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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.

3 yr old DD keeps saying she wants to do a poo....then nothing

3 replies

caspercat · 21/11/2009 16:00

She's been out of nappies in the day since Jan this year. Still wears nappies at night. Very rarely has accidents, but the last few days she tells me 3, 4 times a day that she needs a poo, then just sits on the toilet for 5 minutes without even trying. Then she gives me this "knowing" look (ridiculous, i know, to even think a 3 yr old can do this) & says "i don't need a poo". It's starting to really annoy me, and i can't really explain why. When she does do a poo (normal, and about twice a day), it's all good. I can't take a chance by not taking her cos i don't want her to soil herself, but i feel like she's just doing it for attention. She has a 9 month old brother, who she is mostly very good with, but i don't know if she's doing this to take me away from him. Have told her i'll put her back in nappies if she carries on, but i know that's just mean & will upset her, so i wouldn't really, but i don't know how to get it across to her that it's doing my head in!!
Any ideas???

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
JackBauer · 21/11/2009 16:17

Where is your potty/bathroom? DD1 started doing this a few mnonths afer she was trained and I am convinced it was to get 1 on 1 with me away from DD2 so I bigged up the 'big girl' aspect of being able to go on her own and started up the sweet rewards. every time she took herself to the loo and came back down she got a dolly mixture and a cuddle.

She still can't wipe her own bum after a poo so if she yells for me I go up and wipe, but that's only a minute or so.

caspercat · 22/11/2009 09:04

We have a toilet on every floor (makes it sounds a massive house, tisn't, just tall & thin!). She still wants me to take her all the time, so maybe i'll just put her in some easy trousers for a few days & ask her to go by herself.
Is only 9am, and we've had 2 false alarms already
Thanks for your advice, will persevere!

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purepurple · 22/11/2009 09:11

Sounds like it's for attention.
Send her on her own and tell her to call you when she has finished.
Or, when she asks, tell her to wait 2 minutes. You wil find that sometimes she will suddenly not need to go after waiting.
I am a nursery nurse and since September, I have helped potty train more than a dozen 2 year olds. We only have 3 left in nappies. I spend my whole life doing toilet runs

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