Regression in Potty Training – Working With Your Child to Overcome This Setback

July 18th, 2009 Filed Under Baby Potty Training

What should you do if your child is experiencing regression in toilet training?

The answer rightly depends on understanding what caused your child to regress in the first place.

My son experienced periods of regression in toilet training at various intervals. It was a nightmare to deal with. Here I was, celebrating (albeit prematurely) at my kid’s success, congratulating them on a job well done. My husband was happy we didn’t have to buy diapers anymore.

And then the unthinkable happened: One day, out of the blue, for no seemingly no apparent reason at all, he up and decided to forgo his potty training and decided to relieve himself in his diaper instead.

Trust me, I was plenty flustered! This battle continued for several days. And they were some very stressful days, at that, constantly trying to reason with him, punish and discipline him, tempt him with rewards, but nothing seemed to work. It just didn’t register in his mind.

Was all of my hard work for naught? Had all of my training been literally “flushed down the toilet” (pun intended)?

However, the battle didn’t continue for long (and just for the record, I won). I was able to successfully help my child overcome his regression in toilet training and get back on track towards relieving himself only in the toilet.

Typically, regression in toilet training can occur if there has been some sort of recent change in your child’s life, be it physical, environmental, social, psychological, or circumstantial. Your child may have regressed to soiling his or her diapers, because it is a way for the child to retreat to stay within the comfort, familiarity, and safety of his “comfort zone”. (It is, after all, easier for a toddler to just go in the diaper rather than make the effort to hold on until actually reaching a toilet before going).

The key to helping your child overcome regression in potty training is to be able to pinpoint and to be able to understand the triggers that may have inadvertently caused your child to enter this regressive phase to begin with.

Once you fully understand what the triggers are, then you will be able to further adapt, refine, and fine-tune your potty training tactics to help you help your child overcome this hurdle, like the ones discussed in this comprehensive guide to regression in potty training.

This valuable resource contains detailed information that will guide you, step-by-step through the toilet training process and help you address some of the most common potty training issues that parents are faced with. Learn how to turn regression in potty training to your advantage and get your child potty trained once and for all!

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Author: Denise Hammond