Potty-training question

kelly321 · November 2012

At what age do parents in your country or area of residence usually potty-train their kids? Is it different from your home country/other point of reference? If there is a difference, what do you think accounts for it and what are you going to do?

I'm asking because it seems on TB as though most people in the US start PTing around 18ish months, give or take a few. But here in my area of Germany, my friends haven't started until 2.5-3 years. My guess is that in part it's because many children here don't start preschool until they're 3, but that's just a guess, and even one good friend whose kids went to preschool earlier didn't PT until they were 2.5. I haven't decided yet what to do, although my indecision is by default a decision to do it the German way, I suppose. :-) DD isn't showing any interest yet, so I don't feel I need to push her.

bandwife · November 2012

I'm in the UK and I would say they are earlier than the general norm back at home in Canada.

UK: around 2.

Canada: by 3.

Now my friends back in Canada mostly had girls and they all potty trained around 2. I think it was the influence of one of our European friends who's daughter pretty much potty trained herself after her 2nd birthday.

As for me, DS just turned 3 and we're not close to potty training. He had some hearing issues though and is behind in language. Our health visitor said not to push it right now as he works on language and when there is a new baby coming.

Interesting to hear that late 2, early 3 is the norm in your area.

I think it is a bit like breastfeeding/formula feeding in that there are just pockets or social circles where one is the norm. I have friends in the US and they all seem to potty train at 3.

ccip82 · November 2012

I would say the norm in my mommy group here is around 2 1/2.

I cannot wait...(although I suppose we will have another LO by that point so I foresee dealing with diapers for a long, long time)

frlcb · November 2012

I live in the US and don't know anyone who potty trained at 18 months. They may sit their kids on the potty, but they aren't actively potty training them. It is usually 2.5-3. My son was a month from 3 when we did it.

dulcemariamar1 · November 2012

From what I have seen, I agree with PP about potty training in the States.

In dont know if it is the norm but my SIL started potty training her LO when she was about 16-17 months. It just sounds like so much work to try to train them before they are ready.

kelly321 · November 2012

frlcb:
I live in the US and don't know anyone who potty trained at 18 months. They may sit their kids on the potty, but they aren't actively potty training them. It is usually 2.5-3. My son was a month from 3 when we did it.

Ok, then maybe it's just a bit of one-upsmanship on TB. :-)

My mom says I started to PT myself at 1 and was completely out of diapers at 18 months because I refused to wear them anymore. Somehow I have a hard time believing that, but she's not usually one to brag about stuff like that and has a pretty realistic view of things, so... who knows.

AmberinDenmark · November 2012

I think we will try to potty train DS next summer when he turns 2. I already told DD that it is his job. I think we will let him run around naked and water the plants.

lrn327 · November 2012

kelly321:
frlcb:
I live in the US and don't know anyone who potty trained at 18 months. They may sit their kids on the potty, but they aren't actively potty training them. It is usually 2.5-3. My son was a month from 3 when we did it.
Ok, then maybe it's just a bit of one-upsmanship on TB. :-)
My mom says I started to PT myself at 1 and was completely out of diapers at 18 months because I refused to wear them anymore. Somehow I have a hard time believing that, but she's not usually one to brag about stuff like that and has a pretty realistic view of things, so... who knows.

I think that is often the case on TB! US here, and in my DS's class (all 2 to 2.5), none are completely trained yet. Some even have no interest in sitting on the potty at all.

sucredee · November 2012

I know there are plenty of people on TB who PT early although 18 months certainly doesn't seem the norm for those people. It seems like most of the early PT are closer to 2. It also seems like there are loads of people on TB who have kids closer to 3-3.5 before they PT.

DD PT herself from one day to the next literally at 26 months. That said she had no interest in the potty at all up until that point. Go figure. I knew physically she was ready (staying dry for prolonged periods of time and most nights) but she didn't want to have anything to do with the potty (I tried the 3 day method at 25 months which was a disaster so we quit after 1.5 days). After that I just gave her lots of naked time (she turned 2 in May so that was good timing with the nice weather) and didn't do anything with the potty . One day I just told her to ask for a diaper or sit on the potty if she had to go and she chose the potty and that was it. She refused night time diapers after about 2 weeks as well

I had heard/read that closer to 2 is the optimal time because they still like to please you for the most part. At 3 they can be more defiant and thus this may make it harder to PT at that age. No idea if that is true but even at 26 months DD didn't like to be told what to do so I was hoping to get her PT before 2.5 and I lucked out. In DD's class I think about half of them are PT and they are all about 2.5.

I wonder how people used to PT in the "old days" when supposedly everyone was PT by 18 months. Maybe they just started putting their kids on the potty at a very early age (like before 1)? I don't know how old I was when I PT but I was in old fashioned cloth diapers that certainly aren't like the cloth diapers today (they didn't seem like they would be comfortable like the ones nowadays) so maybe that helped?

welshgirl · November 2012

I would definitely say the average here is 2.5, most trained closer to that than three, but some as 'late' as that, some by two like Matilda.

AmericanInOz · November 2012

the average here seems to be 2 1/2 for girls and 3 for boys

dd is 29 months and is just starting to seriously show interest in it - daycare actually just called me to tell me she took her nappy off this morning and was it ok for them to give it a try - I said go for it!!

I bought that ebook on 3 day potty training and she insists you can do it from 22 months, but I'm not a stay at home mom, and she's shy at daycare, so I wanted to wait until she was a bit older and confident enough to tell them when she has to go

BlushingMama · December 2012

DS turned 3 on 20 Dec and we potty trained on 1 Jan. That was daytime training. He turns 5 this month and we only started night time training last month, and if I am honest, I am not sure if he is ready for it yet, but DH is pushing it.

Most of my friends here started PTing between 2.5 years to 3.5 years old. And most kids that I know here start preschool not potty trained, but they only go to preschool for 3-4 hours a day anyway.

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