EARLY potty training... who's been here? UPDATE post 49

[kwitcherkicken99]

So tonight, my almost 16 month old (will turn on the 22nd) banged on the door to my parent's bathroom. She wanted in for some reason. I took her in, she walked to the potty, so I took off her diaper and sat her on the pot... a couple of seconds later, she peed.

This is the 3rd time she's gone to a bathroom door and insisted on going in. Semi-jokingly I would sit her on the toilet and tell her how much she looked like a big girl and after a couple of minutes, she was ready to get down, never going potty. Tonight was a whole different ballgame and it has truly thrown me!

I'm not pushing her to train at all, I think she's too young, but to her credit, everyone in our house sits on the toilet except her. I just assumed she was curious about the big, cold, white thing, so why not humor her and let her sit there, it can't hurt.

Are there any of you out there that have experienced such a young one wanting to go sit on the potty?

I don't even know where to go from here! I figure I'll just let her sit on the toilet when she indicates that she wants to. She's been showing a lot of the "I'm ready to potty train" signs - wanting to pull her pants up and down, knowing when she poops, wants to sit on the toilet...

I'm not ready for my baby to toilet train! I've been joking with family that she would probably be trained by 20 months because of the way she's been acting... I had no idea things would appear so quickly!

Any thoughts?

 

[scottish mum]

i would say if you think shes ready to give it a go for a few days. If it doesn't work and shes having lots of accidents I would just stop. It won't do any harm to try as long as no one is getting stressed over it, you don't want to make a big issue of it and just take it at ther pace.

 

[powellrj]

When my oldest was that age, it was pretty common to start potty training at around 15 months. While I don't always agree with him there is a Dr that writes a column for our paper who says there is a potty training window that if you potty train them within that window of time, its pretty painless. I think its like 15 months to 24.

Good luck!

 

[Cedarmom]

My second son was pooped trained by 18 months. It started with me 'catching' him in the act and getting him to the potty. Mostly he had great 'I'm about to go' signs and I was lazy and didn't want to change his diaper.

Anyway, after several weeks of me getting him on the potty he started going in there himself/telling me when he had to go. I'd put him up there. More often than not, he'd poop. Pee training was slower (mostly b/c I didn't even think of it as training at the time). He was obviously going when he pooped, but then I'd stick him up there right before bath as well, and then again in the mornings (my oldest was already going at these times, so we were in there anyway...why not!). At some point it clicked and he would ask to go as well during the day. Anyway, I'd say he was dry 95% of the time by 22 months and went to underwear on his second birthday. He probably could have been in undies earlier but I felt weird putting a 1 yo in undies.

With him training early, we did have a lot more accidents, especially right after swimming. We went to the beach about two weeks after he went to undies full time. After spending several hours in the pool, the kid would pee every 10 minutes for the next two hours and he just couldn't keep up with the sensations (or got sick of going!). We laughed it off as a hazard of having a 24 mo pted.

 

[Hannathy]

It isn't too early my DD was completely trained night and day by 18 months. Actually earlier but I couldn't believe it so I kept putting pull ups on at night for awhile, gave up at 18 months. My DS by 2.(my fault not earlier, had a family emergency so lots of traveling, long days in hospitals) My nephew was also at 18 months.

She knows what to do and recognizes the urge so why deny her? why would you want to change diapers? Just go with it, the hard part, recognizing the need to go is over, and celebrate.

 

[hmacmahony]

My kids were all trained early.
My oldest was completly trained by 18 months, the next two were trained by 22 months (all girls).
Our 4, is a boy, he was trained by around 27 months.
He wears a pullup now when out, purely out of me being lazy. He won't go in it, and I should just ditch it (I did with the girls diaper to underwear immediatly), but honestly hes my 4, I just don't want to deal with an accident when out. But, I should give him credit, he hasn't had an accident. Just me not wanting to totally deal yet.
If she wants to go, let her. You might be amazed at how fast she picks it up.

 

[puffkin]

When my oldest was that age, it was pretty common to start potty training at around 15 months. While I don't always agree with him there is a Dr that writes a column for our paper who says there is a potty training window that if you potty train them within that window of time, its pretty painless. I think its like 15 months to 24.

Good luck!

Yes I agree...that Dr (can't remember his name) is pretty spot on. Most kids were trained by age 2 back in the day. I am almost 30 and when I was in daycare you couldn't move out of the "baby" area until you were potty trained. Most kids were out of there by age 2. Nowadays everyone waits too long! My son was the ONLY child in his 2 1/2-3 year old class who was potty trained. There definitely is a small window to train them in relatively painless. I say if she is showing interest, give it a try! Worst case scenario is she isn't ready and then you back off. It won't harm her at all!

 

[crisi]

My sister's son did that to her at about that age. Decided he was ready to train and trained himself.

My kids on the other hand, did that at about that age, and were three and a half before we were wearing underwear all the time. TEASE....... Years of teasing me. They were brought into my life to torment me.....

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

We'll give it a go and see what happens. I have no idea how to start since she only really babbles and says very few words (she can say some, but only repeating after someone).

Who knows... maybe she'll be 100% trained by our trip! Then I won't have to go back on my "word" - I told DS he could only go to WDW 1 time in diapers...

 

[princessmom29]

Yes I agree...that Dr (can't remember his name) is pretty spot on. Most kids were trained by age 2 back in the day. I am almost 30 and when I was in daycare you couldn't move out of the "baby" area until you were potty trained. Most kids were out of there by age 2. Nowadays everyone waits too long! My son was the ONLY child in his 2 1/2-3 year old class who was potty trained. There definitely is a small window to train them in relatively painless. I say if she is showing interest, give it a try! Worst case scenario is she isn't ready and then you back off. It won't harm her at all!

I had to fight tooth and nail with my daycare to get them to even attempt to help me train DD before 2 1/2. They were really not al lthat helpful either. If she didn't ask to go they didn't take her, and they insisted if she had pullups they be ope on the sides like diapers so they could just change her as normal. I wanted to chjnage, but in the very small town where we were at the time there was nowhere else. I just don't get denying a child that is obviously ready. My DD was ready at 20 months, and was going at home consistently, but and they wouldn't even consider it before she turned 2.

 

[bumbershoot]

Who knows... maybe she'll be 100% trained by our trip! Then I won't have to go back on my "word" - I told DS he could only go to WDW 1 time in diapers...

Just be aware that it might make bathroom trips much much more urgent.


DS didn't learn that young, and honestly I held him back b/c I was too lazy, but once he was done with dipes, he did NOT want to be back in them. Not even the bumkins training pants as a just in case measure. So there were many times that we had to book it to the bathroom, while his "holding" skills caught up with his "I hate diapers" feelings.

We actually did help him out at the start...he got rotavirus the second time (once his first year, once his second, joy oh joy!) and it was just too gross to think about the dipes, so we bought a Baby Bjorn Little Potty and let him sit on that instead. He never actually did it while having rota (and thank goodness, because we were NOT thinking that one through!), but aftewards he was intrigued. My friends thought I was nuts; thought I was "training" him to poop while in the living room (b/c that's where the little potty was), but it all worked out.


If you want to read more about early learning (you're not training her, after all), find info on Elimination Communication.

 

[palpluto]

She is young, but I think it is definately easier in the 18 mos-28 mos age than older when they become more opinionated and have had months of learning to ignore the natural signs ( and poop) during the window of opportunity. I have potty trained 8 kids- 7 very easy at ages 19-27 mos, 1 tough-3+.
My recommendation- if you are going to do it- do it- no back and forth. I used a slightly modified version of "potty training in a day" and except for the 3 yr old it was a done deal in a week or so.
I've had friends say " Billy was 3.5. I waited til he was ready and in 6 weeks he was done. It was that fast cuz he was ready." Fast?
Potty training never seemed to be such a big issue- and did not take months when I had my first (in college). Most were done when they were 2. With my youngest (in K), it seems like hardly anyone is done at 2 and it is the biggest topic and a really big deal. I think there is a connection there.
Good luck!

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Thanks for all the things to think about everyone!

I sat DD on the potty a few times tonight, but to no avail! She went and hid to poop tonight... she has to know what is going on!

I think I'm going to stick with it and stick hard. Who knows where we'll end up?!?!?

 

[tartemis]

Thanks for all the things to think about everyone!

I sat DD on the potty a few times tonight, but to no avail! She went and hid to poop tonight... she has to know what is going on!

I think I'm going to stick with it and stick hard. Who knows where we'll end up?!?!?

Definitely keep pushing it. I made the mistake of NOT pushing it when I was in your situation. DD#1 when she was about 16 months was totally into going potty and would voluntarily go a few times a day on the potty. I, too, thought she was training herself and I didn't want to push it (since that seemed to be the general recommendation). About a month later she wanted nothing to do with it. We finally got her potty trained at 26 months --- but I know that we could have done it back when she initially expressed interest.

Amazingly, in my DD's preschool classroom for 2 1/2 to 3 year olds she is one of only 4 (out of a total of 16) that are potty trained. I do think that people are waiting too long these days to train. As others have mentioned, a generation ago we were all trained before 2.

 

[patchchild]

Go for the early potty training!!! DS should have potty trained at 18 months but we were in such a crazy time that we waited until life settled down at 24 months. Lots of naked time, and no stress at accidents. Just visit the potty often, bring a book, and drink a whole lot.

 

[jstouder]

I say potty train early. I'm in the midst of potty training my 29 month old. Kicking myself in the butt for not doing it this past fall. It's going to take a lot longer now.

Good luck!!

 

[PrncessA]

I am in the middle of trying to potty train my almost 3 year old daughter right now and it is a nightmare! She has absolutly NO ambition to use the potty. We have tried rewards, letting her pick out her own big girl panties and a "potty party" but she will not do it. We have decided to not put pressure on her and she will come around on her own, hopefully.

DS was almost 4 when he was completely potty trained in one day. He was very resistant on the idea and so we stopped pushing him. One morning he woke up and wanted his big boy underware and he was potty trained. No more diapers ever. He has only ever had a handful of accidents (2 while at Disney and not wanting to "miss" anything). I am hoping DD comes to this desicion quickly!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

My DD was around 18 months when she started showing a real interest in the potty. But the interest came and went, we never really pressured her but did encourage and try all the tricks. Books to look at while she used the bathroom, easy pull up pants, training underwear around the house. She was potty trained for #2 by 2.5 but wasn't completely accident free for #1 until her 3rd birthday. I must admit it seemed to take forever because she started so early Some days she'd be accident free, other days she'd have 6 accidents in a row Oh well seems a distant memory now

 

[MarriedToAPrince]

I might sound like the odd man out here, but if she doesn't want to use the potty I wouldn't push her. She might not be ready. My DD was showing signs around 17 months and we tried but she wasn't ready and I wasn't going to push her. We tried again around 22 months and again she wasn't ready. Well a few days ago at 27 months she decided she was ready and wanted to use the potty. Guess what....easy as pie. No pushing needed. She tells me when she has to go and is in panties all day. I don't believe in pushing a child. I think if you wait till they are ready it will be so much easier and quicker. I don't pushing based on an age will work. I know so many parents who pushed at 22 months and did the 3 day potty training thing and their kids regressed and they had to start all over. I say follow her lead, but if she isn't ready don't force her. It will just lead to stress for both of you and make it harder on her.

 

[msmama]

I'd say if you do push it, be prepared for her to push back.

Personally, what I did when my DS was that age was, if he asked, I'd put him on (or if he was naked in the morning or before) but I never pressured him. If we pressured him, he'd throw a fit and would refuse to sit on the potty for days.

He's not trained yet (we'll try this summer) but he's not 2 yet either. He goes through periods where he loves the potty and periods where he wants nothing to do with it.

My friend pushed and is still having a heck of a time training her 3 1/2 year old.

You know your child's personality best. Is it time for her to PT or is she just curious?