Photo by Jim Franco
I don't know if PO is the right phrase or not. I guess I should say that I am at my wit's end with my middle daughter.
Amareah has been potty trained since she was about 2 years old. She regressed at about 3 years old and hasn't really had any ongoing or major accidents after we got past that phase... until more than three weeks ago. It started with a couple of times of a little dampness in her panties then she had an accident overnight.
Then she started having accidents at night at her dad's place and now it's frequently at night and during the day. She's even started wetting herself at school/Headstart where she's never (since she started in September) had an accident until this past Monday.
I've tried different techniques of discipline and nothing has seemed to make a difference. I've tried sitting down and talking to her when it hasn't happened, I've tried giving her more positive attention (I'm still doing this), I try asking her questions and I've taken her to the doctor.
After I took her to the doctor about three weeks ago for holding her urine and her complaining about it, the doctor said that she had yeast build up. When she showed me I said, "Hmmm? She's always been like that ever since she was an infant. I thought it was just normal for her."
I'm sure everyone has theories as to why children digress when already trained. I remember when my oldest daughter was a toddler her dad would call, say he'd call her in a couple of days and then not call for more than a month. For a toddler that was an eternity. When he did finally call again she would digress, then get better and the cycle would start all over again. I ended up having to tell him not to call unless he called consistently and that fixed the problem. (He's a much better dad now... and that's all I'm going to say about that! :])
Nothing I've done with Amareah has worked. Maybe you have some suggestions because I don't have any other tricks up my sleeve right now.
6 appreciated remarks:
Wish I had a great idea for you but I don't! Just love and encouragement! Just remember that this too shall pass! Hugs to you!
I never went through this, but I was wondering if you have to put her back in pull-ups for this. It's a touchy thing because you don't want to make her feel bad about herself, but she will have to learn to control it too. Maybe a reward (a big girl thing) for staying dry for increasing longer periods of time. Try one day, then two, etc. I find the positive reinforcers work best in the long run. It's tough to be little!!!
Wow! I am going through this with my older son, Matthew. He is 4 1/2 and has recently started wetting the bed (3 nights just this week!) while at the same time, Andrew (who will be 3 in Feb.) is doing well with daytime and starting to stay dry at night (he's dry when Matthew's wet, strange, huh?). I have considered blogging about it as you have, but I haven't yet.
I promise Andrew a treat when he stays dry, but punish Matthew if he's wet. I am wondering if it's maybe an unconscious jealousy issue and will see about treating them both when they wake up dry. I would do the same for your situation I think to see if that helps, as Lin suggested.
Can it be psychological issues ??
that's strange, she was OK earlier and suddenly she's digressing? As for Syabil, only now he is almost fully trained- kinda late since he is now 4. Only when he sleeps at night, I put his diapers on.
Syabil on the other hand, used to have problems with pooing. for some reasons, he would keep his poo in and refuse to let it go. Now, he's getting better at it, but it really took him about a year and it was really frustrating to me.
I think it's just a phase with Amareah...don't worry too much. sometimes, toddlers can be really challenging.
Well, it could just be a control issue. Try giving her control over as many areas of her life as possible. Let her choose her clothing, her food, etc. Bodily functions is something that she has complete and total control of.
Also, you might evaluate any changes in her life. Ask her if there is anything bothering her. Try not to be leading, but you need to determine if there is any type of situation that may be causing her stress. (ie. abusive classmates, teachers, or other persons).
Schedule her bathroom trips to remove control. Children often regress to wetting because they get too busy to go. They don't realize they have to go potty until it's too late. This is especially true for the child that is new to school life because she suddenly has all this entertainment and playtime.
Furthermore, I recommend that you have her wash her own panties if it continues. Yes, wash her panties by hand in a bucket or sink of warm soapy water. If she is old enough to know not to wet her clothing during the day, then she is certainly old enough to clean up the mess.
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