Potty training

sarahjeri

thoughts on when to start?  

mcgeeva

I'm hoping to start at two before our next shows up. Daycare won't start until 2 but I think I want to try putting him on the potty this week before baths since we keep having poops in the tub. Sorry tmi

TJ1979

I've heard that when LO recognizes the need to go, and has names for pee and poop that's when to start. We are also trying to set her on the potty before baths, but she despises it.

Mr. & Mrs. Woodtick

DS is 19.5 months and we started sitting him on the potty before baths at 18 months. Sometimes he goes, sometimes he doesn't. In about two months I will start working on it with him during the day. I would like him to be done before May but I don't know if that's expecting too much.

Dragonfly1226

DS is two years and nine months. He is not potty trained. He does recognize when he has to poop. He has pooped into he potty three times but since then refuses to poop in the potty with every fiber of his being. Even if I tried to force him to sit on the potty he would hold his poop until later when he can go in his diaper. He's about fifty/fifty when it comes to peeing in the potty. Sometimes he says he has to go and will. Sometimes he doesn't want to or won't. He is very strong willed and I don't want to turn PTing into a battle so we are not forcing the issue. Maybe one weekend after the holidays we will try to put him in undies cold turkey and stay home all weekend just to see what happens. I guess my point is that even if the signs are there, until LO is ready he/she won't do it. I hope you have better luck than we are!

mcgeeva

Do you think its better to wait later for boys then girls? Two our son doesn't tell is when he goes rarely unless he was uncomfortable. He only says stinky when he poops

kbeach82

DS1 is 2 1/2 and he is not potty trained. He has peed in the potty a few times, and sometimes he does let us know when he has to go. We read the potty book (right now we actually keep it in the powder room downstairs so we can read that while he is sitting on the toilet waiting for something to happen).

Pooping is another story. He has been having constipation issues lately (thanks to his recent refusal to eat a lot of things that help in that area) and is not usually a fan of pooping in general. I do think that in general it may take boys a little longer to get the hang of it than girls. Our goal is to have him potty trained by the time he is 3, but we are not really pressing the issue right now.

Saraevh

I've only trained one child so far, but my view on it is there is no exact time to start.  Wait until she's ready.  I started plunking my daughter on the toilet every now and then when she was 2 years old.  Sometimes she'd go, sometimes she wouldn't.  When she started telling me that she had pooped and needed her diaper changed I knew it was time (she was exactly 2.5 at that time).  I ditched the diapers cold turkey and never looked back.  It took her one morning of two pee accidents and a poop accident and she was trained.  Yes.  ONE morning.  It was the easiest thing I have ever done in my life.  That was in August and the only time she has had a poop accident was when she was sick and had diarrhea and a few pee accidents once in a great while when she is so into whatever she is doing that she waits too long and then it's too late.  That can be pretty easily avoided though by a simple reminder from myself or my husband.  Sometimes if she is busy playing with her friends or whatever, I ask her if she needs to go and she tells me "no" I make her go anyway if it has been a few hours.  I think this has helped prevent more accidents from happening.    

I had read that if you do the pull-up thing during the day it will take longer, so my advice to you is when you feel she is ready, go undies and don't go back.  It should not take her more than 3 days to be trained if she is truly ready (again what I read).  

I have been watching so many friends struggle with training and I feel it's all because they started way too early.  For some reason other people feel the need to pressure Mom's and I don't know why.  On my daughter's second birthday both of my parents hasseled me about the fact that she wasn't trained yet swearing up and down I was trained before my second birthday and blah blah blah.  My daughter wasn't ready by her 2nd birthday and that was just fine.  Some kids are, some aren't ready until they are 3 or older.  Follow her lead.  You'll know when she's there.      

imoverit

I read one time that if you start training at 2 expect to be potty trained by 3, but start at 3 and expect to be potty trained by 3. Ha!!!! We have introduced PT since 18 months and he is 2 1/2 and still needs us to initiate toilet time. Its been a mess.

mcgeeva

Lots of good info! Ds is 19 months so guess just wait till he realt starts giving me signs he's ready

Cwhitaker27

We have been very lucky with PTing. From about 18 months we started putting DS on the potty just to get him used to it. We tried to do it at times we knew he had to pee/poop. Mainly in the morning when waking up and prior to bed. At that time we would use a signal word like peepee or poopoo or whatever potty word you want to use so they can associate it.
Then right before 2 (after talking to a friend who successfully PTed both her kids b4 2) I decided to try it. I psyched DS up by telling him a specific date we would start and took him to Walmart to buy big boy undies. We talked it up for a couple weeks until the set date. That morning we took off his diaper and told him no more diapers and put his undies on. It took him several days of accidents and constant watching for cues but he got it. I can proudly say DS was fully PTed even at night and nap by 26 months.

I also agree with PP's don't use pull ups! The reason underwear works is because they "feel wet" and don't like it.

I feel if your child can sit on the toilet without a breakdown and can communicate pee/poop somehow, it can be done!

Good luck!!

Mr. & Mrs. Woodtick

Cwhitaker27 said:

We have been very lucky with PTing. From about 18 months we started putting DS on the potty just to get him used to it. We tried to do it at times we knew he had to pee/poop. Mainly in the morning when waking up and prior to bed. At that time we would use a signal word like peepee or poopoo or whatever potty word you want to use so they can associate it. Then right before 2 (after talking to a friend who successfully PTed both her kids b4 2) I decided to try it. I psyched DS up by telling him a specific date we would start and took him to Walmart to buy big boy undies. We talked it up for a couple weeks until the set date. That morning we took off his diaper and told him no more diapers and put his undies on. It took him several days of accidents and constant watching for cues but he got it. I can proudly say DS was fully PTed even at night and nap by 26 months. I also agree with PP's don't use pull ups! The reason underwear works is because they "feel wet" and don't like it. I feel if your child can sit on the toilet without a breakdown and can communicate pee/poop somehow, it can be done! Good luck!!

This is what we are hoping for. Right now we if DS goes great, if he decides he doesn't want to sit on the potty, that's fine also. I just don't want it to turn into a struggle so I figure if I introduce it way before we start actually PT we will have more success. Who knows!

Hopeful1981

An acquaintance told me they potty trained both their kids (don't remember the ages at the time, sorry!) by just letting them run around the house with no pants or underwear or diaper on for a couple days.  Apparently the theory is that they won't "go" because there is nothing on them (like clothes) that feels like they can pee or poop into.  Like they won't just pee or poop being naked on the couch.  I don't really know anyone who has kids so I have no experience with this at all, but I have always remembered it and thought it was fascinating.  I might give it a try down the road (although my sofas are white so it would be a big risk lol).