Advised to potty train 17 month old due to urine sensitivity. HELP!

[Squtternutbaush]

My 17 month old DD has had bowts of rash/blisters/broken skin since birth and numerous lotions and ointments to try clear it up but it never stays at bay for long.

She reacts badly to disposables so been using cloth 99% of the time since 9 weeks with a slight improvement.

After another visit to the nurse and conversation with Health Visitor I've been advised to potty train as its most likely a sensitivity to urine than nappies so it won't go away until she's reliably dry.

Has anyone else had this and any tips on getting started?

She seems mildly aware when peeing (generally pulls top up and looks down) and will say "poo" if she is soiled.

Crikey, I don't think it will be easy at that age, but hopefully I will be wrong!

I would start by having to potty about and for a day or two every time you think she is doing a wee or poo, chat about the potty. Take her to the loo with you and put the potty in the bathroom and see if you can get her to sit on it.

I think you need to start gently, very gently. You could buy a toilet seat inner as well as a potty, she may prefer that. And buy story books about it and read them at bedtime, when she's on the potty, any time you can really.

Have you got a garden? Carpets? You might want to let he go naked for a week to help, but if you've got carpets, you need to protect them.

Best of luck!

Just on the off chance that you haven't, my DC both reacted badly to all disposables except for the 'Nature Babycare' ones which you can get in Boots or online. Might be worth a try?

I think it would be hard with a 17mo, but good luck!

Don't worry, it's perfectly possible! I did EC ('elimination communication') with both of my kids, i.e. potty training from birth. DD was out of nappies during the day at 15 months ... DS took a bit longer.

Take a look at this site: www.bornready.co.uk/en-gb/

The site has a great forum with loads of knowledgeable people who will have some tips for you. The site is aimed at potty training from birth, but applies equally to potty training children before the 'usual' age. Good luck!

My dd1 started at 18 months and was fully potty trained with no accidents during the day by 2. Go cold turkey on nappies, put knickers on to catch the majority of the wee, which will also increase awareness of when she is going too. Remind every 5 mins at first and sit her on every 10-15 mins. If you know roughly when she will poo try to sit her on whilst reading a book around that time. If she is poo on the potty resistant but OK with wees then slip a nappy on for those times only if forcing her to sit distresses her to the extent that she will potty refuse for wees if you persist. The poos will come will time. Give lots of praise for every time she sits on the potty even if she doesn't do anything in it.

Hi op

I've potty trained at this age, is doable!

Do you have other children? If you do will be handy for her to have an older one to copy, but will make the following around with a potty method harder!

I think I based my potty training method on gina ford please don't flame me

Basically nothing on the bottom half for first 2/3 days follow round with a potty and catch whatever comes out! Followed by lots of praise chocolate and manic clapping!

Though I the training causes her more distress than the rash you'll have to stop. I wouldn't train one this age who wasn't co-operating.

Good luck

Thanks everyone, good to know its doable!

I have an older DS who's 8 so been at home nappy free other than running back and forth to school but so far no luck.

She's just not interested at all and isn't keen on the potty so going to invest in a toilet seat to see if that helps as DS never used a potty either (we had to go cold turkey and force the issue at 3.8yo with him ).

We've tried most brands of disposables and gave up looking as it was getting expensive using 2-3 from a pack then passing on, cloth seems to be slightly better but still rashy.

Will get a few potty books and see if it encourages anything :)

Back in the days before disposable nappies, and when washing machines were not what they now are, people generally started potty training much earlier simply to ease the laundry.

It was a mixture of timing and awareness (thus reducing/removing the need for nappies, which seems to be your aim) and those habits swopping over to genuine voluntary control when the DC can achieve it.

Somewhere I've got a 1950s baby book. I'll see if it's got anything useful to say about the methods used then.

How are you getting on?

I found the book (at last!)

It says that voluntary control can come as young as 15 months, but usually develops between 18months and 2 years, though a child may well be 3 before fully reliable (including wiping and hand washing, and coping with all clothes).

But training (ie conditioning ready for transition to voluntary control) could begin well before that. They recommended as a minimum waiting until a child can sit securely at around 9 months but that precise time to start doesn't matter as long as no fuss or force is used. Putting a child on a potty immediately after meals (or other regular times you noticed the child tends to poo) maximised the chances of catching whatever was going to pop out, thus keeping the child drier and associating the potty with eliminations. When the child did begin to ask to go, the potty 'should be produced immediately'

The essential point was there should never be any fight about it. If there was 'pot resistance' (common, apparently) it should be respected, but the potty reintroduced after only a few days.

So nothing's changed really, except expectation of when a typical child can begin the attempt.