True “accidents” are actually more likely to happen a few months
into the process. This is when knowing how to use the potty has
become nothing special. You no longer give verbal praise. You know
your child knows his own signals, and you assume he’ll tell you if he
needs to go. That aside, big regressions warrant big scrutiny. Since I
brought it up, let’s discuss that a little further.
Regression
This problem often arises when parents are expecting another child
and fear that initiating potty training with their toddler will end
badly, with the child regressing as a newcomer enters the home.
Simply defined, regression is moving backward. Children sometimes
do regress when a new sibling comes along. Most often, this is in the
form of accidents. Personally, I have never seen a child regress all the
way back to prepotty trained. Any major transition—a new sibling, a
move, a divorce—can trigger regression. The regression is your child’s
way of “acting out” his feelings because he’s too young to articulate
them in words. Acting out is always for attention. It saddens me
when I hear people say, “Oh, she’s just doing that for attention.”
Well, then pay attention. I’m talking a little more seriously than your
child being a total crackpot for Grandma.
While regression can be an issue, you should not delay potty
training simply because you fear the possibility of a problem. First of
all, you may not have one. Second, with all the work you’re going to
have with, say, the new baby, you at least want to have laid the potty
training groundwork beforehand. Even if your toddler does regress, it