Almost 3 Yrs Old Regressing in Potty Training- Help

First of all, Great Job!!! My boys both decided on their 4th bdays that they were done with pullups, so my hat is off to you! Second, is there any chance that you could be pregnant? A few of my friends toddlers knew that they were pregnant before the mommies did and started changing some regular habits. I know it sounds really weird, but try it.
Other than that, how often do you change the reward he gets for 8 stickers? Maybe he's bored with it, and is treating it like a game. He may just need to see that you are serious about him staying potty trained.

LE,
We have had a similar experience, only my son was a bit older. It is very frustrating and you worry if other kids will notice he's pooping in his pants as well (but in second grade). We found that taking things away doesn't work and rewarding did temporarily. We saw a few specialists and the two best techniques we tried were......
FIRST: when he goes poop on the toilet, make sure his feet are resting on something comfortably. If he rests his hand on the seat for support, it will push the poop back up causing it to come out later on without him realizing it.
SECOND: (a hard one) Act like it's no big deal. "Oh you pooped your pants. Let's go and change."
Your son may be so engaged in what he's doing, he doesn't realize he needs to go until it's too late. Also, if it's getting pushed back up, he won't really be able to help it.
Good luck. The thing to remember is though frustrating now, he won't do this forever!!

My son trained at 26 months and it just takes time for there to be no accidents. PLEASE help him get used to this new skill with loving support, not punishment. My son would have an accident at a friend's house when he didn't want to leave the room for a few minutes, etc. I'd just bring chocolate chips along and tell him he'd get one for SITTING on the toilet. Not for going, which is still a new skill to sit and release on command. Help him do something he knows how to do. Also, I learned to say "Empty your bladder (or bowels)" NOT "Do you have to go?" It takes time to learn that in ten minutes you will REALLY have to go and not make it in time. If my son wasn't overflowing he thought he didn't have to go. It's quite possible that's your son's thinking also. I'd reward/support for going and sitting and trying to empty his bladder. Good luck to you, please, please help him learn his body signals. I'd say it took my son over 4 months for there to be no accidents, and he was really trying, just had to get the hang of it.

He hasn't been trained long so I suspect that it isn't automatic for hime to hold it for the potty - he is still having to concentrate on it some. Is he learing something new right now or making some other developmental leap? IS there lots going on in your house right now? My son would regress when he started learing something new. We trained way too young (22/23 months) and when he started to count about 6 weeks after he has a few issues (no poop thankfullly). He was good again for a couple of weeks and then he started to learn some letters and it happened again. We used bribes (1 M&M or 1 gummie for going on potty with completely dry underwear). I think their brains can only process so much new stuff at a time. Friends of mine with older kids say it can take up to 6 months for kids to be completely trained- no accidents and no regressions. Good luck

hi LE,
nothing's wrong, he's just so very young. you got very lucky getting him 'trained' at 2, but as is so often the case with littles this young it hasn't really taken yet. please don't punish him for something he doesn't totally understand or have control over. this should not be something that creates tension for either or you. rewards for good control are great. keep up with the sticker charts and deal with accidents calmly. it's perfectly appropriate for him to help in the clean-up, but not in punitive fashion.
khairete
S.

Has anything changed in his life recently...ie a move, new baby, ect. 2 of my daughters did that too me. The 1st was 2 and 1/2 and potty trained fully, then her daddy left for a 6 month deployment and she back slid on me till her 3rd birthday. My 2nd daughter did also potty trained at 2 and 1/2 and we had a major move from here to the DC area, she also back slid on me till 3. You may want to find out or try to figure out on your own what is bothering your son, it could be what is causing him to back slide on the potty training. I hope this helps.

I would skip the rewards idea. Something else is going on. He knows how to be potty trained and he is mentally blocking this at the moment. Is he stressed about something? Be patient. Some children don't potty train until age 4.
AF

Hi

This is quite normal , even in situations like yours where you have had no major changes in your household. I think at first when they start potty training it is such a big thing that they are really into it , then once they are trained and realise that they have to stop what they are doing and go to the bathroom , it isn't actually that much fun & it just interferes with their fun! I wouldn't punish him by taking stuff away , I would go back to the reward chart and really big up when he get's to the bathroom on time and once he get's to 10 stars or whatever you used give him his reward. If he doesn't make it on time then just say 'oh well we won't get a star this time maybe next time'. Make a concious effort to take him to the bathroom every hour for a pee and try and pre warn him say 5 mins beforehand that he will be going to the bathroom to try and do a pee (pre warning worked VERY well with my son). What you need to keep in mind is that he is still only 3 so still young , some kids are not even ready to start training at his age , so he is doing really well , as frustrating as the accidents are for you.

Good luck

K.

we are going through something similar, my son waits until 430 in the morning and goes in his diaper every morning. I think standing to go is just more comfortable and they get that defianant stage. We will go a week with no accidents and then it starts again. Did it hurt once when your son went and now he is afraid to go? that can set them back. Make sure it is soft and give him lots of fiber. I think that if you make a big deal of it it will make it worse. Just remind him that poop belongs in the potty. When he does do it in the potty, make a big deal and give him a reward every time. If you see him giving signs that he has to go, insist that he sit on the potty. Sometimes they are so engrossed in their activities that they don't want to take a break until it is too late. Good luck, it will pass.

Gosh...this is hard, I know...my 3-yr-old (turned 3 last Aug) is pretty much fully potty trained & lately, he has been having some urine incidents (no BM troubles thank goodness), but I can't seem to put my finger on why he does it either. Just this morning, he woke up early (5am) to come & whisper in my ear that he needed to go make a BM, I got up & we took off his PJ's & went on the big potty & handled all of his business...he stayed up for a while with my husband while I slept till about 8am-ish...then he slept again 'til about 10am. My husband put him down with no pull-up (which is something I wouldn't have done) & when he got up, he opened the bedroom door, then went back in the room & when my husband got up to see about him, my son had made urine all in his blanket! Now he was UP/AWAKE & still made urine on the blanket instead of going to the potty - I don't get it! All I can say, is stay the course with the discipline you used in doing his initial potty training. Make sure to involve him in any cleaning up, remind him of what is the proper behavior, etc. I support taking favorite toys away; they get an understanding that their behavior was inappopriate & what they must do to get what they like returned. Ultimately, we both still obviously have a little ways to go before the young men are really FULLY potty-trained, so having patience & showing love are the best ways for us as parents to deal with "set-backs".

Hi L E
It's good to hear your son has been potting so well at such a young age. Don't give up hope.

You stated that he attends school twice a week, so make sure nothing has happened at school that would cause him to regress.

When he is home, set certain times for bathroom breaks. Just like they would do at school. I know that they also allow them to go potty other than the breaks, but this may also help to keep him on track. Let him hear you say that after breakfast we will have a bathroom break at whatever time you specify.

Sometimes being in daycare/preschool and on a schedule can throw them off track when they are at home. He may have just gotten use to whatever schedules are set at school. Be Blessed!!