Hi there, you sound pretty frustrated, and I don’t blame you. Toilet training is harder for the mum than it is for the child. You’re the one left to clean up all the mess. My now 4year old did not successfully learn to use the toilet/potty until she was 31/2, and yet her sister has fully day trained herself at the age of 20 months. Go figure, same Mummy with the same parenting skills. Two main things are don’t stress about it because they pick up on the body language pretty fast, and be consistent with your method. Apparently it is quite normal for kiddies to want to continue to do a poo in their nappy well after they have learned about using the potty/toilet for wees. My daughter certainly was a classic example of this. If she is telling you in advance of her wee that she needs to go, that is a pretty big hurdle, and a sure sign that she is on her way to training herself with your help. Pull-Ups are designed for that transition phase between nappies and pants, so it could take her a little while to get used to the idea that she is in control of them, and can easily pull them down herself. They are a real lifesaver when you are in the supermarket queue, or at Aunty Dot’s house with the pristine carpet and they have to go NOW, they seem to be just as absorbent as a real nappy. Another good thing I remember about the Pull-Ups was you can tear the sides really easily to get them off after a particularly messy accident and it really fosters that feeling of independence for the little one. Is it possible for your daughter to have plenty of bare bum time at home as this worked really well for us? Somehow she seemed to get the idea that there was nothing to catch the flow if she was nudey, and naturally wanted to use the potty.
Here are a few final thoughts. You need to make sure you are both ready for this big step, be patient, remember you cannot give enough positive reinforcement, and finally at the end of the day keep in mind you don’t see any 10 year olds wearing nappies (they all get there in the end). Good luck.
P.S. You could try ringing Huggies (1800 028 334) they may be able to point you in the right direction.
tired and feeling old