Potty training

[Daisysimply]

Hi I’m a first time mum to a just turned 2 year old and I’m looking for advice on how to begin potty training.

I’m completely clueless and have no idea where to start. How do I know when to start or how to start training? When is the best age to begin?

My little girl isn’t showing signs of being ready, she doesn’t like sitting on the potty or toilet and doesn’t tell me if she needs the toilet. I’m trying not to put any pressure on it however there are children younger than my daughter at our playgroup who have started training so I like I should have started by now

I liked “oh crap, potty training” - skim through once and then slow down on certain chapters as you’re doing it, in my opinion. She also says most children don’t particularly do “ready” signs and that you just need to take the plunge if you think they’re capable. Best of luck!

Amanda Jenner's Potty Training Magic

For your daughter you could get Princess Polly Potty book (it's a series of toddler lessons, but the potty book is great)

I haven’t read any guidance books on this, but work in a pre-school with parents that have started training.

There are many ways to start training depending on your child. You could;

1. Go drastic over a weekend and keep her naked from the waist down, encouraging her to use the potty for any wees and poos. This mostly works in summer (useful if you have a fun garden to run around in). This way the child learns what pee is and to recognise when it comes out, and when to use the potty.
2. Not so drastic - using a re-useable nappy so that she feels wet when she has an accident, and usually unhappy with the feeling. She will eventually learn to predict the wee and use the potty.
3. Easiest method is to use pull-ups and encourage potty use, but this method takes the longest as there is no wet feeling and they just carry on as normal.

I would definitely recommend reading books to your child (we have the Princess Polly potty book too), and if she likes teddies you could pretend the teddy is using the potty (Yeah - what a cleaver teddy!!).

Sometimes children like to mimic their parents and it might work for you to go to the toilet at the same time as putting her on the potty. This makes it more of a sociable thing, and more pleasant for her. I have done this with my baby (Elimination communication), and it works to put the tap on at the same time. I never make a big deal when nothing comes, just say ‘ finished’ and walk away.

I have 5 children and I have done all three methods listed above. But at the end of the day, if they are ready they are ready. You can tell if they aren’t - they can’t hold their wee more than 15 minutes, and wont even notice if they are wet and smelly.

Good luck OP.

Oh yes - don’t forget to bribe her will the prettiest knickers you can find. Children don’t like getting their favourite knickers wet.

I just officially PTd my 2.5 year old from October and he's doing well.

I monitored his poo timings first months in advance and as he usually did poo before school run for older daughter, I just stuck him on the potty in the bathtub then. He started to do it and we just kept up with that one time for some months. Gradually I built up on it until October when we went full throttle. We did three days at home in cotton pants and then carried on normal life from Day 4, taking a small travel potty everywhere.

I also got lots of books (library and Vinted are great for this) and watching YouTube videos about it. I also started months before teaching him the words like wee, poo, potty etc. Let her watch you on toilet so she knows it's not a big thing. Let her choose a potty/pants/special hand soap and practice flushing the loo too.

Oh, and sticker chart worked great for him too. I also used a tracker app which did fireworks for every success. I taught him which buttons to press to get the fireworks and he was very motivated by that.

I'd say no sticker chart or bribing personally. Except theOh crap is good and Eric website has some good resources too.

My little girl isn’t showing signs of being ready, she doesn’t like sitting on the potty or toilet and doesn’t tell me if she needs the toilet.

Just leave her be and ignore what other people are doing with their children.

Have a couple of potties in the house and some books about potty training, especially if they are character ones she likes. Don't put pressure on her.