Pressure to start toilet training 18month old. Ideas of things to say....

[lorisparkle]

I personally don't think my 18 month old is ready but we went to see my DH Nan and she said 'have you got DS1 clean yet or is he still in a nappy', then my SIL sent a pack of pants for DS1 for Christmas. I can feel the pressure starting from my DH side already and need some really good things to say and a bit of support and reassurance that I am doing the right thing in waiting. BTW we will have a DC2 in April and my plan is not to really consider toilet training till after the baby is born and the warmer weather arrives and only then if he seems ready to me.

Any good responses gratefully received!

Id say sweetly are you kidding Ill potty train when my child is ready and we are ready and then say right, anyone for tea

my MIL/several fam members pressured me terribly and I let them and I regret it big time!

be strong and just consistently ignore all comments its not worth pressurising yourself or your lovely child believe me honey!

i personally would only ever potty train in the summer mostly outside!

Sorry for the thread hijack OP!
So does it normally work like that that they start off getting there too late?

We mum tend to confuse the signals for realising you're "going" for being able to control "going" where there may be about a 6 month gap between the 2.

Regardless of age I always tell mums not to even try until they are finding that the nappy stays dry for hours then suddenly is very full & down round their knees-shows they are STARTING to be able to hold a full bladder rather than pee continuously.

LMG is right our mums/grandmas had "toilet timing" not training but they had bulky terries to wash so more incentive to get baby dry & clean!

LL some babies DO do just that!! They don't see us using potties so some get scared of them & are better going straight onto a loo-seat (albeit with an insert)but as you say they're all individual

Basically Lori- don't stress & tell them to wind their necks in!!

Like LL, we have a nappy free 15 month old daughter.
My DD was introduced to a potty at 10 weeks old. She was out of nappies completely at a year and was reliably dry and clean at the same age. Yes, we have the odd wee accident but we also have many more dry and clean weeks/months.

It is more than possible to train under 18 month olds, if the parents wish to.

But this is nothing to do with your Nan IL or SIL, you are the parent and if you don't want to start toilet training yet, tell your relations to back off.

How do you know when they stsart 'showing' an intrest?
what are these signs?
I was also once told by my Psychology prof that you should never push a child into potty training...dont knwo the signifigance of it but I guess that until they are ready they wont pick it up or follow through.

anyways what are these intrest signs?

QUOTE that you should never push a child into potty training

If you start with a very young child there is no pushing. Simply the child never learns to use a nappy, they are taught from the beginning that wee/poo belongs in the toilet not in whatever the child is wearing.

Traditional toilet training involves teaching children already trained to use their nappies as toilets, that they must now use a potty/toilet instead.

Whilst many children actively want to copy mum on the toilet, other children get very upset of the thought of the change in routine and these children could be very upset by the removal of the nappies and might even hold on until a nappy is available.

So the two easiest ways to teach a child to use the toilet is to either start right at the beginning and so it is normal to use a toilet (ECing) OR wait until the child is old enough to ask in some way to use the toilet (traditional toilet training)

I could see how asking a child who is very attached to a nappy to give them up could be very upsetting for the child.