introducing a potty too early? - 1 year old

[Murl]

My Mum has suggested I get a potty now my DD is 1, and just have it in the house so she gets used to seeing it in the bathroom and she also suggested sitting her on it as part of the routine when I change her nappy - eg. sit her on it while I get a new nappy out / wrap up the old one.

This does make perfecdt sense to me. BUT, none of my friends have introduced a potty any where near this early - and I don't want to freak my DD out and actually make it a negative experience.

Any advice / experience?

I was not planning to potty train, just introduce the idea of it - IYSWIM!

From my own experience this is a very good idea. I have done it with my 3. Go for it. It doesn't really matter what other mums are doing as long as you want to do it thats what matters. As you said it's only introducing her to the potty not pushing her into training. And hey you never know just like mine she might just train herself soon. Everyone is different I know but it worked for me

We had a potty around from an eary age, they used to sit on it before bathtime, they never did anything on it and were potty trained at average age, so i dont know if it helped or not, but it didnt seem to do any harm. If she gets upset by it, just take it away.

yes go for it. it is nothing to do with your friends. you are more likely to freak them out announcing when they are three, right you have one week, you will be trained. much better to do it gradually. Can introduce potty from when they can sit (some would even do it earlier, just holding baby over)

I think it's great, we've had pottys around for ages and a training seat for loo in case DD preferred that. So since 9 months she's done 99% of her poos in the loo/on potty. We've been through lots of variations of her signalling / saying poo / a month of not and going in her nappies again / her going at regular times. Has been fab. No pressure at all, if they like it is fine, if not no worries.

We're still not potty training as such at 22 months, wee wees often in potty but often not.

My gran bought DD a potty when she was 10 months old and I planned to do the same as you, just get her used to sitting on it and seeing it around. She's now a year old and won't sit on it at all! She jumps off straight away and looks at it in horror but she's happy enough to put toys in it or put it on her head.
How on earth do you get them to sit on it?

You're all crackers, anyone I know who has potty trained early has either got into big problems or the whole process has lasted a long time. Better to wait until they can ACTUALLY control their bladder. FFS.

Did this with DD. Had the potty around the house from when she was about 12 months just so that she got used to seeing it. She eventually potty trained overnight literally at 2.9 but if I'd pushed it she would have done it a lot earlier as she was sitting on it from about 14 months (voluntarily). I didn't get it in order to train early, just to make it easier when I did.

I think it's a good idea. I also think the training seats for the toilet are good too, DD1 refused to sit on a potty and DD2 prefers to use the toilet. All children are different though, DD1 was 18months and refused to wear a nappy, she was dry day and night and only ever used the toilet, without the training seat. DD2 will be 3 in June, still wets some nights, still has the odd accident during the day. Kids seem to do it when they are ready but I still think having a potty around and talking about it early on helps to put them at ease about the whole thing.

Sounds fine if you're not doing it to try to 'force' her to train early. We started pottying at 8 months. DS (now 14 m.o.) loves sitting on his potty / trainer seat & reading books etc and I laugh to see the potty training books which recommend months of getting an older toddler used to the concept of having a potty around. But we do EC and aren't trying to 'potty train'.

I think it's a good idea to have one around. All children are different and it may make no difference (I don't think it did with my eldest) but it won't do any harm as long as you don't force the issue. If she shows an interest in it explain what it is for. I wouldn't sit her on it every nappy change but perhaps before she has a bath ask if she wants to sit on it. It worked really well with my 2nd. He sat on it every night for ages but didn't do anything. Then one evening, not long after he was 2, he hurtled into the bathroom and sat on it and did a big wee. I had him in pants the next day and we never looked back.

I think you have to cease the moment and I'm not sure how you do that if they don't have the chance to show you they can do it. I think I missed it with my first and it got left until she was older and the whole thing became a much bigger deal and more drawn out than it needed to be. She had had a similar rush to potty moment at a similar age but I hadn't paid much attention because I thought she was too young with everybody seeming to suggest it should happen much later.

I think it is a very good idea. I am a nursery nurse and have helped potty train dozens of children over the years.
The hardest ones are the children that have never been introduced to the potty, and become resistant and end up still being in nappies at 3+ because they refuse to even sit on the potty.
I think that getting a child used to sitting on the potty at bath time is a very good plan, not necessarily every nappy change.