Potty training sooner or later?

Question

I have heard two very different ideas about potty training, both from very trusted sources. First is that you need to wait until the child is clearly ready, which usually happens around 3 years old. The other is that children can be potty trained much earlier if *mom* decides it's time.

What has been your experience? Potty training right before preschool age, or closer to 18 months? What have you found that works and doesn't work?

Answer 1

Well I started getting my son use to the potty around 14 months and just let him sit on it and get use to it and then when he turned 2 we started potty training and he was fully potty trained with in 1 month with no accidents!!  I made him sit on it for hours while we read books watch movies played games ect..  and when he would go I would praise like no tomorrow!!  Then once he got what he was suppose to do we kept the potty in the same room as us and left the diaper off and I would ask him like every 5 min if he needed to go and when he did I would praise.  Then I just kept moving the potty closer and closer to the bathroom and we would use the pottys at the same time so he wanted to use the big potty after he saw me.   Well good luck with all that!  My only tip I can give you is be consistent  or it will never get done!!!

Answer 2

At 18mos my daughter started showing interest in the potty so we got her a chair and she would go when I went by 2  she was going on her own

Answer 3

Sooner

I am not really into "the child will do it when he is ready"  Children have to be taught.  You can't say well he'll go to school when he is ready, he will read when he is ready, he will clean his room he is ready.  See how the logic does not really add up?  Anyways toddlers go through stages.  At around 18 months they are wanting to please you.  After two, they get more of their own mind and could care less if you want them to go potty or not.

Answer 4

I have a 2year old and we are just trying it out now. She seems to be doing well with it but it is an occasional thing! I don't push it on her I let her come to me at this point. When your child is ready they will tell you that they have to go potty, also they will start taking an interest in when you are using the bathroom and what you are doing. There is no magic age for this but if you have the time and patience then I believe the time is right for you to start trying! Buy a potty chair and let your child get aquainted with it first then see how it goes! Good luck to you....

Answer 5

You can always start putting the idea out there but trying to implement it before the child is ready is only going to cause you frustration. I think 18 months is a little early to expect them to remember to sit and p**p and most pre schools want kids potty trained prior so in between those ages is the best time to test the waters.

Answer 6

our son was potty trained at 2 and was fully out of nappies in two weeks

Answer 7

My daughter is just a year next week and I have already introduced some ideas of potty training. We got her a potty that sits in the bathroom, and when I go pee I bring her and sit her on her potty, sometimes bare hinney (she may coincedentally go!). I will not "force" potty training, but I do NOT believe in waiting for a child to turn three and be "ready". Children are diaper trained to begin with, so why not undo that as early as possible? I think as long as you dont have overly high expectations and dont use harsh language or anything hurtful to their feelings then there is no reason not to start as soon as they are about 1. Once my daughter is closer to 18 months I will truly begin the potty training process, but I encourage her exploartion of it already!

Answer 8

My daughter is 19 months, and I just bought a potty chair. She will sit on it, and say "Pee pee", but has no interest in actually going in it.

I plan on not rushing her, and letting her decide when and at what age she wants to potty train.

She *does* have the signs of being ready, such as telling me when she goes, and taking her diaper off as soon as it is soiled. However, having signs and being ready are two very different things.

I hope she's not closer to pre-school age when she decides that going in the potty chair is actually kind of cool....LOL

Answer 9

My sons were three when they were potty trained. We introduced the idea when they were two but they wanted nothing to do with it. We tried everything even going to see the pediatrician. When they were ready it was very easy and they were trained at night as well. I am also a working mother and it was very hard to have a training routine. That is the key no matter what age.