When did you potty train?

[Salycinnamon11]

Ds is 2.4 years and everyone I speak to asks if he's potty trained and are really shocked when I say no

He really isn't ready, he knows when he is doing a poo but I don't think he really knows when he is doing a wee, I have had the potty out in his bedroom since he turned one (really have no where else to put it) and sometime he will sit on it but when I ask if he wants to go to the toilet on it he says no, and I'm not about to force it.

Bil keeps mentioning that his DD is potty trained, and we really ought to get DS out of nappies, but in reality she wears a nappy when out and when at home they try their best to catch it, but they don't always. That's not potty trained is it? Plus they have hard flooring and we have carpet

Is it really ridiculous he isn't using the toilet yet? I'm not worried about his development at all in any other sense, I wasn't really worried about the toilet issue until recently, it seems really wrong to force him when I know he just isn't ready.

What age were your dc when they were fully potty trained, with no accidents, during the day?

My DS is 2.9 now and not yet potty trained. He will occasionally use the potty of his own accord, after a bath only, and has done a handful of wees in there over the last few months. We have taken a week off work at the end of May to try properly for a week and see what happens. We have an NCT group of 7 children the same age and I think only 2 of the others his age are potty trained, both of which were trained around age 2. The others haven't even tried training yet! I think we're all waiting for the summer...HTH

Thanks something.. that's certainly reassuring

I tried with ds1 at 2.10, 3, 3.2 and he finally got it at 3.4. with ds2 I just wanted and he got it at just 3.

My advice is to relax for now and wait for warmer weather unless he gives you any idea that he's ready. Have the potty around in the bathroom and encourage him to sit on it when he's got nothing on around bathtime/bedtime then it's not scary when it's time to try for real.

Thanks Ratonnastick that's really good advice about encouraging him onto it when he is already undressed I will stick with doing that for now

One of mine I started potty training at 2y 3 months. I worked part-time then but I wanted to find a time when I was on leave from work so I would have a solid block of time to do it - Christmas holiday. There were a few accidents, as you'd expect, and she could have benefited from waiting a couple of months. With my second child I decided to wait until she was 2y 6 months - again in the Christmas holiday - and it was much better. Potty trained within three days and no further accidents. So in my case it was better to wait.

Two things:
1.People's definition of potty training varies wildly. For my mum it is sitting a one year old on a potty at regular times and sometimes they do a wee. But still in nappies.

1. The precise age when your kids potty train is more Orr less instantly forgettable. Mine is five and I already don't remember. I would have hazarded 2.5 years but I think now when really looking back this is an underestimate and I imagine it is for lots of people you talk to.

DD decided to do it herself at 17 months but DS was nearer 2 and a half. So a year's difference between them. Depends on the child. Between 2 and 3 seems the average but I know children who were earlier or later and developmentally fine.

2 years 3 months we started and took a month until we could go about normally and she'd use the toilet wherever we were. However she has a friend the same age who is only recently trained (now 3) and a friend who is 3 and a half who still isn't trained despite their parents trying since they turned 3. It's like walking and talking- it really doesn't matter and no one will care when there are older.

Penhecked- I think you're right, bil aside all of my friends children are much older so maybe they remember the age wrong

I think this thread has told me what I already knew (but needed to hear from others) every child is different and he will get there eventually

Penhacked*

2.9 yrs. I waited until I was sure he was ready and he did really well with it.

DS 2yrs 8mnt - had a false start and gave up after 4 days. A week later he asked for pants and it mostly about 3 days, then a couple of weeks of the occasional accident (not even every day).

DD - caught everyone unawares and demanded PANTS!! at 26 months, and got it in a day.

Both dc did wees and poos, night and day all at once.

God help me, we started potty training at 2:9 and we've only just got to grips with it almost a year later.

Don't rush, the cost of nappies is much less than the headaches. If I was doing it again I'd have waited at least an extra six to nine months.

Dd1 was 2.6 years. I'd bought knickers for her a few months previously which she was excited about and we'd left the potty out from her being about 2. I was going to wait for another few months before trying, but she came out of her room in knickers one morning announcing that she wasn't wearing nappies anymore. We went with it and she was dry within a few days. Dd 2 is 19 months so we've not even thought about it yet with her.

I would just wait until he's ready- it's a lot less hassle.

dd was 3.25. She really wasn't interested, and would point blank refuse to use the potty. I didn't push it until the summer when I just put her in pants, and she was dry day and night from that day on. I guess she was just too lazy until the only alternative was wet pants.

ds was 18 months, dry day and night but I kept him in pull ups for a few months as I didn't really believe he would keep it up. He did, and at just two has been in pants for ages. No accidents, even at night. The close age gap between the dcs helped as he copies dd all the time, and using the potty is no different.

2 years 6 months (but not fully trained till after 3)and 2 years 10 months and got it v quickly. With the former i wish i'd left it later, would have saved a lot of hassle.

Don't just do it because people are telling you to, or because it's warm weather/beginning of the summer hols or whatever, better to wait if they aren't ready.

We never potty-trained, exactly. We just waited until DD was ready (she made it very clear), and it went like clockwork. The potty had been left out around the house for several months without her being at all interested, and we had talked about it, but I didn't have the energy to 'train' her, nor felt the need to.

I'm feeling so much better, thank you all for sharing!

I think I'll just leave it for now, he has underpants with characters on and he's not interested in them, I'll keep the potty in the bathroom like a pp suggested to its less scary and new when the time comes

2 years 11 months, and he basically decided whilst we were on a French camping holiday to train himself

I think you'll know when your child is ready.

Not even attempted yet and he's about to turn 3. No-one has said anything yet thankfully! I wanted to wait until he understood as his speaking has been late, and also so we could crack it quickly.

DD wanted to try aged 2 as somehow she was aware that nursery friends were, but she was too young. We tried again aged 2.6 over a long weekend (Royal Wedding!) and that was it, done. Night-times however took a full year longer.
Every child is different and if they can't tell they need to go, it's too early. There's probably a wide spectrum of 'average' before medical folk would start to be concerned.

2 y 4 m but it's a few months on and she still has an occasional accident at nursery - not sure why - I think they were very good at first at reminding her to go to the toilet and then after a month of being dry they stopped reminding her so she started having accidents. Sometimes she goes herself, sometimes she needs reminding.

DS is 2.8 and similar to a PP, he occasionally does a wee on the potty and after a bath. We're expecting a new baby within the next couple of weeks and will be moving house soon too, so I don't want to pile too much stress on him - although I'll keep the potty about if he wants to use it, and follow his lead. We discuss the toilet and what it's for, but as yet he just doesn't seem ready to lose the nappies.

Ds was 3.5 -he just wasn't arsed before. He got it in two or three days. No accidents. Night trained about three months later. I ignored all pressure to 'force him'.

I waited until DD was 2.9 and she was easy. Only took three days. She was older than my friends children when I did it but waiting until she was ready was right for her and us. I'd have waited longer too if she hadn't been ready.