https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 22 Jun 2026 22:28:28 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2796851 Sat, 13 Jan 2018 19:56:22 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2796851@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks everyone for the commiseration! We are on week two of potty training and suddenly DS won’t even go in a pull up at night and is holding for hours. Ive been up with him for an hour or two at night the last 3 nights as he needs to go but won’t. </p> <p>He struggles with constipation so we started a stool softener and are pushing liquids and healthy fibre food. He’s in so much discomfort literally writhing on the floor at times but thankfully he did go a couple times today after we stopped pushing so much. I guess I can’t make him go! I just don’t want him to get a UTI or something...I didn’t even think we would have this type of problem! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2796845 Sat, 13 Jan 2018 18:59:36 +0000 nana87 2796845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Oh gosh this is lo1 too! I don’t force it because I’m not about creating a power struggle, but I swear she waits until she’s wearing a pull up for nap or bed unless she has to poop 🙄 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2796822 Sat, 13 Jan 2018 15:23:56 +0000 gotkimchi 2796822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrswin: @muffinsmuffins: my lo will also hold it from when she wakes up until after her nap which could be 2 or 3. I just let her, she’ll tell me if she needs to go sooner, however will will also make her try if we have a doctor appointment or class </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2796821 Sat, 13 Jan 2018 15:18:33 +0000 mrswin 2796821@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@muffinsmuffins: My DD is part camel I think :silly: because right from the get go she would hold her pee for hours. She is also very independent and telling her to do something is a sure fire way to get her to not want to do exactly that thing.</p> <p>I finally started accepting that she only needs to go every 3-5 hours. I would remind her to keep her undies dry and to tell me when she needed to pee and then ignore it.</p> <p>The only other thing we did was insist she go at certain times of the day; like before sitting down to eat, before going in the car, etc. These cases we said she needed to TRY and made sure that all the adults did the same to model it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2796799 Sat, 13 Jan 2018 13:24:11 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2796799@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Bumping this thread...any success or advice from anyone? I’m losing my mind! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722870 Tue, 11 Apr 2017 11:09:43 +0000 Tanjowen 2722870@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@caterw: We are now at a low point today. He has to go SO bad but is flat out refusing, and we are 5 hours without going. I hate this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722833 Tue, 11 Apr 2017 10:21:32 +0000 danda 2722833@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter is 3.5 and has been potty trained 1.5 years. She'll also sometimes hold it until desperate. After a couple of recent accidents (which normally pretty much never happen) I told her to prevent that we should use potty every time it is an eating time (breakfast at home, breakfast at daycare, lunch, snack at daycare, dinner) so she ends up using potty around every 3 hours. This seems to have worked. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722681 Tue, 11 Apr 2017 07:01:46 +0000 gilmoregirl 2722681@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son will hold his pee all day if he wants too. He rarely has accidents but I worry about him getting an infection. He's been dry all night and awake for an hour and he still says he doesn't have to go. I usually tell him he needs to let his owe out so that his belly will feel better and he seems to get it but doesn't DO anything. Drives me crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722673 Tue, 11 Apr 2017 06:41:29 +0000 matador84 2722673@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Can you just take to potty and run the faucet? Whenever my kids say they don't need to go but I know they do, that is what I do to get them to go! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722669 Tue, 11 Apr 2017 06:17:22 +0000 caterw 2722669@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Omg did I write this? No advice here since I haven't solved the problem yet. My DD does this also and holds her poop until she gets a pull-up, which causes constipation. Argh. I don't know what to do. I'm not willing to go back into diapers full time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722633 Mon, 10 Apr 2017 21:24:30 +0000 Corduroy 2722633@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Pee frequency was a struggle with my DD. She could probably go twice a day if she wanted. We finally came to an agreement that we would build potty into the routine. She had to go before we left the house in the morning, before nap, and before bed. If she refused she had to wear a pullup (which she hated) otherwise we wouldn't ask her if she had to go potty. Cutting out the nagging helped us both and didn't increase accidents. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722611 Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:10:39 +0000 MrsSRS 2722611@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I absolutely had to say something I would aim for a casual neutral tone and say something like, "I can see you wiggle because your body is telling you it has pee. That doesn't look very comfy. When you want to help your body you can go potty." Then I would walk away before I lost it because omfg kid! Also we watched the Daniel Tiger episode-"🎶if you have to go potty stop and go right away"🎶 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722607 Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:05:32 +0000 Tanjowen 2722607@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsSRS: Good advice. We spoke tonight about how pooping would make our belly feel better and he seemed to get the idea. I'm going to try the talk tomorrow like you suggested and try to back off. </p> <p>@bookwormmama: I'm glad it's not just mine! I guess I should be happy he at least tells me and we can run to the potty. </p> <p>@bhbee: No to constipation. We are dealing with some runny nose/congestion that is causing awful runny poops of late. He dances around and obviously needs to go, he just doesn't want to! Power struggles , ugh :meh: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722605 Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:01:45 +0000 bhbee 2722605@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Any chance of constipation? Even the functional kind where they are going #2 but not getting it all out? That can make it hard to get the right signals to go pee. Just a random thought! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722604 Mon, 10 Apr 2017 20:00:56 +0000 bookwormmama 2722604@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son does this too. He just turned 3 and has been in undies since August. He just refuses to go (despite constant prodding) until the last minute. I think boys are supposed to have a harder time recognizing the urge due to their anatomy, so I often wonder if that's part of it. But I know my son also has serious FOMO, so I think that plays into his resistance in going. </p> <p>It's not worth it for me to push it because it becomes a huge issue for my son and I don't want him to fear or have issues with going potty. He is generally really good at going when he really needs to, but we have been dealing with some accidents recently. I guess I don't have great advice, but wanted to say we deal with that too and it has been like that for a long time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722598 Mon, 10 Apr 2017 19:45:26 +0000 MrsSRS 2722598@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If he's really stubborn and smart, I might go for a conversation about how holding it for a long time is bad for your body. Then I'd just ignore him. Take the power away. Either he will take himself to the potty, or he will have an accident, but at 3.5 he probably doesn't need help or reminders. Also, going potty before meals, naps, and outings is non-negotiable in our house. Potty and wash hands if you want to eat or leave the house. That builds in extra potty breaks that are just automatic, like putting on shoes and coats. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/3-year-old-holding-pee-for-hours#post-2722596 Mon, 10 Apr 2017 19:40:58 +0000 Tanjowen 2722596@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 3.5 year old is on day 4 of potty training. He has only had one pee accident and the rest in the potty, but he will hold it. For hours! He is only peeing twice a day and won't go until he is desperate. </p> <p>I don't want to go back to diapers. He is very stubborn and smart and he is not one that is going to do this willingly. We are shamelessly bribing him big time, and he is very proud of himself for going on the potty after the fact.</p> <p>Anyone been here in this situation with any advice? Commiseration? </p>