Average potty training age

[monsterad]

What the average age a child is potty trained during the day? I know night time is different for a few reasons

@Daisyandroses
If she is asking, why wait another 4 mths? Seize the day! 🤣

DD was around 2.8 and DS was around 3. I noticed that both were ready and then started about a month after that. They both trained in about 48 hours as a result as they were both ready.

(They were beyond horrendous sleepers, my life wasn't all roses!)

I remember my nan telling me "the sooner you start, the longer it takes".

This is so true. DD was pretty late starting (nearly three) but it was fairly quick and painless, and she was dry overnight a few days after managing during the day. I think if you start too early they get bored and confused.

I think I tried our son around 2 and half, but he wasn't ready, I couldn't be doing with him weeing everywhere. So I left it until he had just turned 3, he was ready then and only had 1 accident after that. There's no rush, if you try and it doesn't work, you haven't failed, they're just not ready yet.

All kids are different and will be ready at different times.

I think people used to start earlier because reusable nappies are such a pain, and disposable ones used not to be as good as they are now. I suspect if a child's more uncomfortable in nappies, they're a bit more motivated! And if you as a parent are dealing with wet nappies/leaky disposables you're probably dead keen too.

Sorry for jumping on OP, I'm so clueless with this stuff. What signs do you look for that indicate they're ready? Or do you just roll with it

My daughter was 2.5 it was a nightmare due to recurrent UTIs (and an unhelpful preschool). My son is 3, we've tried a few times and he's refused to wear pants so left it. Over the last month or so he's been asking for the toilet 3-4 times a day and last night announced 'I want to wear pants like a big boy'. Started this morning and only one accident so far so fingers crossed he cracks it easily.

@SBTLove hmm I have considered it but I’m so unsure? She will be moving to a new nursery in about two months?

I’m worried it’s a novelty thing and it will wear off, as she asks and wants to sit on the toilet and then forgets about it.

I do have a week off coming up soon but I just don’t want to have another failed attempt because it’s too early! Or make things harder when she starts her new nursery.

I tried at about 2 years 1 month and she was doing really well for a couple of weeks but then the novelty wore off and she started wetting a lot so we went back to nappies. I tried again at 2 years 7 months and she was trained for wees pretty much that first day. Poos took about 3 more weeks because she didn’t like having to sit on the toilet or potty and actually try to do Anything. Wees just come, but poos normally need a bit of effort! But after a bit of practice she was very reliable from then on.

I know a lot of children around her age and most were trained between two and a half and three. The odd one was three and a couple of months but that was generally because the mums were more willing to ask if they wanted a nappy or pants on and follow their lead and their kids were quite happy to continue with nappies even though they probably were physically ready.

Mine both at 2 and a half. Pretty much everyone I know trained theirs at the same time. Had one friend whose DS was 3. People leave it quite late in mumsnet world but in my experience most are giving it a go by 2 and half.

I was told by a paediatrician that between 2 and 4 is normal. The average being around 2.5-3 I believe.

My son wasn't trained until nearing 4.

My daughter was 3

They both have additional needs.

I'm a firm believer that all children do it when they are ready and it gets to the point that something just clicks.

I felt like my son would be in nappies forever. All his peers were trained but looking back not being trained at 3.5 wasn't that bad. He's 9 now and you couldn't tell that he was late now.

Some are earlier than 2. Mil said all hers were done at 15 months. That is not common. But it made me feel an that she was judging mine on being late.

Mine were both 2 years 9 months, one boy, one girl. That wasn't any magic number, it was just when they both seemed ready. They did it in a matter of days and I think that's because I waited until they were ready. I know people who started at 2 and hadn't cracked it by 3 because they started too soon and it became a problem. I think you can tell when your child is about ready, they are all different.

Mine are not twins by the way, they were 6 years apart.

2.5-3 for my two.

DS1 was 2yrs 2m. It did take 2 weeks though but after than he rarely had accidents.

He has sensitive skin and would pull at his nappies as soon as they were wet.

2 years 5 months here - tried from 2 but he wasn't interested then just left the potty out and he just decide himself one weekend that's what he wanted to do!

DD was 21 months and DS was 2yrs 5 months.
Both were ready to be potty trained and only took 2-3 days.
They were both dry at night around the same time and have never wet the bed.

@Gancanny

I remember my nan telling me "the sooner you start, the longer it takes".

I found the opposite was true actually, dd1 trained immediately at 2yrs 3months, didn't have a single accident for the first few days, whereas dd2 refused until 3yrs 4 months and then it was a nightmare, she really wasn't keen, accidents carried on for ages. Both were dry at night around age 2 and physically ready to hold at that age.

Just to show all children are different and age really has little to do with it! I would say much over 3/3.5 is pretty unusual and most typical is between 2.5 and 3.

Molifly - that's what happened to us. I just got it out and explained what it was for and kept her bare bummed at first, not expecting her to use it or anything. And she took to it straight away and continued to use it unprompted. Obviously we have had some accidents and as I said upthread bowel movements became an issue but that seems to be resolving now (and is common when potty training children of all ages anyway). She wears a nappy for her nap and overnight but if she does wake in the night and need to wee she cries and asks for the potty and won't go in the nappy conspicuously. And won't wee in it upon waking, immediately asks for potty, she doesn't want to pee in nappies anymore.

Also I don't think accidents are really a big deal. Someone said about it being stressful if it takes longer to train - that's not necessarily true. I don't get stressed if DD has an accident. As I say in the second week of training she only had one pee accident anyway but even if she was having a bit more, as I can see she is making progress week by week and is motivated not to pee in nappies, im happy with that. I would rather clean up odd accidents that loads of nappies every day personally but I can appreciate other people may feel differently.

Personally I think way too late these days, but I am old . I think because we have cheap and available, clean and easily disposed of, disposable nappies, no-one really worries nowadays. Perhaps in a greener world, we will move back to re-usables/washables, and train earlier. That, after all, was the motivation for previous generations, the soaking, scrubbing, washing, drying of terry towel nappies was awful.

And I am sorry, but children starting in a school nursery or reception still in nappies is not acceptable.

And I am sorry, but children starting in a school nursery or reception still in nappies is not acceptable.

That's a great way to make parents of children with additional needs feel like shit. I'm lucky my children are not in this position but my daughter has urinary issues which means she still has some accidents age 6. You wouldn't know to look at her and I only people who need to know about her medical condition know about it. You have no idea why a child isn't trained at age 3 or 4.

2 years 10 months here, he was definitely ready.

We did it at 21 months with DD, no issues

The paediatric urologists told us not to rush to potty train - too early causes problems.

The trend is changing upwards, I know lots of kids who were 'potty trained' before 2 but still having accidents every day and few of them actually were having accidents and other toilet issues (refusing to go etc) way beyond the time other kids who started later were fully trained. Most people I know started trying between 2 and 3.5. A few I knew took a bit longer but all were done by 4. A few had ongoing issues with accidents through YR and Y1 but all were resolved with hardwork from parents and DC.

@HandfulofDust
Trends? I think not trying before 3.5 is pretty poor, sending a child that age to nursery in nappies? Sooner they’re out of nappies a the better for everyone.
When my DD15 was in nursery it was expected that at 3 they’d be toilet trained.