Potty Training Setbacks

Why Does It Happen?

Here are a quite a few reasons why your child may experience setbacks in potty training. Often it has to do with a change in your child’s routine. We almost always see setbacks when a recently potty trained toddler moves, changes babysitter or day care providers, or gets a new baby sibling. That being said, sometimes there is no apparent reason why your toddler stops using the potty. So, don’t feel like you did something wrong if you can’t pinpoint why your toddler is regression. The more important thing now is to deal with this setback productively, which brings us to…

How To Deal With These Setbacks

So, how do we deal with these setbacks? If you have identified what may be causing your child’s regression, talk to him or her about it. Spend some extra time with your child and do what you can to make him or her feel loved and secure. Setbacks in potty training are often a sign of insecurity in the new role as a big kid.

Other than that it takes lots of patience. It’s hard not to get frustrated when your child pees in his pants for the third time in a row. It’s important that you remember that your child is not doing this to aggravate you and to not show your frustration. Be kind, but also tell your child that he or she should try hard not to do it again. You can also get your child involved in the cleanup process. Have her carry the wet pants to the washer, and have her stand in the bathtub with a washcloth to clean herself.

Above all, keep in mind that your child will potty train sooner rather than later. Hang in there and all of a sudden it will just happen. After all, how many 1st graders do you know who are still in diapers?

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We recommend:

The Potty Trainer
I can highly recommend the Potty Trainer Ebook. Johanne Cesar has done such a great job in putting a tremendous amount of hands on potty training information and advice in this ebook. You will get a step by step guide to potty training your child.