3 yo afraid of the toilet

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Forum -> Children's Health -> Toilet Training

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amother

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 9:26 am

My daughter will be 3 in sept, iyh and she is morbidly petrified of the toilet. I've given it a shot a while back, I just put her in underwear and took her to the toilet every half hour. Once she did, twice she had an accident but then she decided she's not interested. I've never made a big deal of it, I kept telling her it's ok, I'll clean it up and put her on clean underwear. I also have a small toilet seat that goes on top of the reg so she won't fall in.
Why is she so petrified ? And how do I navigate it? She seems ready, but just really scared.

amother

Tealblue

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 9:36 am

I had this. Use a small potty on the floor. If you line it with fruit store bags, it is way easier to clean

amother

Linen

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 11:04 am

You need to ask DD what's scaring her. We can't answer that question for you.

Have you asked her why she is so scared? What does she say?

amother

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 12:37 pm

amother [ Tealblue ] wrote:

I had this. Use a small potty on the floor. If you line it with fruit store bags, it is way easier to clean

She still doesn't want. The look on her face is sheer panic.

amother

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 12:38 pm

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

You need to ask DD what's scaring her. We can't answer that question for you.

Have you asked her why she is so scared? What does she say?

If she told me what she was afraid of, I wouldn't be asking. She is generally very verbal, but she doesn't tell me what she's afraid of. I told her I would stay w her, hold her hand, read her a book. She's refusing it all.

zaq

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 1:30 pm

Why can't you use a potty chair on the floor? many kids that age are scared of two things: falling into the toilet--a not-unreasonable fear given the size of the opening compared to the size of their bodies--and/or the noise and rushing water of the flush. Also not unreasonable. It's like Niagara Falls to a little person. They don't know that the throat of the toilet is too small for them to fall through it and be swept out to sea.

zaq

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 1:54 pm

Of course, your dd may also have heard the urban myth about the sewer-dwelling alligators that slither up the pipes and bite people on the tush.

amother

Candycane

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 1:59 pm

Is there any reason she really needs to be toilet trained right now?

amother

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 2:32 pm

amother [ Candycane ] wrote:

Is there any reason she really needs to be toilet trained right now?

She seems ready. She does "the dance" when she has to pee. She tells me when she had to use the bathroom but if I make a big deal and start telling her that she must use the bathroom, she'll hold it in and then complains that her stomach hurts.

gootlfriends

Tue, Aug 10 2021, 2:55 pm

Many children are afraid. My son was. We bought a seat designed for tiny people that attached to the toilet and looked very secure. Didn't make a big deal but praised a lot and he started to try it. There is too much pressure on these little people. Toiley training is hard for many children. Do not make it a must but fun and rewarding. Baby steps.

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