My son is 2.5 years old and refuses to sit on the potty or toilet. I started to toilet train him at 18 months and he would tell me if he needed to go to pee or poo and I would get him to try potty and he’d happily sit and try. But there were some stressful events in the family which affected him and I stopped the toilet training. About two months ago I started to toilet train him again and he wants nothing to do with
It is not unusual for children to experience regression during toilet training; they may start experiencing regular accidents, refuse to use the toilet or ask to be put back into nappies. When young children experience stress in their lives they often regress back to a point in their development where they felt confident and secure or regress back to a behaviour that calls for greater parental involvement or support. It is their way of saying, “I need you” without being able to verbalise this. For most young children regression in skills does not last very long and they are back on track within a matter of days or weeks. Once your son is feeling more settled and confident, and if there are no other problems, then it is time to recommence training. Explain to him that it is time to start using the potty or toilet again. Depending on how independent he was with his toileting skills prior to the point of regression you may only need to offer a few friendly reminders here and there and he will be back on track within a few days or weeks. For some children you may find that you need to return to the more structured and guided approach that you adopted in the early days of training. Continue to praise his successes and remember to treat accidents lightly, no matter how frustrating this may be. If his regression continues for a month or more, it may be because he actually was not quite ready to be trained in the first place. All the best! Kind Regards, Dr Cathrine
RELATED QUESTIONS
What age do children generally toilet train during the day versu...
Children are ready for toilet training at different ages, but the usual range is from as young as
How do I transition my son from night nappies. Very wet in the m...
Unlike toilet training, which is conscious and deliberate, nighttime bladder control is more depend
How can I get my children (4.5yr old twins) to stop having wet p...
Bedwetting at this age is considered to be developmentally normal with most medical professionals n
What age is best to start night time toilet training? My son is ...
As you probably already know – it is perfectly normal for a 3-year-old to still be experiencing uri
What age should you realistically expect a child to stay dry ove...
Children develop nighttime bladder control at different ages. Persistent bedwetting, that is bedwet
My son recently toilet trained during the day, but is now waking...
There are a number of reasons why children continue to wet at night. Some do so because their body
My son is 2.5 years old and refuses to sit on the potty or toile...
It is not unusual for children to experience regression during toilet training; they may start expe
Hi, My son is 4 years old, turning 5 next month, My son relies o...
Hi Melanie, the best indicator that a child is ready to achieve nighttime continence is an increase
Hi, my son is 3 and a half. He has stopped wearing nappies at ni...
A return to bedwetting can be the result of a number of different factors. While physical causes ar
My boy is just about to turn three. For the last year he were t...
Because this behaviour is occurring when he is asleep it is hard to change or control. Until this b
Hello, My son who is 3.5 has been leaking in his nappy over nigh...
The first thing to check is that his nappy is fitting correctly as improper fit can contribute to l
Hi Charles, in the US DryNites are branded as GoodNites. If you click on the following link http://
My little sister still wears nappys at night at age three is thi...
Dear Roxy, it is not unusual for children to continue to wet the bed at age 3 with many children no