To ask what is the earliest you have toilet trained your dc?

[pandarific]

I have a bright little 16m old ds who is very interested in the big toilet, and always wants to do everything himself - eg he has to brush his teeth himself, he puts his shoes on 'himself' (actually we do it but he wants to put his feet in himself and hold the shoe etc).

As we're in for the foreseeable, i thought maybe I could try to start teaching him to use the potty, if it's not miles too early - I think he might get it! I've seen these little potties on amazon, complete with flushing sounds... what was the earliest yours used the potty?

I found eldest son with his nappy off trying to perch on the loo at 2.2, so decided to go for it then as he was clearly interested. It took about a month for him to be reliable. DS2 took two weeks at 2.4, and DS3 took three days at 2.6. I didn't bother with a potty for DS3, just went straight to the toilet with a footstool and little seat insert. DS3 was dry at night almost immediately, the older ones took much longer.

This was in the mid-90s, but we all toilet trained our children earlier then than people do these days. I wasn't working then, so it was easy just to stay at home for a while until they started to get the hang of it.

About 2yrs and 2 months old.

My dd was 20 months. No training. She just started taking her nappy off and using the toilet. I worked in a nursery where children were trained from 9 months though. EC

I don't feel like I ever really 'toilet trained' any of mine. I always read people talking of really focusing on it for a fortnight and making a big change from pull ups to pants etc - but I kind of never 'bothered' and just let them do it when they were ready.

With all of mine they never used a potty at all (three boys though so I know this is easier!). They just had a small step to stand on to wee in the toilet. They started to naturally get interested when they'd see dh go and gradually used the toilet more and more from 18 months or so - but I kept them in pull ups until about 3 when out and about until they were clearly reliable as we'd not had a wet pull up in weeks, then switched to pants. With poos it was just the same, never mentioned it until they tried to copy and sit on the big toilet themselves then made a fuss of them.

No idea what age they were 'trained' at though, sometime around 2 I guess!

My dd was dry day and night by 19 months. She was also very early to talk as well. She did not walk until 13 months. My ds was 25 months when dry in day and another 2 months until dry in night. Poor speech and needed speach therapy but walking at 11 months. A big difference so clearly nothing special I did. I think generally girls tend to be dry before boys. Don't know why.

After the baby was fed they held it over a pot until it went and after a short time it went every time it was fed.

I have potty trained both my DD's from 8 weeks. Just like above. By 1 yo they sit on their own potty when they need. They both have their own potty.

In India it’s usually from 9 pr- 16 months depending on when the child

My eldest was ready at 21m, no training needed, she just wanted to wear knickers and did, no bother at all. My youngest is 21m now and I can tell shes not ready, I'd love if she was as now is the perfect time but shes not. I am hoping she'll have the same kind of lightbulb moment as her sister in the next month or two and wont need training either

@pandarific Have a look at Nappy Free Baby.

18 mths. All 4 of them.

1st was a nightmare. The other 3 were a breeze comparatively. They all 'got' it within a month. By got it I mean they were dry and clean all day inside and outside the house.

DS was 2 and a half and he was dry in the day after 2 weeks of training. He was dry at night before he was 3 as well.

No harm in trying.

Top tips:

Don't bother with a potty. Go straight to the toilet.

If you are so inclined let them see you on the loo. "Oh look mummy is doing is doing a wee wee" kind of stuff.

Just strip them off and put them on the loo every 30 mins. Amuse them for 2 mins. If and when they eventually go for a wee make a bloody huge fuss. Oh how clever are you!! Pretend to phone daddy/nanny etc etc. Reward with sweets/stickers/whatever gets them going.

Rinse and repeat.

In my culture they toilet train from 6 months. My mum has 6 of us and at 6 months she said she would put us on a potty in the morning and several times during the day.

Started potty training my daughter at around 16 months and by 2 there was no need to buy a diapers at all.

When people say that they can just tell that their DC is/isn't ready, what are you looking for? DS is 20 months and has recently started really objecting to a wet nappy, and comes and tells us 'wee' when he's done one, and he clutches his bum and says 'poo' when he needs one - is that the sort of thing people mean? I had been wondering, especially as he seems to be finding having a dirty nappy quite upsetting at the moment, but wasn't sure a) whether he was way too young (most people I know have potty-trained at about 3) and b) what I'm looking for? He wouldn't be able to undress and dress himself for a potty - did the very young DC people are talking about toilet training still needed help to take their trousers up and down?

Both day time trained by 22 months with zero accidents. 24 months to be dry day and night.
Both used cloth nappies.

Genuine question here I promise. Why do people thinks it’s better to train earlier? I think it’s actually easier when they are in nappies, especially if you’re out and about a lot. I left my DC until they were 3 and 2 days later they were using the loo reliably and no training was involved - they just ‘got it’. I’m now wondering if I’ve been really lazy for not trying earlier!

Ah my little boy has that toilet, he loves it! It’s all covered in stickers from when we were potty training 😆

My DS was dry in the night by 2. Potty trained him at 2 yrs 5 months.

My nan claimed it was something like 6 months that she trained her children. I believe it's called 'holding out'

This thread is Mumsnet gold ‘my child was potty trained in the womb and it only took 15 seconds’.

On the Edwardian era they also started from 6 months as nappies were so awful to wash - it wasn't actual 'training' more just recognising patterns and sitting children on the potty at the same time after meals. Strict nanny/ nursery routines etc.

Really REALLY early potty training is called 'elimination communication', I'm talking birth to 4 months! I think it was a lot more normal before disposable nappies were prevalent (I'm 37 and my mum dabbled) but it's making a bit of a come back, I know a couple of people who have done it now. I wish I'd heard of it!!! Ds is getting on for 3 and showing zip signs of potty training. Dd was 2 and 2 months, she was ready earlier but we had no bathroom!

@lisasimpson yes to what you've described, I'd go for it!

My old neighbour had a child during the war and apparently they were trained from 6 weeks old as nappies were hard to come by and hard to wash.

Catching a wee or a poo in a potty is not potty training. My 95 year old aunt told me it was normal when feeding infants to hold them over little potties. She did this with my cousins who are now in their 70s.
Nappies weren't so much hard to come by as hard to wash and dry.

I have personally known children who were reliably dry by 18 months. They all happened to be girls. My own DD was out of nappies completely at 20 months. The boys varied between just two and nearly 3. The big push to do it was that pre school setting refused to take DC in nappies.