Are we ready to start and if so how?

[lizardqueenie]

DD is just over 21 months old and for about 2 weeks now has been saying when she needs a wee, poo & holding herself and saying "toilet". She is interested in the toilet at home or anywhere else we go.

I bought her a potty and a step, she has played a bit with the potty but wont sit on it just yet.

After seeing the dramas that my SIL had with PT my niece (although I feel this was more to do with my SIL attitude rather than my little niece) and the fact that age 7 she is still very nervous about using the toilet, i swore that when i had my own DD I would be very relaxed about the whole potty training thing. So I am keen to do it but only if she is ready iyswim.

So what would be the next step? i feel a bit bad when she says wee wee and I tell her to go in her nappy but i am not sure what else to do at this stage or if it is too early to get her to sit on the potty. would books help? Anything else?

Really grateful for any tips & advice.

Thank you

Watching this thread with interest as my dd(22 months) is starting to take an interest in the toilet/potty.

I want to just start by saying that I am no expert on potty training - I can only tell you what worked for DS (6) and has seemed to work so far for DD (2.4) who has been in pants for a week now

We introduced a potty to the bathroom when they were 18 months old. At first, neither DD nor DS would sit on it with a bare bottom. Eventually, we managed to persuade them to have a quick sit on it while naked when we were running the bath. Eventually, there would be a wee in there (took at least a couple of months with both).

With both children, this would become a bit more regular over time until we could more or less guarantee a wee before bath. DD had a setback one evening when she did a poo. She tuned around and looked at it and looked terriefied. She wouldn't sit on the potty at all for a couple of weeks.

About a month ago she started regularly weeing on the potty again and last week we found that she was dry for long periods between potty visits. She has been interested in wearing pants for a while (she loves the story 'dinosaurs love underpants') and was really keen to wear her new pretty pants.

She has been in pants since last Wednesday and, although she is not actually asking to use the potty, is able to hold her wees for at least an hour and a half/two hours. She has averaged about one wee accident a day (although she has had three accident free days) but has done all her poos on the potty.

As I said, I am no expert on this at all. She has been incredibly easy to potty train and I take no credit for that. DS was not so easy - he continued to have wee accidents through general reluctance to stop what he was doing to go for a wee up until starting school. It is much easier to intend not to get stressed about it than it is to actually stay calm!

Good luck, and I hope all goes well!