Advice on Potty training

money_honey

I don't have anything constructive to add except to say good luck! I'm planning on starting potty training my DD after Christmas and am dreading it really, but there's some good advice on here. Hope you manage to find something that works for your DD

pinkclouds

Just keep trying until you find what works for your child - they're all different, as we all know.

I don't see a problem with pull-ups - never hindered toilet training for us. (Touch wood, as only 1 down and 1 to go!) My 3 year old didn't really take to potties and did not like the various baby toilet seats. We switched to using the actual toilet and it worked - in fact, my 1 year old sits on the toilet occasionally, quite happily. We had a bit of a problem with patience - wees come out immediately but poos take ages (in the mind of a toddler) so it took... quite a while to persuade her that they would eventually come out on the toilet. Reward charts and stickers did nothing for us. Lots of praise and clapping was reasonably good. Choosing her own knickers didn't make much difference - she only started wearing them one day when she decided it was knickers from then on.

Actually, looking back at all of it, it all happened according to her time scale, when she felt it was ready to happen. And we had very few accidents - most of them not being her fault at all. (Easy to adjust clothing being a huge must and toddler "steps" to reach the toilets being another must.)

msb5262

Hello OP,

You say you're currently very pregnant - in which case, it might be a good idea to leave the whole potty training thing for a while. Most children will have quite an emotional response to the arrival of a new baby, especially if it involves mummy being temporarily absent, and this isn't the ideal background to start something as potentially messy and stress-inducing as potty training.

I know of a little girl who had a dirty protest when the new baby was born...and I admit nappies/pull-ups are expensive and a pain, but it's much nastier and potentially more expensive sorting out pooey knickers than pooey nappies!

To sum up: New baby arriving = upheaval...in other words, when your daughter is ready, get on with it but don't push her before she's ready.

Best wishes with the training and the new baby

MsB

strawberrypud

I had a nightmare potty training my dd...it took 6 months! She was in pants during the days so I was constantly changing her clothes and wiping up puddles and a nappy at night.

My only tip (the thing that worked for me) is to stop talking about it to her and don't let her hear you talk about her potty training to others. Just say that you expect her to use the toilet/potty from now on and leave her to it. This worked for my dd, the constant talking about it ("Do you need to go"/"Go to the toilet"/"Go use the potty") seemed to stress her out. Once I stopped being so "involved" she just started going by herself. HTH because potty training was one of the hardest most frustrating things I've ever gone through as a mum!

meritaten

I totally agree with the last poster! please try NOT to become a 'nag' by constantly asking your child if she needs the potty! I would however, make sure there is at least one potty upstairs and one downstairs and invest in far more panties for her than you think you will need! oh and when the child is at home and its warm enough - a couple of hours bare-a$$ed wont hurt either. praise when she uses the potty and commiserations if she doesnt! along the lines of 'oh dear, I hate wet knickers dont you?' or 'what a shame, you didnt make the potty in time, never mind lets get some nice dry knickers on you'.

BOBS

I always went with a clear jar filled with favourite colourful sweets. Gave one as a reward each time a pee/poo done. Keep out of reach but in site so that she is encouraged to perform for a treat.
All the best with potty training and the new addition !! x

RLH33

As MSB has said I wouldn't bother potty training at the moment considering there is going to be a new baby in the house within the next month.

If she is resisting it then she obviously isn't ready so I would leave her until she is more favourable to the idea. From my experience if they do it when they are ready they are dry almost immediately whereas if you push them into it you end up dealing with wet pants and accidents both in the house and outside which is a nightmare and can last a while before they finally get the hang of it.

Never underestimate the stress levels of having a newborn baby getting tetchy/screaming and a 3 year old wetting her pants by accident but sometimes on purpose D My friend's son used to wait until she had sat down to feed the baby and then deliberately wet himself in full view of her.

khague

:jany advise would be great, have been trying to potty train my dd for almost 3months she is now 33 months and although she gets the idea of doing it in the potty she doesn't speak so she can't tell me when she wants to go? any ideas or any problems with this, she is currently seeing specialists and we think she may have autism?

any advise would be much appreciated!

rachbc

have you tried any kind of signing with her? I have no idea if this is an option if she communicates in non verbal ways but might be worth a try? Doesn't haveto be an 'offical' sign - just someway of her letting you know

hippyadam

When we were training our DD she refused to say when she needed to go as she was always to busy playing...

We got round this by identifying her physical "signs" she needed to go and whisking her off to the potty. Does your DD have any physical tells that she is ready?