Potty Training Troubleshooting

It's easy to look up potty training tips and readiness signs when your baby becomes a toddler and your child might even take to potty learning very easily, but what do you do when potty training doesn't go as smoothly as you hoped.

With our four kids, we had many challenges so I thought I'd share a few things that helped for us.

Bedwetting
While our first child started waking up dry in the morning as his first sign of toilet readiness, we had another who wet the bed EVERY NIGHT until nearly age 5. Day training wasn't the issue with her and she was wearing regular underwear at two years old during the day with no issues, but she flooded the bed every night. She was such a deep sleeper that her brain just wouldn't wake her up to use the bathroom yet. This kind of bedwetting can't be fixed with any kind of 'potty training', it's a developmental step in the brain and it clicks when it clicks, you just have to wait for it to happen.

In the meantime, nighttime bed wetting can be hard to deal with because large volume pees at nighttime make a big mess. So make sure you have a waterproof mattress cover and get some super absorbent Mother-ease Bedwetter Pants to keep it contained until the bedwetting is outgrown. (Note: if you're concerned or the bedwetting is prolonged, check with your doctor, sometimes constipation can be contributing even if your child poops every day).

Reluctant To Learn
We also dealt with one of our kids who just did not want anything to do with the potty. Period. End of sentence. He was 3 and would not sit on the potty at all. He actively ran away and then would poop in his diaper in a corner and got upset every time we suggested he might need to pee and maybe we could try on the potty. It was a big NOPE.

Until we realized he was afraid of it and didn't have a way of communicating that.

First he was afraid of the big toilet and the loud flushing sound.
Second he was afraid of the big hole in the toilet and felt like he was falling in.
Third our main floor bathroom was quite far out of the way from where he usually played.
Fourth he had some constipation issues that made it painful to go sometimes.

Once we clued in that these were some issues we did the following to make progress:

Got a very small portable potty and put it in his play area. Yep it was in the middle of our living room, but it helped a lot because it was close by and a visual reminder that maybe he should try it.
We had him practice sitting on the potty fully clothed, even if it was just for 5 seconds at a time. And he got a sticker if he did.
Got a very secure potty seat for the large toilet in the bathroom, one that didn't jiggle around, had a plush comfortable seat and that had a bit of a backrest for support so he didn't feel like he was falling in.
Added a stool in the big bathroom so his feet weren't dangling - This helped him feel comfortable sitting long enough to be successful for #2.
Addressed the constipation issue so there wasn't any pain associated with pooping. This was a big help also so that he wasn't holding it in instead of relaxing.
Let him run around with no clothes near his potty for easy pee stops without having to fuss with pants.
When we added pants, still no underwear underneath - This trick helped keep him aware that he wasn't wearing a diaper and that it was imperative that he make it to a bathroom or the potty when the need arose.

When potty training was getting frustrating (for me), we took a break and tried again in a few months. Giving it some time made a difference too. They all get there at their own pace.

| Waterproof Training Pants | Bedwetting Pants For Nighttime |