disappear.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dinosaurs-Love-Underpants-Claire-Freedman/dp/184738210X I don't think it's about potty training but it might make him want to train more to be like the dinos

This is a good idea but I don't think my DS has this sort of understanding yet.

Okay, I would gently work on this too. It sounds like he's a lively chap and that's normal for his age but tricky when a new skill like toilet training needs you to sit still all be it briefly. Would bubbles be too exciting? Could he sit and blow bubbles on the toilet?

Have you tried him standing up? Even if there is a lot of mess? Stand on the stool and wee standing up. Pop a table tennis ball in the toilet (or make a different type of mark) and get him to aim at it. If he’s struggling and you’re finding awkward to show him exactly what to do, could his dad do it? Obviously, lots and lots of fuss once he does do it.

@Karma1387 , I would only give chocolate after he produced a wee in potty or toilet , standing up with a table tennis ball is also worth trying as it becomes fun for him. If he really won’t do any of these things putting him in nappies and clothes it is difficult for him to get out of such as dungarees could work and retry in a couple of months

Every time you go to the toilet make him come with you. Maybe run the tap very gently so it makes a little noise, like a tinkle! There used to be a potty on the market that played a little tune if weed or pood in!

Yeah he loves coming with us to the toilet and usually turns the tap on himself.

I would stop and leave it a little bit longer. We tried potty training our son at 2 years 9 months, thought it was ideal as was Christmas so no work or nursery, i lasted two days before i gave up as he had no success and had accidents every time.

Tried again at Easter so he was 3 years and 1 month, cracked it in 3 days. By day 4, he was dry all day and I can count on one hand how many accidents he has had since and he is now 4 and 7 months and just started school. Waiting those four months made such a difference.

Relax a little he’s 2.5 and a long way off starting school! You’re trying and getting the process started, getting him used to the potty and toilet etc. I’d just wait a little longer, it really does just click with a lot of children and a month or two is a long time for a toddler.
You can continue getting him to sit on the potty/toilet and give loads of praise if he does anything, but he can be in nappies the rest of the time.

Yeah we started around third birthday and had it cracked within two weeks, dry at night 4 months later.

random question but how often do you change him OP. I work in a nursery and I think some of the training struggles we have with the children are due to their parents leaving it until their nappies are full to change them. They get used to feeling wet and so don’t associate the feeling of needing to go with actually being wet.

Max every 2 hours. He drinks a lot so wees a lot.

Ah I see, that seems like a good amount. Anymore and you’d be going through so many nappies!