When did you start potty-training your child?

[Jenvenza]

My DD just turned 14 months old today and I didnt think we would be potty-training until next year sometime, but now I am wondering if I should start sooner. This past week, everytime she is about to poop, she comes over to us and points to her diaper. Then she poops. She is letting us know everytime that she is about to do it. My mom was amazed this weekend that she was doing this at such a young age and thought maybe we should get her a little potty. I think it is probably way too young to start, but this is my 1st child, so I am not sure.

What ages were your kids when you started potty training and when they we fully trained? And do you think this is too young to start?

 

[mjkacmom]

I've trained at 2 1/2 and 3, and 2 1/2 was much easier. At 14 months, I'd wait for more solid communication skills. Believe it or not, it's sometimes a lot easier having them in diapers!

 

[TheDizMom]

That's a toughy. It is really going to depend on your child and I think generally girls are easier then boys and are ready earlier. My DS was started at about 3 and took until pretty close to 4 to get everything down (the pooping took forever ). My DD we started at about 2 1/2. She was done by a little shy of 3 1/2, however at almost 8 we still can't stay dry at night except for once in a blue moon . If you think your child might be ready give it a try and see how it goes. If not to well wait and try again in a few months. Lastly be patient. I know I was always saying the wrong thing and getting frustrated with both my kids, since they each had different issues. So try not to do that. It's hard trust me , but as they say no kid ever went to kindergarten in diapers .

 

[Jenvenza]

I have heard girls were easier than boys, too. I think it is still too early, but I was just so amazed that she was letting us know that already! Maybe I will get lucky and she will be a breeze to potty-train!

 

[Alesia]

If she seems ready, go ahead and try it. You shouldn't push the issue, but it isn't a bad idea to introduce it and see what happens.

There is no "right time" to potty train. They will learn when they're ready, regardless of age.

 

[Stasieki]

I have a DD I am currently lightly training. She showed an interested around 14 months, too, so I got a training potty. Then, it collected dust until recently (I didn't push it). She is now 2.5 and it is now starting to fully click. She hasn't gone #2 yet, but am hoping she will soon. I want to put her in a pre school next Sept that required they be potty trained so come Spring I will push a lot more - she turns 3 in Feb so would hope she will be more consistent or maybe I am not pushing it.

 

[Jenvenza]

If she seems ready, go ahead and try it. You shouldn't push the issue, but it isn't a bad idea to introduce it and see what happens.

There is no "right time" to potty train. They will learn when they're ready, regardless of age.

I definitely wont push the issue. She is only 14 months, so I am not in a hurry yet. I guess it cant hurt to try though and if nothing happens, then that is fine!

I have a DD I am currently lightly training. She showed an interested around 14 months, too, so I got a training potty. Then, it collected dust until recently (I didn't push it). She is now 2.5 and it is now starting to fully click. She hasn't gone #2 yet, but am hoping she will soon. I want to put her in a pre school next Sept that required they be potty trained so come Spring I will push a lot more - she turns 3 in Feb so would hope she will be more consistent or maybe I am not pushing it.

See, that is what I think would happen to. I get a potty and then nothing, so I doubt we will. It doesnt seem like anyone has potty trained under 2 so far anyway.

 

[Camping Cat]

I know they used to push for potty training much earlier but I think all that did was to confuse the child and frustrate the parents. My ex son-in-law (when he began getting visitation rights again) asked us when she was 16 months old if our granddaughter was potty trained yet. When we said no, he was shocked and stated that he was completely potty trained at 16 months. Well, so what? Times have changed.

We bought her a Potty Time with Elmo book when she was around 2 and brought out the potty chair around that same time and placed it in the bathroom. She loved the book and showed a little interest in the potty but not that much. We would ask her if she wanted to sit on the potty like Elmo and sometimes she would. At 2 1/2 we started having her sit on the potty every night at bedtime just before her last diaper change of the night. She was so pleased with herself when she would pee in the potty. It became a nightly ritual. About a month or so ago, we started having her go on the potty first thing in the morning also. About that time, she started wanting to go on the big toilet instead of the potty chair, so we were progressing. Last week, we went to pull-ups during the day and a diaper at night. It's working out pretty well. Every couple of hours, I tell her that it's time to use the potty and we try. A few times now, the pull-up has been dry. She still isn't interested in pooping in the potty. She did it once, and even though she will tell us beforehand when she needs to go, she says no most of the time to pooping in the potty. I know that in time, it will happen.

I want to share a piece of advice that my mil gave me. She raised 8 kids so she knows what works and what doesn't. She told me that some children are afraid of the toilet because they feel off balance and unprotected facing the front. So she suggested we try having her face the back of the toilet so she has something to hold onto and brace herself against. It was a wonderful suggestion and is working out great.

 

[powellrj]

You need to ask some older people. Seriously, kids were potty trained at that age 30 years ago.

I know many people don't agree with him, but Dr. Rosemond is a huge believer in early potty training. Here is one of his articles.

http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/1006fam_toilettrained06.html

I voted 24 months and under because my oldest was trained at 15 months, my next was over 24 months and my youngest was right at 24 months, so I took an average!

My oldest is 25 and it was pretty standard that all kids were trained by 2 when he was a baby. My youngest is 12 and the age has gotten older and older since then.

I would go for it if she seems ready.

 

[Jenvenza]

You need to ask some older people. Seriously, kids were potty trained at that age 30 years ago.

I know many people don't agree with him, but Dr. Rosemond is a huge believer in early potty training. Here is one of his articles.

http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/1006fam_toilettrained06.html

I voted 24 months and under because my oldest was trained at 15 months, my next was over 24 months and my youngest was right at 24 months, so I took an average!

My oldest is 25 and it was pretty standard that all kids were trained by 2 when he was a baby. My youngest is 12 and the age has gotten older and older since then.

I would go for it if she seems ready.

I does seem like kids were potty-trained earlier 30 years ago. My mother said I was before I turned 2, so I think she thought my DD might be ready as well.

Thanks for the link - I will definitely check that out!!

 

[Survivor:Disney]

My daughter did the same thing as yours! Then like a pp, she lost interest for a few months and now we are trying again. She is 2.5. We literally have been potty-training for a whole year now!! I didn't push her, but let her use the potty when she wanted when she was younger. Now I am thinking that maybe I should not have encouraged her, because some of my friends whose children are the same age seem to be having an easier time with it and have just been introduced to the potty! I am in the same boat as you, so don't stop buying diapers yet!!

 

[An_Island_Girl]

We were diaper free right at 18 months with out DD4. I think because I was always home with her alone, it was much easier.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

There is no harm in buying a potty and some books about using the potty, but I doubt you will have much success. She has to be willing to sit, bare bottom, ON the potty and do her thing. That is very different than pointing and going in the diaper. She also needs to be able to alert you when she is about to wet, and she needs to be able "hold it" for at least a few minutes in case she needs to go when you are not right next to the potty.

I have potty trained 3 little girls, and they were all around 28 mos. when we started. By 5 or 6 weeks into it they were clean and dry 100% during the day. Nights took a little longer. I am a nanny, and all 3 girls were from different families so that seems to just be a good time to learn to use the potty.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

We bought a potty seat (on a regular toilet) at 14 months for DD... 1 day later she started using it and never stopped. Her diapers were still wet then, so we didn't go straight to underwear and didn't consider her "potty training" yet. At 17 months, she was waking up dry from naps and sometimes dry when we went (we put her on the potty every time we changed her diaper), so we put away the diapers and put on the underwear. At 20 months, she's pretty much trained during the day (we're in a slight regression at nap right now, but I think it's because she's sleeping more due to her allergies... not sure on that one ). We did have a regression at 19 months when we went away for two days and used pullups to avoid accidents - BAD IDEA!!! She totally figured out they are JUST like diapers and realized she could pee in them, forgetting all she had learned. It took a couple of weeks to get back, but she's okay now, but I SO wish we had never used the pullups (although we do use pullups at night, her "night night underwear"). Anyway, my point is that it totally depends on the kid... it certainly can't hurt to have a potty available and offer if she wants to sit on it - if nothing happens, no big deal because it'll happen eventually, but if it does, it rocks.

(oh, and I do agree with pp's that kids used to train earlier... I personally think it has a lot to do with our diapers - disposable and cloth - getting better, more absorbant, and kids aren't as uncomfortable in wet diapers)

 

[mom2princessj]

I started way too early with DD and it took FOREVER to get her trained. She was 2 years 8 mos fully trained. It will happen when the child is ready and definitely not before so if your child is showing signs introduce the potty but don't push it as all it will lead to is your frustration along with your child's. My ds is 3.5 and for the most part he is day trained. He has yet to stay dry over night so we are still working on that. I started him right before he turned 3...my ped told me to have higher expectations may be a disappointment since most boys train between 3-4. It was frustrating but he also did it when he was ready on his terms so after training two I'm a firm believer that when the child is ready it will take no time at all to get done!

 

[allyphoe]

Mine acted similarly at right around that age, and I was sure she'd train early.

If she'd had a different personality, I suspect she could have been in underwear at 30 months without significant difficulty. But no. It took the bribe of preschool - I told her she couldn't go in diapers, and she went from having used the potty fewer than 5 times in her life to completely day-trained in about 24 hours. On the plus side, it took no effort on my part at all. She woke up in the morning, declared she was ready for underwear, and that was it. She turned 3 a few days later.

She's been that way about everything, though. No interest and no willingness, followed by a sudden jump to complete mastery. Walking, talking, reading - all the big stuff.

 

[sskem96]

Both of my kids were trained for #2 by 18 or 19 mos. The oldest trained for #1 around the same time, but was a bedwetter til age 8. The youngest wasn't fully trained for #1 til age 2 1/2. I really think that was because with the oldest, all the kids in her home daycare were potty training, and she just did it right along with them. With the youngest, her daycare had mostly kids in diapers, and I don't think the lady really wanted to be bothered with potty training, so she didn't have enough consistency to learn what she was supposed to do.

Personally, I believe if you wait til they're much over 2, they're so used to going in their diapers that they could care less about using the potty. If you catch them at just the right time, when they start to show awareness of what their body's doing, they will pick it up pretty quickly, and then you'll never have to worry about having a 3 year old who's too stubborn to poop in the potty! I know all kids are different, but that's been my experience.

 

[Anonomom]

I've read that there's a window between 15-18 months where it's very possible to train a toddler; after that it becomes more difficult until they're about 2.5.

That said, I know at least two moms who were really committed to having their kids trained by 18 months. They each had some success, but also tons of accidents and lots of episodes of backsliding. DD decided to use the potty when she was 28 months old, and she and the early starters arrived in about the same place at about the same time (consistently dry/clean during the day, still wet at night).

I don't think there's a right or a wrong answer here, and you seem to have a pretty good attitude about things. By all means, give it a shot. It may just work!

 

[mommy4]

I have to say that I am on my 3rd boy now and it is not easy to potty train boys. My youngest son is 3 1/2 now and we are still having ups and downs. He regresses whenever something out of routine happens. My older 2 just decided one day that they were ready and did it.
I honestly feel I waited too long for my youngest son. I should have caught him earlier before he became so stubborn!
I'm going to try to potty train my daughter younger because at 21 months she is starting to show some readiness signs.
Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[davidsprincess]

The day I went into DD's bedroom and she had removed her diaper and was putting on a pair of panties . She was 2.5. Any other time that I had tried she just was not that interested. By the end of the week she was peeing and pooping on the potty without me having to tell her to go.