My 2.5 y.o DS2 was almost fully toilet trained three weeks ago. Before he needed to go to the potty he would usually tell me he needed to go and would promptly do his business in the potty. His cloth training pants were almost always dry with the occasional accident, so I wouldnt say we had concluded our potty training, but that we were close.
Then Easter came and DH had a week off work so we went away. While away DS2 started to regress a little in his training, initially having a few accidents because we were out all the time and a toilet was not always near by at the moment he needed to go. Then he stopped telling me he needed to go, but would still wee and poo on the toilet when I sat him down to go. By the fourth day I changed him back into nappies because he was having too many accidents and by the end of the week he was only doing one or two wees on the potty.
Once we got home, things didnt improve!! And today he is not interested in the potty at all and wont go unless I bribe him with a lolly or book to read, even then he will only sit there for 5 seconds and say he is finished. If I try to put him back on he screams. He hasnt done a wee on the potty for 5 days now and Im at my wits end. He is back in nappies full time because I was tired of cleaning the carpet every couple of hours when he decided to do wees, even though I had tried him on the potty just minutes before. It has become a game to him.
The problem is that he doesnt want to be trained even though he knows very well how to control his bladder. He waits until I leave the room and then does his wee straight away. Luckilly he is still going to the potty for poos and has not done one in his pants or nappy for weeks. Its the wees that are the problem.
What should I do? I just dont know how to make him want to be trained. He is a very strong-willed child.
I've been through TT regression with 2 of my kids. The best thing you can do is to forget about it for a while and try later maybe a month or two. There is no point in fighting with him or getting upset as it will probably make it worse between you. I begged, cried and bribed for weeks and created tension between my DS2 and I that didn't need to be there. When my DD regressed for a while not long ago after TTing before Xmas and when I found myself getting frustrated with her, I put her back in nappies. I asked if she wanted to use the potty if I saw her acting like she needed to go but I didn't push the issue. It lasted a few weeks before she started telling me she needed to go again
I have to add too that it can be a control issue. ie this is the ONE thing that he has control over you with. Once you show him that you "don't care" then he might lose interest in trying to control you with it.
Thanks for the advice Raven. I didnt think regression was so common. I agree that it is a control issue. He has always been a very independent boy and prefers to do things his way, whilst DS1 was usually happy to follow my lead. It is beyond frustrating, especially as people have started noticing that he is in nappies again, but oh well, I cant make him do it. Im glad your DD decided to start going again within a few weeks, I hope DS2 does the same. Thanks for giving me hope too.
Help - DS2 no longer potty trained
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