3 year old -- refuses to potty alone

[lilempressmommy]

My daughter is 3 years old (40 months) and she's been using the potty since about 38 months. We didn't want to rush her but her new preschool said she HAD to be potty trained. She took to it after a few days. She was SO PROUD to potty by herself. We stood with her initially while she went and praised her but eventually just let her take over as she showed she could do things on her own.

Things were fine for a month and then she seemed to revert. Not back to diapers but now she's very insistent that someone accompany her every time she potties. She insists that we wipe her, that we do everything for her. I also discovered that she is doing this at school which has caused the school to ask us if we allow her to wipe herself. (Of course we do!!!)

If anyone has any ideas to gently get her to see that pottying alone can be done again like she used to, I'm all ears. She has always been very headstrong and this I'm sure is just the next in a long line of testing everyone's patience.

[lifeguard]

Ds does this a fair bit with us. Some days he's pretty independent & wants to do it himself & other days he won't do any of it himself. I haven't found a great solution but I do put my foot down on the wiping. I will not wipe him until he tries to do it himself. Yes, that means we have spent long chunks of time in the bathroom but after several times he accepted that I wasn't going to do it for him (I still always wipe after to make sure he got it all).

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by lilempressmommy 

Things were fine for a month and then she seemed to revert. Not back to diapers but now she's very insistent that someone accompany her every time she potties. She insists that we wipe her, that we do everything for her. I also discovered that she is doing this at school which has caused the school to ask us if we allow her to wipe herself. (Of course we do!!!)

No ideas, just sympathy.  I go to the potty with both girls ten thousand times per day.  I make sure the potty is easy to get to, and that the nightlight is on in our dark bathroom.  Our 6.5yo is finally doing it mostly by herself now, and I exclaim "What is their left for me to do?  I'm a mommy but your not giving me anything to do!  I'm going to be out of a job soon!"  (Exaggerated pout).  So far I still get giggles.  My 4.5yo?  I'm just happy she makes it to the potty.  There was a time when she would go through four or five pants in a day!

     Sigh!  One day.....one day..... I really will be out of a job!

[Lindsay53]

I'm in the same boat. My daughter will be 3 at the end of the month. She has been potty trained since December but I have always taken her and wiped her. I had recently taught her to wipe her vagina but felt she was to young to wipe her bottom after going poop. I signed her up for preschool and found out they are not allowed to help them at all. She will only be going for 3hrs twice a wk but we have been trying to get her to go potty alone and she won't. She will have an accident in front of the potty if I don't come in there. Otherwise she never has accidents (not even at night). There have been times before when she would go alone so I know she can do it. I have been teaching her to wipe her bottom and she does good but that is with me in there.

I really don't know what to do. I have tried explaining to her she needs to do this on her own for when she starts school. I guess we just take it one day at a time. I praise her heavily when she does it by herself. The whole "Big Girl" thing is huge for her. Good Luck. Let me know if you find something that works =)