What are the signs that your child is ready to be potty trained?

Heidi - posted on 04/15/2009

My daughter is 20 months and i'm kind of in the same boat i put her on the big toilet with the training seat on before she get's in the bath and she wee's every time i make a big fuss of it i havn't put her on the potty as i think you then have to get them used to the big toilet and it's like starting over again i dont see any problem with you starting her now it would be better for you in the long run it's easier to have one in a nappy than two start her on the pull up's and tell her she's got her big girl pants on she'll be dry during the day in no time but remember it's harder to get them dry at night and will take much more effort as you will have to wake her during the night i went through all of this with my first as i was expecting my second and i feel i left it too late as she was nearly three before she was dry day and night i would say the sooner the better x

Sara - posted on 04/15/2009

i'm trying to potty train my son right now and it sounds like it is time for her also. and i know what its like to be doin it with a new one we just had our second in january,,, we really started tryin hard in march... i've had him a potty as soon as he could walk and when i had to go i'd take him with me and sit him on it and he'd go... so we've done that for about ten months and just over the last few months he has shown sure signs of being ready like taking his diaper off when he'd pottied. so i made a potty chart ( his name is parker so we wrote "Parkers Potty Poster") and had a big conversation about putting stickers on there when he uses the potty. it has been easiest  to put the potty in the living room where he plays,,, because with al the distraction of play he needs it there as a reminder... we do a silly dance and sing " lets go get a sticker" in a silly line to the poster on the fridge when he goes... he really enjoys it... 

Lori - posted on 04/15/2009

boys r different all the way around on this, mine started taking their diaper off themselves or tugging at it when they were dirty. my middle son was so stubborn, we would sit stairing at each other  then i realized he didnt want me watching him. it was summertime when we started potty training so i would put cotton shorts on him when he was outside playing, the pull-ups didnt work for mine, straight underwear

Ruth - posted on 04/15/2009

I'd leave it until she is ready to tell you herself. A lot of people put pressure on potty training and telling you when you should be doing it. Moll and Matthew both let me know when they were ready. They both just said 'No more knickers' and thats exactly what we did. A week later again came 'Don't want nappies at bedtime anymore' and that was it they were dry and no accidents. It just varies Moll was 2yrs 10mths and Matthew was 2yrs 6mths. Good luck with the new baby!

Nicole - posted on 04/15/2009

I wold leave it for a couple of months after baby is born. You may start now and it could be going really well, but when baby arrives all that good work seems to disappear. Children get bowel control before bladder control. I got my daughter into a rountine (when she was 24 months) of sitting on the potty after breakfast and before bathtime. Made a huge deal about her just sitting on the potty, even if nothing was 'deposited'. I left it till she was ready. She told me one afternoon after getting up from her nap she wanted 'big-girl knickers' when i went to change her nappy. She was 26 months old. Only took her about 3 days till she was completely dry and no accidents.