To gentle potty train or not

[MrsBubble]

Hi, I've attempted training my 3 year old non verbal, suspected autistic son once and really need to try again.
I went straight to letting him be in undies as he refused to be bare bottomed but he held his pee and then eventually peed on the toilet and I don't know if it was my over praising or his fear of making a mess again but he held his pee for the rest of the day so now he's back in pull ups.
I'd really like a slow and steady approach. He's due to start nursery in a couple of weeks (they're aware of his needs) so I'm concerned about too much change.
Any ideas? TIA

I don’t have any advice for you. Except I am going through the exact same thing with my 3year old. I expected lots of accidents but instead holding in for hours and developing a fear of the toilet. I have bought a small potty and prefer that a lot more. I am honestly just giving more fluids and encouragement.

I have been thinking about using the potty first but my son is quite tall so not sure there will be one that's suitable. Has your little one been using the potty? Hope it goes well for you

My LO is very tall, so I assumed the same. I think he prefers it, as the toilet can be daunting. He sits on it whenever he likes and is accessible. I bought the same colour and design as the toilet seat so he has a correlation and so far he is a lot more happier. He’s used it a few times which is much more than before. I also was advised to offer a lot of fluid so he has a full bladder. I offer him so much more than before and although a lot more accidents. More likely to be successful, we’re still checking every hour though in preparation for nursery. They are happy to help with the potty side usually so I wouldn’t put too much pressure. Hopefully it shall past, all the best

My son was non verbal with no language cognition, no gestures etc. and no awareness of the world around him at 3. I didnt potty train. At 4.5 ish he started to gain language and awareness (think socially development of a 6 month old). He developed rapidly and at 5.5 he has language, awareness and is self toilet trained (he skipped potty) and bridging his development gap in other areas too!

what i know now is that his learning style is to have complete autonomy and control over any change to his routine, so by waiting and supporting his learning style as it began to emerge he has come on so much!

I wish you good luck

You can get potties for older DC. If a potty urinal would help, you can get them too.

You could gently try, but potty training at the same time as the upheaval of starting nursery may be too much.