Not potty trained yet and my daughter is 16.5 months old :(

Shana - posted on 04/23/2010

Buy a potty chair (if you dont have one already) whenever you or anyone else in the house goes to the bathroom. Take her with you. Place her on the potty (diaper and all) and let her sit there while you (or whoever) use the bathroom. Try to keep track of what is going on when she goes potty in her diaper. For example: With my son, if he is about to get a bath, he will say he pee-peed. If he needs a diaper change, he will take off his diaper. As soon as he uses the potty in his diaper, we place him on his potty. By finding ways to associate the deed with the potty chair. Eventually they will pick it up. My son now will tell us when he wants to use his potty chair. Sometimes he does nothing, other times he does. But hes 18 months so I am not rushing him.

Verniece - posted on 04/22/2010

I have bought a potty seat and she comes in with me when I go and pretends to go herself. We aren't even close to doing the actual thing yet. I don't think they are advanced enough at this age to tell us in advance, so I'm being patient. My other two girls didn't train until they were around 2 1/2. There's really no need to push them.

Stacey - posted on 04/22/2010

my son is almost 18 months and potty's on the potty alot. I let him run around the house naked and watch and when I think he needs to potty I go and put him on the potty and he goes. He gets 3 M&M's when he goes because our doctor told us to reward him for doing so, so he know that it's good to potty in the potty. (We use the mini M&M's so it's not a lot of candy but he loves it) Sometimes I put him in big boy pants (undies) at home and he does pretty well. So on the weekend you should just try it and see what happens. If she likes stickers you can do a sticker chart and when she gets so many stickers she gets a special toy or something.

Kimberley - posted on 04/19/2010

god my son is nearly 18 months old and doesn't tell me at all when he's done something in his nappy apart from throwing a tantrum, he's played with the potty I sit him on it and he hates it and gets off it straight away

Tiffany - posted on 04/18/2010

I think she's already doing very well. Most babies are ready usually after the age of 2. Try introducing the potty. Make sure she's comfortable on it. Then you can start slow but take her off the disposable diapers for a few hours in the day. Use cloth/training pants instead. Give her a few practise goes at taking off the pants and sitting at the potty. Especially after meals. Once she gets the idea/concept, she's ready to go off diapers.

But don't rush your child. Expect lots of accidents. Don't scold, just say it's ok and we'll try again. Be very very patient. It can take a few weeks to months.

Holly - posted on 04/18/2010

My 18 month old son isnt even ready to try potty training...he is starting to talk, but not quite ready for that stage. I wouldnt be that worried...she seems like she is right on track or maybe a little advance! Keep looking for signs...like she may want to be alone when she has to do number 2... she will get it!!! Dont get discouraged.

Tiffany - posted on 04/15/2010

you might jsut have to take a few days off work or from doing housework, and focus on it.
Put her on in underwear, and expect a few messes.
put her on the potty every 30 mins or so, all day long.

its what ive seen work.

Katrina - posted on 04/08/2010

I know boys are ment to be slower to train but my 3 yr old has just got both (wee and poos) down pat. I also have a 18 month old boy who has only just worked out that something comes out (when weeing in the bath). Try not to worry too much she will when she's ready and it will possibly be a really quick transition for you all. Good luck :)

Laurie - posted on 04/05/2010

since she is feeling the urge to go or knows when she has to go but won't tell you...try getting a "peeing" doll for her. my daughter did the same thing and I bought her the doll so when she felt the urge to go, her dolly did as well and would have to sit her dolly on a homemade toilet...out of a cardboard box, she helped me color it for her dolly. They would sit on the potty together and she would go. didn't take her long at all to get trained that way. good luck!

Segale - posted on 03/22/2010

My nephew will go and sit on the potty and then when he's about to he gets up and asks for his diaper. Then he goes in his diaper.

Penney - posted on 03/22/2010

My daughter is 17 months old and still isn't potty trained. We purchased her a potty, but she just isn't into it just yet. I'm not too worried. Don't want to pressure her. I'm sure she will be ready, when she is ready. :) Good luck!

Sarah - posted on 03/22/2010

don't rush it - she will decide in her own time! it really is that easy and less stressful for u both - when a child is ready they choose. most kids are between two and four anyway.. my eldest is disabled and i had to wait 5 years! my middle one was 3 and just learnt in the space of 3 days after her birthday - i didn't have to do anything at all! my youngest is sixteen months and showing signs of potty interest but im not pushing it, just letting him make the choice!

Deepashree - posted on 03/21/2010

My daughter is 17 months old, and while she will not *always* tell me before she wants to pee/poop, she does use the potty quite frequently, and many a times she does tell me she wants to go. We started training her when she was about 7.5 months old.
If you want to speed up potty training, stop using diapers and use cloth nappies or panties instead. For the first few days this will mean some additional work, but once the baby knows it feels dirty after peeing/pooping in the panty, the baby will use the potty chair instead.

Sarah - posted on 03/21/2010

she sounds quick for her age! 16 months is way too young. i have only just got my 3 year old trained!

Morgan - posted on 03/20/2010

why so sad. This is completely normal. Every child potty trains at different ages. This is still quite a young age to begin potty training. Of course there are moms out there who will say theirs were potty trained at 7 , 9,12,15 months, but they are not parents to your child. It doesnt matter what age she does this as long as your DOCTOR does not have a problem with it developmentally. It is not going to give her a marked advantage in life by potty training early. Most kids I know have potty trained between age 2 and 4 and none have had any problem relating to the time they potty trained.

Omayra - posted on 03/20/2010

My daughter as well for the past 2 weeks has been telling me when she is pee pee. She sees me go to the bathroom and I always say that I am going pee that way she knows what the toilet is for. Its quite advanced for them to even acknowledge the fact that "wow i did go pee or poop in my diaper" and want to tell you. There are some kids who learn at a very young age but dont be diappointed if yours isnt one of them. Im sure we would all love to not be changing diapers anymore... but changing diapers is alot easier than dealing with wet beds! lol... They say that 18m is a good age to start introducing potty training. Try buying a potty and have her explore it. Good Luck!

Kierra - posted on 03/20/2010

I believe in waiting for the signs and when they are ready. If your daughter isnt getting the hang of it then she isnt ready yet. 16.5mth is young anyways. ive has my son go potty once and i catch him on the toilet but its only coz his sister just fully toilet trained (except nights) just before she turned 3...

At 16mths old i think its more toilet awareness rather then toilet training .. she will go toilet in her own time :)

Noelle - posted on 03/20/2010

My daughter was 15 months when she actually started going, but thats because he brother started potty training. It is consider early at this stage. Girls usually potty train at around 2 boys it will be around 2.5 to 3 she doesnt have an older sibling. I often put my daughter on when I am on. and then show her after. and tell her that where you go potty. and first day is hard. try putting her on every 10-15 minutes till you catch her. then praise her so much she wont forgot. give her a treat. if she has a drink of milk or a bottle. wait around an hour. and she should need to go. GOOD luck and best of wishes

Donna - posted on 03/20/2010

ok some say not to train tell there 2 but my daughter is 17 months old she is started potty training and not because iwanted her to but we have a potty9 chair in are bathroom that she likes to sit on... we know shes got to go because she trys taking her diper of... they recomend not tell 2 but some kids are just ready if u think ur daughter is ready then just show her a potty chair and if she is readdy she will go to the potty on her own.... i never started my son tell 2 and and was potty traid in 3 weeks

Kara - posted on 03/20/2010

Not pushing her is the best thing. My daughter is 16 mo and sometimes wants to sit on the potty after I do, so I let her and sometimes she does pee a little. But my son is 6yrs old and potty training was horrible, I think it's b/c I pushed it. So this time around I'm going to take a different route and just let her do it on her own when she's ready!

Birgit - posted on 03/18/2010

I have read that you shouldn't even consider potty training until your child is two. They not only have to be able to recognize when they have to go but they also have to be able to remove their own clothing. Otherwise, it's really you that is trained. My son goes to the changing table when he needs a diaper change or brings me his diapers, which is fabulous and we bought the chair at Christmas when he was about 14 months old. I have been reading him books about going to the potty and we are acclimating him to it. He throws his own dirty diapers away. The steps are there but to put it all together is a big step so I am not stressing. They have to be able to not only recognize that they need to go but articulate it before they go. They then have to be able to get to the potty on time, remove their own clothing. It's a lot of work. My son still can't even put two words together in a sentence that makes sense so I am not even trying to cover that hurdle yet. I would rather wait, than get stressed about his accidents. I have seen people try to potty train at a little over a year and it's a trying time. I was a social worker before I became a stay at home mom and potty training was the time that children were at a high risk of child abuse because it's so stressful. I know that my child will eventually figure it out before kindergarten so I am not going to worry about it. I don't want potty training to be stressful for my son so I am waiting a bit and introducing it slowly. I just encourage him when he signals that he's gone potty and am working on making the potty chair not such a novelty. I have also started reading books on going to the potty. I want his potty training to be a positive experience on his own time. If he gets part of the steps down but not all of it, I am not going to sweat it. It's a giant step to be able to anticipate going to the bathroom, one we take for granted as adults.

Shelly - posted on 03/18/2010

yes this is nothing to worry about, i dont even begin to THINK about potty training until they turn 2. My daughter is three and goes but not all the time and is still in pullups, oh well! Im not gonna stress about it, there is only so much we can do, they will catch on, try not to compare yourselves to other moms or others kids, i have learned this, alot of moms just exaggerate and like to brag! Im sure you are doing a great job, dont sweat it! :)

Robin - posted on 03/18/2010

i sooo agree my daughter will b 17 months next week. no where near even thinking bout potty training. if we ask her if she has pooped she will tell you or if she needs a diaper change. she will come lay down for me and throw her dirty diaper away but no where ready 4 the next step, but if she was i would b sooooo proud!!

Kimbeley - posted on 03/18/2010

Breanne I'm with you... my 17 month old son loves flushing the toilet. Oh, and putting toilet paper into the toilet (and if my back is turned, getting the toilet paper back out of the toilet too). He can confirm if he needs a nappy change ("have you done poos" "yes") but I'm thinking that next summer will be the time to start unless he does something that really impresses me (like telling me before he needs to go).

Adele - posted on 03/18/2010

i think 16/17 months is to young i fink i dnt think they are ready for it i think you should wait till there 2.

Laura - posted on 03/18/2010

Wow, that is VERY young. Give it some time

Jennifer - posted on 03/18/2010

you just have to take her to the potty all the time...dont worry she wont go to high school going potty in her pants thats for sure!...lol

Kara - posted on 03/18/2010

At this age, they can tell when they have soiled their diaper, but don't have the ability yet to reconginze the signs that they need to go. When my dd was around 18 months old, we bought her a potty chair because she was starting to show interest by wanting to imiate me, knowing when she was wet, etc. However, we took it slow and did not force anything. She was fully trained by about 2 1/2 and since then has only had very few accidents and was fully night trained shotly after. With ds, he is starting to know when he needs to be changed, but we won't even start training him for at least a while. Be patient and go with her queues - it WILL happen, but it's something that can't be forced.

Andrea - posted on 03/18/2010

16.5 months is a little young for most kids to train. I would say if she's telling you after she's gone that you've got a good start and I would just take her periodically when she's between 18 and 24 months- she'll get there, they all do. If she continues to refuse to tell you when she's older you can try some of the 'tricks' some parents use. With my first we had to bribe her to tell us with m&m's, but that wasn't till she was 3 and still wouldn't tell me before she went and I knew that she knew. Once the bag of candy was gone, we just told her it was all gone and that was that. She still had her accidents, but that's expected, for some, till they're in early grade school.

Paula - posted on 03/17/2010

Yes agree with Diane M - Come on 16 months.....a minority for sure to be in this age group and doing things. Relax and be proud the efforts so far (we are not even sleeping through the night let alone potty training)

Diane - posted on 03/17/2010

A sad face because your 16 month old daughter is not potty trained yet???? Wow. Come on "Jennifer"... Do your research.

Kelly - posted on 03/17/2010

My son is 17 months old and I thought potty training didn't have to start until they were 2. Am I wrong?

Kim - posted on 03/17/2010

I am astounded to read that 16-17 month olds are even close to potty training. I've always read and been told that 2 is the ideal age to begin potty training with girls and anywhere from 2-3 for boys. Is it just me, or am I only person who has twin boys that are nowhere near comprehending potty training? Granted, my guys were very preemie, but I am still astounded to even read that kiddos are potty training so soon.

Laura - posted on 03/17/2010

my 17 month old daughter is no where near being potty trained either. I think she's quite advanced being able to tell you she went. It hink if you want to do anything just expose her to the potty so she gets familiar with it and what its for, you can let her sit on it and just get familiar with it.

Laurie - posted on 03/17/2010

I am right there with you!! Flushing, flushing, flushing...aww, the amazement!

Sarah - posted on 03/17/2010

my son is 17 months old and i havent even started, i dont want to rush him, i think after he turns 2 will be a good time to start, his understanding and knowledge will be more developed to the concept

Briana - posted on 03/16/2010

just observe your child and learn to read her body language and it will tell you when she has to go. It is still early so don't worry. My little one is almost 17 months, he goes and sits on his potty chair and he goes...but with his pull up on...but no biggy because at least the 2 are connecting almost completely.

Elise - posted on 03/16/2010

i haven't even thought about potty training my 16 month old daughter. i think its a bit soon to be worrying about it. my sister works in child care and says not even to think about it until at least 2 but then she has 3 1/2 year olds in her class still in nappies. lol

Breanne - posted on 03/16/2010

at 16 month! HAHA MY son is 17 months and so far he just likes to watch the toilet flush. I guess i have a long way to go hehe.

Leah Van - posted on 03/16/2010

My daughter does the same thing, she is 17 mo. old. We have been sitting her down on the potty after she wakes in the morning, one time mid-morning, before and after naptime in the afternoon and before bathtime/bedtime at night...so far we've been leaving the diaper on so she gets used to the motion of sitting down, before bedtime is the only time she doesn't have it on and she peed on the potty a couple nights ago. If she's already done her business, she sits on the potty for a bit and gets up wanting me to change her. Try what works for her and you and go with it, not to push too hard, but if she's ready which it sounds like she is, try a few things see if they work and if not try something else.

Anna - posted on 03/16/2010

my daughter just turned 17m this wknd and is so close to being completely potty trained!! I would buy your daughter some big girl panties with pictures of something she likes on them (my daughter loves dogs so we found some 101 dalmation and lady and the tramp panties) tell her she's a big girl and make a big deal out of it. what helped get us to the the point of saying she had to go before she went in her panties was her potty dolly and playing with that, have her help you potty train the doll and make a big deal out of baby going in the potty chair! we also had baby have a few accidents on the floor on your child the tell the baby, "no, mommy doesn't like potty on the floor!!" or something like that. pretending seems to help ALOT!
also when she does go on the potty chair, you make a HUGE deal out of it, and a treat doesn't hurt either =)
I thought it was good enough to have a treat and found out later that what makes the biggest diffrence is how excited you get! for the first few weeks we screamed, hopped up and down, clap and tell her how proud you are, what a big girl she is lots of fun and that has worked better than anything else for us!!
hope this will help you a little!

Casey - posted on 03/15/2010

im at the exact same stage with my daughter telling me after the fact, friends keep telling me shell do it in her own time so we just have her potty on hand and when shes nappyless well put her on just so she gets the feel of being on there, yet to have her go on it yet

Shilpa - posted on 03/15/2010

yupp me too facin the same situation .. not yet trained

Kat - posted on 03/15/2010

My daughter is 17.5 months. She was answering us when we asked if she'd done poo, but has regressed. I have read not to even consider starting before 18 months so was going to wait till then. But since she has stopped telling us I'll wait even longer. I think 2+ is the norm so no rush.

Jesicha - posted on 03/15/2010

I would just be happy that she is telling you what she has done. That is really advanced!

Tania - posted on 03/15/2010

Patience is the key here! My daughters (17 mo old twins) tell me poop sometimes, but I can't even imagine them potty training anytime soon. My son took until he was almost 4 and we had to start over several times.

Adri - posted on 03/15/2010

It is the norm for a child that age to not be potty trained. I don't understand why the sad face.

Jan - posted on 03/15/2010

It's easy for a toddler to tell that they have peed or pooped, but just because they can recognize that they are wet doesn't mean they can recognize that they are about to pee. At this stage I'm willing to bet she hates the feeling of being in a dirty diaper but still has no warning that she is about to go, just knows during and after the fact. Give it some time most girls are ready to start training around 2 - 21/2 and boys are usually 2 1/2 - 3.

Stephanie - posted on 03/14/2010

my son is 17 months and he has began to tell me when he has peed or pooped - i also was wondering the same, how to get him to tell me BEFORE the act, i was told that around 2 yrs old is a good age to begin potty training and this is just so that the child dosent get set up for failure by having accidents - i think that for the next few months maybe just watch her actions and try to figure when she's going, i noticed my son gets really quiet and still just before telling me he peed or pooped, so maybe once you see what she does ask her if she needs to potty (or whatever term you want to use) and see how effective it is. im thinking and typing so i hope im being helpful =)

Stacey - posted on 03/13/2010

My daughter is 16 months old, and loves her potty., I bought it cuz it was on sale, and her pedi dr told us to let her play with one. When I brought it home, the 1st day it was an interesting toy, and since then she goes on it WHEN SHE WANTS TO. I refuse to make her go, around 3 is the normal age to have them potty trained, so I am in no rush. She has been bringing me a diaper and 3 wipes , and laying down for me to change her since she was 11 months old. So she is still in diapers, but goes to the potty here and there when she wants. Doesnt take her long to go pee either. She will sit and within a min she is peeing. I cant face the fact that my daughter isnt my baby anymore.