Potty Training Regression

Catch on the “Potty Training Series”

Everything has been going great with potty training. Your toddler hasn’t had an accident in a long time. Then, “WHAM!” the accidents start happening…maybe one here and there, and then a little more frequently. What happened?

This is called regression. It’s not uncommon, and you can help your child get back on track with their potty training success.

What Triggers Regression

Regression can happen for many reasons, like a possible urinary tract infection, but it is usually stress-related. Welcoming a new sibling in the home, change in routine, starting a new school, moving or any other major life change will throw your child’s mind and body for a loop causing stress.

My oldest son and my daughter were both faced with stressful events during their potty training that caused regression. While my oldest son was learning to potty train his baby brother was immobile, but just a few short months later his baby brother began crawling and getting into all of his toys. This caused stress for my older son because he had never had to share his toys before or worry about his creations being messed up. His form of regression was refusing to go to the bathroom; he would try to hold it all day, but eventually would have an accident.

While my daughter was potty training we were in the process of moving, so everything she knew was being packed up and taken to a different house. This can be very stressful for a 2 year old. She began to have daily accidents. Some days she had more accidents than she had in the first week of potty training.

If you are faced with regression, don’t get discouraged. It is normal, and you can help your toddler get back on track to being successfully potty trained.

How to Get Back on Track

To get back on track, get back to the basics. Simply “restart” the potty training journey. Whatever worked to get them potty trained, do it again. Use positive reinforcement to help keep your child motivated. Negative attention might have a bad effect on your toddler’s progress. Just like you did previously when they had accidents, stay calm and explain to them that they should go to the bathroom in the potty.

For my children that regressed, I started using the timer again. I knew they had a little more control of their bladder than when they first started potty training, so I set the timer for 45 minutes or 1 hour. On the first day, I made them go sit on the potty each time the timer buzzed. If they went, they got a treat. And if they didn’t go, then I would set the timer for 30 minutes to try again later. On the second day, I did the same thing. And on the third day, I set the timer, but asked them if they needed to go instead of making them go try. This really helped get my children back on track to continue a successful potty training journey.

Did your child face regression during potty training? What tricks did you use to help them get back on track? Email me to share!

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