Early potty training?

jani7 · June 2014

This may be a silly question. But are there any negatives to early potty training? My daughter is 17 months and we are potty training her older brother and she is really taking to using the little potty. She has peed and pooped in it a few times. I realize she has a long ways to go but I was just curious if I should keep going with it without pushing her to use it? I would have never even tried but since we have the potty for her brother I let her sit on it too.

DawnLilly · June 2014

I don't have any negatives. DS started at 18-19 months. He turned two today. He hasn't had an accident in since 20 months 2 weeks old. He is fully day trained but still wears a pull up to bed. He has been waking up dry though so well probably ditch that soon too. He's still in the crib. He doesn't have a desire to get out yet. Love the money were saving. Only negative I can think of is that he won't pee in the tub and I was cleaning the mirror during his bath. He bailed out of the tub to get on the toilet before I caught him and slipped and now has a goose egg.

=Lee=B · June 2014

Keep her in diapers but allow her to use the potty as she wants. This is setting her up for using it fully when she is a bit older.

Keep it low key and stress free. In time she will be fully ready and will be a few steps ahead by not only having watched her brother but by having had some practice.

The only negatives to early toilet training would come from pressure and too high of expectations setting her up to fail.

jani7 · June 2014

DawnLilly said:

I don't have any negatives. DS started at 18-19 months. He turned two today. He hasn't had an accident in since 20 months 2 weeks old. He is fully day trained but still wears a pull up to bed. He has been waking up dry though so well probably ditch that soon too. He's still in the crib. He doesn't have a desire to get out yet. Love the money were saving. Only negative I can think of is that he won't pee in the tub and I was cleaning the mirror during his bath. He bailed out of the tub to get on the toilet before I caught him and slipped and now has a goose egg.

Oh no, poor guy!

jani7 · June 2014

Yes I'm definitely not going to push it!! I really don't have any expectations for it, I really wouldn't have ever even considered sitting her on the potty but she wanted to after we put her brother on it.

a13049 · June 2014

My you we sister self potty trained at 17 months. She was the youngest of 4 girls, we are only 6 years part and her closest sister is 11omths older. She just started following the trend, so I see no problem with it.

At 15 months old we aren't potty training out dd but each night when we give her a bath, I take her diaper off and she reads a book while I fill her bath. The combination between chilly bathroom and shortly after dinner and running water she pees in the potty 2/3 of the time. We make a big celebration of it but that's as much as it goes. That's how a friend of one introduced potty training and eventually her son was taking of his diaper and peeing in the potty I. His own beige bath time. Then they started doing it in the morning and after meals. The kiddo took the initiative and it was very low pressure. He was potty trained at 18 months and never looked back.

Angela814 · June 2014

I potty trained mine when they started telling me when they had to go.

DD1 was 2.5 years old and right in that independent, do it myself stage. She potty trained easily and used the potty 100% by herself by at least 3 years (with the exception of occasional help wiping).

DD2 had just turned 2. She wasn't able to pull her pants down by herself yet, so I pretty much helped her with everything. She also didn't have the bladder control yet, so even if she knew she had to go, she couldn't always hold it long enough to make it to the potty. It took her longer to potty train completely, and even at 3.5 years, she was still asking me for help in the potty almost every single time. I think that if she had been older when she first showed interest in potty training, she would have been able to do more herself, so the expectation would have been there earlier.

I am hoping that DD3 doesn't show interest in potty training until at least 2.5 years. I would much rather change diapers than clean up messes, and I want to make sure she's more independent in the bathroom earlier on.

*LrCg* · June 2014

I have 3 kids and they all were fully PT "early" (daytime, naps and bedtime)- DS 17 months, DD 15 months and DD2 14 months old. They were all very easy and took just a few days (honestly we didn't have many accidents- both my girls had less then 2). We never had an regression issue either- not with addition of a new baby, preschool, growing up, etc. I always encourage "early" potty training, when I compare my experiences with my friends that did it with their 2 1/2-3 year olds and the power struggles and how long it took I'm always glad I carved just a few days out to be over and done with it.

jani7 · June 2014

*LrCg* said:

I have 3 kids and they all were fully PT "early" (daytime, naps and bedtime)- DS 17 months, DD 15 months and DD2 14 months old. They were all very easy and took just a few days (honestly we didn't have many accidents- both my girls had less then 2). We never had an regression issue either- not with addition of a new baby, preschool, growing up, etc. I always encourage "early" potty training, when I compare my experiences with my friends that did it with their 2 1/2-3 year olds and the power struggles and how long it took I'm always glad I carved just a few days out to be over and done with it.

This is interesting! I feel like she is taking better to it than her 2 (almost 3 yr old sibling). He's doing ok but there is the fact that he is being more independent as far as what HE wants to do and when he wants to do it.

musicalsilver · June 2014

As long as you're not forcing the issue, I don't see negatives.

Maybe have a look at the book, "Diaper Free Before Three". It talks about the gradual introduction of the potty - getting your child familiar with it as early as when they can sit up independently (and before they can run off!), and really going for actual potty use when they're about the age of your daughter.

It was a very quick read and might help you out!

ashiscute · June 2014

The only negative to early potty training is that chances for UTIIs is greater. It doesn't sound like your approach would make that a problem. Good luck!

*LrCg* · June 2014

jani7 said:

*LrCg* said:

I have 3 kids and they all were fully PT "early" (daytime, naps and bedtime)- DS 17 months, DD 15 months and DD2 14 months old. They were all very easy and took just a few days (honestly we didn't have many accidents- both my girls had less then 2). We never had an regression issue either- not with addition of a new baby, preschool, growing up, etc. I always encourage "early" potty training, when I compare my experiences with my friends that did it with their 2 1/2-3 year olds and the power struggles and how long it took I'm always glad I carved just a few days out to be over and done with it.

This is interesting! I feel like she is taking better to it than her 2 (almost 3 yr old sibling). He's doing ok but there is the fact that he is being more independent as far as what HE wants to do and when he wants to do it.

People think we're nuts when they hear we PT when we do but think of it this way- newborns are born not wanting to pee/poop in their pants, that's why they get fussy when they do. It's because we put them in diapers that they unlearn to stay clean. And isn't it easier to unlearn a bad habit you've only been doing for 1-1 1/2 years vs. 2 1/2- 3 years?

a13049 · June 2014

Keep putting your dd I. The potty during bath time, she will eventually get it. We have bath time right after dinner and dd is full of food and water so it's already a time she would naturally go potty. The potty chair is by a vent and the water running I think helps stimulate the urge to go. We read and book, sometimes two at first. She went a week without going and now goes more often then not. She really want to go now because we make it such a big deal. We have a potty party everytime she does. She has a potty chair that sings when she tinkles and we turn off the lights and turn on this obnoxious light and the radio and dance and blow bubbles. She has started pushing like trying to pee, so I definelty think it's a step I. The right direction and there is no pressure on her.

ashiscute · June 2014

*LrCg* said:

jani7 said:

*LrCg* said:

I have 3 kids and they all were fully PT "early" (daytime, naps and bedtime)- DS 17 months, DD 15 months and DD2 14 months old. They were all very easy and took just a few days (honestly we didn't have many accidents- both my girls had less then 2). We never had an regression issue either- not with addition of a new baby, preschool, growing up, etc. I always encourage "early" potty training, when I compare my experiences with my friends that did it with their 2 1/2-3 year olds and the power struggles and how long it took I'm always glad I carved just a few days out to be over and done with it.

This is interesting! I feel like she is taking better to it than her 2 (almost 3 yr old sibling). He's doing ok but there is the fact that he is being more independent as far as what HE wants to do and when he wants to do it.

People think we're nuts when they hear we PT when we do but think of it this way- newborns are born not wanting to pee/poop in their pants, that's why they get fussy when they do. It's because we put them in diapers that they unlearn to stay clean. And isn't it easier to unlearn a bad habit you've only been doing for 1-1 1/2 years vs. 2 1/2- 3 years?

Not all babies do this. Neither of mine ever cried for poopy diapers. And the way they make diapers now they do not even feel wet, just warm. My DD was 26 mos when we potty trained and she was still ok sitting in a poopy diaper up until then.

DawnLilly · June 2014

ashiscute said:
The only negative to early potty training is that chances for UTIIs is greater. It doesn't sound like your approach would make that a problem. Good luck!

We actually PT because I was afraid of a UTI. At 18 months he was holding it in his diaper so long I thought he was going to get and infection. 3 hours later he would be dry and I would take off his diaper expecting him to be wet and as soon as it was off he would pee on the floor.

Crequito · June 2014

No advice here because DD is 14 months but lucky you that your LO is interested! We're taking out the potty this weekend just to have it out and available and if DD decides to try it out ok, but if not no biggie. I can't wait to be out of diapers!

stever · June 2014

If she's ready then do it. I started PT'ing DS1 just before he turned 3 and it was a loooong journey to get him PT'd, but then he didn't actually show any interest in it.

After it sucking so much to train DS1 I wasn't expecting much from DS2, but he expressed an interest and has already started peeing in the potty at only 22 months.

I'm not buying the itty bitty underoos just yet, but it's a start.

Good luck!

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