Is it possible to miss the boat?

[LaTristesse]

Or once they're ready do they stay ready?

Dreading this...

How old are we talking?

I'm pretty sure they stay ready until you show them what to do!

I think it is possible to miss the boat. Most children around their 2nd birthday are physically able and quite willing to learn new skills/win your approval. Once they're nearer 3 it can become a much bigger psychological issue and power struggle.

He's 2.6 and as Rubirosa says is getting defiant an atrophy about everything, including the potty!

I'd been waiting for him to show some awareness of weeing but although he's done a couple on the loo recently and a few months back done a few on the potty appears to have little or no awareness that one is actually coming. Now however the potty has become enemy number one, and it's replacement just met with 'I don't like that'.

I'm dreading potty training. He's lazy and feint about everything, wants feeding, carrying, hates his hair washed, hates being bathed, hates being undressed, hates his nappy being changed...you get the picture. Also his poo is grim: squishy mush not solid most days so the last thing I want is that everywhere.

Oh and I have DD just learning to crawl...

He hides to do a poo and has done for ages. So that's a good sign, right?! (Desperate!)

Loads of typos there, bloody phone, you get the idea...

Personally I would just go for it. At first my ds would start to wee, then run to the potty. Within a couple of days he would go to the potty first! I think it can be difficult for them to develop the awareness while they are still in nappies.

Maybe go straight for the toilet with a trainer seat if he hates the potty?

I am starting to think so too, op
DS is 2.8 and hit a defiant stage just as we started thinking about potty training. He started to ask to sit on the toilet when he was 2ish but because it was winter and dd was only about 5 months, I put off properly starting until the summer and am now deeply regretting not starting in January Not helped by three of his younger friends cracking it straight away at about 2ish in the last few months.

All mine were 'late' potty-training, but I had a very laid-back approach. Basically I decided I'd rather change nappies than clear up endless puddles, having witnessed friends desperately trying to potty-train their toddlers before they were ready. DC1 announced that he was giving up nappies on his 3rd birthday, and that was that, off they came, and never looked back. DC2 took an age, but eventually came out of nappies of her own accord at 3+, went on at night-time for ever, but the night-time pull-up pants on every supermarket shelves convinced me that we were not the only ones, despite protestations from all to the contrary. DC3 I can't even remember what happened, but I just did the same again. I can count on the fingers of one hand the accidents that I had to clear up. Just saying...

I don't think so. I tried at 2.6 with mine and it was a total balls up so I gave up. I tried to get them to use the potty as much as I could and put them in pull ups to get them used to the idea of big pants but it was up to them whether they used it or not.

In the end we really got round to it during the Xmas holidays when they were 3.2 and 3.4yrs. Pretty much done within a week and very few accidents. Both dry at night by 4. And like musomathsci I can count the number of accidents on one hand.

My lazy, I'll do it when it suits me (and my work pattern) attitude worked fine for us.

I have 3 yr old twin boys one of which is autistic and no where near ready for potty training. But it is holding his brother back, its so nice to know i am not on my own with potty training struggles.

In some senses, yes.

Ds1 wasn't fussed in the slightest until 2.7 - and then he trained in 3 days. I deliberately kept him in nappies at night though as I felt it was too much for him to do all at once - even though his night nappies were immediately dry too. After a week of dry nappies at night they ended up horrendously soggy in the mornings again and he was just over 3 when we finally got rid of the damn things, complete with bed wetting etc. if I did it again I'd have trusted myself and him earlier on!