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Original poster

How old was your child when they mastered potty training? Boy or girl?

165 replies

OHforDUCKScake · 27/05/2014 14:53

Im in potty training hell and Im wondering if I should just quit for a few more months.

Started off great, now (day 4) hes having accidents and holding on to his poo.

He is 3 years 8 days old.

OP posts:
IfNotNowThenWhen · 27/05/2014 18:14

2 and a bit -DS
Had a toddler toilet seat on the normal toilet, not a potty, and a portable toilet seat for going out with.
Started with poos, as I could tell when he was about to fill his pull up, and would whisk him upstairs, plonk him on the toilet, then give him a jelly tot or similar (immediate reward)
Took about 6 weeks to master poos, then the pull ups came off, and was pretty much clean and dry from then.
I don't know why people say to wait until they show signs they are ready tbh. They may never do that! It's fine to say "now we are going to learn to use the toilet just like Mummy, well done, have a jelly tot!"
And people will always say boys can't do it as early as girls, which is also rubbish. People just have lower expectations of boys in this regard, that's all.

Mama1980 · 27/05/2014 18:15

2.5 boy was totally sorted in a week.

TaliZorahVasNormandy · 27/05/2014 18:16

Girl, 3.5, got in a week.

TheHouseofMirth · 27/05/2014 18:22

DS1 was 3 3/4 and just said one day he didn't want a nappy anymore and that was it. No nappies, no accidents. Wasn't dry at night until he was 5 1/2.

DS2 was 4 1/4 and I had assumed he'd be the same as DS1 but he had to be evicted from his nappies as he was starting nursery. Tried once and it was a disaster. Tried 2 weeks later and he got it straight away and was also dry at night immediately.

startwig1982 · 27/05/2014 18:29

2.11 with ds. We've been doing it for the last month and he's really got the hang of it. It took most of a week but he's dry at night now as well.

TAMumof3 · 27/05/2014 18:31

my three were all dry through the night before they were out of nappies in the day, I prefer training them that way round.

ISpyPlumPie · 27/05/2014 18:37

2.5 years boy.

DesperatelySeekingSedatives · 27/05/2014 18:50

DD was 2.8 and took to it all like a duck to water. barely any accidents. Finally out of night nappies at 4 and a half but could have been out sooner if I wasn't otherwise distracted with sleepless nights due to her baby brother.

DS is a couple of weeks from his 3rd birthday and has been nappyless in the daytime since sunday. he's doing very well in that altho hes naked from the waist down he's taking himself to the potty (he's not comfortable on the loo despite having a little toddler seat to use) and has only had 2 accidents today one of which was a poo thankfully in the garden . only thing he doesn't seem to be able to tell he needs to go when in pants so not sure how to deal with the school run next week. its a mile and a half walk each way. toying with the idea of pull ups or sticking a nappy on him for the school run... should really have thought about this before!

SelfconfessedSpoonyFucker · 27/05/2014 18:53

very late if you are talking 100% reliable, especially at night.

Mostly reliable, one was about 2 ½ I think, the other about 3 ½. It was some time ago!

Tvseemstobemyhobby · 27/05/2014 18:55

DD1 2yrs 4months

We were done in a few days, nothing to do with anything I did she was just ready.

ApproachingATunnel · 27/05/2014 19:01

Started potty training when DS was 3, it took a few months but wasnt that hard from what i remember. He's nearly 5 now and still not dry at night but we are working on it (whatever that means, i dont think you can 'train' them to be dry at night, it sort of comes naturally doesnt it).

DesperatelySeekingSedatives · 27/05/2014 19:05

Most people I know have told me you can't train them to be dry at night it comes naturally when they're ready.

I do think boys possibly take a bit longer than girls in general but mainly because girls can usually hold their wee in a bit longer than boys. I don't think there's any hard and fast rules for girls or boys though.

WonderingAllowed · 27/05/2014 19:09

DD - just before 3. Poo within a few days.
DTSs - just 3 after many false starts! Poo took a few weeks to trust them without pull ups!
DS3 - just before 3 after many false starts again! Poo within a few days.

Notso · 27/05/2014 19:18

DD 2.9 cracked it in a couple of days. Had to lift her at night until about 4 though.
DS1 2.9 about a week then another week at night.
DS2 started the day after 3 after several failed attempts. He cracked wee's in a fortnight.
Poo was much longer, he cannot poo if he is being watched. He would hide behind the sofa or under the table. We gradually moved the potty nearer the downstairs toilet and now at 3.5 he hasn't had a poo incident for a while . He does get in a muddle and a puddle when he tries to wee standing up but that will come soon enough.
DS3 is 2.1 and started today properly. He has probably been ready since we started training DS3 but I couldn't face full on training the two of them.
So I have just been putting him on the potty when he asks usually when DS2 is going.
Today he we'd on the floor twice and almost got a poo in the potty.

fishybits · 27/05/2014 19:25

1.10 girl

She watched her friends (a year older) being potty trained and decided that she was ready too, I did nothing lazy . Only during the day though, pull ups at night.

mumofboyo · 27/05/2014 19:45

My eldest - a boy - has only recently mastered it. He was 2.10. We started around Christmas time but that was far too stressful for all of us so stopped for a couple of months.

Nursery picked it up though and ran with it for a few weeks - I think he was more willing at nursery because he saw other children his age going to the toilet - before we started again at home.

It took around 3 days. At first all he wanted to do was sit on the potty all day - I think becauseI kept reminding him and bugging him about going to the potty but then telling him that he shouldn't sit on it if he didn't need a wee/poo; I think this is what was confusing him. When I left him to it he did it by himself and has mostly been fine since.

gimcrack · 27/05/2014 20:03

Both sons were younger than two with poos. I used to ask if they wanted to see their poo in their nappy, which they did. Then we'd discuss it's size and colour. Very quickly they cottoned on that if they poo in the potty (sit them on after breakfast), they get praise, a star and a chat. They both have about fifty words for describing poo, ranging from 'sloppy' to 'chunker' to 'dog log'. Which is gross, but it worked. Wees took a little longer, but 2.5 I think.

gimcrack · 27/05/2014 20:04

'Its' - bloody phone.

gamescompendium · 27/05/2014 20:05

DD1 24 months during the day, 3 1/2 at night (took some encouragement, she was quite happy to pee in her nappy when she woke up)

DD2 27 months day and night

My nieces and nephews:

DN1 (boy) 24 months day, 26 months night
DN2 (boy) 27 months day (not sure about night)
DN3 (girl) 22 months day and night

My cousin's kids have been much later, particularly at night. It's partly genetic and I've been lucky with that. Having said that I'm dubious about people who say they are waiting until their child is ready but don't seem to attempt potty training until really late, I don't think you can know until you try some bare bum time. With both the girls we tried some nappy off time from before 2 and if they were clearly holding the pee in then we'd attempt potty training. I'm not one for forcing a child to go through the unpleasantness of wet clothes so never pushed it it they couldn't cope with bare bums. I also used nappies when out of the house because again I don't think it's fair to a child to put them in a situation where they don't have the option of a potty/toilet. Both girls pretty quicky didn't use a nappy even if they had it on.

StrumpersPlunkett · 27/05/2014 20:09

DS1 day - 23 months, night 26 months
DS2 day - 20 months, night before 24 months

Tigresswoods · 27/05/2014 20:16

DS 2.7 day & 2.8 night. Boom.

AuditAngel · 27/05/2014 20:23

DS 2.7, got it immediately, one week after his baby sister was born because "only babies wear nappies, not big brothers". Unfortunately, he was about 7.9 before dry at night.

DD1 2.4, tried a month earlier and it was a disaster, on day 2 she refused pants and demanded a nappy. Second time round we were on holiday so outside most of the tine and tiled floors. I didn't try to get her dry at night (although she often was) until 4 as didn't want to out pressure on DS still in pull ups at night.

DD2 2.5, but she took about a week, but was demanding no bedtime nappies within 2 weeks.

TattyDevine · 27/05/2014 20:26

DS 2 years 4 months, started on the Saturday, was clean and dry by Monday after half a day of constant accidents (wet) on the Saturday. Then became dry at night (pullups nightime only) at 2 years 11 months.

DD - 2 years 3 months clean and dry during the day after 2 days of poo accidents only (one on the radiator, one on her bedroom floor that she opened the door on, making a big poo crayon do a massive poo arc across the carpet Grin ) then dry at night less than 10 days later.

Both got the hang of it pretty well, I think its a bit genetics though I do believe in take the nappy off, give them pants and never look back approach, but then I would wouldn't I, because it worked for me.

sunshinecity17 · 27/05/2014 21:07

YANBU

icclemunchy · 27/05/2014 21:28

My DD is 3.4 and won't even entertain the idea? Wants to wear pants but gets upset at the idea of sitting on a potty/toilet and is hysterical if I put knickers other and she has an accident. We've never told her off or even really acknowledged the accidents so at a bit of a loss Hmm

Any words of wisdom gratefully received !!

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