Our 3 1/2 year old Granddaughter was progressing pretty well with potty training. Not completely but doing much better, at home and our house. To the extent that she would get up and go to the potty by herself. The last two or three weeks she has been regressing and to the extent that she knows she has to go and either just goes in her underwear right in front of you or sneaks off to another room when she has to poop. So, she clearly knows she has to go or at least most of the time. When initially potty training her, we all had small prizes in a bucket she could pick from when she filled a row on her potty sheet with stickers. We moved away from there a couple of months ago and praise her when she goes. Sometimes setting a potty timer works and other times she fights it saying she doesn't need to go and then she wets herself shortly after. Suggestions?
1 Answer
Some things to consider:
- She might not like the potty anymore, it might be uncomfortable. Try a toilet seat with steps for the big toilet.
- She might think it is quicker to do her business in her pants and get cleaned up. Make her more involved in cleaning up, so that it takes way longer than just going to the toilet in the first place. She has to get her clothes off herself, put them in the washer, have a shower.
- She could be constipated, which can cause wee accidents as well as not being able to feel the need to do number 2s. (Bowel gets stretched with too much stuff accumulating, which stops the nerves from working that convey the message she needs to go). If you try the first two points and nothing improves consider taking her to a GP. If they think she's constipated they'll provide laxatives, then if they don't work they may want to image the area, and if there's compaction she may need an enema or removal of the stuff with surgery.
