3 year old toilet training setback?

Question

I have a three year old boy (just turned in July) and has been toilet trained since Feb this year. He has been going extremely well. To our surprise, by the end of Feb he was fully trained day and night without much fuss. The last couple of weeks he has been starting to wet his pants during the day only. He is now having at least one accident per day. I do not know how I should be handling this, am I supposed to go back and start training all over? Is it possible to have a setback after such a long time or could it be something else?

Answer 1

Perfectly normal.

My daughter was fully trained for 12 months and started wetting herself again. Turns out she was concentrating on playing and forgot to go. She was about 3 1/2 years. If she was playing with duplo or anything she was really involved with, we would have to remind her to go.

Oh and then she started making it to the loo and wetting her pants. It took us a while to work that one out. She was watching her cousin go to the loo. He did it standing up and she wanted to be like him. LOL

It's all normal.    :)

Answer 2

Yes, that is normal and it just happens  with some kids. He may be getting so involved in play or whatever he is doing that he either doesn't want to stop or just doesn't get there in time. Sometimes you have to remind them to go.

Answer 3

I'm not sure if this helps but my girlfriends son is over 3 and is full time Nappy's she Sims to think he is OK and she is studying to become a nurse i know its sad when thay take backward steps but as long as there healthy and happy what harm can it do

Answer 4

kids need to be reminded to go to the toilet.........hope this helps.. all the best

Answer 5

Yes, it's possible. He's still young, and may just not be ready right now. Is there anything new going on in the house? Sometimes this is how kids react to stress. Also, maybe the novelty of toilet training wore off, and he just doesn't see the benefit of trying anymore.

Whatever the reason, try not to react negatively or punish him in any way. Be very neutral, and just take care of it. You may want to praise him and go crazy when he uses the potty, and this will give him a lot of positive reinforcement. I used to use a sticker chart for my kids.

Consider yourself lucky. My son was perfectly potty trained and then soon discovered the joy of smearing his #2 on the walls. He thought he was painting...

...until I handed him a sponge and a bucket of water. Cleaning up after himself took the fun out of accidents.

Answer 6

My daughter potty trained very early and had a set back later on.  At 2 & 1/2 she wore regular underpants.  Now at almost 5 she wears a pull-up at night and has an accident during the day about once a month.  I even took her to the doctor.  Basically, some kids go through this.  For her during the day it is a matter of not wanting to miss anything and she puts it off too long.  At night I think she is just too tired to wake.  She plays harder and is trying to get used to no nap during the day.  If he has had any schedule changes it could be something like that.  I wouldn't worry too much unless he starts having pain or seems to not empty his bladder when he does go to the bathroom.  Good Luck!!

Answer 7

Sounds like he's right on track.  One of the best tips in my experience is simply reminding the toddler by asking if he has to go potty.  See warning signs (like grabbing his pants) and ask if he has to go.  After being introduced to potty training, toddlers sometimes display a temporary aversion to using it; don't start over, but reintroduce basic principles.  Try to see if there are any cues for his accident triggers, and you could also try setting some tiny reward for not peeing in his pants (a toy, etc.) -- just as encouragement, not a bribe.  Be positive with him and maybe go into the bathroom with him (I don't know if you still are) to make sure that he's not having any trouble in there that makes him not want to use the toilet.