Question
Our 3 year old son has been toilet trained since he was 20 months old thanks to your amazing N75 method. However something new has popped up... in an effort to avoid bed or going somewhere he tells us he needs to go potty or he has to poop.
His teachers at school tell me he’s started this during nap time with them too.
It goes like this - we brush teeth, sit on the potty. I tell him it’s time for bed and he tells me he has to go potty. I tell him to go and then it’s time to go to sleep. He’ll sit on the potty for 20 or 30 minutes if I let him. When I finally get him ready for bed, we read a story, snuggle and I put him in bed... then he starts asking for the potty again. Sometimes I give in, take him out, sit on the potty... and he chats and plays but rarely ever goes. I’ve tried no talking, no toys, keeping the light off but he just wants to play. If I don’t give in, it starts an hour of crying and screaming. If I do give in, I get him in bed and he will ask again.
I don’t want to cause problems with his toilet training but I’m also not going to be held hostage by a three year old. This is clearly a stalling tactic. Is it harmful to give him one opportunity to go to the bathroom then call it a night? I don’t let him get away with this otherwise but when it comes to potty, I’m worried. Oh, I should mention, he’s not yet night trained and wears a diaper. He hasn’t pooped in the diaper once since this behavior started.
