Need advice for potty training

Sarah - posted on 03/15/2010

I also agree with some of these moms when they say that 10 mts seems early but I have heard of younger children getting poty trained successfully. Every child is different though. What I did with my 2 oldest girls was give them lots of drinks and put them on the potty every half hour and if they went on the potty they usually got a treat, especially if they did No. 2. My first girl was trained in two days and my second girl took about two weeks. But they were both around 2 years old not ten months. No matter how old you child is the most important thing to remember is consistancy! Thats the main reason why kids sometimes take so long. There parents give up too much. So just remember no matter how frustrating it is never give up. Good luck with everything.

Sarah

Catriona - posted on 03/14/2010

How on earth can you potty train a baby at 9 months? Surely this is almost unheard of? Babies have no control over their bladders at this age, between 18months and 3 1/2 years is normal to be potty training any child, yes 3 1/2 is late for some people but some kids find it difficult. Girls usually train quicker than boys. 9 months is WAY to early to even contemplate potty training. Wait at least until they can talk and let you know they need to go!!

Evelyn - posted on 03/12/2010

@ all: Dear moms, thanks for your sharing. it helps me a lot. I think I'm gonna wait for d potty training until she gets older :) have a blessed day :)

Bonnie - posted on 03/12/2010

wow i think that is so early to my boy cant even walk yet and he is nearly 10 months i think it would be easier if they can walk to the potty and actually be able to sit on it. good on u for doing it this early ! i dont think at this age my little one would even understand the concept of potty training. Good work hope it works out for u :)

Shannon - posted on 03/12/2010

Wow! The earliest I've heard anyone potty training is 12 months. And to me that is even too young. My first daughter was potty trained by 21 months, and people around me were impressed. I think 18-24 is very doable, but anything younger would be a real challenge. Good luck, though. ♥

Lisa - posted on 03/12/2010

I might get some hate responses for this, but I think training at 9-10 months is way too early especially if you have boys because I have been told girls are able to train sooner. My oldest son wasn't trained until a couple weeks before his 3rd birthday. We introduced a little potty chair to him at about 18 months and just let him sit on and play with it. He never actually even pottied on the little potty chair, he preferred to use the little potty seat that sits on the "big boy" potty. He didn't actually start going potty/poop on the toilet though until a few weeks before he turned 3. I did use pull ups (the learning designs ones because he didn't want to lose the pictures) the cool alert ones he just thought were a diaper and would pee in them. I know some people don't like pull ups and they don't work for everyone but they did work for us. When we used only big boy underwear or training underwear he would just pee in them and since he didn't like the plastic pants I was changing his pants all the time and it got frustrating for him and for us. My second boy is almost 10 months old, and I wouldn't even think about starting to potty train him now. They can't communicate well at this age, and how can we expect them to let us know that they have to go potty. It's too complex for them to understand. I'm going to let him be a baby and not make him grow up too fast.

Rebecca - posted on 03/12/2010

I think it depends on what you mean by potty training. If you talking about Elimination communication, it may not be too early- but that's what a friend of mine calls "parent training" because the parent is still watching for the cues and taking the child to the potty/toilet. If you're thinking about traditional potty training, where the child communicates their need to go and uses the potty/toilet, its probably to early. My daughter is also 9 months, and the most we do is mention "Daddy's going to the potty, when you're bigger you'll get to go to the potty too!" and "There, now you're all clean and dry, doesn't that feel good!" "Mommy's going to the potty, when you're big you can use the potty and not have to wear diapers!" I looked into EC, but decided it wasn't for my family, but as always, YMMV

Kristin - posted on 03/12/2010

My daughter is 10 1/2 months and I plan on starting at 1 year. I let her run around pamper-less now and I am getting used to her behaviors/actions that she shows before she has to go to the bathroom. I am getting a trained eye to help with the training. She is also starting to realize that she isn't wearing a diaper, so we are right on track.

Ricky - posted on 03/11/2010

I am deciding to wait until my son can walk and talk. there is not much point training them if they cant make it to the toilet themselves or tell you when they need to go.

Melissa - posted on 03/11/2010

and to all the MOM's out there... don't listen to every crazy person that is dying to tell you that there kid never had an accident of they did it in less time..who cares...the only thing that matters is you do what works for your child!!!

Melissa - posted on 03/11/2010

My daughter is two and a half and she got really interested in the potty when all the other girls in her preschool started to get trained...for us it took about 2 weeks total and now she is GREAT at it...she comes and tells you when she has to go and she even started going #2 right away, which I know is hard for them. There were a lot of accidents in those 2 weeks,but the minute she really got it we were golden!!! Also we did use positive reinforcement with treats she likes...I don't believe in bribing kids,but let me tell u boy did it help!!! Good luck when the time comes!

Charlene - posted on 03/11/2010

on the other hand...don't wait to long either! It's a bit like knowing when to wean! :)

Charlene - posted on 03/11/2010

Wow, 10 months! That is very young! Like most of the above opinions...wait a bit (around 15-18 months for girls and even later for boys) There is really no use in trying so early as they have no concept of "passing urine" or having a "bowel movement" they cannot understand the concept and what often happen is that they will be able to do is for a few weeks/months and then regress as they start to explore other surrounding/nursery/new baby etc. Because they don't actually have any concious concept of what they are doing it is mostly down to you (the parent) to watch for signs and then rush them to the potty in time...this, in my opinion, creates way more stress and complications. Children who are ready to be toilet trained should be able to master in within one week, yes really...:)

Sanelle - posted on 03/10/2010

For a girl, dont worry or try before they're at least 18 - 24 months! Boys might be even later. I've learned with my girl that they need to understand you, speak basic words and walk by themselves before you try. Take your time with it, they dont train over night

Tanesha - posted on 03/10/2010

my daughter is two and we are still working on potty training some people do it at age one but they say you shouldnt start until they can walk

Nicola - posted on 03/10/2010

i can not belive people are trying to potty train their babies at 9 months!!!!! i mean come on at that age they dont even know they are going to the toilet. i didnt potty train my older children until they were about two and a half and will do the same with my son.

Pam - posted on 03/10/2010

omg my child is only turning 10 months and I havnt even put one thought into potty training! I'd rather her master walking and feeding herself before potty training, that's just me though.

Hayley - posted on 03/10/2010

My son was 2 and 2 mths when he decided overnight that he wasn't going to wear a nappy. He's now nearly 3 and we've got 2 or 3 accidents ever. It depends how much cleaning up you're prepared to do! I think alot of using the potty before about 18 mths is just luck - you happen to get them on the potty at the point they were going to wee anyway. We used a potty from about 18 mths before bathtime and it got him used to the idea of what it was for but I never pushed him, it was all his choice. He was also dry at night within a week of being dry in the day. My friends 15 mth old tells you when she's done a poo but I have friends who's 3 yr olds are still in nappies and don't even tell you when they've done one! Every child is different. I probably won't try with my daughter until she is about 18 mths. Try it but don't push it as you may put your child off trying at a future point if it doesn't work. Good luck!

Stacey - posted on 03/10/2010

My almost 10 month old son is starting to get about on his feet. Hes 1 in may so im going to start training him through the summer, will be easier to let him play in the garden without a nappy. You should wait until shes able to walk & communicate abit better :)

Belinda - posted on 03/09/2010

Around 18 months is a good time to introduce a potty chair. Let your child use it to sit on with or without their diaper on, this helps so they will be comfortable with it in the future. Do not expect to actually potty train your child until 2 to 2 1/2 years old. Even then it is a slow process and could take up to a year or more to potty train your child, depending on whether they are a boy or a girl.

I have 5 children and all of my 4 girls were potty trained between the ages of 2 1/2 and 3.My son is only nine months old and I do not plan to start potty training for awhile. I also work as a pre-school teacher so I have a lot of experience with potty-training.

Some parents will say their children were potty trained at 18 months or even younger, but it is not possible. There is a something in there brain that does not connect fully until around 2 1/2 years of age, and until then they can not grasp the concept of potty training. If a parent says there child is potty trained sooner, it is the parent who is trained to take their child to the bathroom every hour, not the child. In order to be considered potty trained a child has to know when they have to go to the bathroom, be able to hold it for long period of time,be able to use the toilet un assisted, and be able to speak up and tell you when they need to go.

Good luck I hope this helps! :)

I do not know why everyone is in such a rush to potty train their children? Is it so awful changing a babies diaper? Most people do not realize that you can damage you child and make it take longer for them to potty train if you try to potty train to soon or force the issue.

Christine - posted on 03/09/2010

My 10 month old has been using the potty since 8 months. It is more about training yourself to know when your child needs to go and getting them on the potty asap. We have been having fun using the potty, and my daughter is not afraid or even concerned- In fact she will often crawl to her potty and tap it when she wants to use it now.
Waiting until a child is older is a Western idea based on a study by a disposable diaper company- try researching elimination communication for more ideas and support!

Kara - posted on 03/09/2010

I waited until 2 years for my first! I had no idea you could train this early???? Anyways, with my first, I picked a weekend when we had nowhere to go and spent the whole wkd with him. I put him on the toilet every 15 minutes for a while(lots of praise and toys to entertain) then every 20 minutes for a while then every 25...etc until he was going to the bathroom himself or telling me he wanted to go. I made it fun to go to the potty(dancing, racing, singing) and when he peed his pants, i sat him on the toilet more often again. worked in 3 days:)

Tori - posted on 03/09/2010

I just took my daughter for her 9month check up and in the paper work they gave me it says that your child is NOT ready for potty training they do not have control of their blatter and it might end up scaring her later if she feels like she is failing. My daughter Taytum is not where near ready for that until she can communicate with me I wont stress her out by exspecting to much. But if it works for you go for it!

Tawnya - posted on 03/08/2010

When they are able to walk and tell you they have to go potty then you start trainging. Do not try to push it on them any earlier than that otherwise it will only take you longer. When they use the bathroom in their diaper tell them what they did. This will start the process of the different types of bathroom uses for them. Then as they learn to walk and start pointing at their diaper then it is time to start the potty training process.

Amie - posted on 03/08/2010

I have a 10 month old- and I wouldn't even dream of potty training her. I know we all have stories of so and so who trained their kids at such and such age- but there are actually studies that show that those who are potty trained too early will most likely take LONGER to train and have issues with bed wetting and such down the road.

My advice? Well... I guess it wouldn't hurt to try- just don't make a big deal of it which might stress your child out. If it doesn't work, which in most cases it won't at that age, don't worry, try introducing the potty further down the road.

Jelena - posted on 03/08/2010

just another thing - the firts potty that we had seamed a little bit too big, so we bought the simple one that Ikea sells for 1.99 and that worked well in the beginning, now he is using the bigger one. He looks amused when using the potty, don't pressure them about it, have some "special potty toys" for example, praise them a lot, make a huge deal when they do it! Positive discipline is the key I think. About them exploring with their hands, yes he is doing that as well, pulling on his pee pee that just started recently lol, but I am always there and I am not leaving him unattended so eating stuff can't really happened :p

Jelena - posted on 03/08/2010

After my son was 7 months(and 1 week) old, we started putting him on a potty when we would notice that he is about to go, I don't have any specific opinion(but lots of theories) about this, it's just that when I was a baby my mom had me sitting on a potty as young as 8 months old, and then the summer that followed she had me walk around without diapers(just dresses) and that's how she did it with me - and it worked, so now I am trying the same thing :)

Kerrie - posted on 03/08/2010

I think they need to be aware of what they are doing. I think perhaps 9 mths is alittle early to start thinking about it. My older children were trained at 2, 2 1/2 & 18 mths. I haven't even thought about it for my 10mth old. I think each child is different and are ready at different stages/ages. I use to take each child to the toilet every 1/2 hour or so until they became aware of needing to go.

Casey - posted on 03/08/2010

My pediatrician would laugh at me if I asked about potty training! I think around 2 is when most people start.

Yvette - posted on 03/08/2010

Goodness, please don't!! I know some mum's do it early for the environment (disposables) issue, but at this age it really is a 'toilet timing' and not training that is going on. My youngest is 9mths and my sixth child, and they are all very different when it comes to potty training. The boys vs girls thing in regards to difficulty training is as varied as the kid as well - I have both! My fifth (a boy) is two and a half and uses underwear like a nappy (diaper) but will go very happily on his own if left with nothing on, and his eldest brother was 5 by the time he had it down pat! In contrast, my third child (a boy) was fully trained day and night by age 2 and 8 mths.
If you are really keen on starting, maybe wait til they are walking? At least til they can communicate the need to 'go'? And good luck, patience is defintiely a virtue with this stage!!

Carolyn - posted on 03/08/2010

My daughter is just about there and almost 3. I was told unless her diaper is almost completely dry when she wakes up that will determine whether or not her bladder is ready for potty training. I recommend reading toilet training books like Bye Bye diapers and stuff like that

Amy - posted on 03/08/2010

You are going to confuse her! she can't even walk yet. She can't get out of bed to go in the middle of the night. She can't communicate to you that she needs to go. She doesn't have adequate bladder control yet. The average age to start potty training is 2 years. I have worked with 2 year olds as a preschool teacher for 6 years. Very occasionally I have seen a younger child successfully potty trained(18 months to 24 months). Another tip, those tiny potty's are a waste of money. It is better to get a little seat that fits over the real potty. You need two step stools, one for in front of the potty and one for the sink( hand washing). Buy real big girl underpants. Pull up's are another form of Diapers and are confusing. I hope you decide to wait a little while!

Melissa - posted on 03/08/2010

Wow , way to early wat are you thinking, my son is 10mths and not even crawling yet if i WAS to start potty training there is no way he would understand

Leanne - posted on 03/08/2010

Molly is 9 months and I definately won't be starting potty training yet. Its far too early in my eyes. She does have a potty though and has done since she was 6 months old so she gets used to it being around and it won't be a new thing when I do start.

15-18 months is a good time to start introducing it IMO.

Dadrie - posted on 03/08/2010

I think 9 months is way toooo early for potty training! At this age there still exploring their surroundings and learning the big world around them. I'm still working on everything doesnt belong in his mouth... I couldn't even imagine him potty training now he might go fishing for his lunch he just put out!! LOL :-) it's to early enjoy them while there still small.

Rebekah - posted on 03/08/2010

There is a great "ECing Mama's" community devoted to elimination communication/potty training. Check it out. They're all going through the same thing and probably could offer better advice.

Kimberly - posted on 03/08/2010

9 months is a little early, in my opinion. My son potty trained at 2 years old and I thought that was good. The doctor told me to start when he showed interest in it and thats what I did. With my daughter, who is almost 10 months, I am going to do the same.

Kerri - posted on 03/08/2010

I think its really crazy to try to start potty training at 9/10 months. Im certain my son wouldn't understand what a potty is right now. Lol. I only have child and hes only 9 months so I don't actually have potty training experience but at the daycare I worked at we started potty training at about a year and a half and they had to be potty trained before they could progress to the 2 year old class. So I would say about a year to a year and a half. But I definatly wouldn't start now.

Becky - posted on 03/08/2010

9/10 months is still a little to early to start thinking about potty training; at least to me. Cause if they can not speak well yet then how are they going to tell you that they have to go. With my oldest we did not start until he was 18 months old cause we wanted him to understand and to be able to tell us he had to go.

To me it is going to be hard to get a 9/10 month old to understand that if they need to go potty to tell mommy or daddy. Plus if you start pushing to potty to soon they can resist and it take longer to train them once they are ready.

Caroline - posted on 03/08/2010

Wow 10 months seems to be really early to be potty training!!!! I would at least wait till there 18months or so. My daughter was otty trained when she was 2! I thought that was pretty good! But if you can do it sooner, good for you! :)

Jessica - posted on 03/08/2010

I having this same dilema. My mom had my brother and I potty trained at 8-9 months. My son turned 10 months yesterday, but I haven't started potty training him yet. I thinking of buying a littly potty for him next week and starting though. I'm just gonna start out by taking him to the bathroom with us whenever we go and just sitting him fully clothed on his potty so he can used to it first. Then once he's used to it, we'll continue taking him with us, but we'll sit him on it without his bottoms and see if he starts using it. Maybe run a little water while he's on it to help him along. That's our plan for now, but we'll know for sure how things are going change once we've started.