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Cincinnati Babies
Potty Training Torture
We are 3 1/2 weeks in and I am really starting to suspect she might not be capable of potty training. Some days she has no accidents and other days she has multiple ones. And of course she resists pooping on the toilet. But each day she fights the potty more and more and not only for pooping but for peeing too. She is in underwear only as I won't use pull-ups. Returning to diapers is not an option so we are in this for the long haul but I don't know that she'll ever get it.
There is a child in our family who wasn't fully trained at 7 and we appear to be on the way to that scenario. And I worked with kids in middle school that still had toileting concerns so it's not unheard of for kids never to get it even in the absence of medical reasons. I am starting to wonder if that is the course we are taking. I am feeling very discouraged. It's difficult to stay positive and reinforcing and excited when her success is becoming less and less.
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Re: Potty Training Torture
Elijah Matthew - 5/3/07 ~ Adalyn Rosemary - 3/23/11
*Photos by Kacy Cierley*
I've realized that the people who say it has to be when they decide they are ready are totally right. Maggie went from being totally uninterested and often resistant to peeing on the potty regularly within a matter of days. We backed off and just decided to wait, and that's when she decided she wanted to give it a go. We aren't being pushy at all and I think that's helping.
If it were me....I'd go back to diapers for a little bit and try again. I know that's not what you want to hear, but you also don't want it to be a totally miserable experience either.
Agreed. We had the same experience with Katie. We had to back off for about a month. Went back to diapers, then went cold turkey again one weekend. It clicked and we never looked back. Of course we still have occasional accident and a phase where Katie tried to see how long she could hold it.
Potty training was rough and something I am not looking forward to with the twins. Double puddles to clean up. Ugh!
Katie: 1/16/08 2lbs. 15oz.
Abby & Emily: 12/31/10 6lbs. 2oz. & 5lbs. 7oz.
I could have written this post even a week ago. I have a nephew who has had lots of bathroom issues, so I was really wondering exactly when DD would want to potty train. We had tried over Christmas with no success and ended up back in diapers after she just went all over the place for four days and begged to wear diapers again.
Last Thursday she decided she was ready, and we went straight to underwear other than at night. She's done awesome. Of course, we had a couple accidents the first few days, but we haven't had any the past couple days and she's so proud of herself.
So, I'm the horrible parent who let her DD wear diapers for 40 months, but it's made potty training amazingly easy.
See, that's the thing. If you had asked me Saturday how things were going I would have told you she was there and had just about gotten it. At that point she had gone 4 or 5 days with no accidents and even staying dry during nap. Then Sunday she turned on a dime. She also woke up sick but not sick, sick. Just a cold nastier than what she had already had. And since then it's been backwards and really inconsistent. Suddenly she was having accidents and fighting the potty. But she also fights diapers like mad when I try to put them on for nap or nighttime. "No diaper! I want to wear my underwear!"
Maybe her being sick is impacting it, maybe not. But you can't convince me that a kid who goes 4 or 5 days completely successfully isn't "ready." That's what is so frustrating. If she had never been successful then I might be willing to agree with you guys and say she wasn't ready. But when she's been successful and shown nothing but improvement and control for a few weeks and then does a complete about face, that's a different thing. At least in my opinion.
By "ready" do you mean ready to be in underwear all day? In my experience, most (of course there are exceptions) children are right around the age of three when they are fully daytime potty trained. I am not sure why you're so opposed to pull-ups but I personally would wait to put a child in underwear until they are closer to 3. Staying dry for days at a time and showing an eagerness to use the potty is great and I would certainly encourage potty training at your child's pace but expecting a child who is 29 months to be in underwear seems to be putting a lot of stress on you and your child.
To me, this means she's not ready. There is more to being ready than being physically able to control her body. I would switch to pull-ups since they are not a diaper but will keep you from having to clean up messes all the time.
FWIW, B flipped a switch a few weeks ago and wanted to pee on the potty. Then he got sick. That sent all of it to a screeching halt. I think he's afraid of having a repeat of his recent poos (and quite frankly, I don't blame the poor guy... we had 9 days of that disgusting s*it)
He's not interested in peeing in the potty now, and we're not pushing it. When he wants to go, he'll go. In the meantime, we celebrate when he successfully pees and put a diaper on the rest of the time.
Jennie