Ready to toilet train?

[Le Bec]

I'm going to do this in point form so I don't miss anything and so it (hopefully make sense)

Recently Erin's started:

Bringing me a nappy when she wants changing or is ready for bed. Sometimes she even tries to put it on herself. This is only occasional usually she's happy to wear her nappy as long as I leave it on her.

She seems to know when she's going and after she's gone but she doesn't seem to know before hand.

She comes with me to the toilet where her potty is. Often she picks up the potty and says "toilet". Once or twice she's even tried to take her nappy off, but when I take her pants off and sit her on it she doesn't wee. I'm not even sure she understands that something is happening when I pee. Maybe she thinks it's a special seat you can only sit on for a little while each day or something??

Today she pooped twice. The first time she sat down and dug the poop out of the leg holes and smeared it everywhere. The second time she took her nappy off and threw it out of the cot.

A couple of people have suggested that she might be ready to toilet train... Is that what this is? Or do I just need to find better nappies?

Also, if they are signs that she's ready to TT how to I teach her that she needs to wee while she's on the potty not just sit there?

[monicat]

Today she pooped twice. The first time she sat down and dug the poop out of the leg holes and smeared it everywhere.

Sorry I have no idea, but blech, I've got all this to look forward too!!

Bringing you the nappy is cute though. Now if you could somehow teach her how to fold them!!

Charlotte has only worked out how to get her nappies off today! she was just sitting there undoing the velcro so I quickly got some pants on her. She also grabbed both ears on a pandabear starbunz nappy, and ripped that off in one go, holding it in front of her like a prize!!!

My niece when she was toilet training at three, would still find it difficult to know before she weed, there were many times when she said she had to go to the toilet, and she's already got wee running down her leg because she couldn't hold it in, or didn't realise far enough in advance that she needed to wee!

[mum2miya]

Sounds like she is certainly bcoming more aware. As to whether she's ready or not I don't know! They are all so different. My DD got one wee in the potty and decided form that day she would wear undies and use the potty and she did just that with no accidents! My DS however has an on again off again relationship with the potty/toilet and it's much slower going. I tend to follow their lead and take a fairly relaxed approach to it. After all..it's not like I need to go buy new nappies every week

[Gis]

It couldn't hurt to try. My little one seems to be showing signs too...she goes nappy-free most of the day at home & tells me if she needs to do wee-wee or poo-poo, sometimes she will sit herself on the potty or wants to sit on the toilet, but nothing ever comes! I trust that she needs to, but she just can't seem to let go anywhere but a nappy.
We have tried putting her hand in warm water while she's sitting there, & trickling it down her, but so far no results. She does enjoy wiping with toilet paper & insists on doing it when I go to the toilet, even when she's fully clothed!

I guess as long as you don't have huge expectations, you should be right! Just keep offering & encouraging and one day it will happen.

[Le Bec]

I'm really stuck on how to teach her that stuff is meant to happen when you sit on the toilet otherwise I'm good to keep doing what we're doing - letting her sit on the potty when she's ready, no pressure. Maybe the wee on the potty's still a while down the road?

[Wems]

You know the best way for them to learn.....let them go bare bum

they soon work out ..........."ohhh I get that feeling and then wee comes out"

I don't think it really connects till they can actually experience the wee coming out and get wet etc after the feeling....I don't think they register it so clearly when it is all contained in a nappy or training pants

then once they get to recognise the connection between the feeling and then the wee coming they soon get the need to go to the potty in time etc etc

I really don't think it is a skill you can teach.....a skill you can guide etc BUT it really has to be self learnt

JMO

[Le Bec]

Okay. That makes sense. We've got tiles down stairs so bare bums are no biggie.

[Tracey]

Erin Sounds like DS. So we went bare bum in the heat (actually undies cause I did not want to clean poo of the floor or lounge). He hated weeing on the floor, but did not want to stop playing, in the end he just got use to weeing on the floor and didn't care anymore. So he is back in nappies. We have caught a few wees in the potty, but he seems to have lost interest in it all.

So I say go for it, give it a go and lets hope it works. Just dont get dissapointed if it doesn't.

[marniehau]

Get her to sit on the potty when a wee is most likely - eg upon waking in the morning or after a nap or when her nappy is still dry after a fair while. Do you recognise her pre-poo behaviour? Does she like to go somewhere or do something before she does a poo? Clue into that and put the potty where she likes to go - or take her to the toilet when she shows that pre-poo behaviour and do something fun together for long enough for her to relax and let it come out.

If you haven't read it already, you might find some useful information and tips at the TribalBaby site:
tribalbaby.org - Gentle parenting options and insights

[Le Bec]

I'm thinking about having a couple of days of nappy off time next week, but every time I look at her she's just SO little! Even I have trouble remembering how old she really is.

[kat13]

You know my DS1 was doing similar things for a couple of months prior to toilet training so it sounds like she will get there soonish.

DS1 would love to sit on the toilet or even potty for ages and would never do it. Then when we'd put his jocks on he'd just pee everywhere.
I just let these accidents happen and would let him sit on the toilet/potty for as long as he liked.

And yes he also took his nappy off everytime he did a poo

I wouldn't force her to try and TT, just ride with it and see how she goes.

[Le Bec]

My mum's from the old school where children should be toilet train by 18 months, she's been really keen for us to TT Erin but up until recently there haven't been any signs that she's been ready. If we do do the pants off thing I wont pressure her. I figure we'll be able to tell if she's ready to toilet train or not so I'm not too worried.

[Gis]

I agree, there's no rush & absolutely no point in pushing it. Pants off is really good to build awareness, plus I find it easier to clean up than a nappy change anyway! (Maybe cos I'm not fussed about disinfecting - I just chuck a terry square on it and voila! I do disinfect after poos though)

[emjai]

DD's just started toilet training, we have been helping her become more aware of the toilet for a couple of months now but yesterday she just 'got it'. I think it was because the day before she did a wee in her undies so obviously it went down her leg and upset her! Since that she's done everything in the potty (which is sitting in the corner of the living room). I've been getting her to help me empty her potty into the toilet, flush the toilet, wash her hands etc and the first few times she used the potty off her own back she was rewarded with a yoghurt frog(her idea of treats) but now that it's clicked somewhat she hasn't asked for a reward at all.

That's how it's happened so far here anyway, so she's been aware for some time but didn't really click for about 2 months. Never had the issue with pooey nappies though, she has seemed quite happy to save it up for when she had a nappy on. And until wednesday she did the same thing with telling me she needed to go but she'd already gone in her nappy so it seems that it just has to click into place.