3.5 Year Old Regressing / Wetting Pants About 1X per Day

UUUGGGHHH going through the exact same thing except it's my 3.5 yr old boy. It is so frusterating to have them make such a big accomplishment then to fall backwards. We too are working with the sticker system. He is going to start preschool in the fall so I am hoping this ends soon. I tell myself that it is just a phase. Do you have a pee pee dance, after she goes potty? I know it sounds funny. Or make a race game out of it, these two things seemed to have worked over the last few days. Good luck!!

My 3-1/2 year old is doing the same thing (although it has been as much as 5x per day). She has a new baby sister and I recently went back to work. We also started a sticker chart but instead of getting 1 sticker at the end of the day, she gets a sticker for each time she is successful on toilet. If she stays dry each day, we read one extra book at night. Since her attention span is so short, the more frequent daily rewards seems to be working. We started the chart on Monday and she has only 1 accident in 5 days. She is so excited for that little extra time that she has with me before bed that it seems to be working. Good luck

Hi,
In my experience I have found that the adult that is with your child needs to watch the clock (very close) and have the child go to the bathroom every 45 min-1 hour and about 30 minutes after she has a drink. If she has a successful day (no accidents you could reward with a sticker, extra bedtime story, candy, or whatever you feel will work for your daughter. I have potty trained two children, one boy and one girl, and I am a preschool teacher who has worked with families going through the same trouble as you. THis is not an easy solution for the adults as it takes a lot of awareness and patience but it has worked every time for me. Often it seems that the child gets engaged with an activity and does not want to be seperated even for a minute to use the bathroom. Have the accidents been happening at a particular time, place, or day? It might be worth trying to identify a pattern to see if there is something that is bothering her, if she is "over" engaged, or if she is trying to get your attention.
Good luck and remember everyone learns this skill eventually!
C.

Hi J.,

My son did not fully potty train until he was four. We tried
everything!! I thought he'd never do it. I wish I could give some better advice, but kids will do it when they are ready to and not before. Hang in there and be patient; it will happen.
P. B.