https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Tue, 12 May 2026 20:09:25 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preschool-potty-training-panic#post-2924348 Wed, 14 Jul 2021 18:55:21 +0000 ALV91711 2924348@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Gah! DS2 will be 3 next month and needs to be potty trained to move up to the preschool room at daycare. He’s so stubborn and has been refusing to even sit on the potty. Daycare is honestly trying harder than us. </p> <p>I’m thinking of making a sticker chart when it gets closer for some incentive. </p> <p>DS1 I pushed for this same timeline and we ended up with a bunch of holding it issues and accidents, so this time I’m not going to push so hard and focus on encouragement instead. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preschool-potty-training-panic#post-2924256 Mon, 05 Jul 2021 19:30:47 +0000 bhbee 2924256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@caitcat: so glad to hear someone else survived this!! I would love a last minute shift but may have to do the holding it at school plan too. She has zero problem with diapers and I’m out of ideas. I didn’t think about peer pressure at school though - hopefully that helps! Fake it till we make it … </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preschool-potty-training-panic#post-2924251 Mon, 05 Jul 2021 15:02:08 +0000 caitcat 2924251@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When my oldest daughter was 3.5, she still wasn't potty trained and we were up against a preschool deadline. It was totally a battle of wills, and it felt pretty hopeless at the time. She was definitely physically ready to potty train - but she was incredibly strong-willed about it and would not go to the bathroom at all if she thought it mattered to us, even if she really had to go. (Honestly, she's still kind of like that at 6...sigh.)</p> <p>She could hold her bladder for hours and hours - almost too long, so if she wasn't "really" potty trained for preschool, our plan had been to have her go to the bathroom before leaving home in the morning and hope she'd hold it until she got home at lunch. We were then just going to deal with whatever fallout played out at home. We hoped that eventually some positive peer pressure and seeing other kids willingly go at school would kick in. It turns out, she decided she was ready to use the bathroom on her own accord about 2-3 weeks before preschool started, and it wasn't the issue we expected it to be though.</p> <p>When we really decided to back off of trying to potty train ahead of preschool and just take our chances when it came around, we made a big scene about putting her underwear away in a top drawer of her dresser to use again when she started preschool and put her in pull-ups instead. We still suggested to try going to the bathroom before leaving the house, going outside, before bed, etc. but totally backed off of any real appeals to convince her to go - if she went, she went. If not, we just moved on with our plans and changed the pull up as needed. I was so worried about how it would play out for school...and I still kind of wonder how I would have felt if the day had come and we'd just had to hope for the best. But one day, she just fished the underwear out of her dresser and told us she'd start using the potty. And she did - she never had any accidents at that point either...it was kind of amazing. </p> <p>We still had problems getting her to try going before leaving the house for school (she'd insist she didn't have to go, even though we knew she hadn't gone since the night before...). But we built it in a step with a morning checklist she helped make and that sort of helped make it more routine. She's the kind of kid who puts up a fight about even routine-oriented things though, so it wasn't perfect - but was better more days than not. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preschool-potty-training-panic#post-2924245 Fri, 02 Jul 2021 13:57:37 +0000 agold 2924245@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is about the exact same time I started potty training my girl when I learned she got an open spot for preschool. She started preschool the day before she turned 3 and I had the same amount of time to potty train her. I did it cold turkey. Spent three days at home with a little summer dress on and no undies. No more diapers (except at night) and never looked back. Get a little fold up potty for the back of your car and take it everywhere once you start to leave the house. </p> <p>As for pulling up pants... I actually have and still do that for my girls. (3 and 4) I think they can learn to do it at school themselves. Kids are always more independent when they are away from home. I don't know. But no one has ever told me there is a problem. So don't stress too much about that party. Just get her out of the diapers. And go from there. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/preschool-potty-training-panic#post-2924244 Fri, 02 Jul 2021 13:40:04 +0000 bhbee 2924244@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD2 will be 3 in August and starts preschool 8/26. I am starting to panic about being ready to handle herself with no diapers. My others I let them lead and both trained a bit after 3 and forcing it feels weird but is a necessity. </p> <p>She is SUPER strong willed and every time we’ve tried it’s been a battle - and I back down because she’s a holder (waits until her bladder literally overflows if we force it and take away diapers) so it gets out of hand quickly. </p> <p>We have her constipation issues in hand (but that may contribute to it being difficult - she’s had GI issues for a year) and I know she can nearly go on command as my current approach has been to work on having her go in her diaper when asked on a regular schedule. She can actually wear panties for hours no problem if her bladder isn’t overly full. So the big problem is getting her to relax and go sitting down. </p> <p>We’ve tried a variety of incentives (food treats, shopkins which she loves, big sibling encouragement) and nothing holds much sway. She’s been on the potty for hours multiple times, lots of water, gone pantsless for days. you name it, but she can hold almost forever if she wants to. Even water play doesn’t seem to work. </p> <p>I just don’t know how we 1) get her going sitting down on any sort of potty and then 2) get her comfortable going away from home, handling her pants up and down, etc. She’s supposed to go AM only two days and one longer day and I have seriously contemplated the worst case of just hoping she can hold it while she’s there!</p> <p>Any one else fight this battle of wills on a timeline? What did you do?? </p>