When is the best age to potty train?

Danielle - posted on 05/04/2009

my lil boy went straight from nappies to the toliet i never had to potty train him bt my lil girl is harder wen i give her the potty she jst puts it on her head and wen i say no ur meant to sit on it n do wee or poo poo she jst say no , bt she walks around wit no nappy on sometimes n wen she wants a wee she says i need a wee bt wont use the potty or the toliet so we often have accidents. I really dont know wt to do as this is all new to me if any1 has any gd tips plz let me know i would b very grateful

Monica - posted on 04/28/2009

Every child is hard to potty train to an extent. It takes time and you have to be consistant, but every child is different. If you wait until they are "ready" you might be waiting until they are 5, that is lazy, most people start potty training around 18 months, but I know many kids that were potty trained by the time they were 18 months old and when i say potty trained I mean pulling up and down their own pants, taking themselves to the bathroom and flushing the potty.

Tara - posted on 04/28/2009

If you go to the Huggies website they have potty training tips, I believe one of the tips is wanting their diaper changed when it's soiled (I know that sounds funny, but I literally have to chase my son around to change his diaper sometimes, he just doesn't care, lol) but they also have a free DVD their giving out about potty training which might help! Good Luck!

Also, just as an FYI to everyone, it's not that babies don't have the sphincter control, it's because we've put them in diapers & they've been trained that they can go whenever they want. If you really think about it, 3rd World countries generally do not have a lot of families that can afford diapers, which means they don't use them & guess why? Babies give cues when they need to pee & poop, & if you observe them a lot when they are small enough, you don't need to use diapers. There are 3-4 people that I know of personally in our community that don't use diapers for their babies, except when travelling (& only then just in case of accidents) Babies are born with the ability to hold their bowel movements & bladder, we take that ability away by putting them in diapers, because they learn that they can go whenever they want to & they don't need to hold it. If you're interested in more info, google diaperless babies.

Jen - posted on 04/27/2009

also, check out thepottybootcamp.com Totally worth the $5 or whatever to download, it's only 30 pages long, and very easy to implement.

Jen - posted on 04/27/2009

More than the child ... it depends on the mom. Some moms prefer to wait until their child expresses interest in potty training, which might be as late as 3 or 4. Other moms initiate the process ... I am one of those moms, and first let me say that just as most any other choice in parenting, it really isn't going to kill your kid one way or the other, so I don't personally judge any moms or their children based on when they learned to potty. But I JUST potty trained my 2 year old (27 months) and looking back really think I could have trained her a lot sooner. The best time to train them is when they are more eager to please mommy, and I hear the whole two-year old attitude only gets worse with age! lol. I basically went cold turkey on the diapers except nap time and bedtime, and I made "accidents" a big hassle so she really got sick of the whole process pretty quickly and within a week she has been initiating #1 and #2 ... I didn't belittle her for accidents, I just told her they are not fun and gee, we've got a whole mess to clean up and I made her stop playing and help me clean it up.

Well, how old are your girls (plural?!) I'm guessing that if you are considering training two or more at one time, that would be a pretty big venture!! Good luck, hope this helps.

Lindsay - posted on 04/27/2009

My daughter was trained fully by 2 1/2. My son is 2 1/2 now and we have barely started. He just doesn't show any interest. Good luck to you!

Danielle - posted on 04/27/2009

hey my lil girl is nearly 2n half but isnt intrested in the potty she jst says i done a wee in her nappy does any1 have any tips on how to potty trainer her ? as my lil boy was out of nappies by the age of 2 yrs

Kristy-Lynn - posted on 04/26/2009

Start training as soon as they turn two. Some girls are ready even earlier around 17 months. Just take them to the washroom with you and let them see how its done. Maybe spend a little time in the bathroom so they get used to it and encourage them to just sit on the potty. Be very positive and most importantly very consistent! Try to make it fun for them maybe a lil reward if they do a #1 give them a smartie candy and if they do a #2 maybe a chocolate or something they love and when they understand a little more you can take them shopping to pick out their new "big girl" panties with the understanding that they can't pee or poop in their pretty panties.

Anna - posted on 04/25/2009

I would say the age of two or just right before because they really dont have the sphincter muscle reception until then so it would be best to wait. Unless they show signs that they are ready like not wanting to wear a diaper, asking to go to the potty, taking off their diaper, or the big one bringing you a diaper when they have a mess in theirs. Hope it helps.

Anna - posted on 04/25/2009

I would say the age of two or just right before because they really dont have the sphincter muscle reception until then so it would be best to wait. Unless they show signs that they are ready like not wanting to wear a diaper, asking to go to the potty, taking off their diaper, or the big one bringing you a diaper when they have a mess in theirs. Hope it helps.