My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Is your child ready for potty training at nursery? Here's the place for all your toilet training questions.

Potty training

Ok, DD has started using the potty, how can I train her to wait till we can find a toilet when out?

17 replies

Bumperlicious · 04/07/2010 08:14

DD is just 3 and until now has shown absolutely no interest in potty training. However we have just moved into a house with a garden and the last few days when we have been at home she has been outside mostly naked and been going on the potty really well, poos and wees!

Yesterday morning we went out nappiless for the first time, she had one accident, fortunately we were at the allotment, I took the potty with me and only once did she ask to use it which we did in the shop car park (false alarm). Today we are going to a shopping centre to meet my mum for lunch (yeah exciting I know but it is halfway between us) and it is an hour and half drive. What's the best thing to do potty wise. Take one with us and hope we can find somewhere discreet to use it or make her wait till we get to a toilet? I'm not sure how long she can wait yet? And what about the car journey?

OP posts:
Report
KaraTrace · 04/07/2010 08:25

Hello. My DD is just 3 too and only just potty trained. We have been trying since about Feb time. It all went really well to begin with then (though I had to use one of those portable potties as when she needed to go she needed to go then) had a terrible 6 weeks when she had accidents (both poos and wees) all the time, and then suddenly about 2 weeks ago it has all fallen into place and she seems to know when she needs to go with enough time to find a toilet, or even more surprisingly she can hold on. It is great, I don't take out the portable potty anymore.
I have an hours drive with her twice a week and I used to stick her in training pants as I had tried her in pants at the beginning but she always wet herself on the journey, plus I had no where to pull over to use the potty anyway.
What is your journey like? Would you be able to pull over at a moments notice? If not I would stick her in a pull up (training pants) as then take off when you get to the shopping centre.
Good luck.

Report
StealthPolarBear · 04/07/2010 08:28

you can get pottete travel potties from boots, just folds up but you line it with a padded nappy sack, they wee/poo, you tie it up like a normal nappy sack & then the potty folds down.

or i've seen people lugging full sized potties round in a carrier bag!

Car journey - buy disposable changing mat & line the car seat. Have a spare for return journeyu

Report
pluperfect · 04/07/2010 08:28

I thought you were meant to avoid going out much while they were still learning? I haven't started training yet, but this is something I have gathered from reading and discussing it. It does seem a bit unfair to put that pressure on DD, although I can understand that you want to see your mother, and that the distance she lives means you might not want to put it off...

Otherwise, my friend who recently potty trained her DD recommended a "piddle pad" for the car seat.

Looking forward to hearing how it works out for you, as I may be in your situation soon! (hopefully)

Report
StealthPolarBear · 04/07/2010 08:29

never actually used the pottete btw bought it then DS decided he preferred the toilet, or to wee in his pants

Report
StealthPolarBear · 04/07/2010 08:29

pp there's only so long yuo can keep that up

Report
Loopymumsy · 04/07/2010 08:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

purepurple · 04/07/2010 08:40

You can't train her to wait for that long. If she needs to go, she needs to go.
Your best bet is to be prepared for accidents.
Take a bag of spare clothes, including socks and shoes.
Get her to go to the toilet before you get in the car.
Stop halfway for a toilet break.
Cover the car seat in an old towel over a carrier bag.
Good luck!

Report
pluperfect · 04/07/2010 08:51

And here I was thinking it was going to be a month at home! Well, that's a relief.

Report
Bumperlicious · 04/07/2010 09:00

Thanks for the replies, just remembered I have a couple of those disposable mats hanging around from when DD was a baby (how we've come full circle !). I think I will get a potette while out today. I'm not even sure she will use a toilet, until now she has always said 'I will use the toilet when I am a lady mummy, ladies use the toilet' .

Won't be able to stop as will be on the motorway. Think I will try the mats, take lots of spare clothes and buy a potette today.

Am happy to use the potty, just wanted to know if there was anything I needed to be doing to train her to wait, but I will just go with her flow (so to speak ). We've not pushed this at all, she has been so reluctant for a while, but while she was running around outside naked it seemed a good opportunity and she has finally done it when she was ready.

Will let you know how we go.

OP posts:
Report
Bonsoir · 04/07/2010 09:07

This is the difference between being trained to wee and poo in the potty, as opposed to nappies, and being fully toilet-trained and aware of the sensation of needing the loo.

I just waited until DD asked to use the loo. She has never had accidents.

Report
Bumperlicious · 04/07/2010 09:25

If we waited till she asked to go on the toilet we'd be waiting till she was a 'lady'

OP posts:
Report
purepurple · 04/07/2010 09:38

Bumperlicious, a little story to give you some hope.
I work in a nursery with toddlers, most of whom I have helped toilet train. I had a conversation with a parent, saying how we would have to think about starting to train his 2 year old daughter. She was still in nappies, never used a potty or a toilet. The next Monday he brought her to nursery in knickers, having spent every day of her life in a nappy.
We expected the worst, but have to follow parent's wishes. So she spent her first day, ever in knickers at the nursery.
She had no accidents at all, and used the toilet.
So, there is hope!

Report
Roo83 · 04/07/2010 14:24

With ds I just used to take him for a wee before he left, and then if it had been a while (like your 1 1/2 hr car journey) take him again when we got there. I think the being able to hold it just comes gradually...to begin with he would ask to go almost as he was about to start, then it went to he'd ask and we'd run....now we have time to get from one end of tesco's to the other and que for a bit!!

You might find she's better out-ds has been much better out as he is right by me, where as at home sometimes he will be in the garden, upstairs etc. so has to either shout or come and find me first!!

Report
pigletmania · 04/07/2010 15:31

Bonsoir I disagree, my dd 3.4 is potty training and knows when she needs to go as she takes herself off to the potty for a wee. We are still working on poos. They are still little and learning, why are accidents seen as negative! I see then now as something positive, part of the learning process. If I had waited for my dd to take initiative, I would be waiting for an awful long time. If they have an accident so what! Take some spare clothes, put training pants on and take a porta potty. Its part of the learning process.

Report
MrsBadger · 04/07/2010 20:20

re not being able to stoip on moptorwaty, familiarise yourself with the 'take me to nearest garage' feature in your stanav. Will usually get you off very efficiently at next exit

Report
Bumperlicious · 04/07/2010 21:58

Thanks for the story purepurple - we tried that when she refused to wear a nappy a few weeks ago, and all she did was wee in her knickers four times!

Anyway, a mostly successful day, no accidents. She managed the whole journey, the only time she said she wanted a wee in the car was when we were trying to negotiate our way out of Reading! Fortunately we were able to pull off. The only problem we had was that when we had returned home she wanted a nappy on to do a poo, despite having already pooed in the potty twice over the past two days. We gave in as we didn't want her refusing to poo.

Oh and I bought a potette but my mum took the bag home so will have to wait till she sends it!

OP posts:
Report
Loopymumsy · 04/07/2010 22:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.