I think DD is ready but not sure where to start

[Mad Scientist]

I went whole hog when we started TT. I started putting them on the toilet every half hour after asking if they needed to go. It seems like a lot but it was worth it. If there was any conflict with sitting on the toilet I wouldn't push it but most of the time they were happy to sit there. Eventually I pushed it out to every hour and then could do two hours. I never went longer than two hours because in the beginning that's how long they could hold it for (my girls were 19 months and 17 months old respectively when we started). After two months, they were fully TT day and night. It only took a couple of weeks though before the accidents were rare. I did do it with them running around in the nude right at the beginning but that was because they hadn't got the hang of pulling their undies down. I'm not sure if the technique we used would work with a three year old but I do think that you should go straight to it 100% otherwise it becomes confusing and she may start to use it as a form of control seeing as she's a bit older. Just make sure that daycare and your other carers know what is happening and what your plan is so that they can be consistent. Just take it easy and be as relaxed as possible. Be ready for plenty of accidents and stay calm when it happens. Also, be prepared for everything to be going really well, and then one day it seems she has gone backwards. Sometimes, they just have a bad day. Don't be discouraged good luck with it all xx

[sneakysparkle]

If she is showing any interest at all I would DO IT!!

I think she is definitely old enough to do it 100%, so when you start get rid of ALL nappies (except maybe for night time) - you make a big deal about being a big girl now, and not needing nappies during the day and that she gets to wear big girl pants. I believe that if you swap and change between nappies and pants it becomes confusing.

Start when you have your most days at home in a row - and stay home as much as you can in those few days. At first just take her to the toilet every half hour - make a big deal "TOILET TIME!!!" and if she does something on the toilet make a huge deal out of it. Reward/sticker charts are great for this. Within a few days, if you stick with it you should be able to start waiting longer between toilet trips.

I used thepottytrainer method (google) so check that out if youre interested. It worked superbly for both my girls, and they were trained at two. It is really hard work to begin with, but if you can put the hard yards in upfront I think it makes ALL the difference!

All the best

[snowchickie79]

Update:
So on the 31st Aug I was all prepared to start TT with DD. We woke up, I showed her the new TT chart I had an explained when she does wee on the potty that she would get to put stickers on her chart and then if she fills it up she gets a "special". I got out some knickers, took off her nappy and she started screaming!! Did not want to put them on. She wanted to stay with no nappy and no knickers. I finally managed to get them on her and off we went. Every 30 minutes I told her "it's potty time" and i took her over to her potty which I put in our lounge room, I'd sit her on there. She just sat and played, read a book, or watched TV each time I put her on there. I kept asking her if she needs to do wee wee to sit on her potty. By lunch time she was a bit whingy and felt hot so I took her temp and noticed it was slightly up. Needless to say that Wednesday ended with 6 incidents in knickers and wet patches around the house, a 38.8 temp and a trip to the GP at 6pm after she broke out in a rash.

Thursday she got even more sick and had knickers on all day (only because she kept ripping her clothes and nappy off as she had a rash all over her which was majorly itchy) and she didn't wee all day. At 1am we ended up in the emergency department and got home at 5am. ANYWAY... So now she is finally all better (virus illness which they could not identify which gave her a very itchy rash on her limbs and face plus a serious dose of tinea in both feet just to top it off)..

So now unless I put a body suit on her with the snaps on it she is pulling off her pants & nappy during naps - even did it while my FIL was babysitting her on Monday and wee'd in the bed. Is doing it each night and we are having to re-dress her - put on a body suit - put her back to bed. Last night she cried so much that she didn't want the nappy so I let her choose knickers - which she played around with and I eventually forced a pair on again as she likes looking and picking them but not actually putting them on. 1 hour later she woke crying with a wet bed - which I did expect anyway but she insisted.

So my question is... 1) how do I get her happy to put on the knickers - I so was hoping it would be a better experience for her and she'd love all the novely pairs of knickers she has - she has "my little pony", dora, plain ones, bright colours, dorothy the dinosaur - all of them but doesn't want to put them on - likes to play with them though..
2) because she got so sick on our 1st real attempt to TT do you think she will be scared from the experience and 3) I know I have a BIG chance of lots of wee accidents again so tips on how to avoid it as last time she would sit on the potty and do nothing - then 5 minutes later wee her pants..

I feel like a crappy mother - she is the only little girl in her preschool class now who is not TT'd..

I'm wondering if I should wait for the school holidays when I'll be home all week and can keep her home from preschool to get her trained or just try it now with a different approach.

Is the "every half hour" approach a good idea?? Any other suggestions?

[Lily Dust]

snowchickie79, please dont beat yourself up! All little girls (and boys) develop at such different rates. Im sorry to hear the poor little thing has been sick too
ok your questions and of course its only imo.....
1. Can you start with just no knickers for a few days/ weeks? Then build up to wearing them more and more. FWIW DD wore nothing on her bottom half for 4 1/2 months and then just when I thought she would be naked forever she finally got the hang of the knickers.
2. I dont know but I dont thinks so
3. DD was like that in the arly days too! Eventually you are gonna get her sitting on there when she wees and bammo shes going to think she is the most clever little thing ever
4. Ever half and hour? Maybe someone else can comment there. My DD hated being put there that often and I soon worked out if we did it that often she would not have a bar of it. Thats said you can reason with your little one so maybe that is the way to go. We moved ours to every hour then every 1.5 hours.
She will get it, hun. Try and stay relaxed and positive

[~Kim~]

TT is up there with UN negotiation skills hun, give yourselves some slack
She's been sick so everything's going to be harder.
We don't do undies here, but it is warm enough all the time.
When my DD was TTing we spoke to our childcare and asked them what they did. They were excellent. She was TT when they spotted her to be ready and in 2 days. DS is proving more difficult, but I don't have great CC carers to help this time lol.
Crap mothers beat their children and withhold food and love. You are not one of those - I know because she has lovely undies I thought I was the only mother with a 5yo not TTed at night....turns out I'm not...and you aren't. The kids in her class must be super at weeing - doesn't make them super at other things though.

1. What about some pullups? Or training pants? They put on like undies, but will contain a wee.

2. No I don't think it would have scared her, but the illness might make it a more drawn out process.

3. TBH i don't think there is a way of avoiding accidents unless you are one their backs all the time. I do find with DS he has certain little 'signs' when he is about to wee and often I can catch him in time...but I've been doing this with him for ages now.