Potty training issues

[blue_kat]

Hi, I’ve not been on here since I was pregnant with my ds or maybe when he was tiny!!

My little boy is 3 and 5 months.He is a lovely sweet little boy except for the usual tantrums and attacking his sister type dramas. He is behind of his speech although he is so much better now and we can even have a conversation without too much issue.

My issue is with potty training. Firstly I should mention I have a 6 yr old daughter who decided to want to potty train at 2 and was dry and night by 3 (lots of accidents along the way and all very dramatic at times)

Now my little boy showed no interest in it until recently. I have been so chilled out and left it and left it but seriously loosing hope now. He CAN do it and has had the odd wee and pop on the potty..he just doesn’t want to!!

The best way to explain is that on Sunday we stripped him off and he was dry all day then had a minor accident which I cleaned up then an hour or two later my daughter called me to show me a big poo and wee in the potty which he had quietly done while no one was watching.

The next day was preschool and he REFUSED to put pants on or anything so I left it. I have packed pants in his bag but the teachers had no luck either.

Today he is off so I took his nappy off and left his onesie half undone for easy access (Im feeling poorly so we are having a duvet morning) he didn’t use the potty or have accidents but then came over saying NAPPY ON NAPPY ON until I gave in.

He knows exactly what to do so how do I move forward? Bribes don’t work either or star charts.

He’s starting school in sept so I’m starting to worry

 

[_Meep_]

No advice really, but mine is doing the same. She's 3 and 4 months and although she knows exactly what she needs to do and when and how, and CAN, she mostly refuses. It's very frustrating, especially as her speech and understanding is incredibly good for her age and it just seems so ridiculous that she won't try!

 

[SarahBear]

At this age, just ditch the diapers altogether and don't give in. Have lots of underwear and pants and involve him in the clean up. Be neutral and matter-of-fact for accidents and positive for successes.

Also, be sure he does not have a negative association with the potty before starting.

 

[agse01]

Potty training can definitely be a struggle and a huge source of stress especially when our children are not potty trained when we think that they should be! Each kid potty trains differently and on their own time line and some of those time lines are much longer then we would like! One thing that I have learned in potty training my own 4 is that the more I pushed them, the more they resisted! It had to be on their own time. All but one of mine were trained after the age of 3 and that's the average for most kids, however, some can take longer and some take a shorter amount of time! However, all kids will learn to potty! (Unless they have some medical issue or something that would hinder them!) I know it's frustrating. I know it is probably stressing you out, but the bigger deal you make about it, most likely, the longer he will resist! Sometimes it can be a control thing on the child's part. Offer encouragement, never shame him when accidents happen, and just make the transition as positive as possible. He will get there! Best of luck to you! I know the struggle is real!

 

[_Meep_]

Thought I would update to say that my daughter has suddenly had a random turnaround and potty-trained herself almost completely in about two days. Not sure exactly what worked - choosing some Frozen underwear (we'd already previously done this, and she chose Paw Patrol, then refused to wear them) or giving in to bribery and allowing two jelly beans per pee and a jelly snake for a poop, but she's been dry since and happily using the potty without a fuss.

 

[Bonnie11]

I just commented this on a similar post!

Kids will do it when they are mentally ready, not just physically! When they think it's a control thing (as my daughter did) it became as much a mental battle as anything. She was more than capable about 6-8 months before she decided to do it! There isn't really anything you can do to change it as you will end up fighting and stressed with it all and really negative associations. My daughter was exactly the same and eventually did it herself when she decided one day and was done in a few days! I would take all the potty and everything away and just tell him he can try when he is ready, once you remove the battle he might decide to do it himself! Just show him where his pants are and how to use the toilet and say no more about it. And also try the toilet as it seems a bit more grown up for them. Good luck, he will get there in the end I promise! X

 

[_Meep_]

^ I agree with this. Mine was also capable many months beforehand, but in the end, she made the ultimate decision, with a little incentive, and once she had done it a few times there was no stopping her. She is now asking to wear pants lol. Now she is on board, it has been incredibly easy.