My Daughter Is 18Months Old Today ( When Should I Start Potty Training Her)

Updated on November 01, 2007
M.T. asks from Dallas, TX
21 answers

I am just wanting some advice on when it is ok to start potty training little girls.
she is 18months old. and she is a pretty smart girl....

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T.N.

answers from Houston on

I think you should go for it! I read a book that said you should start no later than 2 years old. I trained my daughter at 27 mos and wish I would have done it sooner. Good luck!

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K.E.

answers from Dallas on

Yes it is ok, I trained mine at 14 mos. Just don't expect the sleeping times for a while, keep a diaper for those times.

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W.R.

answers from Beaumont on

Don't break out the panties Just yet...I have 9 children and My daughter DID just so happen to potty train at 18 months. However! All children develop differently and I have learned over these past 23 years raising babies that the 18month age is More the exception and Not the Rule On average 2 years will be the time frame to begin. Of course you are asking?? so maybe YOUR wee one is like my Danielle and already showing interest?? My advice is don't put un-timely pressure on YOU or Your young-un :-)

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W.C.

answers from Tyler on

Hi M.
All kiddos are different. I started to introduce all three of mine around that age, but none of them took any intrest until they were over two years of age. One even just a month before turning three. It is really a combination of your decision and her readiness! I believe it is more difficult to train in a stay at home enviroment, than at a day care. It is best to start them on a schedule. Try first thing in the morning, before lunch, and before bed time or bath time. Keep at it without fail and she will get the idea eventually. Good Luck!

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T.C.

answers from Austin on

wow aren't you on the spot. My daughter is 29 months and I just said to my self today, "self, I guess you better start thinking about this potty training thing."

I've read if you start to early you could end up with a nervous, stressed toddler. The books I've read and the mom's I've talked to said that until you toddler can tell that they are uncomfortable in their own pee pee or poop then it's fruitless.

My toddler girl has started to hide behind stuff to poop so it's time. She knows. I just gotta get her on the potty and let nature take it's course.

Enjoy the other stuff that's happening like language development and imaginative play!!! Relax. She'll tell you when she's ready!

T.

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M.M.

answers from Corpus Christi on

I believe that your daughter will let you know when she is ready. At 18 months, I would start training her by putting her in pretty panties during the day and having her potty periodically until she realizes that she does not feel very comfortable wet. By the way, if you are looking for a job where you can work at your own schedule and your own pace, I am a consultant with Mary Kay. It is a blast and I can make money whenever I want to. I have tried different part time jobs and this is the ultimate for me. I do work full time and have a 10 month old grand daughter and still have plenty of time for everything. If you would like to know more, just drop me a note.

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C.B.

answers from Dallas on

I have a 20 month old daughter and we have been working on it for a few months. I have not had a poopy diaper to change in three weeks. As long as you are not stressed and don't put pressure on her, start now. I started by putting her potty next to mine. After waking up in the morning and nap I would let her sit there and just see what happened. For a while, not much. Now every time I go to the bathroom she sits and tries as well. Almost every time she uses the bathroom. So we are at the place where she holds her #2, and sometimes her #1 but she is not great at telling me that she needs to go. She does sometime though.

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L.B.

answers from El Paso on

I started at that age with my daughter and she did good for a while, then one day a major relaps and she wsa terrified of the potty! But she was progressive for a while. Now she is 27 moths old and still not potty trained, she knows right after she goes and we are using pulll ups. When I am at home I put vinyl pannies on her so she feels it and that seems to help some but its taking a while. So yes it can be done I guess you have to be consitant. Any other mom's reading this have the same issue or advice or me?

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C.L.

answers from Beaumont on

My little girl is 19 moths today...LOL! She has been potty training since she was I believe like 13 months or so. She picked really good. She wears pull-ups and will for a while because she still has accidents. If I was you it is never to early. My cousins little boy has been potty trained since he was likme 6 months....LOL... No LIE!

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K.S.

answers from Dallas on

Hi M.! I have a 3 1/2 yr. old and I started sitting her on the potty around that age. Just try sitting her on the potty a few times a day and tell her what "big girls" do in the potty. Don't force her to go if she is not ready. Most likely, the first time she goes on the potty, it will be during one of these "just sitting on the potty and talking with mommy" times by accident. Celebrate, even if it was an accident!! After a few days, if you see signs that she might be about to go, rush her to the potty and see if she will go in the potty. Every child is different. She might be accepting of this and go when you "rush" her to the potty. It might scare her or overwhelm her. But, no matter what, encourage her and never punish her for going in her diaper. It is what is natural for her. Let this be a transition while she is this young. When mine was a little over 2, I picked a weekend we were going to be home and started putting her in panites. She learned real quick that she didn't like being wet in panties. She has been potty trained ever since. Good luck!! Yay for BIG GIRLS!! (by the way, my daughter is named Kaylee Renee)

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V.B.

answers from Houston on

Hi M.,

I started sitting my daughter on the potty around that age. She has gone in it a few times since, but isn't overly interested, so I'm not pushing her. When she asks, we go, otherwise, I don't make a big deal out of it. She is 22 months now and is also a really smart and verbal kid. She speaks in sentences and understands everything you tell her. So, sometimes smarts aren't everything. Their bodies have to be ready too. If your daughter can tell you that she has to go (or has gone), that is a good step to let you know that she knows what is happening with her body. It can't hurt to start getting her interested, but just don't push her if she isn't ready.

I plan to wait until my daughter turns 2 and then do a weekend where we just stay home and go on the potty all day. I will also switch her to big girl panties so that she feels the wetness. I'm hoping to have her potty trained before my second gets here in May.

Best of luck to you!
V.

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N.M.

answers from Corpus Christi on

You could start familiarizing her with the potty seat and such. However, I wouldn't really push it or encourage too much until she's 2. My daughter is 3 and just fully potty trained a couple of months ago. She started showing signs early on and I tried to persue it, but she would regress. I read all sorts of articles and books on the subject. It took me a while, but I realized that the kids that are so called "potty trained" really early, have just trained their parents to obsessively monitor their signals. Parents rush around to find a potty. The child isn't noticing the need to go early enough to get themselves to a bathroom. As a result there are a lot of accidents. So, I finally just let it go and relaxed. Then a couple of months ago she just really "got it". Now she wears a pull-up at night only (my doc says that most kids can't go all night until 4 or 5yrs).

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J.S.

answers from Dallas on

Hey M., Unfortunately there is no one age to begin.My 3 year old knew her ABC and 123 by the time she was 18 months. Her comprehension of things was remarkable, but she refused to use the potty till last week when she turned 3, I did start around 2 introducing her to the chair and panties. In the end though she told me when she was gonna go. I have read in several books that 2 is a good age, the key is not forcing, again she will let you know. Good luck

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L.S.

answers from Odessa on

I started potty training mine when they got to the point that they were telling me that needed a diaper change, bringing me the diaper, etc. I don't think it really matters what age.

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A.P.

answers from Austin on

There is no "magic" time that kids are ready to learn. Most are physically capable starting at around 18 months, but as long as she's got it under control by 4, she's doing just fine.

That being said, there is absolutely no harm in buying her a potty and trying it out. Go through the motions, teach her, play and practice. If she can pull up and down her own pants, wash her own hands, flush, etc. before she starts the serious training, the better off you'll be!

Have fun and enjoy!

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J.H.

answers from Dallas on

Hi M.,

I have 2 girls and a boy. I started my oldest at around 2 years old. She seemed interested at first but lost interest quickly. She did really well with poopy because she hated having dirty diapers but would constantly have pee pee accidents. She did this for 6 months and it was very frustrating. It's much easier to change diapers than do laundry and clean carpets constantly.

With my second girl, I waited until she was bringing me diapers and telling me to change her. She was almost 3. She was fully potty trained (including night time) within 2 weeks with very few accidents. Much easier.

I know our parents had us trained at 16 months but the diapers were not as absorbent if disposable at all. My advice would be to wait. You can introduce the toilet but by no means get stressed about it. Also, we watched the video and read the book, Once Upon a Potty.

Hope that helps,

J.

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G.A.

answers from Dallas on

Hello, consider her interest. If she goes the same time every day you can catch her easier. I actually am thinking the longer wait they more they do not have as much interest. I had this little one year old in my Day Care and I put her on for poop because as I was changing her diaper she was moving her bowel muscle. She went three times in that same time every day. After the week end no more. I think if I could have kept doing it every day she would be very easy to train. Her mom lost her job and no more little girl. My daughter was 2 and did not like to do in her pants but she had a kidney that did not grow and problems. She wet the bed for a long time. Boys are a lot harder but one of my boys in the DC trained himself. I know the older they get they do not go as often and it even harder to catch them. Sleeping is the hardest because a lot of children sleep to sound. Also take into consideration food in and poo out. When they eat how long before they go? Document it and then take them about 5 min before that time. Good luck G. W

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J.R.

answers from Dallas on

At home, DD would come in to the bathroom with me when I had to go, and I would tell her each step of what I was doing. When she was 17 months old, she started saying the word potty and would grab her crotch area, since she recognized she had gone in her diaper. She started wanting to sit on the potty, although she never went. She lost interest a few months ago, which ended up working out since I was extremely exhausted with my second pregnancy. But 1 1/2 months ago, she started showing interest again, and I was able to catch her while going poop or pee and sit her on the toilet. A few times she'd say she wasn't done and go some more in the potty!

My MIL just gave her some My Little Pony stickers three weeks ago for her second birthday and said she thought they would make good potty chart stickers, since my daughter is in LOVE with horses. My MIL also got her a bunch of thick cotton training pants. I made up the chart and kept asking if she wanted to go potty. For a few days, she would sit and try to go, but nothing came out. She'd toot and get all excited, so I've taught her the difference between toot and poop, and that she didn't get a sticker for tooting... just for going poop and pee in the toilet.

And then things clicked a week ago, and she's really getting the hang of it! She'll holler potty, and then we'll run in there and within ten seconds of sitting on the potty, she'll go pee! And she loves picking out a My Little Pony sticker and putting it on her chart. When my hubby gets home, she'll take his hand and lead him into the bathroom to show off the stickers she got that day and tell him, "I poop! I pee!" I'll make sure and frequently ask her throughout the day, but esp. first thing in the morning, after meals, and after naps. She has had a few accidents and she recognized what she's done. She'll say "Potty!" and then as we are dashing into the bathroom, she'll say "I wet." Awww!

The main tip that people and the pediatrician told me is to wait until she is ready. I've followed my daughter's lead, and she is the one initiating it.

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S.T.

answers from San Antonio on

You can introduce a potty whenever you want. Take her to the potty with you when you go. Talk about when you change her diaper.

I really think it is best to take her lead on when you officially start. I waited until my son asked to use the potty (hw was 2.5), we had a very short and painless potty training experience, because he was ready.

There are several signs of readiness, I feel the most important is that a child tells you before they go.

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T.S.

answers from Houston on

We introduced the potty at about 1 year, and he used it at our beckoning for a few weeks and lost interest until about 18 months. We tried again, but still only intersted for a few weeks off and on. At 2 we kinda went hard core, taking him every time we went as well as several times in between. We also bribed him a little with treats like raisins, grapes, marmallows, gummy bears. But only give like 1 or 2 for trying and a few more for actually doing something. And we also got some books of his level to keep in the bathroom and we would read them while he was using the potty. It took about a month of diligence but he was fully trained and standing to pee by that time (with better aim than his daddy, lol). Bedtime, however, is something I'm still a little leary of, I still do pull ups even though he hasn't wetted one in months. Well, that's all the strategy I have. GOOD LUCK!!!

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