What next?

[zachsmama]

My ds is 2y2m.
He wees on the potty as soon as he gets up, after lunch, after nap and before bathtime - all of these, I say 'let's go and do a wee on the potty before x' and he goes to the potty, wees (sometimes a lot, sometimes a little) and then says 'toilet' and we take it to the toilet to empty. Occasionally (maybe once every 2 days) he asks to do a wee on the potty at another time and we do. He has never done a poo on the potty - I know when he's doing one and we say 'zach is doing a poo' and he says afterwards and we go for a new nappy. I asked if he wanted to poo on the potty but he is very firm that he doesn't want to. He's never done anything on the toilet.

So basically, I'm wondering what to do next. Do I just keep doing what we're doing and wait for him to ditch the nappies? Or should I be more pro-active about it and ditch the nappies myself?
He starts kg in September and doesn't need to be potty trained by then but I also start work again then and so I have more time now. Any ideas?
Thanks.

[PinkCustard]

Hi,

My DS is at a very similar stage to yours, he's 2y1m and for a while has been doing wees on the toilet (with a mini seat for him to sit on) 2 or 3 times a day, hasn't done a poo but will 'try' if I ask him.

I don't feel that either of us (me or my DS) are quite ready to ditch the nappies yet, but I've been leaving his nappy off for short times whilst getting dressed in the morning, and plan to keep letting him use the toilet a few times a day but with nappies on inbetween. I want to do it quite gradually I think. Then over summer I'm planning on trying without nappies when it's warmer so he can run around in the garden and we can see how we get on. Maybe you could try something similar?

[zachsmama]

Thanks pinkcustard.

Yours sounds like a very good plan We're roadtripping in the US for 5 weeks in the summer so it's going to be a bit tricky to do anything much in the summer although we'll be back for 4 weeks before kg starts so maybe I could give more of a push then!

Thanks for your help.

[girliefriend]

Sounds like he is doing really well, to be honest as he sounds like he has fairly good bladder control I would prob think about putting him in pants quite soon. The only thing is I really think once you do go for it you have to stick at it although obviously put nappies on for sleep times. I wouldn't worry too much about the poos, its quite common for kids to be dry before they are clean - iyswim?! My dd was dry at 2yrs 3mo but took nearly another year before she would happily poo on the toilet!!!

[zachsmama]

Thanks girliefriend I think I'm just a bit nervous about the whole thing tbh. {blush]

[Ineedsomesleep]

Sounds like you are doing a good job to me. Once the weather starts warming up a bit I would take off his bottom clothes and nappy and leave him in the garden (presuming you've got a yard or garden that is). Leave the potty about and hopefully he will use it.

I found Successful Potty Training an excellent book, very good at stopping you stressing about the whole thing.

[zachsmama]

Thanks ineedsomesleep (great username - me too!)

No garden here - we live in a first floor flat, but we do have wooden floors, so at least it's not carpet that will need cleaning I might just bite the bullet and go for it....maybe.

Incidentally, the last 3 mornings his nappy has been dry when we've got up and he usually wakes up about half an hour before we get him up, so he's obviously holding it in until he can go on the potty. Maybe he's more ready than I thought.

[Ineedsomesleep]

The dry nappy at night is good. My DS decided as soon as he was dry in the day that he didn't want nappies on at night. He was dry from 2.3 which was excellent.

Just don't ask me how DD, 2.9, is doing!

[girliefriend]

If he is dry at night then he def ready and has really good bladder control for his age! Also you might want to invest in one of the little loo seats that you can put over your normal loo seat, you can get them in boots and it makes them feel more grown up and is a good incentive - plus tend to be more comfy than sitting on a potty! Don't be scared by it - it took just over a week to potty train my dd at similiar age and it was fine - just make sure you have plenty of changes of clothes handy - I used to keep one set in the car, one under the buggy etc - although I don't think my dd ever actually had any accidents it was more for my peace of mind!!!

[zachsmama]

Well, as if to prove me wrong, his nappy was soaking wet this morning!
We've got one of those toilet seat things but he was scared of it last time we tried him on it but it was a good few months ago so maybe we'll give him another try with it.

Thanks ladies - you're making me feel a lot more confident (doesn't help that my mother keeps telling me I was clean and dry by 17 months).

[Anifrangapani]

If you believed what mothers say most of us would have had a triple first from Cambridge by the time we were 10.

Some kids aren't dry until they are at primary school. Just keep the image in your mind of the last time you saw an adult in a nappy and remember they are a Tory MP who is putting it on his expenses account.