At what age do you think a child be potty trained?

Rose - posted on 06/26/2009

My aunt started potty training all her 5 girls at 5 months! She would take them to sit on a little toilet after eating or when she saw signs of them needing to go. And they really just got used to using the toilet instead of diapers so much. By the time they were 1 year old they were going on their own. I always thought she was a crazy mom for this... but my little girl is 6 months old and I take her to go potty too. It may sound like too much too soon, I thought so at first, but it worked for her and my Bellarose already knows its potty time when she's done eating. And I definately look out for when she starts pushing to go poo.

Melissa - posted on 06/26/2009

hey krystie, they say try at 18 mths, my eldest daughter was that age and just before she was 2 she was attending playgroup and asked could she wear knickers, had no problems after that. try giving your son his dinner and put him on the potty afterwards .

Yarna - posted on 06/26/2009

hey my boy is 2 and 8 months and has only just started using the toilet, doc told me boys are harder to train than girls and that kids will show interest when there ready. but taking you son to the toilet when you go and telling him about the toilet might help i know it sounds a bit gross but it helped my son and i got a book that had a button he could press to make flushing sounds he liked that and i make a sticker chart so when he gets so many he gets a reward its working great wish i had tried these things sooner. hope that helps

Francesca - posted on 06/26/2009

i think at that age he just needs to be introduced.sit him on the potty when he gets up again before lunch and so on. so he gets used to sitting on it, not so much for him to do anything.

my ss didnt give us any signs he was 2 we fully potty trained him in a week. but his mother would put him back in nappies, so all the work we had done was ruined. we never went back to nappies and still kept training him. bm didnt put him in pants till he was 31 months. and thats only because we told the pre school he was dry day and night. he's 4 now and she still puts him in pull ups at night. to me that is a lazy parent.

what ever you decide will be the right thing for your child x

Andrea - posted on 06/25/2009

We are getting ready to start potty training on our daughter. We are going to buy a potty and everytime I use the bathroom I will take her with me, first starting with just sitting her on it to get used to it (with her pants still on) and then when she is used to it start put her on it like a big girl and go from there, she is getting really good at taken naps and not having major dirty diapers but she isn't a really good walking and I wanted to wait till she could walk very well before we start... Good luck.

Allison - posted on 06/25/2009

It can never hurt to show a child how the big kids do it...they will decide when they think diapers are yuk. It does NOT help to tell them they're like babies...it ticks them off.

Kim - posted on 06/25/2009

Well, that really depends on each child, individually. Many times, children want to do it on their time, not ours...which can be frustrating. Our son Korbin, for example, was very excited to start using the "big boy potty" like his older friends at daycare. This was a great way to get him readay for training. In another example, one of Korbin's friends, who is a little older, was very defiant in the training process. She was in the process of being adopted, along with her older and younger brothers, so she was stuck in the middle and felt kind of, by-the-wayside. She would wet strictly for attention, as she was nearly completely trained at the time. I would only suggest to be patient. He will let you know when he is ready, and when he does......go for it :-)

Michelle - posted on 06/25/2009

at this age your son wouldnt' be potty training you'd be training yourself to learn his signs.. then later on u'd have to train him right now he doesn't have enough control of himself

Katie - posted on 06/25/2009

They say to look for the signs that a child is ready to potty train rather than age. Signs are dry diaper at night/when gets up in AM, can stay dry for atleast 2 hours during the day and showing interest in the potty. 13 months is rather young and he may not have control or be able to acknowledge the sensation that he needs to go yet it something that they develop with age as nerve endings around the area mature. But its never to early to entertain the idea and introduce them to it just dont make it a stressful situation or it will take you a long time to get him to train when he is ready. Hope this helps.

Minnie - posted on 06/25/2009

Have you ever heard of elimination communication, or natural infant hygiene?



It's not truly potty training, but it progresses naturally and gradually to potty independence. Basically, it's you being sensitive and paying attention to cues, signals,and timing of when your child needs to relieve himself, then making the initiative to take him where it's acceptable to do so. You then make a cuing noise, like "pssssssss" when you notice your child go. You also make sure to never allow him to remain for any amount of time in a soiled diaper so that he begins to become used to the feeling of staying dry and of relieving his wastes away from his body.



Infants around the world are taken care of this way from day one. Although your son is much older and is used to relieving himself in his diaper, you can still practice this and get both of you on the road to potty independence.



Check out the book Diaper Free.