When is a good age to begin potty training?

Phyllis - posted on 07/26/2011

Jessica uyoun said your baby catches on things very quick, that's agood start for u. The fact is the earlier the better so baby can grasp the idea quick enough I start potraining as soon as they learned how to sit. So for you the time in now. Hope this helps

Autumn - posted on 07/15/2011

My daughter is 16 months. I bought her a potty at 15 months. For awhile I left on her clothes while she can in the bathroom with me when I went. She would just sit on her potty. She thought it was a lot of fun to do what mommy does. After a couple of weeks I just started putting her on the potty with her diaper. Just to slowly start getting the flow of things. I have taken off her diaper maybe 3 times. On the 3rd time I took off the diaper. I was using the restroom. I noticed she stood up and looked down. Like she was waiting for something to happen. I put her on the potty and she went. I started to cheer and give her high 5's and let her know that I was very proud. Hopefully it continues = )

Mercedes - posted on 07/10/2011

I was comfortable at trying 18 months, she is 22 months and only wears pull ups when we go on trips and things like that. other wise she likes to sit on her lady bug toilet or dora at grandmas. She talks and communicates like a 4 year old so it was easier with her, now with my other daughter being 9 months she copys her sister.

Kathie - posted on 06/26/2011

Every child is different, with my youngest daughter I went to the book store and bought some books on potty training and just started reading them to her at about 2 1/2 years old. This showed her how fun it is to wear panties and stay dry while she plays. I think it is called The Potty Book with a little girl named Hannah. It took a little while for her to get it. We had a little potty in the bathroom for her and also a potty seat. Some days she would go and others not. I finally bought her about ten pairs of panties and told her when she went she could wear panties. This I think helped a lot. She didn't like wetting her panties or pooping them. She started to learning that it isn't fun to have wet panties. From there she has had accidents here and there but she is going a lot better. Oh, plus I have added stickers to the reward as well.

Sacha - posted on 06/26/2011

we started our son at 16 months, taking him at bath time, and when he woke up. We would always ask him during the day and if he said no that was ok, we went to the bathroom with him in the room, he would sit on his potty at the same time, and slowly got the idea.

In the last 5 weeks he showed a lot of interest and he is now in undies during the day and pull ups at night. (he turned 2 in April).

what ever you do don't push it, try step by step and then let her decide that she is ready and willing to go on her own. Always praise her and make her feel like she is doing something good. If she makes a mess just make sure to not get upset and tell her that next time she needs to use the potty and she shouldn't get wet.

Alaina - posted on 06/24/2011

We introduced the potty chair to our little girl right after her first birthday. Then about when she was about 20 months she figured out that could use the potty. Now she wears big girl panties during the day and pull ups at night. She will be 2 in August.

Keri - posted on 06/24/2011

you know all those articles that say "start when the child is ready"? I think they are SO true. We started to try when he was about 18-24 months and he never really wanted to until he was almost 3 and wasn't "fully trained" until about 3 and a 1/2 - and his PRESCHOOL was what really got it done. I've always heard "boys are different" and that may be true, but I don't have a girl to compare - plus I get the feeling that any child after our son will see him doing it and try to copy.

Eliza - posted on 06/24/2011

Hi Jessica, my son will be 3 in Sept. I was told that the first indication of being ready is when they wake up in the morning, their diaper is not wet. I didn't really follow that at first but I tried to potty train my son at 23 months. I think maybe he wasn't ready at the time. I tried again when he was 27 months and this time I took a week of from work and diligently worked with him. I bought those gerber training cloth pants. Those disposable ones never worked for anyone I knew. The first morning of training, I got him out of his crib and brought him to the toilet and waited for him to go pee. After that I brought him to the toilet every one and a half hours to get him to go. Sometimes we missed and he would wet himself, he didn't like that but I think that gave him some indication of how it felt if he had to go and what happens. I think it's between 3 or 4 days before he actually got the hang of it. When I went back to work and he was back with the sitter, it took a little getting used to to go somewhere other than his bathroom because I had him pee in the toilet without those training toilet stuff. Those didn't work with my first child. It was harder with #2. That took about a month before he got the hang of things. We had to watch him for signs he had to go. He likes to go where he can be alone to do that and you would know when they are getting ready, they have that face. He was afraid to sit in the toilet in the beginning. My friend had the same issue with his daughter. We started in January and it is now June and he's been fully potty trained for 4 - 5 months now. Good luck to you!

Jessica - posted on 06/23/2011

Thanks ladies!!! I think i'm going to get a dvd to get her prepared then try in a few months...and yes i would never discipline for making a mess i feel bad for putting her in time out sometimes haha =)

Bec - posted on 06/22/2011

when they start ripping the nappy off is always a good idea, If your lucky it happens in summer better time for nudies on the run LOL!!

Sara - posted on 06/22/2011

Oh yeah don't forget praise as well, if nothing happens say something like, "good try, I know you'll get it" or if something does happen say "Great job! I knew you could" You can even develop a little potty song or dance that the two of you can do when something does happen... the joy's of toddlers is that anything using intrinsic rewards helps a lot... and never discipline for having a messy diaper it only pushes them backwards.

Sara - posted on 06/22/2011

Jessica, I really just let them watch for a little bit and then when they looked interested I would take off their diapers and let them sit on the potty, whether they did anything or not, it's all trial and error. You can always have her sit on her potty naked while you are using the toilet as well, maybe seeing you going will help her understand what it is used for.

Chrissy - posted on 06/22/2011

Although my 23 month old daughter isn't fully potty trained we started introducing her to her potty around 3 months ago. To get her to go i would have her sit on it while i ran her bath and it would just help trigger her to go pee. Now everytime before her bath she runs to the potty and pees.

Jessica - posted on 06/22/2011

Thank you so much for the advice. I do take her into the bathroom with me and she gets me toilet paper and likes throwing it in the toilet but idk if that means she wants to try lol. She has a potty and I sit her on it from time to time but she just sits there. Is there anything you did to show them what to do? Or did you just let them watch you??

Sara - posted on 06/21/2011

I started potty training with my daughter at around 15 months. It took a little over 6 months to become fully potty trained. My son is now 24 months and only recently become interested in the potty so we've started working with him sitting and using the potty, it's only been about 6 weeks and when we are at home he will tell me that he needs to potty and actually make BMs and pee in the toilet. I have know parents to have their child potty trained by 15 months, there are actually stay at home moms that would start "potty training" in the new born stages, which I think is a little weird. Anyway just see if your daughter is ready, maybe start by taking her into the bathroom while you are going potty and let her watch what you do, watch her reactions and you will know if she is interested in doing it herself.