AIBU for trying to potty train my 17month old ?

[purplepinkpurple]

re posting in AIBU for traffic - please be gentle

Ok so after weeks and weeks of tantrums over nappies being changed, I've bit the bullet and attempting to potty train.

However my LG is 17 months. Am I crazy for even contemplating it at this age ? We've tried all the usual things, but nothing works. I'm constantly wrestling with her

2 days in we've had 3 poos in potty, a poo and pee and 2 pee's. This has been when I've been watching her like a hawk and sat her in the potty myself. About 6 pee's on the floor.

Tonight I saw she went to sit on the potty her self but her pull up nappy was on. I helped her with this but she didn't do anything when sat in the potty but its been the first she's initiated it her self.

Do I keep going ? What's everyone else's experience ? Anyone else started potty training at this age ? Any advice would be appreciated.

Sounds like it's worth a shot. Nappies are gross. The sooner the better for me. Luckily my 2 trained fairly early (20 months and a bit over 2).

Google elimination communication

Well it’s early but that was normal back in the day! If you’ve got the time to put the effort in and nappies aren’t working too well then go for it.

DD1 was well out of nappies at this age (I started potty training her at 13 months) she was walking and talking by 10 months so she understood what we were doing.

I left DD2 and let her tell me when she wanted to “pee pee in the potty” she was nearer 2 by the time she came off nappies.

There’s no right or wrong answer to this, just do what’s best for you and DD.

Yes it can be done, see how it goes, it’s still early days. Ive noticed more & more children are getting to 3 - 3.5 and still being in nappies which (excluding SEN) or other issues is very late IMO.
My DS started at 18 months, it took longer to get him completely dry thought, than my DD who started at 2.5. You can always leave it for a couple of months if it’s proving too difficult. Good luck!

elimination communication ? I should say she cant say pee/poo yet, despite me going on about it for weeks. We had purchased the potty at 16 months when things were really bad but thought she was maybe too young at that point.

I've just been trying to watch her body language and quickly put her on the potty if she starts doing it.

Yes go for it my dd was dry day and night by 18mo - she just decided one day "no nappy my not baby!"
She got it within two or three days so I would persevere
Good luck

If she can't pull nappies etc up or down, it seem like it's a bit pointless imo. You can watch like a hawk for signs of needing to go but that's not really potty training.

I think you’re mad, sorry.

Most i know who’ve tried this early have a year or so of accidents, washing, and following the kid around with a potty trying to “catch” it before there’s pee on the floor.

Nappies aren’t great but better than washing poo and pee off clothes. Having to carry round and empty potties and changes of clothes, and cleaning pee off the floor in baby ballet. A woman i know was extremely proud of her 20m old that was “completely toilet trained”- but she would let him pee and poo in the street if they couldn’t find a toilet immediately. She was very annoyed when a police officer asked her not to.

I waited til mine were 2.5. It took 10 minutes. They had full control so no need for potties or panics that they needed the toilet NOW. Much, much easier imo.

Allybally talking at 10 months?!

Yes at 17 months surely they have no bladder control? So again I don't really think it's potty training.

DD1 was well out of nappies at this age (I started potty training her at 13 months) she was walking and talking by 10 months so she understood what we were doing.

Walking and talking at ten months and can understand the concept of bladder control? Wow!

It is possible though, if she's ready. My daughter is now 3 but trained at 20months and honestly, has never had an accident. I think they can have bladder control.

foreverderbyshire

Yes. She started saying single words at 9/10 months - mum...dad...cat.

She was speaking in sentences by 15 months.

Go for it but stay at home as much as poss for a week/10 days so she doesn’t get confused about where her potty is.

My Dd was 18 months when she became potty trained. She just wanted to copy dd1 and basically would not wear a nappy during the day, it was quite easy.
She did wear a nappy at night time until she was just over 2.

@Cheeeeislifenow

Fucking he’ll - sarky much 😂

My ds was the same Allybally.
I have a ds, dd and dd2, currently 11 months. She seems to be following her chattetbox brother, as I counted her words today and she has 15.

Thanks @3in4years

Seems some mumsnetters think I’m talking shite (no pun intended) by the sound of their passive aggressive posts 😂

@ally How am I sarky I said wow? Surely you know that your child was well out of "normal" milestones or you wouldn't have mentioned it. Context is hard over text.

Kids vary but for me the best advice I read in a potty training book was that you can start at 2 and clean up accidents for a year or start at 3 and avoid the clean ups. Obviously insert lower/higher numbers as appropriate. I was glad I waited until 3. He had no interest before hand, couldn’t manipulate his own clothes and couldn’t tell when he needed to go. It took us 1 weekend to get the basics then no accidents at all even in the car, on long journeys etc after 3 weeks.

I think sometimes people have odd definitions of what they mean by toilet trained. Often the child will be wet/ soiled several times a day but the parent will describe them as toilet trained. Similar to when my boy was a baby and other parents said the baby was sleeping through the night but actually meant that they were still feeding every few hours but then going back to sleep which wouldn’t be sleeping through the night to me but to them it was. Same with toilet training.

thanks for your responses. we have also been having issues with nappies leaking etc to tried lots of different brands and styles, that has also been a nightmare and a factor for us considering trying this.

I do get the point about being able to pull a nappy up and down. up until now we have avoided these as they always leek, so shes never really had the chance to learn this.

ive also been putting her in pants in the house, she can pull these up and down with a bit of help. the pull up nappies are just so bulky which I think is bothering her.

Elimination Communication is what you need to look into OP. It sounds like you are already instinctively doing it to some extent. There are Facebook groups and webpages that will help. Most people think it's bonkers but there are lots of others who disagree!

My oldest was dry, in the day and at night by 22 months, he got chickenpox particularly badly in the nappy area so I let him go bare, I'd also noticed that his nappy would stay dry for ages so reckoned he had a bladder like his Dad (transatlantic flights without using the loo!). It's certainly possible and doesn't necessarily mean a year of accidents.

I dont think 17 months is too early. Every DC is different and learns at their own pace. My DD is 8 months old and hates getting a nappy on too. Every bum change is a battle! But I've used the potty with her since she was 2 months old. If your DD is showing signs of wanting to learn I'd definitly encourage it.

Yes. She started saying single words at 9/10 months - mum...dad...cat

I know this is possible because one of my daughters had a few single words at 10 months. The other one took longer. I think dd2 was quicker because there was more talking, as there were two of them to talk to. If that makes sense.