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Help with unusual potty issue

DD is 3 1/2 and has been 99.9% potty trained since November.  She has not worn a pull up since November, even at night.  Our one issue is that she absolutely 100% refuses to use a toilet that comes straight out of the wall w/o a pedestal.  So, she'll use the potty in people's houses and the one at Eat and Park, but not the one at Giant Eagle or Target, b/c they "float" and don't have a pedestal.   We explained to her that the pedestal is just a decoration, have offered to hold her, have tried bribing her but are at our wits end.  She won't explain what the problem is.  We have gone a month without talking about it and that made no difference.  We can't go to a Pirates game or the zoo.  She won't pee at the airport.  She help it on a trip down south at the airport, on the plane and in the other airport.  She didn't know I had an emergency pull up with me and seemed to be fine holding it.  I'm afraid to take her to Disney, but we already have a trip booked for October--I don't know what type of potties they have there.  We were invited to a Pirates game with a friend and I asked her if she wanted to go and she said no and didn't want to talk about it because she knows the potties there don't have decorations.  Last year we were there and luckily I had a pull up on me because she was still in training.   I really don't want to give her the out of pull ups and talking to her doesn't seem to help.  She's the type of kid that won't do something until she's 100% ready but it's been a year and she's still not ready.

Any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated.

Re: Help with unusual potty issue

  • Public bathrooms where a struggle with EJ too. But she was more terrified over the loud noises of the flush, hand dryers, and those demonic auto-flush toilets.  until recently, at age 6, it has become ok to flush the public toilet while she is still in the bathroom stall. I spent our disney trip covering the auto flush sensors with my hand while she went. 

    In anycase, what I am trying to say is that this isn't all that weird.  public toilets are weird spaces.  has she watched you sit on these wall mounted toilets to know that they are not going to fall off of the wall?  maybe talk about it when you are not trying to make her use the toilet in question, to try to normalize it.  good luck!
  • I agree with Amanda that it seems pretty common for them to have issues with public toilets.

    I know people who would bring a little potty with them in their car when their kids were first training or had problems with public toilets. Could you do that instead of having a backup pull-up? Really wouldn't work for the airport but for other places. Not convenient but I'd rather use that than a pull-up.

    For bribes what have you tried? We did a reward chart quite a few times with dd. Maybe try that if you haven't? I would bring stickers and a little treat and give her them if she tries using those potties. Then put a sticker on the reward chart once at home. Then have a bigger reward for when she fills up the chart. Other than that I'm not sure what else to do. Just keep telling her they are ok and like Amanda said has she seen you use them?
    Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers
  • Public bathrooms where a struggle with EJ too. But she was more terrified over the loud noises of the flush, hand dryers, and those demonic auto-flush toilets.  until recently, at age 6, it has become ok to flush the public toilet while she is still in the bathroom stall. I spent our disney trip covering the auto flush sensors with my hand while she went. 

    In anycase, what I am trying to say is that this isn't all that weird.  public toilets are weird spaces.  has she watched you sit on these wall mounted toilets to know that they are not going to fall off of the wall?  maybe talk about it when you are not trying to make her use the toilet in question, to try to normalize it.  good luck!
    Ah, Amanda, you give me hope. EJ's fears are Claire's fears to.a.tee. I've become an expert at covering the sensor while pulling up pants with one hand ;)

    Regarding ideas/thoughts - I wish I had better suggestions. I feel like it gets better as she gets older (she used to flat out refuse to go to a potty in public and now she'll go but at least will go but it skittish. I hope it gets better for you!
  • I have nothing to contribute other than Disney does have "floating" toilets.
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  • Brinley still hates the auto-flushers and has a love/hate relationship with the hand dryers. 

    I second letting her see you sit on it with out it coming crashing to the ground--but I bet you've already tried that.  This may feed into it, but I liken it to covering the sensor with my hand, but you could offer to hold it up with your foot, to make her feel more secure.  You know, just in case. :-)
    imageBaby Birthday Ticker Ticker Baby Birthday Ticker Tickera>
  • Could you carry around an old paper towel cardboard thing and call it your "special hold the potty up tool"? Not sure if they are all a standard height off the ground or not? Maybe you could shove it under the floating potty so she has peace of mind, like a security blanket till she outgrows the fear. Might not be practical because of germs but if there was just some way to give her the illusion that it won't fall.
    Erin & Rick - 9/30/06
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  • Thank you all for your suggestions, there are a few I haven't tried!  I'm glad to hear it's not that unusual, though I wish it were the sensor issue.  Oh well.  If something works I'll report back.  As for bribes, we've tried everything, including a trip to disney (she doesn't know we booked it).  
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