Early potty training and issues with #2

[Momof2princess']

Hi! I am looking for advice to help my 18 mos DD with going #2 on the potty. She is fully trained with #1 and wears panties all day everyday, but she still has accidents with #2. I refuse to put her back in diapers because she is going #1 all day and when I have put her in diapers she will just go in them, vs if she is in panties she will go on the potty. Any tips to help get her to recognize #2? We leave for DW in 70 days and i'd love for her to have #2 down by then. Thanks in advance!

 

[jp'smommy]

I can't help with that so much. DS (18 months) just started going #2 last week. Still not showing interest with #1. I had not even said a word to him about the potty. When he told us everyday for a week baby poopoo then went in the next few minutes So...I he has gone everytime with no accidents. I am hoping that when we leave in 71 days we will have #1 down also. And to think before last week I was thinking that we would begin potty training after Disney! How did you get DD to start going # 1 on the potty?

 

[adventure_woman]

How did you train your 18 mth old to go on the potty!?!? That is awesome...my DD is 14 mths (and I can't imagine her going on the potty in 4 mths). Any hints you want to share?

 

[mom2princesss]

18 mos is incredibly young for potty training. Most children are much closer to 3 before they even begin learning to use the potty.

Honestly, I would put her in pull-ups and save you both the frustration. There isn't anything you can do to force the issue and trying will likely make her regress completely. Especially with a Disney trip, pull-ups would be much safer all around since she is so young and can be easily distracted and over excited in Disney and likely to have accidents.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I think keep going the way you are going and not putting her in pull ups or diapers at this point. She will get it. Summer is the best time for training, less clothes to change.

 

[Mama Who]

An 18 month old is not always physically capable of bowel and sphincter control. It's possible that you are trying to get her to do something she just can't yet. I'd suggest backing off and trying again in a couple months.

 

[tlbwriter]

Some kids are simply ready that early. But it may be that she's not physically ready for #2. I know that took a lot longer for us.

 

[Meshell2002]

R her #2's "predictable"....I put the portable DVD player in the bathroom with my 2yo and let her watch her favorite show during the time that she usually goes #2(if she gets off the pot the show goes off).....maybe since your LO is so young he is having problems recognizing the urge? I would also put the #2 in the potty in front of him and say...poo goes in the potty (u may have already done this....worth a shot) Keep at it mama I understand not wanting to put LO back in diapers....if it doesn't work out by your trip though don't stress about it.....you are far ahead of most of the toddlers! congrats

 

[GrtWtNorth]

Every time my DD goes #1, we always ask her to do #2. She usually tries. And she knows that if she doesn't, that's OK.

FYI, every kid is different. My SIL's kids (3 boys) all pretty much trained themselves by age 2, skipping from diapers to underwear without any pull-ups. My sisters kids (3 boys) were each nearly 4 by the time they stopped hiding to go #2 in their pants. #1 was no problem, but #2 was a challenge with each boy.

With DD, we started putting her on the toilet (never a potty) before and after every meal, before and after every trip, and before and after her bath, starting around age 2. She only started telling us "I have to go" around 2-1/4 years. We didn't fight with her about it (we moved and didn't want to add further stress), we just asked until it got to the point where she would automatically head to the bathroom before putting on her shoes and jacket to go outside. At 2-1/2, she only wore pull-ups for nap time, nights, and long drives. We stopped buying pull-ups when she stopped wetting her pull-up at night. When they ran out (about a month later), she started sleeping in underwear. She fully transitioned to underwear before her 3rd birthday. And she doesn't ask for our help when she goes any more. It's a partial victory -- she's had a couple pairs of underwear with "racing stripes" from ineffective wiping... But I'd rather deal with that than a full load in a pull-up.

 

[Momof2princess']

meshell2002 - thanks for the suggestion. I will have to try making that physical connection. I haven't thought of it before.
As for how I got her trained, lets see. At 14 mos she was waking up dry in the morning (a sign of bladder control) at 16 mos I started putting her on the potty when she woke up. She went a couple times and I didn't push it. At 17 mos she started bringing me the potty seat and when I would put her on it she would go. When she hit 18 mos (2 weeks ago) we did potty training boot camp where we stayed in the kitchen. She was given lots of praise whenever she went on the potty and when she doesn't make it she helps clean up the mess and we say thats ok, next time it goes in the potty. Now 2 weeks later she is having no accidents (except #2) and is in panties all day and night. I am not stressing the fact that she isn't going #2 yet, I am just looking for things that have worked to help other kiddos connect the sensations.
Please keep the ideas coming!

 

[GinnyEmma]

You can't MAKE a child ready to control their bowels.

 

[jp'smommy]

I am going to try putting him on the potty in the mornings and before shower time and see how that works out and go from there. If he is only going #2 in the potty I am thrilled with that! As I am sure you are with your DD going at least #1. Good luck! Where are you staying for your trip?

 

[mjkacmom]

Lots and lots of kids pee train before poop train. I had one with a year gap between the 2 events. When he had to poop, he'd get me a diaper, I'd put it on, and then change him, and put underwear back on. She'll get it when she's ready. Make sure you don't get into any withholding issues, which can cause permanant bowel damage!

 

[princessmom29]

An 18 month old is not always physically capable of bowel and sphincter control. It's possible that you are trying to get her to do something she just can't yet. I'd suggest backing off and trying again in a couple months.

Not in my experience. Most children in my family have started training at 18-20 months and are fully trained by 2- 2 1/2. Many parents don't start that early, but there is NO reason they cannot. Some kids may not be ready, but many, many ARE.

 

[princessmom29]

You can't MAKE a child ready to control their bowels.

No, you can't, but when a child is telling you they need to go poop, and then going, or giving you time to put a diaper on before they go, they ARE controlling thier bowels which means they COULD do that in the potty just as well as the diaper.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

DD was potty trained at 12-14 months. The term "early" is very American. Most other countries start potty training as soon as kids can walk. You just have to take the time to do it. It's actually better to do it early before they can refuse. It is a VERY American idea to keep a child in a diaper till 3.

At 18 months DD says "going poop" and walks to the bathroom. She no longer lets us know about just "pee-pee". But I started introducing the toilet right when she started walking which was 9 months I think.

OP- I would think going back to having her sit on the pot every hour would help with the" poop" recognition. I never differentiated the two feelings until about 4 months ago everything was " Go potty" After a poo I would say YOU WENT POOP AWESOME! After pee i would say You went pee and then gave her a sticker and a high five. She then made the connection. Hope that helps. I would still go to pull ups on vacation if she hasn't connected it by then.

 

[princessmom29]

DD was potty trained at 12-14 months. The term early is very American. Most other countried start potty training as soon as kids can walk. You just have to take the time to do it. It's actually better to do it early before they can refuse. It is a VERY American idea to keep a child in a diaper till 3.

At 18 months DD says "going poop" and walks to the bathroom. She no longer lets us know about just "pee-pee". But I started introducing the toilet right when she started walking which was 9 months I think.

OP- I would think going back to having her sit on the pot every hour would help with the" poop" recognition. I never differentiated the two feelings until about 4 months ago everything was " Go potty" After a poo I would say YOU WENT POOP AWESOME! After pee i would say You went pee and then gave her a sticker and a high five. She then made the connection. Hope that helps. I would still go to pull ups on vacation if she hasn't connected it by then.

ITA. Other cultures have been potty training sucessfully WELL before age three for centuries. In most cases it is NOT a developmental issue, but a social norm that keeps 3 year olds in diapers.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

ITA. Other cultures have been potty training sucessfully WELL before age three for centuries. In most cases it is NOT a developmental issue, but a social norm that keeps 3 year olds in diapers.

People, other than my mother who trained me at 12-16 months, thought I was CRAZY for starting so early.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

You can't MAKE a child ready to control their bowels.

Actually yes that is what potty training is. You are teaching your child to use their muscles to hold their waste until they get to a bowel. The problem is that most parents don't want to take the time early on because someone told them it is pointless or a hassle. We allow or kids to pollute the earth with an extra 2 years worth of diapers simply because we are lazy IMHO.

 

[princessmom29]

People, other than my mother who trained me at 12-16 months, thought I was CRAZY for starting so early.

We got SERIOUS resistance form the day care to starting our DD early. They believed it would never work. I had her pee trained at home by about 20 months, but the DC wouldn't even consider taking her to the potty until she was at least 2. She would have been trained much earlier if I had gotten more support form daycare. As I said, eveyone in our family trains early, and most are fully trained by 2, 2 /2 at the very latest. My niece just turning 2 this week, and only wears diapers in the pool!