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  1. #1
    suzska Guest

    Default At what age do you start thinking about training?

    Yes, I know my son is only 13 months old, but I was just wondering at what age others started "thinking" about training their little ones. Since Evan doesn't communicate much at all, we may be a long way off, but I was just curious. Thanks!

    --Sue B.
    SAHM to Evan Jeffrey 03-11-01

  2. #2
    emmiem's Avatar
    emmiem is offline Platinum level (1000+ posts)
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    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    I wouldn't even think of trying to potty train until after the 2nd birthday. If you have a boy, most people wait until even later. I tried to potty train 3 times starting at about 2 and finally it worked when she was 3 and 2 months old.
    Mama to three girls

  3. #3
    John B Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    My son started around 18 months. One night he said "no diaper" when we were getting him ready for bed, so my wife told him he had to use the potty. We didn't have a kids potty at the time, so I held him on the regular seat and was very surprised when he peed into the toilet. The next day we bought a kids potty and a folding seat. Since then he sits on the potty before his bath, and sometimes does something.

    Last weekend we bought a seat adapter from WalMart that has ducks and glitter that float around inside the seat ring. Since he saw the new seat, he wants to use it pretty much everytime we ask him. Best investment ina toilet accessory I have ever made! He will be two in August. We are still using diapers, but will be going to training pants any day now.

  4. #4
    brubeck Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    I'm actually facing that dilemma and if anyone has a good recommendation on where to get potty training ADVICE (as opposed to just where to buy stuff) I'd appreciate it! Maybe a hotline like Gerber has for feeding issues? I tried the Babycenter boards but no one has answered my questions.

    My daughter is 20 months now. At 18 months she decided that it would be fun to take off her diaper and now I can never be sure that she isn't contemplating it. So we were kind of forced to start potty training because when she takes off her diaper we immediately sit her on the potty. She knows how to make the pee pee come out when she sits on the potty, and knows how to wipe, flush and wash her hands, but I don't think she is capable of telling me that she needs to go in advance. She never asks to use the potty, just takes off her diaper. I suspect even taking off the diaper is just another way of taking off her clothes, which she also likes to do. I'm just not sure where to go from here. I know most people say to wait until age 2, but I am also facing the dilemma that she has moved into size 5 diapers and looks like she will be out of them soon. I don't want to put her in training pants and increase the pressure. Help!

  5. #5
    Jil Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    We started potty training at 18 months old. Dheven was squirming too much to get diapers on easily. My husband is a urology resident. He heard that when toddlers start to run they are potty train "able". It is because the nerves that go from their brain to their legs are also ones that pass by their bladder. So it is not until this stage that they are able to have the sensation of needing to go pee. At earlier ages you are able to potty train them with external cues (like training them to go whenever they are in a squatting position or some other stimulus), but we thought it was best to wait until he could respond to his own internal cue to go as needed. I also thought it was best to start the potty training process before he actually developed his own "opinion" about it. I've heard from a lot of moms who trained after their child was 2 1/2 complain about phobias that their children experience when the potty is introduced into their lives.
    It took about a week to get him to 100 percent potty trained. We kept his bottom half naked and kept the potty in the family room where we spend most of the day. When he peed in the potty his dad and I would jump up and down cheering while making crazy faces. This was the type of positive reinforcement he enjoyed so he would pee at every opportunity so we would do it again.(We did this actively for two weeks before reverting to just saying "Good job!") We have a Graco soft seat potty which we really like but the deflector wasn't very effective. Instead he have trained him to lean forward while he pees, that usually lowers his penis enough so it doesn't spray the room. After a couple of months we moved the potty into the bathroom and he adapted just fine. He is two now and he still needs to be naked to use the potty, but I figure that by winter we will work out that problem.

  6. #6
    Alice Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    We started at 18 months. At 20 months our son was toilet trained. We kept the potty in the living room until he was 26 months, though. As to the "spraying" problem, we taught him to stand up and hold the potty cup in front.

    I think that late toilet training is an American invention. I grew up in Europe, and I don't remember knowing any kid who wasn't toilet trained at two.

  7. #7
    Kari Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    I think the reason the experts say to start "training" later is that they don't want you to pressure your child. If your child is showing some signs that training might be appropriate (asking to be changed, waking up dry from naps, etc) go ahead and read some books, talk about how you are using the toilet, watch a video, buy a potty, train the teddy bear, etc.

    Training doesn't need to mean you are putting the child on the potty every hour.

    We started this type of "learning" around 17 1/2 months and pretty soon our baby got the idea. I wouldn't reccomend thinking too hard about it before 18 months, we only did because our baby started announcing that she had to poop before she had done so.

    Good luck!

  8. #8
    hunter2000 Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    Sue,

    You can begin thinking about it, but honestly until your little one begins to show some of the common indicators, it is a mute point to start trying. I started at about 2 years old, and went about it off and on for about 6 months. At the 7 month mark, I began to routinely train every day. My son will be three next week and JUST went #2 in his chair yesterday. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM AND SO EXCITED! It is true what they say....boys do take a little longer. Be patient when you start and it will happen. Use bribes.....we used cars and although we now have about 1,000 matchbox cars, it was so worth it! :)
    For additional information/tips ask your pediatrician or do a web search on potty training. Good luck!

  9. #9
    ggrunloh Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?

    I read an articile in the Chicago Sun Times recently that said kids were more successful at 27 months.


  10. #10
    Celeste Guest

    Default RE: At what age do you start thinking about training?


    When I was studying at the unversity, my pschology teacher said that the "sensitive" period is before 2,5 yrs. If you start later than that (i.e. if the child is not toilet trained by that age), it gets a whole lot more difficult and it will greatly delay toilet training.




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