Potty training megathread

[Beth54321]

i also take a potty under the pram wherever i go then you never get caught out !oh and a bin bag on the pram seat x

[Gemima]

My son started nursery in September and wasnt totally dry, he was having the odd accident. We were told he had to be completly toilet trained before he started and we were very worried about it. He has come home wet a few times but he is totally dry now.

 

Our nursery is part of an infants/junior school, we were told that they are unable to help with toilet visits as their are only two staff to 20 children so they cant be taking children to the toilet all day. My son learnt to stand up before he started nursery and we always send him in easy pull up trousers which has helped.

[amandakm]

i work in a nursery attached to a primary school, we have children who are still in nappies/pull-ups, i'm not sure if we are unusual in this. The reason many school nurseries prefer to take children who are trained is because of the staff to child ratio. School nurseries have to have a qualified teacher plus level 3 nursery nurses, we have a 1 to 13 ratio rather than 1 to 5 or 6 as in. private nurseries and children's centres, they take under 3's which is why they have more staff. We have adequate changing facilities but it means one member of staff is out of circulation while changing leaving two staff with 39 children which is not ideal

[Lulupinkstar]

My daughter goes to a school nursery and I know of one little girl who's still in nappies. The staff change her no problem, but I think it must be a bit of a struggle due to staffing levels.

I'd contact the nursery directly, no point worrying until you know for sure, good luck :-)

[mazjam]

Boy, did i have fun with this one.... my daughter, now 10 refused to use a potty or toilet for a poo. She had been dry for months and was at nursery and I tried EVERYTHING. She basically would hold it until she had a nappy on, even three days or more if i let it go that far. Eventually she would have to go and would put her hands there to catch it, then wipe it over the walls and toilet at nursery. I used to put her in a nappy for a few hours a day just to get a poo done ! The health visitor suggested all the usual, treats, praise, cutting the bottom out until the nappy resembled a belt (what !!! how odd!... it didnt work) All failed, and im afraid once I gave up and the issue was not longer an issue, she just started using the toilet / potty. just like that. She was an only child, and they say it occurs more in only children, but I just think it was one of those things. I am cartain for one thing.... she did not feel her insides were falling out or that she was losing part of herself. I think it was more awareness of poo as a smelly dirty thing and nappies were the easiest, cleanest way for her to get rid of it )

 

I would just recommend making no fuss of it, stick a nappy on for the regular poo time each day and it will go when it goes!

 

Good luck all

[lauren84]

I heard from a friend that she was told to encourage her daughter to go on the proper toilet and 'wave' at her poo if she managed to do one......she thought it was silly but it worked! Not from my experience but maybe worth a try.

[Strix]

Would it help to put the pull ups on AND sit her on the toilet - so you're training her body that the sensation of sitting on the toilet is associated with pooing - but as mentioned above, don't fuss. When she's got the hang of that and is used to it, you can find that you've run out of pull ups and either sit her on in something thinner or go for broke?

 

I too am curious about diet if she's suffering from constipation. I'm not a big fan of medication if it can be avoided - especially in kids

 

it's also worth having a read up on squatting (I think I may have started a thread on squat toilets after a strange browsing session looking for a new bathroom suite)

[treadlightly]

Hi there. Opening bowels is a physical function, as such, I would be cautious about associating too much praise around pooing as it is not their fault if they don't manage to poo - yes it would be preferable for them to do it the place we would like them to, but if she is constipated, this may exaserbate the issue?

 

When I worked in a nursery, we encountered this problem a lot. I think it might be, in some cases (definately not all) to do with poo being whisked away when we change nappies, so the babies rarely got to see and experience their poo, and the whole thing about poo being part of them which lil miss alien said rings bells with me from things I read about it at the time.

 

As I was aware of this when I worked with babies, I made a conscious decision to talk about poo and make sure my son saw it when he did it. He began going to the toilet by request last week, and now has his toys whilst he does poos and when he finishes he gets off, says goodbye to the poo and flushes!

 

I'm afraid no real practical advice from me, apart from bear with it, and let her take her time with it. Carry on encouraging use of toilet, but if she is still constipated often, let her do it where she needs to. You may like to try a complementary therapy which could help with any underlying issues she may have. I can highly recommend Osteopathy from personal experience for all sorts of issues.

 

Good luck

[sharons]

My son is 2 on the 26th and he's started telling me when he's going to have a poo. Should i start to potty train?

Any advice please??

[Zebra]

I'd go with a resounding YES! Stick him on there or the loo with a kiddie seat and entertain him to keep him sat. Reward and praise until blue in the face and be glad he's giving you a chance to grab with both hands.

We found a Dora the explorer reward sticker chart and bought various stickers which adorn the loo door and keep a mark of our twins triumphs, the chocolate bribes work very well too. A single chocolate button kept them keen for ages