Ok, so my son WANTED to be potty trained right around two. I was not in any hurry, but as he was so enthusiastic about it, I didn't want to put it off. So we potty trained...the same way I potty-trained both my girls (also at 2): I put him in underwear at home with no pants, took him to the bathroom frequently to go and when he had an accident and he just got it! He would be accident free for about 4 days and then have maybe one little pee accident, but pretty much for about a month he did GREAT! Now all of a sudden he just keeps peeing in his underwear like it's no big deal. He also started peeing in his pull-up at naptime (he only wears them when he's sleeping) even though he'd gone a month without peeing during his nap. I am SO frustrated! Nothing has changed in our family life, etc. that would give me cause to think that he would start having accidents. I seriously cannot figure it out. I don't want to put him back in diapers when he did so well for so long. He still goes on the potty for me all the time, it's just that he goes in his pants now too! He also pretty much never tells me he needs to go like he was...I just have to take him myself when I think it's been long enough. HELP!
It's pretty normal. Just keep him in undies, and take him more often. Make a big, happy deal out of it. Set the timer for every 20 minutes. Bring a potty in the car, and don't go far! Also, watching Elmo's Potty Time DVD helped my son when he had a little regression at 2.
This is perfectly normal. Most children will digress in one skill while they figure out another...even if the new skill isn't an obvious one. My advice is not to start punishing him for it b/c it will start to become a battle. I do recommend that you start making him clean up his accidents if you haven't already. Have him put his dirty clothes in the hamper or wash, have him start cleaning up his accident (if any), then have him put on more underwear. He might start thinking about how frustrating the whole process is. My other suggestion is just to remain calm & consistent...it is just a phase and if you continue doing what you've always done, he'll pick it right back up. Also, I notice that my daughter, though potty trained, has accidents when she is starting to get sick or she's troubled by her 2 yr molars coming in. Just something else to think about, but I wish you the best of luck!
Hi E. L.,
Your so not alone. I am going through this with my daughter. She was accident free for two months then went and digressed. We had her again in pull ups but that just made things worse. We tried everything and she wanted no part of this at all and she would initiate the whole potty training during the day. So we tried a gumball coin bank machine. This is working great for her we put in there a mixture of small nuts and candy pieces. She has yet to have an accident now in her panties. She always comes and gets us if she goes alone to see what she did. Then asks for a coin to get her treat. We have been doing this for about two months now. Even when we're out she gets coins each time to put in her bag to save til we get home. At night though she is put in pull ups because she still has accidents even when i get up and take her to the bathroom. At nap time we don't put her in any pull ups or diapers so as she can learn about getting up on her own and going right after she wakes up.
Try these things that we tried they may help you. If your going to order the gum coin bank machine you might want to order it through the gumball toy machine website. That way you know you can put the different candies in or anything else. Also you will need to keep an eye out for the words coin bank machine when searching or he'll get the treat when he wishes. (this bank will not give anything without a coin being in there to turn.)
Hope this helps. Any questions please write back and glad to help out.
A.
Start over and be consistent again, reward with a chart or promise of a gift of some kind ( not expensive ) or whatever he would enjoy when he is really potty trained. Take him every 15 min. to 30 min. and remind him yourself. Do not put the pull ups on at nap time. If he'd been dry in them before he's using them as a crutch and they are NOT a help with potty training because they know they are there to wet in. Be patient because he knows he did it and then regressed so he will test you again probably. Be cheerful and patient and he'll do it again. I, personally, don't like the idea of kids cleaning up their own mess because to me it's a learning process not punishment. Maybe I'm wrong though.
Don't get tense about it as he'll pick up on that too. Remind him often and he should respond soon.
A friend and I were just talking about this the other night. Both of our dd have digressed. We've tried "That's ok, we'll do better next time." "That's NOT ok, it's lazy." We've tried time out, making them wear the wet panties (not for long but enough that they are a little uncomfortable) and finally I decided to go back to square one. I don't give her a full cup, that seems to fill her bladder too much, so I do about 3/4 full. I won't refill her cup until she has been potty. I remind her to go periodically. I also went back to putting a sticker on her calendar each day that she stays dry and giving her a reward. However, it's a smaller reward and takes longer to earn than when we first potty trained. My dd is accident free for 2 weeks now, where we had been having up to 5 accidents a day! I wish you luck (and sanity!)
sounds like the "fun" is wearing off...i am in a similar situation, my son has been potty trained for a couple months and has suddenly started to care a lot less whether he pees his pants or not...i don't get it either! i am wondering if it's time to start disciplining for it, since i know he CAN if he wants to...i'll be reading to hear others' ideas!
did he ever go on his own OR were you- yourself trained to take him at regular intervals? This happens quite frequently with potty training....once the novelty has worn off, the kids couldn't care less. Two choices: either buckle down on him (& make him clean up after himself) or back off until he initiates the process. I wish you Peace.
