Seriously, how do you know when to start?

[Thurlow]

DD will be 3 in January. Initially I imagined we'd potty train this summer gone, but when she was nappyless with chicken pox she just peed everywhere so we guessed the time wasn't right. Then I thought we'd maybe give it a bash this Christmas but... I don't know, my gut says no. She struggles to pull her trousers up and down. We try the potty occasionally and she managed one pee by accident, but nothing since. She knows what it is for but sits for about 3 seconds and doesn't seem to try to wee (no clenching of the tummy etc). She doesn't poo at regular times. She rarely tells us when her nappy needs changing, though she will now accept that it does need changing when we tell her we are going to do it.

I know nearly 3 isn't late but still, part of me thinks we should try and if I try at Christmas it will be at parents house so it's their carpets which will suffer while another part of me just keeps thinking she's now quite ready.

Though pre-school is possibly looming at Easter and I expect they'd prefer her to be potty trained.

So, am I missing something - how are we supposed to know when is a good time to start?

[willitbe]

From my experience, wait! I tried early for pre-school reasons with two of mine, and it was a disaster. When they finally were ready at 4 (dd) and 4.5 (ds1) they were dry and clean both day and night very quickly. My ds2 was ready at just after age 2, and it was easy with him.

I currently have a 17 month old with me and she is asking for the potty and going poo and wee's in it regularly during the day...... I really do believe that a child is ready when they are ready. Trying to persuade the situation any earlier is just hard work and heartbreaking. Go with your instincts and wait!