So... that wonderful topic again Dcb is 2 years 5 mo. He is consistently using the potty 4-5 times a day. Sometimes he's still dry, sometimes not. He doesn't tell me when he has to potty. Just walks into the bathroom & does his business. I of course know he's in there b/c I'm supervising...I just mean he doesn't ask but handles it himself.

He just started doing it consistently this week. Problem is this kiddo is extremely strong willed & wants every single thing done his way. I've been trying to follow him in b/c he sometimes misses & hits the floor if he doesn't scoot back far enough or he tries to climb on the sink to get to the tooth brushes. (He's obsessed with brushing.) Also, the toothpaste is a potential disaster & he attempts to climb for that as well... potential safety issue.

However if I help him onto the toilet he screams I do it myself repeatedly, climbs off the toilet & back on again & still ends up not far enough back. When I insist upon helping he screams & refuses to pee.

If I stay in the room to be sure he doesn't climb he cries that he needs to be by himself to potty. Oddly enough he's always asking another kid to go in with him. I have to redirect each time.
How do you handle their quest for independece in this area? He obviously understands what he is doing, pretty much knows when he needs to go, etc. But his refusal for assistance is causing a lot of disruption to the day.
Finally, he wants to"pee" every time someone else uses the potty. I believe it's a tactic to attempt to go with them, but it ends in a meltdown Everytime.

Reply