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Potty training

Is your child ready for potty training at nursery? Here's the place for all your toilet training questions.

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Original poster

Should I potty train 20 month old?

25 replies

RainbowsandSnowdrops · 09/03/2020 08:05

DD was 20 months last week. She has been pulling at her nappy. Often getting poo on her hands!

We bought her a potty on the off chance, intending to wait a few months. However, this morning she asked me to take her nappy off, and then she sat on the potty and did a wee.

She is articulate, good at communicating and can say pee/ poo.

However, I did leave her nappy off after she did the wee. And then she had two accidents, so not sure if it was luck.

She is having a tantrum now because she doesn’t want her nappy put back on! I don’t want her to grow up too fast and push her into anything but she has always been quite advanced with milestones in general. So wondering if it would be worth trying?

If it’s a yes then I need to do some research because I know nothing about potty training/ what to buy and what to do in public or nursery!

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Selfsettling3 · 09/03/2020 08:08

Read the oh crap method. Ideally you need to do it when you can spend 3 to 4 days at home.

madcatladyforever · 09/03/2020 08:09

It sounds as though she's ready to start early potty training, but I wouldn't think ahead to nursery/public just yet. Try it at home first and then go from there.
There will be accidents at first it doesn't matter.

MissBPotter · 09/03/2020 08:12

Also agree on the oh crap method. I trained mine at 21 months over a long weekend and she took to it brilliantly. Although it is an unpopular opinion these days (possibl due to propaganda from Pampers et al!) it’s actually easier to train young toddlers who are ready (not all are of course) than Strong willed three year olds!! Pick a weekend when you haven’t much on and give it a go.

Clangus00 · 09/03/2020 08:12

If she’s asking & using then yes. I would give it a go.

Original poster

RainbowsandSnowdrops · 09/03/2020 08:12

Thank you. She’s currently so upset having a massive tantrum because I want to put her nappy on so I can go out!

Maybe I should buy pull ups?

OP posts:

Original poster

RainbowsandSnowdrops · 09/03/2020 08:13

Thanks @MissBPotter I think I might book a few days off worth.

She is such a strong willed little independent whirlwind. I have a feeling that she’s ready.

OP posts:

mummmy2017 · 09/03/2020 08:19

Pulls are the way to go.
Long ago mine bit this.
Talk to her and tell her pull ups are big girl pants that her friends use

Original poster

RainbowsandSnowdrops · 09/03/2020 08:24

Thanks I am going to get some pull ups.

Regarding the potty... she likes to pick it up and run around with it. Is it better to just get a special seat for the toilet?

Do I buy her knickers? I am totally clueless! Will read all about that method.

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MissBPotter · 09/03/2020 08:38

Honestly don’t get pull ups they won’t help! Also don’t need knickers for the first few days but will after that. Putting her in pull ups is pointless as it is basically a nappy and will learn she can wee in them. I downloaded oh crap on to my kindle and read the most important bits.

easythere · 09/03/2020 08:44

When my daughter was 18 months she was pulling at her nappy and basically didn't want it on anymore.

She picked up potty training very quickly.

We would take the potty into whatever room we were in and if she needed it she would sit on it.
When she was 24 months she learned then that the potty's stay in the bathroom and now it's just normal.

She wore nappies on trips until she was 2 years 3 months (when DD2 was born) and after that we just stopped.

HarrietM87 · 09/03/2020 08:51

I potty trained my son using the oh crap method a few months ago when he was 18 months. Went cold turkey on nappies and he hasn’t worn one since (except at night). His language/understanding is exceptional though. It took 4 days and we were at home most of the time for that time.

Clangus00 · 09/03/2020 09:00

Pull-ups are just nappies in a different form.
Cheap cotton pants from Primark and loads of socks (everyone forgets the socks).

Original poster

RainbowsandSnowdrops · 09/03/2020 09:00

I was thinking the pull ups would be more for the trips out, rather than to use as pants.

OP posts:

Clangus00 · 09/03/2020 09:02

We had a toilet seat insert, my DD never used a potty and we just took it everywhere we went.

MissBPotter · 09/03/2020 09:09

Just bring a potty with you and try not to go out for first few days then only short trips or places where you can bring a potty under the buggy eg parks but maybe not soft play type places yet until she is more established.

Selfsettling3 · 09/03/2020 10:13

Pulls up are fine for naps and sleeping but too confusing for when you actually start potty training.

Original poster

RainbowsandSnowdrops · 09/03/2020 11:32

It does seem like a bit of a minefield thinking about pull ups etc. just had a very bad tantrum trying to get a nappy on her for naptime. I don’t work Mondays so was thinking of trying next weekend Saturday, sun and mon. Maybe I will take Tuesday off too?

Going to have a look at this oh crap thing ha!

OP posts:

Selfsettling3 · 09/03/2020 13:13

Don’t call them pull ups call them sleep knickers

RachelEllenRE · 09/03/2020 13:17

I read the whole pull ups can be confusing thing so resisted it with my first and we had two months of poo accidents after getting wees cracked. Was horrible! With my second, she kept taking her nappy off to go on the potty at 19 months so went with it - after three days we decided to still use pull ups when out and about to save the stress of accidents. She still went to the loo etc while wearing a pull up and we ditched them totally (during the day) three months later and it was totally stress free - much easier than my first!

Original poster

RainbowsandSnowdrops · 09/03/2020 15:36

@RachelEllenRE that’s what I was thinking. As she goes on trips out at nursery, and we do baby groups and things. It would be nice to have a little freedom without worrying too much about accidents at this age.

I guess I have to let her take the lead on that one, and see whether cold turkey or pull ups are the way forward. There’s quite a lot of conflicting advice about pull ups it seems.

Didn’t think I’d have to worry about this for a while yet!

OP posts:

RachelEllenRE · 09/03/2020 15:49

At such a young age I thought I'd give her the opportunity without being too bothered by it. I didn't have to do anything further - after three months they were always dry so just stopped using them.

HarrietM87 · 09/03/2020 16:59

Tbh I think it depends on the child. As soon as he got into pants/using the potty my son point blank refused to wear a nappy and use it (I tried to put one on him for his naps at first). He still wears one at night but if he wakes up he will ask to sit on the potty rather than wee in it. It can be confusing for some kids to have double standards so for us we found it much easier to just ditch the nappies altogether. Pull ups are just nappies - they feel exactly the same to the child.

ChloeAdams120 · 10/03/2020 15:58

Our daughter is 3 and is doing the same pulling at her nappy and hates changes and always ends up having a tantrum. I think there would be no harm in trying we have tried twice now, cold turkey then the OH crap method and both have been unsuccessful. I am not worried though I know she will do it in her own time.

jesslambo88 · 29/03/2020 19:53

My little boy will be 2 in July and we have ordered a potty for him now and we're just going to leave it in the lounge etc and see if he's interested because recently he's started to tell us he needs a poo before he does it and felt bad he has to do it in his nappy...he also tells us after he's done a poo aswel...we're not pressuring him just seeing what happens but he maybe picking it up easier as he goes to a childminder so we think he follows the others xx

regalmama · 08/06/2020 15:10

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