DS3 and potty-training...

[SixSpotBurnet]

Over the weekend DS3 has managed to use the potty several times (for wees, standing up). Am feeling cautiously optimistic...

So far we have been sending him to nursery in pull-ups but as he has shown all these signs of being about ready to move on to the next stage, would it be out of order for me to send him to nursery in pants and ask his LSA to try and get him to use the loo?

I think you will need something a bit more structured and the LSA will probably feel more confident as a side benefit. E.G. going to toilet at certain timed intervals, reinforcing attempts or success, simple picture schedule, ignoring accidents etc.

It's not unreasonable at all. I'm sure they won't mind trying to mirror your success at home as long you explain what you have been doing with him with at home. My DS1 was toilet trained at home for 2 weeks before he used the toilets at nursery so it's possible he'll need some time to adjust - but maybe not. Good Luck!

Thanks folks .

As it happens, he is poorly this morning (laryngitis) and his LSA is also off sick so we may be deferring his first assault on the nursery toilets until after the holiday sanyway!

Davros - that's very helpful - yes I think some sort of structure would be best.

Maybe it is a good idea to wait to try at school until after the hols. Then you can work on it at home and he can wear very little (hopefully) over the summer. Choose a special reinforcer and use it only for toilet training and make sure you have a picture of whatever it is. Even if he isn't following picture schedule you can use it to reinforce that this is different and this is how we do it and hopefully he will start to identify the whole process with all these cues but make the schedule very simple, e.g. sit on toilet, wee/poo, flush and have a space to move away or turn over each picture when its been done. Later on you can do all that pull down trousers, wash hands etc. If you don't already use it, you might find those kids' foamy handwash things good to make the whole thing identifiable and fun. Are you using toilet or potty? We started with potty and had a few all over the house, different colours and shapes (with lid for downstairs) and you can even get those ones that play tunes, but you might want to wait to see if you need it in case it becomes annoying!

Thanks Davros. We have started with the potty as it proved impossible to get DS3 to the toilet in time, even though we have one up and one down! It was much easier to rush the potty to him!