Is it time to potty train my 14 month old?

[LDNmummy]

I'm sure a lot of people may feel this is too early, but children are potty trained before they are 1 in my family so I know it can be done quite successfully. I haven't done it yet myself because I didn't want to put pressure on my DD at such a young age.The technique used in mine and DH's family is the type that relies on the baby associating the potty with needing a wee or poo by placing them over it whenever they need to go.

With DD, I bought a potty when she turned one, but it just sits in the corner of our living room unused. I sit on it every once in a while so DD knows its for sitting on, but the rest I was leaving until she was at least two.

She has never been the type to poo outside of home and has only ever done it once when she had diarrhea at around 4 months old. I thought maybe she didn't feel comfortable or was too distracted by the outside world to go in her nappy while out.

At home, I let her go nappy free quite frequently and she has never pooed during these times either until today. She wee's and I wipe it up but never poo until now. I placed her over the potty as it was to hand and she weed but didn't carry on pooing. I knew however that she wasn't done. I then popped her in her bath and she finished pooing in there. She has never ever pooed in her bath either before.

Now it is all cleaned up and she is finishing her bath in a poo'less environment. But, I'm wondering if this is a sign that its time to potty train her?

I don't want to be a pushy mum looking for any sign to get her to do something too early, so need other opinions and advice on when is a good time to start or if this sounds like a baby ready to potty train.

I don't want to limit her nappy free time but I'm also wondering if she is starting to feel too comfy doing her business on the living room floor.

Sorry that was a long read!

[amazingmumof6]

my sister in law also does potty training as early as she can, you can start potty training from as early as they can sit up straight!

ask you ILs how to do it, worry not whether others think it's early or not!

I personally wait until they are older and toilet train them instead, but I'm happier to change nappies then cleaning poo or wee off the floor/carpet/furniture/toys etc.... as I've always been either pregnant or had a breast fed baby, so just couldn't commit myself to be a "poo-watcher"

leaving it for later we really concentrate on the job when the kids are ready to lose the daytime nappy (between 2.5 - 3.5 years) but then the whole transformation is over in a week. sweet

but that's me (6 kids under 12!) and you must do what you feel is best, I don't think you are pushy! good luck!

[amazingmumof6]

and btw, older 5 are all boys, I hear girls are quicker on this department anyway, we'll see if our DD is different!

[LDNmummy]

Thank you for your reply mumof6. I didn't even realise anyone responded but that was really helpful.

6 kids under 12!!!!!

You are my hero.

[ATourchOfInsanity]

I've heard you have to keep re-training if you start too soon. My dd is nearly 16mo and she has also poo'd, twice, on the floor. Second time she actually went and got a baby wipe and put it over the top. I was on the loo myself and so didn't realise what was keeping her so quiet! I think I am personally going to wait until she can pull up/down her own trousers and go straight to the loo. However, sitting her on a potty to help association can't hurt I suppose?

[NAR4]

My daughter was 18 months when she was reliably dry day and night. I had been sitting her on the potty when I went to the toilet for about 3 months until one day she just said 'no nappy, want knick knicks'. She was great and started managing her own clothes within a couple of weeks, to become independant at using the potty. Unfortunately she has had a set back recently and is wetting herself a lot. Maybe because she was so young? Time will tell.

[LDNmummy]

Thanks NAR and Tourch!

Tourch it looks like you are doing what I feel would be the best way to go WTR to gradually introducing her to the potty.

I've moved mine up to the bathroom to see if it will help.

I was a bed wetter right through primary school and I'm wary of pushing her too soon in case she regresses. I don't want a cycle of periods of rogress progress and then setbacks IYSWIM. I know my self esteem would go down massively when I went through a period of wetting the bed after a period of dry nights and it made the issue worse for me.

I'm going to keep on with gradually introducing the potty I think.

[GoldPlatedNineDoors]

I am happy to see this thread as dd is one year old and I would rather train earlier than normal. I had fears of starting a "can I train at 18 months" thread and being shot down.

I have read that it can be done, and we do have a potty but she has only ever put her toys in there!

[ChippingInAWinterWonderland]

I was out of nappies (night & day) at 16 months. I didn't regress at any stage.

The only thing I would say is I think my Mum must have asked me every 5 minutes if I needed the loo and made me go before we went out, before I went to bed etc as now when anyone mentions going to the loo I need to go too (even if I hadn't given it a thought) and I have to go before I go to bed or I can't settle. I usually go before I go out the house, but I'm not sure if that's due to that or the usual hatred of public toilets.

They understand so so much more than you realise at that age - and I know most people will think this is a bit barking - but I'd talk to her. Tell her that she needs to go on the potty or the toilet when she wants a wee or a poo.... see how you go.

[SchroSawMummyRidingSantaClaus]

Glad you started this thread as I am thinking the same about my 14mo DS.

His nappies during the day have been really quite dry but as soon as the nappy comes off he looks down, laughs and then pees on the floor. At night though is a different story, he is always soaked by the morning, I do think he is holding it in a lot during the day.

I haven't tried him on a potty though and hadn't been planning to until he was around 2, giving it a think now though.

[brettgirl2]

I think I've approached it slightly differently. DD (11 months) will poo/ wee over the potty if I hold her there and she needs one. Most poos are in toilet as she has fairly 'regular' bowel movements.

I dont intend to take nappies off until she is at least 2 though. My reason for using potty early is that I think leaving it too late leads to them being scared of the potty and being used to nappies. There are always loads of threads about 3 year olds refusing to poo without a nappy on and I had some similar issues with my first daughter (although at an earlier age than 3). Also pooey nappies are gross.

I started her on the potty at 6 months and she cottoned on pretty quickly to what it was for!

[brettgirl2]

She can obviously sit on the potty I meant hold her over the toilet!!!