he started wetting again. WHy?!

[~NewMa~]

So here's the story"

We bought my son his first potty when he was 1 year old. His birthday's in April (he'll be 3 in 2 weeks!) and so we kept him nakey as much as possible and by the end of the summer he was in training pants and pretty much using the potty full time.

Poop was never an issue.

He runs to the toilet when he has to go. No problem.

Pee, on the other hand, has been an issue.

He can go days, even weeks, without having an "accident".

Then all the sudden it changes and he'll go days and weeks where we have accidents all day.

I know he knows what it feels like to have to go!

Sometimes I'll remind him to use the potty and he'll deny he has to go, and I can see he's starting to have an accident!

I encourage him to "keep dry underpants, big boy" and it does nothing.

I don't mention it at all some days, thinking maybe if I let him do it on his own, he'll surprise me.

It's hit or miss.

I don't understand what's going on. And it's starting to make me Angry! :scratch

It's frustrating me!

I feel nervous enrolling him in a preshcool program knowing he'll have to be fully potty trained.

I'm not sure what to do here.

Has anyone been here before?

Advice please 

[Klynne]

I hear you mamma!!

Our DD has had accidents almost daily sometime 3-4x a day for over a year now. Some times she's dry a week or so and then it starts again. At first we assumed it was a power struggle so she was given full control. I placed a basket of clean undies in the bathroom and explained to her that she was a big girl and showed her where she could find cloths and undies to change into if she had an accident. I don't think it was a power struggle because that approach (which we still use) didn't help...

When we've talked about it she simply says that her body says it needs to go but she thinks she can wait, but then it (the pee) just comes out. (she just wets her panties, it hardly ever goes through to her skirt or pants). I've asked her if she would like reminders, which she wanted. I really do believe that most of the time she simply pushes the urge out of her mind, the other times I chalk up to "stubbornness", when we remind her but she chooses not to go.

Now that she's older I don't take a change of pants or underwear with me when we go out. If she's wet we go home (she gets gentle reminders while playing etc, and she's know when she needs to use the bathroom). It's been inconvenient at times but it has helped. And, the latest last ditch effort is...  I briber her with money.  She gets $1 for every day she's dry and she can buy whatever she wants with the money or save it. This has been working extremely well the past 4 weeks. So far she's purchased her own coloring book, a little ladybug ring, and a Plum doll - one of Strawberry shortcakes friends. I don't believe bribing is the best way, like I said, it's a last ditch effort but it's worked the best for her thus far. And then I take a deep breath and remind myself that she will not be doing this in High School. ;)

The funny thing is that DS is 2.5, potty trained himself and hardly EVER has an accident, and if he does he's extremely beside himself.  That they can be SO different!!

[~NewMa~]

THanks for the reply Klynne!

Making undies available to him for so that he can take care of it himself is a great idea.

Thankfully, this has been a good week for him and we haven't needed to adopt this idea yet.

I know it's something he'll outgrow but I think it is really just the fact that he'll be going to preschool soon and will have to stay dry!

We'll see, I guess.

Thanks again!

[greenmm]

I think boys especially get playing & just don't want to stop even to go to the bathroom. Also, this probably isn't the case, but I've heard sometimes if they need a chiropractic adjustment I believe it's in their neck that that can cause bed wetting & stuff like that. I would assume it would cause accidents during the day with a younger child. Might be worth checking out if it continues. It's crazy what they can fix with a good adjustment even in babies.

[Gator-mom]

Could just be his age.  I know lots of little boys who take well over the 'normal' age to really get potty training down.  My DS has gone through periods where he is just to 'busy' to remember to use the potty.  It could also be about control too.  Have you had any major changes in your house lately?  This is a very typical thing to happen to older siblings when a new baby is around, or a move or something he feels is traumatic has happened. 

Ds didn't potty train here until exactly his third birthday.  I just prompted him a whole lot that when he's three he's a 'big boy' and 'big boys don't wear diapers anymore'  And he accepted that and held true, and never had a problem, except for those brief periods where play was too important.