Potty training

Following. We are in the same boat

We haven’t even started trying yet 🙈

Our son is potty trained and has been for a few months. We started once he was showing signs of being ready e.g not wanting a nappy, telling us when he had done a wee or poo. We just done a couple of days at home with nothing on bottom half for the first few days and got him a potty that resembles a normal toilet. He then started using that for poos and wees and letting us know when he needed it. We then introduced pants and short journeys out and also got a travel potty to keep with us when out and about. We just made sure to toilet before leaving and when we got to destination we made sure to get him to the toilet first, then kept asking if he needed the toilet here and there. When he went to the toilet we just always made sure to praise him every time. We just followed his lead more than anything and he's been completely dry for a few months now. Hope this helps. I also ask for his input every morning etc about his pants like the colour or design and that helps x

@Emma Jay this is really helpful, thank you so so much!! Did you have to do much to get him to use the potty? Did you have any accidents before he started to use it? We’ve got a potty and my little girl has been showing signs of being ready, she sits on the potty but doesn’t seem to want to wee in it! 🤷🏽‍♀️ Also, do you use a specific type of training pants for him? Thanks a million again for sharing, appreciate the tips! 🙏 xx

So I stayed home for 2 days and had my little one just be naked the whole time, and watched him like a hawk. It was mentally pretty exhausting. As soon as he started to pee I grabbed him to sit him on the potty. Those first couple days were just about trying to get him to link peeing and the potty, and also for me to work out roughly how often he needed to go. Day 3 I put him in loose fitting trousers (no pants) and would periodically sit him on the toilet and tell him it was time to pee (I’d phrase it like “ok, we are going to the toilet for a wee wee, then we will wash out hands, then we will have a snack/go for a walk/go for a nap/insert other activity”) so it wasn’t asking if he needed to go but just stating this is what we’re doing. We got into a routine with that, and days 3, 4, and 5 we managed small walks around the block but mostly hung out at home/in the garden. Day 6 we went to the park and managed a travel potty wee 🙌 From there it just got easier. Good luck!

@Liz this is SUPER helpful, will definitely try this! Thank you so so much!! 😊

We got a potty training book to read to him at first when he was sat on the toilet which helped, but was lucky he just quite liked the toilet lol. On the first day he had 3 accidents but after that it was only one hear and there nothing major. Once he learnt himself properly when he needed a wee or poo it was a lot easier. We just found sitting our son on the potty with books or doing singing really helped. I kept making up random songs about him being on the potty and using the potty which he liked lol. I'll share the type of pants I got for my little boy x

@Emma Jay that’s really really helpful! Thank you so much for sharing, feel more confident to give it a go now! 😊 x

You're welcome. If it helps and you don't feel confident with just going straight to pants after being naked at home for a few days, I was told you can put your little one in pull ups with pants underneath for going out and about. That way at least if they wet they will be able to feel they've been to the toilet without getting through a bunch of outfits. So they can get use to the feeling of going to the toilet x

Just to add - poo has been its own challenge, as little one was waiting until the nap nappy went on to do poos for weeks. In his own time he seems to be getting there and we now haven’t had a nap poo in about 2 weeks maybe, but apparently it is really normal. We have moved away from nappies at nap time now as this seems to be better and he is good at weeing before nap, and staying dry, and I was keen to minimise the nappies altogether - but we are continuing with night time nappies for a bit as these are 50/50 whether they’re still dry in the morning. Also it can take weeks and weeks for them to start asking to go, so don’t panic about that. Even now, I’m not sure if we didn’t prompt whether he would be consistent enough at asking to be accident free (I would guess not!) but between natural prompting (ie before leaving the house, before nap, before bed) and the times he does recognise it himself, we haven’t had accidents in weeks. Which feels manageable. You’ll be fine!

The first 2 days are the hardest, and I honestly hated it. But once you get past those it does get much easier and you can see a light at the end of the tunnel 😂

@Emma Jay fabulous idea! Thanks so much, might need to do this so we’re not going through ALL that washing! 😅 x

@Liz haha I needed that thank you! I’ve tried to make a start a couple of times and given up too soon I think so it really helps to know she’ll ask to go in her own time and I’ve just got to be consistent and get through the hardest first 2 days, thanks so much again, you’ve given me a lot of helpful tips! 😊

Yes! I started a week ago but she was done by day 3. Day 1-2 I was so close to giving up but I'm glad I didn't because we have gone a few days without accidents! At first I was putting her on the toilet all the time and she hated it and then she suddenly started going alone! I trusted her and now she goes and tells me when she is finished, I had to not stress so much because she knows her body better