when to potty train ?

[momov2]

my eldest daughter is 19 months now and i dont know when to start potty training her. When she has filled her nappy she taps her bottom and says 'poo poo'. So if she knows that she has done it does that mean she is ready ? help ? xx

Noooooooooo

wait until at least 2 and half imvho and experience

others may disagree but I dont know anyone in real life who has been potty trained before at least 2.5

ok thanks xx

I know of 2 girls who are 2.3 and are both dry and clean day and night.....

However, I would still say wait until about 2-2.5 as I think 19 months is still very young. You could start getting her used to the potty if you like, ches is a good authority in early potty training and she will be able to tell you abit more.

She needs to know she's going to do it, that's much more useful than knowing that she has!

My sister is a paediatrician and has told me that early potty training can be damaging to children's postures. Apparently it takes a while for the anal sphincter to mature enough to be able to control it, and if they are potty trained before that happens they end up clenching their buttocks to try to 'hold it in', which can have long term consequences in terms of their posture.

She and another paed I talked to about it agreed that it's better to wait until they are much older. Start introducing the potty if they are interested from age 2, but never ever put any pressure on them or tell them off if they have an accident until at least age 3.

thankyou for all the advice

Wow. You can potty train as soon as you're ready. Until his molars came through my 19 mth old DS was entirely clean & dry days and some dry nights (4 nappies a night before starting potty training). You can just do poos to start with if you like and worry about wees when she starts to ask for the toilet. My DS will hold a poo in ALL DAY at nursery because he prefers to poo on his home toilet.

Your DD does not need to poo in her pants for another 9 months when she clearly finds it unpleasant already. Have a look around and see all the threads about children who will only poo in a nappy because they became poo aware and learned that a nappy is the place to poo. Waiting until 2.5 can make it quicker, but it can also make it harder.

Agree with Ches. If your daughter is showing awareness she is becoming ready. My two eldest were ready a couple of weeks after they were 2. They were v.quick to get it sorted, and we had no problems with insisting on only doing a poo in nappies etc. I think that those kind of things can be quite a hard habit to break in some children if you go for late potty training.
By the way, I have a GP friend who waited until her son was nearly 3, (following the 'early is damaging' advice) and he is still wetting and soiling 4 months later. He actually SAYS 'but I always poo in my pants,- don't want toilet!!' Fair enough, he's spent over three years of his life doing it!

thanks ches and d30 thats great advice