When's a good age to start potty training my son? He's 20 months and doesn't seem interested at all yet.

Question

When's a good age to start potty training my son? He's 20 months and doesn't seem interested at all yet.

Answer 1

Whenever theyre ready... When their diaper is dry over night and they hate being in wet or dirty diapers its time! Dont worry my son is almost 3 and has yet to start either! But my mom keeps telling me "I've never heard of a kid going to kindergarden un-potty trained"! lol You cant force it or you and he will just get frustrated and it will take longer! Just remember girls are quicker then boys! Good luck!

Answer 2

Boys are usually harder than girls to potty train. When u are ready (u can start now) try a sticker chart. Every time they go to the bathroom they get a sticker (on a regular peice of paper made into a grid) and when they fill the paper up he gets a toy (like g i joe)

Answer 3

Even if he isn't showing signs, get ready so maybe he'll get curious about the whole thing.  Put his potty chair in the bathroom.  Tell  him what it's for.  Set up the rewards system, so he knows about that (and remind him from time to time).  There are lots of great books about learning to go potty.  Get one and read it to him when you do this whole big production as well.

Answer 4

He isn't interested because he's only 20 months.  That's far too early for the vast majority of toddlers.

Most kids are ready to train between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 -- sometimes a bit earlier or a bit later.  Watch for signs of readiness and interest, and when you see them, THEN you start potty training.  Trying before that point is just going to frustrate everyone, and make a task that should take a week or two drag out for months or years.

(Signs of readiness include:

Ability to stay dry for 2-3 hours at a time

Awareness of being wet/dirty, and a preference for being dry/clean.

Able to talk about using the potty.

Able to walk to the pottty and mange his own clothing with little or no help.

A wish to wear big-boy undies and be a 'big boy.'

(This last one you won't know until you try) -- The ability to control his urine/bowel movements -- to be aware of the feeling of needing to 'go', and then be able to hold it in long enough to get to the potty, then voluntarily release it.

This early, all you can do is start to 'talk up' the potty -- that when he's a big boy he will use the potty -- and do lots of other cool things that only big-boys get to do. (Slide down the slide at the playground, ride a trike, eat TWO nilla wafers for dessert at lunch time.)

Answer 5

I totally feel your pain :) My daughter was two before she was even interested. My doctor said not to force it because she would do it when she wanted. So we slowly introduced the potty, timing when she would normally do a poo and a wee. Straight after meals, big drinks, and before bed we'd sit with her in the toilet (it was painful) and then one day she just ups and goes 'Mummy I need to use the potty' lol

But in saying that we had two potty's one that sat over the toilet and a little blue one that we'd carry around the house with us. Because sometimes she just wouldn't make it to the loo :D so she'd say 'mummy I need to wee' and we'd rush the potty over :D

Just be patient, he'll do it when he wants :)

Answer 6

There are supposed to be signs that show you your child is ready, such as showing interest in the potty, telling you when they've gone in their diaper and being able to nap without peeing.

Every child is different, but if they are allowed to watch you potty, it will get them interested is well.   Plus you can make it seem fun to try themselves and if they go in the potty act like it is the greatest thing they've ever done.   This will make him want to keep using the potty.

Our pediatrician said that it is best to have kids PT by 3, and our daughter was fully PT at 27 mos.

Answer 7

i tried my son at 18mths and he wasn't ready, i didn't try again till he was 2. if he doesn't seem interested, then don't force it on him, you will just drive yourself crazy. just keep trying every once in a while, until you feel he is ready. every child is different. good luck

Answer 8

A good time is when he does show an interest!  It'll make your life a lot easier if you don't push it!  If he wants to try the potty, or if he's staying dry at naptime or long periods during the day, or if he tells you when he's wet or dirtied his diaper, that's the time to give it a try.  The earliest I've potty-trained so far is 2 1/2.  It's much nicer to start when they're ready and within a few weeks have them independent with peeing.  I don't see much advantage to potty-training earlier if I"m going to spend months dealing with it and have to help them constantly with pulling things up and down.  I have four children, three of which are potty-trained.

Answer 9

My doc told me to intorduce the potty first, if your using a potty chair. I have a girl who is the same age and she comes into the bathroom with me and I tell her what I'm doing and so on. Your son will probably have an easier time going sitting down in the beginning so if you show him what is supposed to be done he might become interested.

Answer 10

Somewhere between 2 and 3 1/2.  My sons potty trained quickly when they watched themselves peeing. Seeing the urine connected what they felt internally so they developed control. I researched and found a very sturdy stool with sides for the toilet so they could safely stand to pee. http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Child-Corpor...

This stool made all the difference and was well worth it. Hope this helps.

Answer 11

Start now. Parents hear that children need to show signs, but by that age children are afraid to sit on the potty or just refuse. For over 22 years I have been potty training children. I start putting them on a regular toilet, using a potty insert, at the age of 1 to 1.5. At this age you are not expecting them to go on the potty, but getting them used to a good routine and used to sitting on the potty. Beleive it or not every child the first or second time they are put on will go on the potty. All of my kids have been potty trained during the day and yes that means in underwear without having accidents by 2.5 years old. I have potty trained downs children, developmentally delayed and autistic children just to name a few and even the delayed child will potty train before 3 years old, sometimes they are closer to 3 before they train. However; if you wait until over 2 to even start then you may not have a coopertive child. Right now I have a 16 month old and she has been sitting on the potty since 1, her first time sitting she went pee, within a week she had her first bm. She has gone bm 4 times since turning 1, she goes pee each and everytime you put her on. When she has a bm in her diaper she will tell you at times, or she walks back to the bathroom. I just finished potty train two other children. The girl is 2 years and 5 months she has been in underwear day and night for 2 months and has only had 2 accidents since the underwear. The other child is a boy aged 2 years and 2 months h has been in underwear during the day 3 months, he has had many accidents over these 3 months, but for the last month he has only had 1 accident, his mom just had her second son in May and during the first few weeks with the new baby was when he had most of his accidents at home. At child care he has only had 1 accident since he went into underwear. At night he still needs a diaper or pull-up.

Answer 12

I have three children and one on the way. My two girls were fairly easy. My boy was more difficult. The only thing really to do is to introduce it. Make it a game, give him a treat, make it exciting, then maybe he will be interested. When starts to be interested, have him get on the potty at least every 15 minutes if possible. I trained my boy on the big potty because he felt like a big boy then and it was much easier. Just don't yell and spank when they make an accident. That doesn't teach them.

Answer 13

My son is almost 3 and he peed on the potty for the 1st time on his 2nd bday.  But then but showed no interest afterwards. Pediatrician said that the mind and body doesn't "click" until after 2 even closer to 3 yrs old.  Meaning they sometimes don't know that they feel like they have to go, it just happens.  So if that's the case, they suggested it's not worth trying too soon because it'll be a huge struggle - for months, then it'll just click - so you might as well wait until you see the signs and they understand a bit more.  I agree the signs are, being dry after nap and them telling you when they need a diaper change.  Whenever you start, just keep in mind it's a full time job.  You need to ask them every 1/2 hour to "try".  Just so they get the hang of it.  Once they're trained fully and you're out running errands, they're going to "have to go to the bathroom" in almost every store you're in!!!  Sometimes it's real, sometimes "false alarms".  You'll learn very quickly where all your local retail restrooms are!!!  LOL  Good Luck!!!

Answer 14

My son is 17 months, I bought him a potty, it's in the bathroom next to our potty, we take him in there when we go potty and sit him on it with a book, a PT book in fact.  Now he climbs on it himself.  He has no desire to actually pee in it, but we figure if he likes the potty then in 6 months or so, when we do start, he won't be afraid of it.

All kids are different, I have done a lot of reading about it.  As long as he is trained around 3, you are in good shape.  Plus I heard that boys take a little longer.  Not sure if that is true.  

I wouldn't push it.  I know some one, her son was really interested in the potty and she thought he was too young to train, GO FIGURE!!  Now, he wants nothing to do with it.

Good Luck!!