Potty Training.... - Delaware, OH

hi i have 2 children and i had them potty trained by 2, its kinda like potty training a dog, you have to take them to the bathroon every 15 to 20 mins sit in there with them..read some books,play some games ,color.draw,ask them all the time do you have to use the potty, take them in there when you go so they know its not scary. i got a potty seat and took it in there with me every time i used the bathroom i took my kids with me and put them on the potty.Then one day they finally got the hang of it. I hope this will help you.

Well Nennie i would just put undies on lilah during the day and let her try if she had an accident we cleaned it up and didnt dwell on it she was like almost two at that time. i used pull ups at night till she was almost three and a half though cause she would sometimes wet the bed. And miss sophia i love you, Kisses from moey

My daughter is 17 months old and was showing the same signs as your daughter. So--I bought a potty seat for the big toilet and I also have a small potty chair. She's been using both for 2 weeks now. I ask her if she has to go and if she does--GREAT! If she says NO, I say OK. Then if she goes in her diaper I just say YUCKY and put her on the potty. It's been very light-hearted and it's been HER idea. I'm thrilled that she's shown an interest at such a young age. I wasn't even considering trying until she was 2! I say if your daughter acts like she's ready who cares how old she is! Good luck!

Hi E....

My daughter did the same thing as yours except at 16 months. Then, the little girl I watch just turned 2 and was doing it. I started w/ panties...I skipped using pull ups all together. I'm able to stay home w/ my children so this wasn't a problem. I would start by taking my child to the potty every 30-45 minutes AND whenever I had to go. I would put them on the potty for around 5 minutes or less if they went. Now....the girl I watch is accident free, except she wears a diaper/pull up at night. You have to be disciplined and stick to it and it will work!

My daughter wasn't quite two when I started. She was showing signs so I got a potty chair that sits on the floor. I would put her on the potty chair in front of her favorite show with a sucker. She could only have the sucker if she stayed on the potty chair. When she finally did go I would praise her like crazy. This let her know what she was supposed to do on the potty. Now you have to be careful with this method. I tried it with my son and sitting on the potty was just a way to get suckers for him so we had to stop that quick. Good Luck.

My daughter and niece will be 2 in February and are the same way. I asked my pediatrician at the 18 month check-up and she said any "potty training" before 2 or 2 1/2 is really parent potty training, but not to discourage any interest. I keep the potty chairs available and try to listen when they indicate that they need/want to go and change them when they are wet/poopy quickly. So to answer your question, don't push it, make a potty chair available, listen and encourage use of words to indicate potty needs, and be patient. Think of it as "pre-potty-training" or potty-training-training. Good luck - hopefully these kinds of girls will be very quick and easy to train!

I found potty training the most difficult thing I had to teach my son – not because he was difficult, but because I was clueless. Your daughter is not to young to start, just don’t expect it to be a one to two day process at that age.
Start at the library, they have a whole potty section, everything from parents guides for you (just use some common since when reading, I read some really terrible advise in some of those books, but go a lot of good advice as well), they also have DVD, VHS tapes, and books for your child to help explain what you want her to do. Take her to get a potty chair, or bring one home as a present. A doll that will potty on the chair is a big help as well, it SHOWS her what you want her to do, and she will be able to understand that at 20 months, where explaining it may be a little hard for her to get. Fisher price makes a nice one – I got mine at Toy’s R Us --- and it was not $60 like the ones on the internet. Just be prepared, potty training is frustrating, hard and time consuming. My daughter is 25 months and is almost fully trained; her brother was almost 3 before he was. I started “introducing” the potty about 18 months, and started really training when she showed signs of being ready at about 22 / 23 months. Based on what you said, your daughter sounds ready.

That is great!! My daughter is 15 months and is trying to potty train. My son, however, will be 3 on Monday and isn't even interested. I'm convince that she'll be potty trained before him. It's not to early...I was potty trained at 14 months acording to my parents. So go with it. Think of all the money you'll save in diapers. Maybe get training pants for her, they are heavier and can catch any accidents she may have. I just got some at Wal-mart today. Good Luck!

My son is only two months older than your daughter and doing the same thing. Except he doesn't take his diaper off. He'll always tell me when he has to go poopy by saying it and then going into his room and standing next to the changing table as he goes. He's only begun to do this in the past week so today I'm going out to buy him a training potty. My plan is to put him on when he expresses the urge to go and let him take it from there. I've heard that if you press the issue or praise too much it will make them rebel. So just let your daughter take the lead and everything will fall into place (no pun intended). Also you know your daughter better than anyone else so you'll now what will and won't work when it comes to this issue. Good luck!!

E., that's *wonderful* - definitely she is not too early. And a big congratulations to you for *listening* to what your daughter is trying to tell you. She's a great communicator, and you are a fabulous listener! To put your mind at ease, kids far younger than your daughter use the potty. In fact, babies all over the world are pottied from birth, from 4 months on, at all different ages, and with no ill effects. Here in the USA, over the last 50 years, the potty training age has jumped from an average of 18 months old to 3 yrs old (thank you, disposable diapers and some non-scientific information being passed around about "age of readiness" by diaper companies and pediatricians!).

So, I say go for it! Provided that your approach is one of letting potty training be a process in which you are working together as a team, are patient, loving, non pressuring, and have realistic expectations of this taking more than just a week or two (much like learning to crawl, walk, & run is a process), you and your daughter can and should have a lot of fun with potty training. Accept, and even embrace, accidents as a really useful learning tool. Consider giving her nakey-bum time at home to really allow her to connect the sensation of having to go with the result. And ditch those disposible diapers and pull ups ASAP - your best bet is a simple cotton training pant or underwear, not waterproofed. All that high absorbency/dryness stuff just lengthens the learning process (and costs lots of $$!).

Some links that you might find helpful:

Perspective on "Age of Readiness"
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-diap/46-infant-potty...

How To Tell Your Child Might Have To Pee/Poop (so that you can recognize it first, then help them learn it and reconize it and get to the potty in time)
http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/Articles/GettingStartedBobr...

Later Potty Training Harder on Parent & Child
http://www.azcentral.com/families/articles/0726pottytrain...

Again, congratulations on having such a self-aware toddler AND for recognizing and encouraging her awareness despite our culture's idea that 2 yrs old is "too young" to potty train. I promise you, it's not, and you'll both be happier for it!

Happy pottying... :)

Collect all the advice on potty training you can find/gather, then try each one until you find one that works for your child.

The one that finally did the trick for my daughter was getting the pullups with the stars inside. They disappear if she wets her diaper. She enjoyed seeing the stars and I always told her how proud I was of her everytime she went on the potty.

And if she had an accident I would say that's ok you will do betteer next time.

I am happy to say it has been 4 days and no accidents.

My daughter will be 2 years old on Sept 25th.

Good Luck

ps: I painted her potty chair pink. she loves pink and said she would use it better if it was pink....A moms gotta do what a moms gotta do.