Potty training 15 month daughter - possible? How? Crazy to even try?

[detachablehoof]

The last couple of weeks my very busy little girl seems to have decided she doesn't have time to poo during the day, and is only doing a dirty nappy in her cot. So pretty much every time she has her afternoon nap or goes to bed at night, after half an hour she will still be rolling around in her cot wide awake, we go in to check what's up, and she's done a dirty nappy. A couple of times she has gone to sleep before we've realised she's dirty (once because she was so exhausted, and then last night because we went in and she didn't smell ... literally an odour-free poo. What the heck.) and then she wakes up in the middle of the night very sad and with a very sore little bottom.

I'd like to try and encourage her to do her business on a potty before she goes to bed but have literally no idea how to go about this with her being quite young. Any advice gratefully received!

You can try sitting her on the potty before she goes to bed and you might get lucky.

She's too young to be properly potty trained though and from what you've said doesn't seem to be showing any sign that she's actually ready.

Not too young at all! Have a look at Elimination communication and how to start with a 12+ baby (GoDiaperFree). Definitely better for her to sit on the potty and poo there than suffer from nappy rash.
Babies can be potty trained from 12 months and are in many countries. And by offering the potty before nap/bed you are not necessarily potty training, as you will likely still be using nappies for pees, you're just allowing her to go with her natural instinct and not soil herself.

Some people will say that she is too young and I do understand that line of thought however my little one was fully potty trained by 16 months in the day only took about 3 weeks. I never would of dreamed of doing it however he was constantly taking off His nappies and weeing/ pooing in the corner so we just decided to go with it. Be prepared that it might not work and you might need to revisit when they are a bit older. But if a child is ready they are ready. It took him much longer to go through the night however (nearly 2.5 before he was dry in the morning) just go with the flow!

Re reading your post though it doesn’t seem like they are showing signs they are ready however so you might cause yourselves more distress

My daughter potty 'trained' herself at 12 months - watched her big brother (Only just over 2 and not fully trained himself) and decided whatever he could do, she could do too.

This was 40+ years ago, when it was normal to start training at 2 or earlier because nappies were one size towelling ones rather than shaped and sized AND uncomfortable when wet and dirty.

Clearly some are more ready than others - but at this age, if it comes from you and not them then it is you who is trained to see the signals rather than them being trained.

@detachablehoof,
Your daughter has got the idea in her head to try and train herself. This is an issue and it causing mild constipation. As a result, when she slows down to sleep, she relaxes her anal sphincter and poo her nappy.
At this time, you need to add a mild natural laxative to her midday meal. As a result, she will poo in the afternoon. In the meantime, before you put her in her night nappy, coat her bottom with a layer of nappy cream. This will stop the rashes.

In relation to toilet training at this age, yes it is possible, but is your daughter large or normal size for her age. I suspect that she is normal sized for her age and therefore, unable to hold her bladder overnight.

I'd give her the break and allow her the nappies for another few months - that is unless she is coming to you before she messes her nappies? if that is the case, switch to pull-ups and show her the potty. As Khione identified, 40 years ago children wore cloth and trained by 12-18 months due to the constant feedback that is lacking with disposable nappies.