How long does it usually take? Please help/advise/cheer up!

[Stigaloid]

Hi there

We are potty training our 33 month old DS as all his friends are out of nappies now and he said he wanted to be in big boy pants too. He is pretty regular in that he goes every 2 hours when reminded and will pee on the potty and poo on the potty when reminded but if not he has no inclination to take himself off to the potty (he has done it once or twice before but no more). He seems utterly unfussed to be playing in wet/dirty clothes. We have been going since bank holiday weekend (nearly 3 weeks) and I am beginning to lose faith

He goes to nursery and a child minder - nursery are fine with helping potty train but the childminder won't have him unless he is toilet trained (i.e. can ask for the potty or go himself) Instead she insists we put him back in pull-ups/nappies whilst with her.

I think she feels he isn't ready and now i am beginning to doubt whether he is or not - but he asked to go into big boy pants, can go 12 hours over night without wetting his nappy, lasts 2 hours without wetting himself.

How long does potty training last? Should i put him back in nappies or persevere?

Any sympathy/help/advice appreciated.

[nappyaddict]

Set a timer for every 2 hours (or maybe a bit more frequent) and when it goes off tell him that means he has to go to the toilet.

[PigeonsInFlight]

It sounds like he's doing really well actually and I would persevere.

It took DD a week to train for wees, but longer (about 5 months) for poos and she's still not trained at night. She's 3 next month but I trained her at 25 months. She's pretty reliable now, but still won't ask for the loo until she's really desperate - I think she just gets wrapped up in what she's doing I can't be bothered to go

Your childminder sounds very unhelpful - she should support you in potty training and follow what you're doing.

[Meglet]

My 3.6yo ds took a long time to learn, and TBH only really cracked it in the last month. I started trying it when he was 2.6 (last spring) and failed, then again at 2.8 and 2.10, all disasters and he pee-d every 15 mins. Several of his friends were trained at 2.6 which is why we thought we'd have a go.

We started again over New year and something had clicked and he didn't wet himself every few minutes. However despite being pretty good most of the time he was wetting himself once / twice a day until Easter. When we went out I often ended up putting the feel n' learn pull ups on him in case we didn't make it to the toilet in time, he never pee-d in them though but it took the pressure off. Since Easter he's only had one accident and he finally takes himself to the toilet / potty at home and nursery. And he's dry and night too, although I haven't had the balls to take his pull ups off at night yet but we'll do it in a week or so (when the washing machine is fixed ).

[cakeaddict]

Hi,

I'd persevere a bit longer. I have just been potty training my DS - also 33 months - and he was behaving very similar to the way you described your DS. Also, his ability to be dry in the morning, last for a couple of hours etc was just the same as you have described.

We started about ten days before you, and I think it has finally 'clicked' with him this weekend. He has started to go without prompting and had only one accident in the last 4 days. This time last week I felt as though I was permanently mopping up and thought he'd never get the hang of it.

I wish I knew what had changed so I could pass on some advice, but I really don't. The only thing we started to do differently was that he told us he didn't like mummy and daddy keep asking him to go sit on the potty - so I relaxed a bit and told him he could decide when he needed to go. Had to bite my tongue a fair few times when I felt it had been ages since he went, but he rose to the challenge and became very proud of doing it 'all by myself'.

Good luck - give it a bit longer, he might surprise you!