Toilet trained under 2 years

[BrightStarrySky]

My MIL swears my DH was toilet trained before he turned two. I find it a little hard to believe, based on the abilities of my daughters at around that age. What do mumsnetters think- is she exaggerating or is there some type of magical toilet training technique for under twos that I’m missing?

I missed the magical under 2 weeing trick too. Then again I didn't look very hard. I went for the get in the potty and loo seat. Keep it on show. Buy pants with pictures of their fav character on and one day they will tell me they want to wear them.

Though I knew a few mums who were aware of it and both had issues later in toddler years on regression

My daughter was toilet "trained" at 21 months. I use the speech marks because (without trying to brag) she took no training at all. She saw I'd bought her some pretty knickers and wanted to wear them, I explained she'd need to use the potty all the time, she did for a full day no accidents. The next day she wanted to wear her nappy again so I said yes no problem and then two weeks later asked to wear the knickers again and did no problems, never looked back. Before then she'd only ever used the potty when she knew she needed a wee in the bath. She's only ever had 1 accident, no idea how she was so easy and I always feel super uncomfortable when people talk about the perils of toilet training because I hate to brag but that was just that. She was ready. DD2 is 6m and I fully expect her to be in nappies at 10 and super hard work haha I do however think you shouldnt rush them and do it when they are ready.

Should add she's about to turn 4 now

My dc1 was trained fully at 17 months my other children all at 3!

DH was, but it was to do with the lack of availability of nappies in the USSR/nurseries unwilling to take non potty trained children. MIL swears by elimination communication.

I've never managed it but I know it is said that it used to be done. My MIL says her sister had her children out of nappies in the day by 21 months and at night by 30 months. I once met a woman who had started working with children as a nursery maid who said that in her first nursery they "held out" babies on a pot at every change from about 3 months and the children would normally be clean very quickly and dry in the day by about 18 months. She was taught to wake children to use the pot in the night and would expect not to be putting them in nappies after 30 months. The nanny she trained under would smack a child over those ages for being wet either in the day or at night though she said that, even when she was in training, she did not approve of that and never did it herself. She said she started potty training rather later herself but still "her children" were all dry and clean day and night long before they were three. Other times; other customs, it seems.

My DD is potty trained (22 months) definitely possible if you know the signs and follow their lead.

Yes, DD2 was trained at 20 months. Completely dry within 3 days and at 3.5 has never had an accident since! It was a far easier process than training DD1 at 2.5.

It wasn’t any ‘magical’ technique though, she was ready so I just took her nappy off and directed her to the potty! She got it almost instantly.
On these threads people always say ‘you should wait until they’re ready’ but DD2 was ready at 20 months. That’s why I did it.

Most children that potty train at 2.5 or under tend to go backwards and end up having accidents when there older. Always best to leave it under there 3 imo.

^ mine haven’t regressed. One is now 5 and one is 3.5 and we’ve never had accidents.

DD was 23 months for day time, 25 months night time. DS was 22 months for both day and night. Both took 3 days.

Both were cloth bummed babies which I think helped slightly. DD was very verbal, DS below average verbally when he trained.

DD asked to use the potty so I bought one and that was it. I had no intention of training DS as his verbal skills made his communication hard, but he just sat down on the potty which I'd left in the bathroom and went from there.

My friend's DD was done by 14 months, she set about training her early to save money on nappies, wipes etc.

As for the regression post...neither regressed and neither had odd accidents.

I have a friend who has 3 children, one was toilet trained shortly after his 1st birthday, the second around the same time
And the 3rd about 2months before her 2nd birthday. She never shared her ‘secret’ but the middle one had constant accidents in later years..

My child decided one day about a month after 2nd birthday that she wanted to use her toilet seat and the toilet, she went for a pee and a poo that day and hasn’t looked back since. I had no intention of beginning training at that point, she decided for herself and she never used the potty, always preferring the big toilet. She’s not dry every night though. She wakes up some nights but not others. I’m not worried, she won’t be wearing a night time pull up forever. You shouldn’t worry either x

Yeah mine both only used a potty for the first 3 days then preferred the toilet.

My youngest boy was dry day and night at 22 months. But I was very lucky with him as like some others he didn’t need any toilet training - one day he wanted to wear ‘big boy pants’ like his brother and I said you’ll have to use the potty or toilet then (just to start toilet training) and he did! From that moment he refused to go back in pull ups at all - our bus trip later that same afternoon was a bit anxious for me 🙂 but he didn’t have any accidents at all and always managed to tell me he needed to go in time for us to get to the toilet.

My son randomly did it himself at 23 months - day and night. Just outright refused a nappy one day. He was a super placid child in all other respects so we went with it and he never had an accident day or night. He is 12 now so think I can be relatively confident that we are past the risk of a regression...!

My daughter was much more typical - dry in the day at 2.5, at night at 3.5.

I didn't actually "do" anything with either of them though.

DD is 2 next month and has been using the toilet for about 6 weeks.

There's only a year between her and her brother so she's been motivated by him.

She's very stubborn and insisted she wanted pants... and she did! She had a few more wee accidents than her brother (trained at 2yrs 4m) but learnt to do poos on the toilet quicker.

She asks and goes independently to the toilet. Shouts "wipe my bottom" as loud as she can.

No pressure from us... it's what she wanted.

DD1 was 25 months (so not quite as young) and honestly, it was a breeze. She is now 3 and a half and very rarely has accidents. DD2 is approaching 2 and I won't be rushing her, I'll just be waiting to see when she takes an interest.

@SoyDora I put off letting DD use the toilet because of all the "wait till she's ready" advice. I was going to keep her in nappies until she was 2 1/2.

In hindsight I wish I'd let her wear pants when she first asked. Some kids are ready at 1.

DD started herself at 18m and was dry in the day by 20 m. She does still at 26m seem to have the odd leak. I was led by her. DS was 3.5.

Wow thanks for all the messages! It sounds like it really depends on the child but IS possible. I’d love to get my 18 month old out of naplies asap but she hasn’t shown any interest yet

I "potty" trained DD's in the summer as it was easier, and they could run around more or less naked, ie: less clothes to take off. For DD1 she was one, and DD2 one and 3 months. They were both clean and dry within a few weeks. I never used a potty though, always straight to the toilet, and put them on it first thing in the morning, and after each meal, and before we went out. It becomes habit then.

I would add, neither were dry during the night for years, even when lifted, but during the day they were perfect and never regressed.