Potty Training......

HELLO,
I HAVE RECENTLY POTTY TRAINED MY DAUGHTER AND SHE IS 22MO. I STARTED HER WHEN SHE ABOUT 15MO. SHE SHOWED ME NO INTREST AND SO I DIDNT PUSH BUT I LET HER SIT ON A COUPLE TIMES THROUGH OUT THE DAY, THEN AROUND 16-17MO. SHE STARTED TO TOUCH HER TUMMY WHEN SHE WOULD GO IN HER DIAPER SO I STARTED RUNNING HER TO THE POTTY WHEN SHE WOULD DO THAT BECAUSE SHE KNEW WHEN SHE WAS GOING TO GO. SHE PICKED UP ON POTTY TRAING WITH A SNAP OF A FINGER AND HAS BEEN OUT OF DIAPERS SINCE 18MO.
MY POINT IS START HIM NOW BUT DONT PUSH HIM TILL HE ACTUAlLY KNOWS THAT HE NEEDS TO GO.

A.,
I am no expert but I have potty trained all 5 of my kids. The thing is that usually girls will be ready earlier than boys. My husband and I have the window theory. You watch for the window of interest and opportunity and go for it. If you try to force the issue it can be a hoorible ordeal...for you. Also, their bodies are not necessarily ready physically for potty training that early. I would watch and wait. If you are paying attention, you will see signs of interest and then canjump on the opportunity. I think summer time is ideal cause they can run around in just their cute underpants but I would probably wait till next summer. But hey, maybe I'm all wet.
B.

I think that you should wait longer. I was forced to wait until my daughter was 3 to potty train her due to moving around and when we finally settled down at 3 she did great. She was able to understand exactly what she was doing. I think they have a better understanding at that point. Good luck.

Hi A.! It's always great to introduce the potty early so he can get the hang of it or be potty trained before or when he turns 2. My kids were potty trained by the time they were 2. It is a lot of work but just stick with it and he will learn!! Good Luck!!!

Wait until he's older. My son will be 3 in April, and I have been trying to potty train him off and on for the last year. Only recently ( in the last 3 months) has he been receptive to the idea and things have been SOOOOO much easier. If you start your son out this eary it will only be unnecessary stress for you. Children typically don't have any control over their urge to go until they are about 18 months, so trying to potty train them before their bodies are ready is pretty much a waste of time. I TOTALLY understand wanting to rush into it but trust me, waiting is the best thing you can do. Besides diapers are way cheaper than pullups and the convenience of not having to stop what you're doing every 2 minutes to take him to the potty at home or even worse at a store is worth waiting a while. Enjoy it while you can. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do!!!

that's WAY too early and will probably cause a lot of unneeded stress for both of you. boys usually do better between 21/2, and even closer to 3. my experience was closer to 3 with boys and a few months after 2 with girls. also, when you do, don't use pull-ups except maybe at night. going straight to underwear makes it a lot easier and less confusing. he needs to be able to communicate really well before trying so that he is able to tell you he needs to go, otherwise, you'll just be training yourself to take him every hour. also, fyi...it's so much easier to change a diaper in public (like walmart) than taking them to the bathroom 3 times while you're there, another reason you might not want to rush it.. hope this helps, but i'd wait until the next summer so you can let him hang out in undies and not have to wash many clothes.

one thing to remember is don't push him too early. A way to tell if hes ready is if he wakes up from a nap with a dry diaper, or if he can go for two hours or so with out a wet diaper. I had girls so it may be a little different but you can have the man in his life take him to the "potty" with him and show him and let your little one practice in his very own potty. Hope this helps and I hope you get lots of advice!

Hi A.! I have a little girl so my advice may not entirely apply, but we decided to start potty training around 18 mos. When I say start though, I mean we took very small steps at a time. We bought a potty chair and put it in the bathroom. We didn't even say anything to Olivia about it. We just let her discover it on her own and her natural curiosity took over. I don't think that all the things on the lists that people keep posting are as important as a child being able to speak relatively well and have pretty good coordination. Olivia is almost 2 1/2 now and is almost completely potty trained, but I think that she was very frustrated in the beginning because she wanted to try out the potty, but couldn't pull her own pants down (I would definitely wait till your son in in pull-ups)or express to me that she had to potty. The main thing is definitely not to rush him. Most kids will let you know when they are ready, but I don't think it's ever too early to put the idea in their head by taking them to the bathroom with you (you probably never get to go alone anyway!)or buying a potty chair. Good luck!

Relax! Don't be in sucha rush! Most kids start potty training around age 2. They are more aware of what's going on and you can talk with them about it. I've seen some start around 18 months, but they can backslide if you go too early. I had boys and they liked 'aiming at something' so we floated a single square of toilet paper on top of the water and played 'sink it'.

Don't get in too big of a hurry, but the trick is to catch them when they are ready. Usually sometime when they are about two. If you miss when they are ready then they probably won't be ready again until they are about three. Boys are harder, and I haven't seen a boy train without standing up, so Dad has to get involved. Good luck.

Hi A., I am 62 yr. old mother of 2 gndma of 2. When he is 16 mths., probably the best thing you can do is get a little potty chair & just let him sit on it for a few minutes thru out the day. At his age though don't expect a lot or get stressed out over it. Probably the only one that will be trained is you, but this will get him in the habit of sitting on the potty. One day he will just "get it". Every child is trained at different ages.
Make potty time as stress free as possible. Good luck & God bless. (I'll bet you are a great mom !) Sheilea

Personally, I think that's a bit young. My kids had just turned two years old when we began their potty training. Using "Barbie" underwear and "Mickey Mouse" underwear as rewards, we were able to accomplish traiing in about one month.

Good Luck With That! My son was a little over 2 and 1/2 and still did not take to the idea of using the potty. It took about 2 months of continuous working with him for him to finally grasp the idea. After that, I've not had a bit of trouble. I don't think that at your son's age he was at all ready. Again, good luck! :)

Personally, I have never heard of training a boy that early. At your son's 18 mo cheack-up, you shoudl discuss it with his pediatrician.

Maybe your son is just very advanced. Here are the guidelines I have found that you should meet before you start trying to PT:

Even in an older child, it is important to look for signs of readiness before you begin potty training, including:

staying dry for at least 2 hours at a time
having regular bowel movements
being able to follow simple instructions
being uncomfortable with dirty diapers and wanting them to be changed
asking to use the potty chair
asking to wear regular underwear.

Just because you are ready, doesn't mean he is.

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/parenting_tips/potty_train...

http://pottytrainingsolutions.com/article_info.php?articl...

I would ask your pediatrition because I think that children start being able to control their bladder at 18 months. So 16 months is WAY early in my opinion. I know there are always exceptions, but as a mother of two, most are potty trained after 2 years old. We didn't even consider it until then. It can't hurt to get him started though and confortable with the potty! He might think its fun and love it! I would just hold off on the undies! Gook Luck to you-

to me it seems kinda early, but if he's ready go for it!!! but i have 2 boys who are older now (11& 8) and neither of them trained until they were 3. so if he don't do it right away then don't get upset, he's just not ready!!

Never to early to start. I have a little girl who will be one one the 23rd and I have already started with her. I don't call it potty training as much as I am getting her use to the potty. When she wakes up in the morning I sit her on the potty. She usually goes pee and poop first thing in the morning so the way I look at it one less poop diaper to change. When she wakes up from a nap I will sit her on it. During the day I will sit her on the potty. Sometime she goes sometimes she does not. Right now I am just letting her get use to it. My daugther that will be six on the 18th and I did not start with her until she was almost 2 and I had a hard time. She was not fully into panties all the time until 3 1/2. I had always heard that they are not ready until then so I waited and she was scared of the potty. I always said that when I had another child that I would not wait that long. Don't try to do it all at once, just start out small. Get the potty seat and let him get use to it. Don't think that you will have him potty train by the end of the summer. He might take him a while. Start him out by just sitting him on the potty first thing in the morning and when he get up from a nap. But think if it this way every time he uses the potty that is one less diaper you have to change. Just when he goes pee in potty make a sound that he can relate to it. My daugther is starting to say pss pss pss when she pees. And for people who think that it is to early. We train them to go potty in their diapers. There are childern all over the world who never use diapers to begin with. Childern can communicate at a very young age you just have to know what to listen or look for. It can be a certain sound or a hand gester. Does he make sounds when he is going to the bathroom in his diaper? or get really still? Sometimes it is easy to pick up on cues and other times it takes a while. He has been going in a diaper for a year now. The sooner you introduce him to the potty the less likely he is of being scared of it. Good luck and hope all goes well.

I agree with everyone else on making sure he is ready. Our son went to the potty on his own at 18 months. However, his interest in the potty only lasted about 2 months. We eventually formally potty trained at 2 1/2. It was very successful with very few accidents and only took about 1 week (night and day trained!).

We purchased a potty and put it next to our toilet. We used a sticker chart. He got to put a sticker on it every time he went. We also got a neat little potty book that we read while he was on the potty. It made a little flushing sound.

The only issue we had was that he didn't want to poop in the potty at first. We solved this by taking him to the toy store and letting him pick out a toy he wanted. We then put it on top of our over-the-toilet cabinet so he could see it. We told him he could have it after he pooped in the potty. He pretended to poopoo several times. But, within a couple of days, Success!

Good Luck!!

Get the book, "Potty Training in Less than a Day." You don't have to do it in a day, but really paying attention to the steps they lay out will make potty training a breeze. Star boards are incredible tools for potty training. Since he's a boy, having him go with Dad, with Daddy showing him how to stand up and shake is also a great idea. Good Luck! K.

Don't torture yourself! Wait until he shows signs of being ready. Until then, you will just be adding a lot of stress to both of your lives if you push him to do something he is not developmentally ready to do. Relax, you probably have at least another year of diapers. Enjoy, they grow up way too fast!

wow, you are quite ambitious and in for ALOT of frustration! most boys don't potty train until around age 3. watch for his cues and he will let you know when he is ready. more than likely you have at least another year before even having to think about this issue. slow down and enjoy your baby...it won't be long and he will want to do everything on his own. :)

HI. It is a good idea to have your son start sitting on the potty before bath time as well as maybe when he wakes up and goes to bed. They will let you know when they are ready to really potty train however. My first child was potty trained by 2. My second just slightly over 2. Following the same rewards and praise that we used with them my 3rd child is now 2 1/2 and yes he loves to use the potty but hates underwear. He will tell us half the time that he needs to go and other times sit in a wet diaper. The key about potty training I have learned is to no push. The harder you push the more they seem to fight back. If you son seems to just want to go at key times that you have worked into the schedule and can't verbalize when he really has to go then don't get frustrated he will. Good luck! Remember rewards charts and a toy that they pick out and can get after telling you so many times in a row and trying real hard is a great way to get them excited. I think Charmin has a free potty training pack you can get on their website. (they use to atleast.)

Dear A...

Why wait till summer?? Start now. I started my son at 8 mths and he is totally potty trained now. He is 23 mths. He stopped wearing diapers at 18mths old. Try the book "Early start Potty Training" by Linda Sonna. It is an easy read and you can skip the parts for children younger than yours. It worked for me, and I say the less diapers you have to change the better!

Good luck!

I also think 16 months is a little early. You should probably wait until he's giving you some type of cues. If he starts telling you that he's peed or pooped in his diaper or that he has to go, then you know he might be ready. Also, if he's not giving you cues, then maybe around 18 months you could just introduce the potty. Just let him sit on it in his diaper while you use the potty. That's what we're doing with my daughter. She's 22 months and she goes on the potty every once in a while, and has for months, but she's definitely not ready for full fledged potty training. Just don't stress about it, and especially don't stress him about it. My cousin stressed his son out so badly about going on the potty that his bowels got backed up...he just wasn't going period...and they ended up having to take him to the emergency room after over a week of no pooping.

Anyway, I hope this helps! Just take it one step at a time.

I he ready? Does he try to take his diaper off after he pees or poops? Is there any indication that he knows when he is about to do these tings? It is time to start if there is! I would first teach him to sit and hold "it" down to pee in the toilet..sit him on the seat backwards and teach him to peepee in the hole. Some people try cheerios or other things to aim at. Then after he does it sing him a little song to congratulate him and make him feel very accomplished about what he just did. (Kids always love the silly little songs)

I have three boys and all are potty trained, the first one seemed to take forever and the other two were done within a few days. I used pull-ups with the first one, which is nothing more than a glorified diaper, they do not feel wetness when wearing them. The last two I put right into underwear and they didn't like the feeling of being wet or anything else, so they immediately started using the potty. This can be a little messy, but will definitely save you money in the long run. Just make sure you have 2-3 days to devote to being home and ask every 20-30 minutes if they need to go. Good luck!

My advice is not to bother until he is at least 2 years old. It's really just a waste of time until children are old enough so that they don't wet their diapers every hour! If he shows interest in using the potty and/or can keep a diaper dry for a couple of hours, then I would start. FYI - my son was 4 (to the day), and my daughter was about 3. It will definitely happen at some point!

WAY to young! He is too young to be pottytrained right now, even at 16 months...TOO YOUNG!

Sixteen months is a little early to start potty traning. Unless your son is showing a lot of interest at that age it will be very frustrating for both of you. I started my child at 24 months and we were finished in no time at all because she was ready to wear "big girl panties"!! A lot of people say that boys are harder to train, but I don't know because I don't have a boy.

Try it but don't be too hard on them if your child shows no interest in it.... Our doctor told us to wait until your child is interested in it....
We have been getting out daughter to sit on her potty when we do since last summer and she is just now getting to where she will come and get us to let her go potty. This spring when our daughter can wear less clothes we are going to do the big girl panties and push a little more since she's starting to tell us when she goes potty.
Good luck!

You got the best advice below -- use the book Toilet Training in Less than a Day. It really works, though many children are not physically ready before 20 months. The book will tell you how to evaluate his physical readiness. I trained both my children (male & female ) @ 20 months in one day, and it was great, though a very long day.
Popular views today say wait until they're 3 or 4, but that's an insult to their intelligence. Ignore such advice.

Hi A.! :)

I would very much recommend waiting 'til he is 2 years old. From my experiece and talking to lots of Moms--any earlier than this will only make it harder on the both of you.
When he does turn 2, I would also recommend looking into using the doll method (Potty Scotty). I trained my son using this method when he was 2 and it worked really well. He was fully trained in one day! I plan to use the girl version for my daughter (Potty PAtty) when she turns 2. :)
Ebay sells them for a pretty good price.

Best of wishes,
M.

I started training mine around 18 months. The best advice I can give it to read books to your child about it, borrow a dvd about it, anything like that and then wait for your child to let you know he is interested. One way to know is when they start being dry in the mornings. If you do it too soon, they won't be committed to it. We did pull ups, but I am going to try to go straight from diapers to underwear when my second child gets old enough. Pull ups didn't hold the urine very well for us..so might as well wash the underwear. I can tell you that my oldest went backwards on wetting the bed at night. We did not go back to diapers or pull ups though we just wash the sheets each day and use a waterproof cover. Several older moms told me to never go back to diapers because it confuses the child. We also take her in her sleep to the potty around midnight and when we do that she does not wet the bed. Hope this helps.

My son started potty training right before her turned two. He found some superhero underwear at Wal-mart and said he wanted them. That was his incentive to potty train. As he got older, we put a few cheerios or froot loops in the potty so he could use them as target practice. It worked great!