Potty trained toddler showing regression? Try these 5 tips to nip it in the butt

Potty training on the go

It's been almost two months since I successfully potty trained my then 21 month old son after enrolling him in 3 day potty training boot camp.  Even though he was potty trained in less than a week, there are days I am still on edge -- nervous he's totally forgotten all that we've worked on. 

Most days he stays completely dry and tells me when he has to go (it's usually more of a "ahhh ahh ahhh" with a little dance than a "potty mommy," but whatever, he's not even 2 yet).
But other days it seems like I'm changing his clothes so much I need to do laundry just so he's not wearing sissy's panties.  When he does slip into a minor bout of potty training regression, I use a couple of tricks to quickly get him back on track.

1. NEVER revert to pull ups.  I skipped them completely during the waking hours while potty training him and I'm convinced it's quite possibly the biggest reason he was trained so quickly at such a young age.  If it means you're through 10 pairs of undies a day, do not use pull ups because they feel too much like diapers and may give your child the idea that it's okay to go in their diaper.

2. Bring back the over-the-top praise.  Going potty may seem like old hat by now, but when your potty trained toddler is showing signs of regression it's best to remind them just how proud you are that they're going on the potty.  Bring back the dance, the woop woops and the celebration and you'll get your kid excited again about going potty.

3. Offer rewards...again.  At two months out I rarely give my son a treat for successfully peeing on the potty.  But when he starts regressing or having too many accidents for what I think is acceptable I start rewarding him when he does make it to the potty.  This is just a little encouragement for the child to start going on the potty again instead of in their pants.

4.  Set the timer.  When potty training regression strikes go back to the 30 or 60 minute rule of putting your child on the potty on a schedule.  Don't wait for them to tell you they feel the need to pee or poop if they're regressing because they likely won't...instead, be proactive about potty training to get them back on course.

5.  Avoid getting upset or using timeout when your child has an accident. It can be extremely frustrating when you know your child is potty trained, but seems to be regressing and forgetting how to use the bathroom.  But if you get upset you may turn it into a battle that they ultimately control -- remember your child needs to be relaxed in order to pee or poop on the potty and getting upset will likely only upset and stress them out too.


Happy potty training...