Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Early potty training

36 replies

Chloe55 · 13/11/2007 19:14

Ds is 21mths old, he regularly tells me when he has had a poo so dm suggested getting him a potty and putting it in the bathroom so that it is not alien to him when we come to potty training. Anyway, first time he saw it, he put it on his head so, I told him that it was for a poo/wee. The next time I went to sit on the toilet he sat on the potty (fully clothed). So, I thought I may aswell encourage him and removed his nappy the next time I went to the toilet myself. Again he sat down on the potty.

A few hours later he pointed to his nappy and said poo and pointed to the bathroom , he hadn't poo'd by this point so I rushed him upstairs, put him on the potty and sure enough he had a poo. I gave him massive praise and the following day he hasked to use it again, this time he just strained but def looke dlike he was trying.

Anyway, I haven't been very forthcoming with making a real effort to potty train as many people have warned me not to start too soon. However, I have had conflicting advice now with people saying he must be ready as he is actually asking to go. He also tells me he needs a wee and points to the potty but by the time I have taken off his nappy he has already been, so not sure if he is telling me he has weed or he needs to and I'm not quick enough?

So, do I go full-on potty training, and if so what's the best way to go about it? Or do I leave it a few more months when he is a little older?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

notnowbernard · 13/11/2007 19:18

He's really aware for his age, isn't he?

I would still wait longer, though. Until he's regularly using the potty to wee in without you prompting or reminding him.

workstostaysane · 13/11/2007 19:45

dd is 15mo and regularly uses the potty. most days now, she is in the same nappy all day which is still dry at bedtime.
i first put her on the potty when she was 8 months because she seemed to wait till i was changing her to do a poo, so i figured that i may as well sit her on the potty and get her to do it in there. she hasn't pooed in her nappy since.
she will pull at her nappy if she needs to wee and sometimes i get her to the potty in time and sometimes not. but more and more, she waits till she is on the loo to go.
i don't think of it as potty training, but rather as being in tune with her and with her needs. as i said, i don't worry if she pees in her nappy but always make a big fuss when she does it on the potty. if you can go with it, i would follow you son's lead and let him use the potty.

if you google 'elimination communication' (ridiculous name but there you go), you'll find lots of info about learning to follow your lo's signals in this area

HTH

Original poster

Chloe55 · 13/11/2007 19:55

15mths?! In that case I guess 21mths isn't so early - thanks for the website, will have a nosey.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting

Flame · 13/11/2007 19:56

Leave him without a nappy for a couple of days (mops may be needed ) - whip the potty under him when you see him go, he will link the two together.

If he is ready, he will start heading for it before he wees.

Original poster

Chloe55 · 13/11/2007 20:06

There goes my lovely shag pile carpet in the living room then - I knew it would never last

OP posts:

mustrunmore · 13/11/2007 20:10

I'm going to leave ds2 as long as possible, as I reember soo well cleanig poo from off train tracks, the leappad, every room in the house. But then, I'm lazy

Er, I think we may have an interesting time as ds2 has taught ds2 that the potty is to be used as a dalek

Astrophe · 13/11/2007 20:18

My DS is 19 months and has been using the potty at home for about 3 months. When we are out he wears a nappy, and if he needs a poo he will ask, but he wees in the nappy.

The catch is that if he has pants on he wees in them too, so he has to go bare bum at home so that he takes himself to the potty.

So he is obviously not ready for full on potty training yet, but I'm still happy because I wash and change fewer nappies, and no pooey ones at all! So, moral of the story is, give it a go with your DS. It doesn't have to be either/or - you can use the potty when it suits him and just take it slowly and follow his cues.

CantSleepWontSleep · 13/11/2007 20:23

I remember you cleaning poo off train tracks mrm!

No advice Chloe, but lots of luck!

Original poster

Chloe55 · 13/11/2007 20:25

Thanks, wasn't sure I was doing more harm that good in just using the potty as and when and not really making a 'real go' of things so to speak. I think I might try him nappy free over the weekend when I can be at home all day and see how he goes.

LOL at Dalek!

OP posts:

Frizbe · 13/11/2007 20:26

with CSWS here Chloe, good luck I'm vaguely thinking of trying with dd2 sometime as she's telling me about poo's too!

BabiesEverywhere · 14/11/2007 10:34

As long as there is no negativity or punishment associated to misses (accidents), there is no harm in starting when ever you want. Many Elimination Communication parents start at birth !!!

We started introducing the potty/toilet when our daughter was 10 weeks old. Now at 14 months old she is usually clean and dry (both wee/poo go in the toilet).

I wouldn't class her as toilet trained though, as some weeks we have a couple of accidents (only wee) but most weeks we don't.

Why not keep him naked on the bottom half at home and then when he points at the potty, it only takes a moment to sit him down.

If you regularly offer your son the chance to use the potty, your son will start to hold on and wait for the next potty offer. With practice he will hold on for longer.

I remember at 3 months DD seemed only to be able to hold on after signalling for maybe 15 minutes, now she can wait 4 hours between wees.

I would keep on doing what you are doing

laundrylover · 14/11/2007 10:57

Chloe,

21 months is not 'early' for potty training at all - only since Pampers began to 'advise' HVs on when to potty train. Could it be that they want babies to stay in nappies longer??

DD1 was dry by 18 months. Dd2 is a bit slower and is 19 months now and a bit crap! She never has a nappy on when we are at home or my parents though and we have some in the potty and some wees on the floor. She'll get the hang of it soon though and then I'll go into knickers full time.

I'd do the same with your LO - potty at home, nappy when out and about until he gets the hang of it. Remember to make a huge fuss when he gets one in the potty - we all have a special song and jump around like loons! She also gets a chocolate treat. Reading on teh potty at bedtime is good too to get them inot the habit of weeing before bed.

Astro's boy is doing really well - he's going to be dry before my DD2 and I'm the queen of early potty training!!!

laundrylover · 14/11/2007 11:00

BabiesEverywhere,

If I ever have another I will do EC too - although I do so love my nappy collection!

DD2 can go hours too without a wee - she went 5 1/2 hours the other day. Drinks fine but has a bladder of steel.

BabiesEverywhere · 14/11/2007 22:03

laundrylover,

LOL, like the bladder like steel is a good description when they want to hold it they can.

If you do EC from birth I would be interest to hear how you get on.

But I'm sure you could migrate from a fab nappy collection to a fab pants collection ;)

Original poster

Chloe55 · 15/11/2007 09:05

Well, we had a nappy free afternoon when I got back from work - ds had a wee in his potty (after demolishing 3 tangerines whilst sat on it!). The phone rang, it was an important call so I was a little preoccupied - ds hopped up onto the piano stool, bashed at a few keys and then took a great big dump!!

OP posts:

BabiesEverywhere · 15/11/2007 09:38

LOL, oh no, poo on the floor.

Sounds you have got the right relaxed attitude towards gently encouraging him towards a potty but not worried enough to stress over a miss...well done, it took me months to get so relaxed.

Luckily, if you are not on the phone, most children pull a 'poo face' and can be quickly and accurately popped on a potty.

In fact children introducted to a potty early, poo are often the first consistantly caught elimination, followed by wees.

Keep us posted on 'poo watch'

laundrylover · 15/11/2007 11:39

at the poo stool! You know sometimes I prefer cleaning poo up off the floor rather than squished into a nappy - depending on consistency of course!

BE - I'm very tempted to have a third but then when I see my two girls getting so independent then part of me wants to move on from babies. This morning DD2 slept through but woke up covered in sick - olives and tangerine all in her hair and all over the bed - that was far worse than any poo.

threestars · 15/11/2007 23:11

My DS would do his poos on a potty way before he sorted out his wees, and since cleaning his bum after the potty was much easier than after the nappy I encouraged it It was his expression that gave him away if he didn't ask. I'd have a couple of storybooks next to the potty too which I'd read to him, so he'd sit and relax (the Little Princess one with her potty was good). Although sometimes he'd only want a story and go and sit on the potty so he'd get one .
He was perhaps about your DS's age, but wees got sorted out at 2yrs 8months.

nappyaddict · 15/11/2007 23:37

laundrylover and babieseverywhere how old are your dc?

BabiesEverywhere · 16/11/2007 17:27

My DD is nearly 15 months old

nappyaddict · 16/11/2007 23:22

wow - how long has she been dry in the day??

BabiesEverywhere · 17/11/2007 00:11

My DD was slow by ECing standards, as we didn't realise she had a strong reaction to me drinking cows milk. But she has been clean (poo wise) since being 4/5 months old and reliable dry since 12 months (since I cut out cows milk)

That is not too say she doesn't have the odd accident...some weeks we'll have a couple of wee misses, other weeks we are completely dry.

She can use the potty independantly if she is naked on the bottom half. She prefers to use the big toilet, signals to be taken, wipes her bits if handed toilet paper and leans back and flushes the toilet and then signals 'all done' to be taken off.

nappyaddict · 17/11/2007 00:13

my friend was going to start ecing with her 7 month old but wants to wait til she will be able to go to the potty herself. is that possible when they are just crawling or would you say they need to be walking?

BabiesEverywhere · 17/11/2007 00:22

I'll have to look back at my blog for actual dates...I seem to remember that DD started moving towards the potty as soon as she crawled but has only recently got the right motor skills to sit on a potty without tipping it.

Best wishes to your friend. But a note of caution, that the longer a baby is left in nappies, the more likely they are to be nappy trained and will resist using a potty. Where as if you offer a potty from the start that is the normal place to wee/poo.

Although IMO ECing is a gentle child led approach to potty learning which can be used at any stage of a childs development. The earlier you start, the earlier you finish.

HTH

nappyaddict · 17/11/2007 00:23

oooh what's the blog she'd be interested in that.

Flip

1 2