Community› The Bump Message Boards› Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
New Discussion

Potty Help!

Addy1227Addy1227 member
in Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
LO is 17.5 months and he tells me when he has to go potty. He'll stop playing, come get me and go "Potty! Potty! Potty!" all the way to the bathroom. I realize he is still on the young side but since he tells me I figure I might as well start training him. The problem is he won't stay on the potty long enough to go; he'll either get up and just pee on the floor, wait until I put a new diaper on or he'll poop in the bath if it's bath time. It's getting rather frustrating. How can I get him to sit on the toilet long enough to actually go? Or is he still too young to actually grasp the concept?
Report Reply to Post

Re: Potty Help!

  • *LrCg**LrCg* member
    I've fully PT 3 of my kids (& fully PT means daytime, naps & bedtime)- they were 17 months, 15 months & 14 months old (1 boy & 2 girls- I never noticed a difference) so I do not think he's too young. 30+ years ago this age would be considered too old not to be.

    My suggestion would be to train him now because at @20 months old the no phase starts and you could have power struggles. I'd recommend naked time. Put down vinyl table cloths to cover the floors & when he starts going calmly say wait & put him on the potty. It may take him a day to learn to release on it but that's the part of learning. My 14 month old had only 1 pee on the floor accident and got it. Or do a timer method. I've done both ways. It took my kids only a few days and wasn't stressful at all. I never made them sit longer then they wanted nor did I do books/toys- the potty was to do your business & get off. I always did cold turkey and never went back to diapers.
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • *LrCg**LrCg* member
    LalaMama81 said:

    @*LrCg* I would LOVE, just LOVE to know how you night train a 14 month old. 

    My 14 month old was the EASTIEST!! The day we started PT we just put her in underwear. I use a Dappi diaper cover for naps & nighttime for the first months just in case. We take away liquid by 6:30-7pm except for the few sips when brushing teeth & bedtime is at 8pm. She wakes up @6:45-7am dry & goes. She's been trained for 6 months now & has had 1 accident but the cover contained it.

    When we PT our 17 & 15 month old we did the same with taking up liquid & a cover however we would wake them up before we went to bed @10-11 pm and they would pee & go right back to bed & wake up dry. It taught them that we except them to be dry & if needed they could go in the middle of the night. We did this for @ 1 month then stopped & they continued to wake up dry. It was rare they ever woke up asking to go (obviously they were still in cribs so we would tell them to talk into the monitor & we would come get them).

    PT at the age we did it was super easy & took just a few days. My oldest is now 5 & none of them had regression issues not with growth spurts, new siblings, etc.
    Report Reply
  • *LrCg**LrCg* member
    LalaMama81 said:

    yea, obviously your kids were developmentally & physically ready but the majority of kids are not.


    My kids have always gone to bad at 6:30/7  (so obviously no liquids after that time) and my 2.5 year old is drenched every morning. I fail to see how putting her in underwear would help. 

    I mean, I'm glad it worked for you, but I think it's really unlikely it will work for most kids. You lucked out, that is for sure! 
    I actually don't think its luck not with 3 kids. 30+ years ago the majority of kids did it without issues it was only a minority that couldn't. I've had friends do it for their kids 2 years & up & it works. Sorry your having issues.
    Report Reply
  • orangecrush32orangecrush32 member
    Honestly, I have no advice. We're struggling with DD right now. She is very interested in the bathroom & going potty. Some days she pees on it several times other days she tells me she has to go and then doesn't.

    We bought some big girl panties today but we're not planning on trying them yet. Mostly just got them so we would have them.
    Daisypath Anniversary tickers Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • ashiscuteashiscute member
    OP- At this age I wouldn't sweat it.  Try to keep all potty talk low key.  If he wants to get up there I'd sit him on the potty and try to sing a silly song to keep him up a minute or so to see if that works.  My DS is 21 mos and I know he wouldn't sit still long enough to do anything so I don't stress it.  

    Also, there is no sudden switch at 20 mos where a NO stage comes into play and potty training becomes a power struggle.  It becomes a power struggle when you force it and your LO isn't ready.  DD potty trained at 26 mos and it wasn't a power struggle.  Yes, she had accidents because she was learning something new and it's completely normal to make mistakes.  
    Report Reply
  • Addy1227Addy1227 member
    So basically if he asks, sit him on the potty, let him get up when he wants and if he happens to pee in the corner just go with, it's all part of the learning process. I think I expected too much from him since he was asking me, I figured he would just go, wishful thinking! I'll have to try some nakey time though.
    @*LrCg* That's amazing that you were able to potty train all your LO's by 18 months
    Report Reply
  • *LrCg**LrCg* member
    LalaMama81 said:
    ClaryPax said:
    LalaMama81 said:
    We aren't having issues. Lots of things about parenting have changed in 30 years. I don't think there's one particular reason kids train later now, I also think 14 months is early regardless. Like I said, putting my kid in underwear isn't magically going to night train her.
    Ours still woke up wet.  He would hold his poop until we put the diaper on at night, so every night I had a poopy diaper to change.  Eventually, and he was after 3 at this time maybe 3 years and 3 months or 4 months we did just put him in underwear.  You know what he did stop popping because there is a difference between pooping in a diaper and in underwear.  And he woke up dry.  We did go over with him every night you don't have a diaper you need to poop in your little potty etc.  

    Your 2.5 year old might not be ready, but when you are ready to try I would suggest getting a mattress protector and doing exactly that.  Its not to say that they won't have accidents because they will, but she will learn.   I also found that the wetness was from waking up and peeing in the morning, so then I have to teach them to wake up and go in the potty instead of the diaper.  Maybe that means you go in before their normal wake time and wake them yourself and have them go then put them back and see if that works.  

    Every kids is different and in some regards its a little bit trial and error.  In the meantime a good mattress protector, the zipped plastic kind is easier than the washable ones, is essential.  
    I'm not trying to be snarky, but I wasn't really asking for advice on how to PT. She will remain dry at night when she is biologically ready to do so. 


    I must have misunderstood because when you wrote "I would LOVE, just LOVE to know how you night train a 14 month old" I assumed you wanted to know how I did it.  I apologize for the misunderstanding.  Yes parenting has changed in the past 30 years but I'm not sure what that has to do with PT.  I certainly never spanked or punished any of my kids to PT.  I did however use cotton cloth diapers and put a fleece liner in them so they wouldn't feel the wetness.  When they turned 1 I took the fleece liners out and they could then feel the wetness and didn't like it at all.  It was clear from that they were connecting the process. 
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"