Any advice parents who are about to start their potty training journey with their toddler?

[PottyMouthMommy]

We've decided to start potty training our dear daughter at 20 months at the beginning of spring.

Any advice or recommendations? Anything you wish you knew before you potty trained your littles?

I am in the process my little one is 2 and a half. He tells me now when needs to potty but I am struggling with his peeing. Any tips?

Your daughter may well be ready, but I'd just say be prepared to put it on hold if it turns out she isn't. My DS was showing similar cues at around 2 yo, so we decided to have a go. It really was stressful- constant accidents, having to carry a potty around everywhere etc so we stopped. I decided to try again a few more times over the next few months- no dice.

In the end, he decided to potty train himself just before he turned 3 and that was that. Just started going to the loo one day, no training involved because he was ready.

Not criticising you at all btw- every child is ready at a different time. But I suppose my tip is I wouldn't push the matter if it doesn't work as she's still so little.

So some advice from a childcare teacher (worked in the states for 15 years):
Read "OH Sh*T potty training. Many of my students parents have tried this method and done great
Find there currency, That one thing they LOVE and use it, some examples:
"oh no! that playground is for potty trained children" (for the kid who loves the big swings)
"OH this (insert toy) is just for little children who sit on the potty" I used a my little pony to get a child to sit on the potty and try! I had her potty trained in a week

Follow the child
Lead them to water but don't force them to drink
They'll get it when they're ready

Delaying potty training by a year is the environmental equivalent of throwing away 6,000 plastic bags, if you're using disposables.

inews.co.uk/news/environment/children-are-being-potty-trained-a-year-later-than-they-were-in-2004-yougov-poll-shows-1083869

If your child is showing signs of readiness, and sounds like she is, then you should definitely try. If it all goes pear-shaped you can stop and wait a few months, then try again. We have been training DD 25 months and she was 100% reliable at home after two weeks (nursery unfortunately still getting the occasional accident). She wouldn't have been ready at 20 months but if she'd been showing the internet yours is we'd have tried.

We did it at 22 months, broadly following the "oh crap" book. Her nursery take a week off in summer, so we figured we'd give it a go - esp with another on the way. By the end of the week, she wasn't 100%, but she'd got the hang of it, and she's now starting to use the toilet at 2yrs 3 mo's (partly for finally finding a step big enough for her to get up there there). I wouldn't say she was showing obvious signs of readiness, but she's clearly capable, and this is SO much better than nappies! (She's not night trained yet though). Just... Give it a try for a week, see how you go - can always try again later!