Can anyone tell the signs to know they are ready please?

[yetama]

DD is 22 months and for a while she has been saying wee after she has done it (or that is what I believe). She knows very well what having a wee means because I cannot go to the loo on my own since shewas born . However when I can see that she is having a poo and I ask her she says she is not having a poo so I am not sure if she knows what is going on.

Also two days ago I was changing her nappy and she weed on the bed and didn't say anything which makes me think that maybe she does not really know yet what is happening.

So can anyone list which are the signs to knoe if they are ready. I am not going to hurry her up. I don't have a problem if she needs to have nappies for another year (I hope it won't be that long really) wht I really want is to be able to see the digns and then start taking the nappies away.

Thank you in advance

[RuthChan]

The usual signs are:
Hiding when weeing or pooing. This is a sign of awareness of what's going on.
Asking for nappy changes.
Showing an interest in the toilet or potty.
Having enough verbal ability to be able to signal when a toilet visit will be necessary.
Having a reasonable gap between wees/poos.

Do these ring any bells?

[yetama]

I don't think she is ready then. Her verbal ability is pretty good and somtimes she tells me once it has happened I think but she never asks for a nappy change.

She has a huge interest in the bathroom but only to wsh her hands and brush her teeth which she knows how to ask perfectely.

Thank you very much

[RuthChan]

No problem!
If so, it sounds like you need to wait a while.
She will be ready soon, no doubt.

[winnybella]

Can I hijack? DD (2.5) shows all the signs Ruth is talking about yet always demands 'clean nappy' i.e. has a tantrum if I suggest she goes without (so I can put her on the potty when she next needs a wee or poo). Should I just withold the nappy?

[drivingmisscrazy]

winny hijacking too - my DD is exactly the same age as yours and has everything on the list except hiding (is this really the case?). She also asks to sit on the loo (but doesn't wee, just makes water gushing noises :)) and keeps telling us that she wants/needs knickers.

She can tell you (mostly accurately) whether she has done a wee or a poo. Should we be being more proactive? About to go on hols, but maybe when we get back?

[flibberdyjibbert]

We left it ages, to the point that DD (aged 2.5) started taking her own nappy off & sat on the potty of her own accord, had a couple of successes, left it another month or so & then went for it - took one morning, 3 accidents & she's been dry by day & night pretty much since. Leave it as late as possible would be my advice, it's only afterwards that you realise it's actually more convenient to have them in nappies than to be constantly looking for the nearest loo & getting up at 2am to sit them on the potty

[drivingmisscrazy]

flibberdyjibbert - I agree; we're not in any hurry. I'd rather have her ready and be able to do it like you did, rather than drag it out with varying degrees of trauma to all concerned.

[mondayschild]

I'm also following with interest. DS is only 19 months, so I had thought it would be quite some time before we were even thinking about this but for quite a while now he's been able to tell us accurately when he's pooed. He's also started to say wee at what seem to be appropriate times, and he's showing quite a bit of interest in the toilet in general.

The main thing that has got me wondering though is that almost every night without fail he stands up and does a wee as soon as he gets into the bath. We let him run round and have some nappy free time while the bath's running, and it is very rare now that he has an accident during these times. We did have a go with him sitting on a potty, which he was happy to do, but there has only been one wee so far (and pretty sure that was fluke). It does seem that he has some control though because he waits til he's actually in the bath as this seems to be where he wants to go (unfortunately!).

I certainally don't want to push him (I thought we'd have at least another year of nappies yet), but on the other hand don't want to hold him back if he maybe is showing signs of being ready.

Sorry for the hijack (and the essay!) but would be interested to know what everyone thinks.

[RuthChan]

winny:
I would withhold the nappy only if your DD accepts that. There is no point upsetting her and creating blocks to potty training that don't need to be there.
How about taking her to buy some big girl pants. Letting her choose them herself and making a big deal about them might help provide the incentive she needs to try them instead of a nappy.
Other than that, you need to give her time to be ready. My DD too refused to wear pants because she was worried. One day she told me she was ready. She wet herself once, did one poo in her pants and that was it. She was trained. Waiting until she decided she was ready meant that the training was easy and quick.

Drivingmisscrazy: Many children hide, leave the room or stand in the corner to do a poo, but not all. Both of mine did as it happens.
It sounds like your DD might be ready. You could try leaving a potty out and leaving her pants off and see what happens. Many children seem to sit on the potty a lot before managing to produce anything. I actually had to pick my DS up and put him on the potty mid-wee to make him realise that he could wee on the potty at all.

[drivingmisscrazy]

ruthchan - I don't know very many small children, so I wouldn't really know! DD certainly doesn't do this, but isn't quite as uninhibited as her cousin, for example

[HSMM]

Just don't be put under pressure by anyone else. I am a Childminder and I have cared for children who have been dry at 18 months and others who were nearly 4. A friend of mine was panicking that she would have to send her DS to school in pull ups, because he was not mastering toilet training at all. I am sure there are others who are earlier, or later, but every child is an individual. Good luck :)

[RuthChan]

HSMM
Yes, I agree!!
Every child is different and I too think that each one needs to be handled differently and without pressure.
I potty trained my two DCs at different ages in different ways. I followed my and their instincts in both cases.

[winnybella]

Thanks, Ruth, it's a very good idea- and she's really into clothes now (why? at 2.5? ) so going to the shop and choosing some pink undies might be just the thing! Will try that tomorrow.