potty training virgin! where on earth do i begin, what do i need to buy and do i need books

[lovelysongbirdie]

dd 19 months i dont think shes anywhere near ready yet, she does even talk let alone be able to tell me when she needs to go.

but i want to start getting ready

what do i need to buy.

do i get a potty
a 3 in one
or one of those toilet seat things

or should i get a book about it all?

It depends how serious you are about getting started. If she is showing no signs of being ready, then I'd probably just get a potty for now and try sitting her on it after meals and before bathtime - with great celebration if anything happens! As you get closer to actually going for it I'd get a toilet seat as well as some children prefer using the loo - you will probably need a step stool as well so that she feels safer. At all stages I found if the child had a say in choosing the items they were more inclined to use them. With my DD when we finally decided to 'go for it' we went a chose special big girl pants - which we didn't want to get wet (I found this a little confusing as the had Little Mermaid all over them who might have enjoyed a swim A word of advice with the potty - remember you may be having to take it out and about with you for a while so don't get anything too big, or maybe a travel potty as well. HTH

We have this all-in one i.e potty with removeable seat and converts to a step, so we have all bases covered. It has worked really well (and we used it from 10 months). Although it is big and bulky, the removeable seat is smaller than carting a potty round if you need a solution for on the go. My DD prefers the seat too for sitting on for any lenght as it is shaped, so much more comfortable. There are hand holds at the side for security when sitting on a big loo. We do also have a smaller potty downstairs for those times when speed is of the essence!

wow thanks that os really helpful.

i'm not planing on starting yet as dd can't even talk yet.
but hopefully soon

dd does not have to talk to start, just encourage her to sit on potty at convenient times- don't have to feel you are forcing her to start, the sooner you introduce the potty, the less chance she will be scared of it! You could make a sound when she sits on the potty or use a sign, which she might pick up long before she is talking.