Any ideas please, anything? DS is 3.7 and will not, will not wee anywhere but in his pants, nappy or naked.

[Cadelaide]

If he's in pants or naked he's not happy about it and will hold on for as long as possible. He absolutely will not use the potty, toilet or indeed anything. We have a "wee towel" that I lay on the floor in one place and he is happy to stand on it when he needs to go, but he then can't let go. He gets a bit upset if he wets his pants and it goes on the floor.

We've given up and left it in the past but I just can't see things changing, and of course school is looming.

Any ideas?

Is it because he is afraid of the toilet/potty? Does he not like the splash back/feel of the plastic etc? What has he said about it?

Have you tried getting him to wee standing up while you hold the potty directly under his willy? If he hates the idea of being splashed, you could put a pad of old towel or cheap microfibre cloth to soak up the liquid and prevent this.

Obviously, just getting him to wee somewhere is your initial goal, have you tried the old trick of running a tap to get him to let go? When he is managing to get his weeing under control, you can take baby steps towards him weeing in the potty with no cloth, weeing in potty near the toilet, standing at the toilet while weeing into the potty, etc, working up to weeing into the toilet.

It is definitely worth asking him what has frightened him, and what he would like to do about it (within reason!)

Thanks all.

I've tried asking him but he pretty much clams up, he just says "I don't like it". I've tried running the tap but if we're in any sort of designated "wee spot", whatever/wherever that may be, he simply can't let go.

Will he sit on the potty/toilet and go while wearing the nappy? And then another time undo the nappy while he is sat down. And then put a clean nappy round the edge of the potty while he wees into the potty?

Or, will he sit on the potty/toilet if you tell him he doesn't have to wee? Ie no pressure to go, just sit there for a bit. Comfortable potty in front of the tv, loads of neat apple juice to drink ...

Major bribery?

Weeing into a bottle?

Um. Not for now but when we have our traditional mid-April heatwave - watering the plants in the garden?

DS was using a smaller child seat on the toilet, and for some reason, just decided he didn't like it, so stopped wanting to use the toilet. As soon as we figured it out and removed it so he sat directly on the regular seat, things improved again. Is there something about the seat that he find uncomfortable?