it's not going great - at all!  but it's only day 2 and i've been told by other friends that it took 3 or 4 days for the penny to drop.  we've had wee on the floor, some in the potty, a bit in the toilet, more on the floor, some on the chair and some in mothercare (ok serves me right for thinking going out would be ok!)

 

he really hasn't got it yet.  he knows he's weeing when he's weeing but doesn't seem to know before

 

he doesn't seem to wee very often so we can go 2 hours with nothing - is that usual?

 

slow to starters - how long did it take for the penny to drop?  by the end of today he did look at me and say wee wee but it was already half out. 

 

i'm not giving up - been advised to try a full week so the wwyd is a bit pointless actually cos don't think there's anything i should do but keep going.  going to chill a bit more tomorrow - today i think i was a bit stressed - and not going out tomorrow so can just focus (we have friends coming over though so not too boring!)

 

we've bought a new potty - seat type one which although not perfect seems much comfier and he'll sit in it and watch tv!!

 

any other great tips - chocolate and stickers are being used already

Isobel was terrible at potty training - it was on the 3rd attempt that we finally succeeded, and that was nerve-shredding 2 weeks.  And even then, she would frequently have accidents (and still does, 6 months on).  She's now nearly 3.5, she was ready, but just couldn't give a damn about accidents.

In much desperation, I found that the stickers and chocolate worked fairly well (once she got it), but when we had a terrible day of hardly any successes, I read about Dr Phil's potty trianing in 1 day (oh, the wonder of the internet).  Ther main thing that worked for us was the "10 times" game.  If she had an accident, we'd take her to the potty and say something along the lines of "this is where we do wee-wees and poos", then take her somewhere else (say the kitchen), and say "do we do our wee-wees here?" Noooo", and then run back to the potty and say "here", then go to another room/area and do the same things, 10 times in a row.  She found it quite funny, and it seemed to make something click for her.  Any time there's an accident, you repeat the routine.

thanks - that's interesting and i'll read up on him again later - i am sure he'll crack it soon enough i just hate the waiting

 

any other stories to make me feel better?

Sorry - won't make you feel any better but Oliver is 100% potty-trained IF we're at home and he's wearing no pants. He knows exactly what he is and isn;t doing, he will tell me if he's wee'd in his pants and will stand up and take a nappy off if he wee's in one. He still has 'accidents' on a daily basis though . I try not to get too mad at him but it's bloody difficult. Bribery with JellyBabies works better than stickers in this house! He is sooooo much better when I go over-board with the positive praise.

In all honesty I would wait. Phoebe is ok most of the time... bit of confusion today with trousers but mostly she is ok. I can spot when she is starting to need a wee (lots of bits fiddling) and I caught her at the turtlehead of a poo today and was able to get her onto the potty and tell her that if she felt that sensation again all she had to do was go to the potty. It is going to be a loooong week. If she hadn't been totally dry without knickers on I wouldn't be bothering tbh.

Alec is still having 'accidents' 6 months on, but they are mostly related to behaviour rather than lack of understanding (a whole other problem!). I didn't train him until 3yrs 3mths, because I knew that although he had awareness, his lack of interest in potty training combined with his strong will would just mean months of cleaning up puddles & worse. I did feel twitchy about leaving it so late, but everytime I contemplated the alternative, it seemed sticking with nappies was the way forward. I didn't ditch them until I was absolutely sure he knew in advance of a wee or a poo that one was coming. Having gone through it now with Alec, I've no intention of thinking about starting Jamie until he's turned 3, unless he's begging to be trained.

Hi

We're into day 2 aswell and so far we've had no pee in the potty.

Its been in the kitchen, in the chair, on the sofa and in the hall.

He knows what to do when he needs to pee, but it hasn't clicked with him the feeling you get when you need to pee is the indicator to go the potty and do it!

Tomorrow is another day, we're not going over the door at all this week so fingers crossed that the penny drops soon, we're away this weekend so K is going to his gran's to stay on Friday afternoon until Monday!  I'd hate to have to put it on her to try and get him to understand it.  I just hope that he's get its before then as all his gran will have to do is keep up with the progress!

Fingers crossed for all our little ones that it all falls into place soon, though I'd say that as your wee boy has done some in the potty, you've made more progress than we have!

Luv Victoria

xx

I agree with Nonie. Will was exactly the same - 3 years, 3 months. (ruby was earlier but I think that is party due to idolising her brother and partly due to being a girl).

Why stress about going out etc when if you wait you could just have it nailed straight away? Honestly, Will had situations like you're describing just before christmas (just turned 3) so we went back to nappies. We tried again in the feb (3 years 3 months) and he cracked it from the very first wee. We were out and about that afternoon with no accidents. Poo's took a bit longer (he waited for his night time nappy before he did them) but he was dry over night very quickly too.

I'd say just after christmas and if you try again then it'll be done very easily. (best not to try anything new over christmas with so much going on i reckon)

Dot.:

Why stress about going out etc when if you wait you could just have it nailed straight away? Honestly, Will had situations like you're describing just before christmas (just turned 3) so we went back to nappies.

 

WDS. 

I think I would try again at a later date.  I honestly think that when they are ready then you can crack it in just a few days.  Certainly everyone I know who potty trained a slightly older child, 2.5-3.5 years, who knew prior to having a wee/poo that they needed to go, had a fairly straightforward time, with not many accidents. 

I potty trained Charlotte at 2.5 years and for about 6 months prior to that she had been having wees on the potty before bathtime, sometimes poos and by the time I decided she was completely ready for potty training she could tell me in advance when she needed to go, get her clothes up and down easily, had the language etc.  I don't think having the odd wee on the potty indicates that they are ready necessarily.

My best friend attempted potty training her 2 year 8 month old recently and by day 3 he clearly wasn't ready so she'll try again after Christmas.  She was very down to earth about it - he wasn't ready so no sweat.  I don't think it's worth week of accidents!

Good luck though and if you decide to carry on, I hope he cracks it soon

We tried F a number of times before his third birthday. It worked the third time, just a few weeks shy of him turning three. He just wasn't really bothered about wanting to be dry. When he finally cracked it, it was on day three. So, it's worth persevering for a short time. Any longer than that and it may be counterproductive?

thanks all - we're going to persevere for a full week as i've been advised to and i'm not stressing, if we're no further forward we'll leave it til January.  I'm not worried about it happening now just want to give it a good try.  My friend's little boy was exactly like Thomas on days 1-3 and is now dry with no accidents ever and even almost there at night and it took him about 2 weeks to really get it.  And about 4 or 5 days to realise he needed a wee.

We have a new potty now and he's happy to sit on it so i think we may get there.

would feel like i was giving up if i stopped now without giving it a good go

Hi, Dan has been in Pull Ups for Preshcool since May & showing some interest in tiolet training but not much until the last few weeks, anout 2 weeks ago School asked for him to come in wearing pants rather than pull ups as he was taking himslef off to the loo but as pull ups were harder to manage he wasn't making it in time (messy for poo's) so he did a couple of days in Pants at School & went though 3/4 pairs of trousers & pants in a morning (I put him back in pull ups at home as I'm just not prepared to run round clearing up wee all afternoon) then last weekend H took the kids to his mum's & Dan was asking to use the toilet there (MIL bribed him with a choc biscuit - not complaining, it worked!) he kept a pair of pull ups dry all day, then all last week he wore pants (refused to wear pull ups) & was pretty much sorted by wednesday, so much so that I went into town with them &he staryed dry all afternoon & managed to hold it in when he needed a wee & I had to find a public loo (well done M&S!) & on the way home. Oh & he's almost got it sorted at night too, most mornings his nighttime nappy is dry (I have to sneak one on him once he's asleep as he won't put one on before going to bed) I have spoken to a few frinds with boys a little older then Dan & all have had similar experiences, He just wasn't ready 6 months ago when I tried but now he wanted to do it for himself, hes 3yrs 3months. Katie will probably be sorted sooner, like Dot's kids, She dotes on Daniel & being a girl I thing she's ready sooner anyway Luce