potty training, we're going backwards...HELP!

[BeantownBaby9]

Today starts week 3 of potty training and week 2 was crap compared to week 1.  He had an accident at least once a day, and now is kind of acting potty averse.  Maybe I am not making a big enough deal when he tells me he has to go.  We've got a whole reward sticker thing, plus fun potty books.  He's only had pee accidents, poops have all gone in the toilet.  He doesn't seem to care when he's wet, and today in the grocery store, I WAS RIGHT NEXT TO HIM.  He knows to tell me, that one just bugs me.  I understand accidents when I am not paying attention or he's in a different room, but right next to me? Ok, so I need help.  How can I make him want to tell me and want to go without shoving the whole big boy argument down his throat?

[Polliwog]

Could it be that he's not ready to use the potty consistently?

[bella99]

Well I would suggest putting him on the potty at a set time, say every hour and if that doesn't work, maybe half an hour?  Don't necessarily ask if he wants to or has to go, just tell him it's time to go.

My daughter is 25 months, but if she tells us she has to go and we don't respond, we have an accident.  If it's time for her to sit on the potty and she refuses, we give her another 15 minutes and then put her on the potty.

In my opinion, 3 weeks is not long at all and you're expectations might be a bit high.  My daughter was sitting on the potty very regularly at daycare without much luck (and completely refused at home) for a month before we saw real progress (then it was huge and sudden).  Now we have hardly, if any accidents.

[BeantownBaby9]

Thanks Ladies

He has sat on the potty for 9 months, every time I put him there he will pee, he poops on the potty great.  he stays dry during 3 hr naps, has for the past 2 weeks, maybe just the fact that he doesn't care if he gets wet means he's not really ready.  If I did the every hour thing, he'd stay dry, no problem.  I am really trying to get him to tell me, because 1, he's in school twice a week, and 2, I want him to know he has to instead of relying on me hourly. 

[bella99]

What I should have added is that we have her sit on the potty every hour, but sometimes she absolutely refuses, or just doesn't have to go.  So we try again every 15 minutes if it's been awhile since she's gone, or up to a half hour but she will often tell us when she has to go anyway (but I can't count on that).  She can tell us and does, but I know I can't count on her to remember she needs to sit on the potty.

Case in point, after I wrote that first message, I was moving the laundry from the washer to the dryer.  I heard her tell my husband that she needed to go several times, but he was using his computer and off in lala land and didn't hear her at all.  So I yelled to him to help her onto the potty, but by that time (only a few minutes later) she had grabbed a new toy and didn't want to take a break to pee, and he didn't force her.  Ten minutes later, she peed on my guest bed, and was pretty upset about it (she HATES being in pee clothes).

She often is dry through naps and long car rides and has simply "held it" for 2.5 hours or so.