When to worry about potty training

Following cause I am with same boat as you are. I think my son finds comfort on wearing them now

Have you tried without pants, just trousers? My LB hated sitting on the potty or toilet and would have a meltdown if put on it. He refused to put on pants too. We told him we didn’t have any more nappies and that he would have to go without and he chose to just have trousers and no pants. It only took him a few accidents getting his trousers wet before he considered using the potty.

Aw I feel for you. Potty training is really hard! I would only say to ease up on the asking if he needs to use the potty a lot and give him space so he doesn’t feel pressured. It’s a fine balance. I found once I backed off, my son was more willing to engage. You have to act like you don’t care but you do lol also he chose paw patrol pants or something that he likes. I don’t know if this advice will help as every child is different. Good luck and hope it gets easier which it should x

@Louise we have tried clothes with no pants or nappy on for 2 days but he had a meltdown before any accidents and didn’t like being bare. Then we went commando which he loves but again he’s just stand there and do it as if he was in pants or a nappy and carry on what he’s doing

@Emma I slowed down asking him like to 5 minutes, then 10 and then 20 minutes but no change. So I just left him to do accidents to see how he’d react and then said “oh no, do we need the potty or toilet” and that’s when he has a meltdown. He’s chose football and paw patrol pants and just gives them to his brother to wear and asks him if he wants to wear them and be a big boy, just like I do to him so I know he has some awareness of the process (his brother is 21 months old) but I feel like maybe giving it a break and letting him go commando in the garden over summer to see how he goes and maybe try his brother then as well and they can copy each other xx

@Courtney yeah I found with going commando there was no consequence for him just having accidents. He would just go, make a mess and I’d clean it up. Whereas being in trousers at least he had some discomfort he could learn from. I did find the first day very frustrating because I would ask if he needed to go, he would say no and get annoyed at me asking, and then literally 30 seconds later have an accident. But day two and three were better. I think it helped not reverting back to nappies, in his eyes the nappies are gone and not a possibility anymore. I appreciate that’s harder when you have a younger one so there are still nappies in the house. It sounds like you already tried rewards but I found having a reward for just sitting in the potty/toilet and another for actually using it helped. So we gave him a sticker for sitting on the toilet and a chocolate button for going. He obviously wanted more chocolate buttons so he was encouraged to go on it.

@Louise he refuses to wear clothes with no nappy. We have tried a reward chart for telling me he needs to go and then another sticker for sitting on the potty (as nursery did this too) then if he went to the toilet he got a chocolate of his choice but as much as we kept persistent and told him that he’d get rewarded, we’ve never got to the point of him actually going on the potty xx

I have similar issues with mine, he seems to have a fear and without a nappy on can hold for hours and hours until he becomes really uncomfortable and distraught so we have to allow him to have a nappy. I’ve been attempting to potty train for a year now and can’t believe we’re still in nappies and have never have a proper wee on the potty or toilet. He’s recently decided that he will wee in the shower so now trying to work out how to transfer that acceptance to the toilet.

@Stephanie we’ve bought a small urinal that sticks on the wall. My son just thinks it’s a boat so won’t use it but could you buy one and stick it to the bath and when he’s in the shower he does in there and then stick it to the wall near the toilet and then possibly to the toilet? I know it’s easier said than done though. My son just won’t use anything and we’ve even had my friends children over who are similar age and he’s seen them use the toilet but still won’t do it xx

Bit long winded but this is what we did.. Couple of weeks with nappy but knickers over the top “Oh wow you are wearing big girl knickers” Then we went knickers and a pull up over the top (so basically switched it around) because she got upset with that sensation of being wet if she had an accident. Whilst doing this, I’d say every 30 mins “do you need the toilet?” And if she hadn’t been for a bit “let’s try the toilet” and then she just got it and now she goes independently x