Hey all,

We're still not going for the potty training yet but I am still arming myself with info and facts. We have had a few mornings when Max has not wanted a nappy on adn so we have gone with it but he has ended up wetting and dirtying and getting v upset about it and has asked for a nappy again so we ahve gone with it.

BUT on an evening after his dinner he loves still having naked time and when he is nude he KNOWS when he needs a wee and a poo and will ALWAYS go on his potty we never have accidents at this time! So I think when we are ready to go for it we are going to have to go with the running around naked approach and be tied to the house - this will be VERY hard as he hates spending a whole day at home and I can't even think of the last time we did it! But what worries/puzzles me is how long do you just do the naked thing? And then HOW do you transfer back tohaving clothes on? I just keep thinking he might do really well for 3 days being naked say but then when we put clothes back on it'll all go to pot!

Any ideas???!

Well with Oakley he had top, jumper and pants on, nothing else. We were tied to the house for a week [although had to go out a couple of times and had to put a nappy back on him] I think the reason Max is fine naked is that pants make him feel like he has something on him - like a nappy and therefore its okay to wee / poo. So I would go with the naked thing, but maybe clothes on the top half and then introduce pants but explain that he will get dirty / yukky etc if he does wee / poo in them.

To begin with it was mainly me asking do you need weewee every 5 mins and putting him on if he said yes - but he didn't always produce anything or me putting him on if it had been over an hour.

He cracked it in 8 days and has only had one accident and that was at home when he had a TT. Although saying that we are not there 100% as he is still sometimes doing a poo in his nappy either at night or in the morning before he calls for us.

If we are going somewhere with no WC eg DD football match we take a potty with us but if going to an activity / shopping I just put him on before we leave and then use the toilet there if needed.

Good luck x

Wer're not there with Gracie yet, but with the boys we didn't tie ourselves down to staying at home...life goes on! I put them in clothes on top, undies on bottom and went out with a potty with potty liners when in the car etc. Charlie was done and dusted in a week, Alfie a bit longer and a few more accidents too!
A top tip if you don't want your car seat wee'd on...put a cut up bed mat (like a nappy pad) underneath them. Could do that in the pram too?? Then you can use those when they don;t wear nappies at night too as extra protection. Saves changing and washing the waterproof sheets which take AGES to dry!

I was very naughty. I couldn't bear the thought of being inside so Ella and I went to toddlers on day 1 of potty training. I just made sure I took her every hour or so, and kept her away from any soft furnishings!! Anyway, it went fine for us. I was out every day after that, even just for an hour or so. It was a while though before we went anywhere that wasn't child-friendly (i.e playgroups, creche etc). I wanted to be places where we could get to a toilet quickly and that it wouldn't be unknown for a child to have an accident.

Can I add a potty training question to your post please!
I have been planning on starting proper toilet/potty training with Brendan in a couple of weeks time when we have a long bank holiday weekend over here. I'm starting to get cold feet though because I am wondering if I am being too optimistic about how quickly he will get the hang of it. As most of you know we are driving back to the UK via Europe this summer which means 4 days of travelling with about 3 or 4 hours driving a day and hotel stops in various places along the way to do some sightseeing. We would plan to stop about half way during each of the driving parts to get a drink and let the boys stretch their legs but do you think it would be a total knightmare potty wise?

We have just bought a VW Transporter (like a minibus!!) for our trip so in theory as long as there is somewhere to stop we have plenty of room for Bren to use a potty inside it (plus it has tinted windows in the back so total privacy lol!!). But my main concern is whether it may be expecting a bit much from him after only starting potty training a month before hand?

What do you think? xx

liz - after 9 days of starting PT we had to take LO on a 2 hr car journey so put a nappy on him. He told us he needed a wee. We explained he had a nappy on and it was okay he could do it in that. Well when we arrived 40 mins later his nappy was dry and we sat him on the potty and he did his wee. They are all different but I hope that gives you a bit of confidence!

Same with Philip, put a pull-up when i drove to mums but he didn't need it and managed to hold it between stops both on the way there and back home x

Thanks ladies, really good to get some first hand experience. I think I just need to be brave and get on with it! xx

sorry to crash but I think Noah's almost ready to start thinking about potty training - he even attempts to change his own nappy and he likes the idea of standing at the toilet pretending he's doing a wee. BUT he hates his potty. He was so pleased when we bought it - he chose it - a Thomas one and he sat on it (fully clothed) in the shop in the line and carried it back to the car. he then sat at home (fully clothed on it and watched tv. since then when i've changed him or got him undressed for bath I've tried to encourage him to sit on it but he is having none of it and seems to hate it. Any advice?

Jules - would it be practical to just go straight to the toilet if he doesn't want the potty?