What age did your DC potty train?

[andanotherproblem]

I saw another thread about children starting school in nappies, I do think this is really bad and I always said I would start when DD turns 2. Is this realistic? She’s currently 16 months and I already know it wouldn’t work at the minute, although she never does a poo when we are out of the house, only in the house, perhaps she is starting to realise? I knew a young DC who’s mother waited until she was 4 I do think this is too old.

Curious when everyone started potty training, how long it took them and any tips and suggestions are always welcome

It's so individual. Just turned 2 does seem a bit young.

I have twins and tried to potty train them together which was a disaster so I put the least interested one back in pull ups. Then sorted them individually ... I think they were nearer 3.

All three of mine between 2 & 3 years

Between 2 years old and 2.5 month both boy & girl. Stayed in for a week

All 3 of my dc trained just after their 2 birthdays so I don’t think that’s unrealistic at all. It took a couple of weeks. Then a couple of months of needing to be fairly close to somewhere they could toilet quickly. I did wait a couple of months longer for dc3 as she was feb born and it’s much easier once the weather warms up (easier to be bare bottomed, fewer layers, easier to launder accidents).

We did DC1 at 2 years 7 months, but we're planning to train DC2 just after his 2nd birthday because that's when we can get time off work to focus on it. He knows when he's doing a poo and likes it when things are in the right place, so I'm optimistic.

You can’t really pick when you start as you are waiting for them to show you that they are ready.
One of mine was ready at 27 months (the average age for success), the other 30 months. Neither had any accidents after the first day of removing the nappy. It’s really easy if you hit the right moment.

I agree with @SupposesRoses . Don't go by age, go by signs they are ready. For me, it's been a piece of cake when they are truly ready, literally one day getting used to it and then dry. I think a lot of people struggle because they try to push it and make it stressful. Both my boys were very nearly 3.

I never aimed for an age just when they were showing signs (because I'd observed a few in our baby group insist on potty training well under two and long-term they were the ones that had more accidents/ took longer (anecdotale obviously).
So ds was ready at 2yrs 2months (planned a week off work but ended up dc being in hospital) so waited till fully better at 2 years 6 months and was dry in one day and a week later no nappy at night either.
Dt1 was trained in a few days at 2.5 yrs and no nappy at night by 2.9 yrs. She was also quite easy to train because was ready.
Dt2 (turned out to have a bladder condition) was 2.10 yrs in the day and about 8 hrs at night (after some medication and treatments). Was more difficult because of medical issues but wanted to be like his twin so I probablydid it earlier than i wouldwith a singleton.

I always try to aim in the warmer months for potty training. First was at 2 years exactly and second was 2 years 5 months.

All three of mine trained around 2 - 2.5. Didn’t wait for them to show me anything! I just got on with it, stayed at home for a week with each of them and got it cracked. Even my firstborn who was very premature was out of nappies by his 3rd birthday.

Mine was 22 months when we potty trained. Admittedly she did have accidents 2/3 times a week until she was 26 months then for the last 4 months she's been fully dry. Surprisingly she was dry overnight from the 2nd day waking me up when she needed to go with only one accident when she was poorly. We did use cloth nappies so I had high motivation to stop doing all the washing!

Waiting until they are ready is a very recent concept and is heavily promoted by nappy companies. Also the idea that they need to be able to pull down/up their own clothes is nonsense. You take them to the loo and help them.

Both mine were started very young straight on the loo with a seat, and clean and dry during the day at 18 months. Never needed to cart pottys around, in reference to other threads were pottys are being deployed in restaurants and on walkways!

For balance, they both used pull ups at night until they were three.

My first dc2 I potty trained at 22 months. They just got it. Super smart cookie.

DC2 is not quite as ready. I will be waiting til 2.5 and then giving it a really good go. I think 2.5 will be right for this one. I wouldn’t want to get to 3 and not have potty trained personally

DS was 3 and a half. He did it later than some of this friends due to developmental delays such as hypermobility etc.

DD1 is currently 21 months and I will be attempting it next spring/summer when she is around 2 and a half.

DD1 was 2.5.

DD2 three days before she turned 3.

I would say that DD2 was a lot easier post-training. Those extra six months made a big difference in her ability to pull her own trouser and pants down, hold her wee for long periods, etc. and she just wanted to move straight to toilet, whereas DD1 used the potty for a good few months until she felt ‘big enough’ to use the toilet and wasn’t quite as self-sufficient. So although I was worried we had left it late, it actually turned out being very easy and stress-free with her.

2 and a half years my DC was starting to try. By 3, DC was nearly all the way. Only issues with wiping which we’ve almost solved - I hope! Sometimes I’m tested and have to take over but we’re getting there!!

Around 2.5 reliably, back in the 90s they had to be potty trained before they could go to playgroup and definitely before starting nursery at 3 you did get the occasional accident though.

I don't know why i said reliably I didn't mean to!

It varies so much! As previous posters have said, I would definitely look for signs rather than go for a particular age.

With my first two, I think I probably went too early and it was a long arduous job with both, took months, and was very disheartening.

With my third, I waited till they were really really ready, which didn’t happen till they just turned 3!!! The first day was a day of accidents as they proudly told me they were weeing as they wee’d over the carpet!! We then said to him, you have to tell us BEFORE you need to go! ‘Ohhhh’ he replied as the light went on. And that was it, no more accidents!! He was literally dry from day 2, it was extraordinary.

So as hard as it is to wait until they are ready (which is usually between 2 and 3 and a half), I would definitely advise waiting until you see ALL the signs.

That said, I don’t think I would have waited if someone told me to wait with my first as I was so eager for them to be dry 😂😂

But that is my advice… ☺️

2 years 3 months. We waited for a long weekend of nice weather and spent the whole time in the garden meaning accidents weren’t an issue.

DS picked it up pretty much straight away and after those 3 days we barely had an accident since then.

We never used a potty as he was totally disinterested in them and preferred to use a small seat on a normal toilet.

We carried on using night pants for a couple of months after that but he was always dry at night so we soon stopped.

He’s now about to start school and has never wet himself at night since then and hasn’t had any sort of an accident for 2 years.

I suspect we were lucky.

Around 3rd birthday. I tried a few times between 2-3 and they just didn’t want to sit on the potty. Doing it when the understanding was more there meant we’ve barely had any accidents. I did feel judged leaving it so late though lol, but don’t regret it now.

I did one at 2 and a little bit, and one at 20 months because she refused to wear a nappy and I was bored fighting. We used cloth nappies which I think means they feel wet more than in disposables. Also always had a potty around and encouraged sitting on it from young. Despite that neither showed all the signs of readiness people talk about, and with my son (almost 5) I think I’d still be waiting! I think it’s unrealistic and we don’t wait to feed them solid food until they can use a knife and fork and have a broad palate. They learn by doing, not by magically being ready one day. A few accidents of course, but really glad to have got it done, my kids at least only get more stubborn and set in their ways from 2 onwards!

First child potty trained in a weekend just before he turned 3 and the youngest has just turned two and showing interest/copying the eldest but I won't PT fully for another 6 months I expect.

What are the signs? I’m assuming telling me they need their nappy changed or they’ve done a wee/poo?

4 of mine between 8 months and 16 months.
1 was around 4 years! Turns out she has autism.