Potty Training

[Pilotbaby]

I hope its ok that I am reposting this in the lounge. If not, please let me know. I was wondering how you know when its time to start potty training and what are some of the preferred methods out there? I think we have some time still but would like to start researching some methods and know what to watch for in our daughter.
TIA

[SnuggleBuggles]

I did it when they were in their 3s. I wouldn't consider preschools with a potty training requirement so we didn't have to rush.

[lhafer]

When they start telling you when they've gone in their diaper/pull-up...it's usually a good time to start potty training. Some are as young as two, but most are closer to 3 I would say.

[sweetsue98]

We started potty training when my dd was 2.5 yo. She started to wake up from naps dry, showing interest in the potty and immediately notifying my when she poops. At daycare they recommended just putting underware on. We had good days and bad days but she was fully potty trained in a couple of weeks. However, we would use pull ups during outings.

[BabyBearsMom]

DD1 turned to me one day when she was 2.5 and said "I don't want to wear diapers anymore. I use the potty now." She refused to wear a diaper from that moment forward and I can count the number of accidents she has had on one hand. I'm a big believer that children should not be pushed into potty training. dd2 likes to sit on the potty bc her big sister does and we praise her lavishly whenever she sits on the potty but we never bring up the idea.

[JBaxter]

all my boys were between 2 & 2.5. When they started to hold their hands over their diapers or letting me know they had peed we started. Mine pee trained before poop trained except for my oldest he was a dream to potty train. Were we lived pull ups / diapers were not allowed in preschool. I did naked potty training and pull ups are worthless unless you are using them at nap/nights as diapers. Mine did wear night time pull ups until a little past 3 ( gain except my oldest who did it all including sleeping dry at night by 26 months) I had multiple potty chairs around the house.
Now both my nieces were out of daytime diapers by 2 my mom baby sat and according to her girls catch on quicker.

[TxCat]

I would definitely recommend waiting until your child shows an interest in using the potty, can tell you that they need to go or that they just went, etc. However, if you are looking for options for preschool or MDO programs soon, your hand may be forced to try potty training earlier than you intend to (this was our situation). 3-Day Potty Training gets a lot of love on here and from my friends IRL and is the method we used. It works for the most part - our DD1 wasn't ready to stay dry at nap time or nights yet, so I ended up ignoring that portion of advice. Finally, I would suggest not being in a rush to potty train - a newly potty trained, or potty training child can be a huge hassle in numerous ways that you did not anticipate. Now, 8 months after the fact it's not too bad, but for many months I was really missing diapers and I still miss them even now (as my chid still refuses to poop in the toilet). So, personally I wouldn't rush to potty train unless your chid really, really wants to do it or unless you have other reasons, ie school, for doing so.

[crl]

Everyone I know IRL who tried to push early potty training ended up with months of accidents/potty training. For both of my kids I tried when they were about 2 1/2 because they were showing signs of readiness (aware they needed to go, ask for diaper changes, etc.). Flop both times--ds would say he needed to pee and stand there and cry while he refused to go to the bathroom and then pee everywhere; dd was nearly there and then started running to the bathroom and peeing on the floor--I even took her to the ped who said no UTI. Put them both back in diapers for a while. Both ended up being trained at around 3 years 3 months. That go around both were completely potty trained within two weeks. So I suggest waiting until the kid is really really ready.

With ds I went to cloth trainers, which did zero good because when he had a pee accident it was always a flood. So with dd I switched her straight to undies. I suggest trying to be really consistent and not use pull ups or anything as much as possible during the day (I did put dd in a pull up when I had to go across the bay bridge one week into potty training--no way to stop for a loooonng time.) I use/used diapers for nap and night for a long time after day training because many kids aren't ready to be trained while they are asleep for long after they are day trained.

Catherine

[Melaine]

Can I hijack slightly? DS is 20 months old and I have only talked with him about the potty because he always goes in there with me. I have no interest in pushing him at all and agree with others that rushing seems to make things so much harder in the long run. However, when he is in the bath he has started saying he wants to go potty. I will sit him on there and usually he will pee. Yesterday he peed on the potty three times. What should I do? Just keep taking him when he says? Start asking him if he needs to go? Get out the little potty for him? This has totally taken me by surprise!

[MSWR0319]

Can I hijack slightly? DS is 20 months old and I have only talked with him about the potty because he always goes in there with me. I have no interest in pushing him at all and agree with others that rushing seems to make things so much harder in the long run. However, when he is in the bath he has started saying he wants to go potty. I will sit him on there and usually he will pee. Yesterday he peed on the potty three times. What should I do? Just keep taking him when he says? Start asking him if he needs to go? Get out the little potty for him? This has totally taken me by surprise!

Congrats to you! Our boys are the same age and mine can't even talk (we're getting tubes in a few days so hopefully that helps) so I think it will be a bit for us. I would let him take the lead, but would definitely have a potty out for him. If he asks, take him but don't push it. My sister in law trained my nephew when he was 22 months which I thought was super early but I think they were fairly successful. They pushed it because they didn't want two in diapers, but I don't think he's regressed so it can be done that early (I just don't agree with the pushing part).