possible to miss potty training window?

mobiz

DS will be 3 in june. i haven't pushed potty training at all, just let him go at his own pace. so far he requests to go either #1/#2 on his own maybe once every other day.  So he's doing really well and gets the concept. I don't want to force him, so we could continue on like this for awhile (LO #2 is due in june as well so there will be a time of transition then).  Or should I be getting aggressive right now to take advantage of his interest? I don't care if he's potty trained yet, but i'm scared if i wait too long I could miss a window and he won't be into it anymore.

Anyone have a child that missed a window? Or how would you handle this?

franciscaz

I personally don't believe one bit you have missed a window.  There are ton of us whose children didn't potty train till after three.  Harm had zero interest but I always made the rewards very clear (this is the one time I believe strongly in child bribery so peeing on the potty meant wearing really cool Cars/Princess PullUps and pooping meant twizzlers and big boy/girl underwear). 

Harm got interested about two months after her turned three and it took him about three weeks too fully trained (we mastered pee than moved to poop).  Rachel was a lot younger.  She got interested a couple of weeks ago and is now officially trained [going all day no accidents and in underwear].  

I don't believe in pushing kids.  I do know many who have done the "3 day method" and for some it has worked.  With a new baby nearing I probably wouldn't try to push anything but if the 3 day method or your child was apt to wanting it with rewards it doesn't hurt to try.  

LucyPevensie

I swear I am not making fun of you but in reading title of your post I couldn't help but think, "yes! and if you miss it - they go to HIGH SCHOOL in DIAPERS!"  lol kidding of course - don't sweat it.  It's when he's ready and when YOU'RE ready.  I waited until the holidays - right after my son turned 3 - because I had 2 weeks off - so we got rockin' and we're doing great.  Was he "ready" before?  Yeah.  But I didn't have time!  At the holidays - I did.  He's 100 percent peeing in potty - asking for a pull-up to poop in (this is fine for us for now - he got scared off pooping in the potty, long story - we'll get there) - and he is upstairs sleeping in underpants right now!  It's fine, you're fine - he will be potty trained.  Go for it when it makes sense for all of you.

rsd12

It could make it easier on both of you too. The less stressed you both are on it happening ; ) I pt'ed my oldest at 2 yrs 9 months, and it took just a few days but it took him almost a year to go #2 on the potty - but never had an accident (being older I think helped with this). I pt'ed my younger boys at 25 months and 27 months. The middle one was ready at 18 months, but like you I was pregnant and just not ready. He pt'ed in just a few days with both, and only had a few accidents. He was really ready. With my youngest, I was more ready than he was ; ), but he was showing some signs. He definitely has had the most accidents. But he disliked being in a wet diaper or training pant and wakes up dry from naps and bedtime... so I had to run with it... but it took me 3 months to really commit to it and that made a difference.

RoxBride

With our niece, they waited for signs of readiness, and didn't go for it until 3 1/2. It was a disaster and she wasn't trained until almost 5. By 3 1/2 she was in total I WANT TO BE IN CONTROL MODE and not going on the potty was a perfect way to show her parents she was in control. She was also past the age of being easily bribed or placated with cheering. In her case, yeah, they missed a window.

jlw2505

I don't believe there is a window or you can miss your chance.  You can't force a child to be potty trained before they are ready.  When kids are ready to be trained, they will do it.  My younger DD is a perfect example of that.  She wanted to be like her big sis and wanted to wear undies at 16 months - she was so not ready and would do great at times and then just not care most of the time.  We went back and forth with it for a long time - around a year plus in total.  When she wanted to be trained, she did great.  When she didn't, she had accidents.  I never did anything different and I didn't push.  A few weeks before her 3rd birthday, she decided she as done with diapers/pull-ups during the day and that was that.  Never looked back.  She just night trained about a month or two ago (she turns 4 in 2 weeks) and again, I didn't push it at all as you can't train at night, it just happens when I child matures enough for it.  She has not had an accident since she stopped wearing pull-ups to bed.  I personally would let your child take the lead, especially with a new baby on the way.  I would ask when you change diapers if he has to go and if he wants to use the potty but leave it at that.  I never used a potty chair, just had a potty ring in the bathroom along with a stool and when interested, my kids used it.

futrkingsley

RoxBride:

With our niece, they waited for signs of readiness, and didn't go for it until 3 1/2. It was a disaster and she wasn't trained until almost 5. By 3 1/2 she was in total I WANT TO BE IN CONTROL MODE and not going on the potty was a perfect way to show her parents she was in control. She was also past the age of being easily bribed or placated with cheering. In her case, yeah, they missed a window.

I was going to post almost the EXACT same thing but about my nephew.  Hooboy was that a disaster to witness.  He is 2.5 years older than my DS and he mastered poop on the potty (instead of in a pull up) a few weeks earlier than my DS.  Seriously. And I waited on pushing DS well past the point when I thought he'd master it on his own given his interest, ability to hold it, ability to identify when he needed to go, etc.  I finally pushed when I did so that I wouldn't have to battle a seriously willfull toddler over the potty.  And it worked.  And would so not have worked had I waited as he lost his little mind six weeks after turning three and every single thing in our day became a battle.

So yes, there is a window, and you would be wise to find an otherwise calm time for your kid and do it then and not attempt it in a period that is already stormy.

Temp6313048411121614

Are you only putting him on the potty when he asks to be there?  I would just try to make it part of the routine that he sits on the potty (or stands he's able to stand yet) as soon as he gets up, before laying down, before getting into the bath, and maybe once or twice more throughtout the day.  Just because he sits/stands there doesn't mean that he will pee/poop, but maybe setting up a routine will bring it to his mind more, he may not even think about asking most of the time.  Just a thought.

NicholeeK

I am positive I missed a window with DS.  He was pooping and peeing on the potty at 2 years, 9 months with pretty much no prompting from me.  He was going through a naked phase and if he had to go, he tried really hard to always go on the potty. But I was sick and exhausted during my first tri and just couldn't act on it.  I tried a couple of weeks ago to PT and he screamed "NO POTTY!" at me.  He refuses anything to do with it.  So, right now, we are waiting for another window, which I fully believe will present itself.  It would have been so easy then and I believe it will be easy again when the time comes.