When is it time

[EB9318]

My little one is 18 months and I was wondering if it was too early to start potty training. What are the signs and what are the first steps?

@EB9318 my LO is 18 months too and I am wondering the same!
I think when they start telling you they are going/gone is one sign.

I have a potty in our bathroom and every night before bath after she's undressed I ask her if she needs a wee or a poo just so she can start to get used to the idea. She's never actually gone on it yet but always sits down.

I'm not pushing it and don't think she's ready to be properly potty trained, just want her to feel comfortable with the potty for when she is.

We did it at 19months a boy with “no signs whatsoever/readiness” took 2.5 weeks you just need a very clear methodology & it’s a learning process you also need to ditch the nappy (except at night) and do it properly/commit otherwise it will be very painful & probably won’t work until the parents commit to training. You have to remember that going in their nappy is normal for them, & you don’t tell them every time you wee yourself so why would they ever pick up on the skill to tell you very easily, even more unlikely if you just leave them to self teach & don’t properly and thoroughly reinforce the correct behaviour through training. Anyway we had some naked stints for half days over a weeks & would place on potty immediately when they started going once at least a few drops in & they finished they got rewarded/praised whilst still on the potty. We watched them very closely for 3 weeks to minimise accidents & took them every 2 hours using a schedule or during activity transitions after that. If you only let them eat raisins on the potty going forward that could work as a reward or you could use the 20second iPhone reward if you limit tv time elsewhere. Whatever interests your child & is exclusive to potty success but it’s easier finding rewards for the young ones & you’ll likely have less resistance to doing both wee & poo on the potty at that age. It won’t be quite so linear so you will have bouts of regression but then I don’t really think from friends even the 3 year olds avoided this, they seem to take overall longer to master it & be more accident prone from the ones we know, I guess when they forget young and early it’s an easier habit overall to stop the wetting. Anyway just start the process when you as an adult feel ready for it.

I should add after a couple of months the hold time became consistently longer & before turning 2 would often wait 4hrs before potty stops! But either way we didn’t find it burdensome to lose nappies early & we are super busy people, soft play and swimming, play dates multiple times a week multiple times a day, we used training underwear & thicker joggers to build our confidence out the house initially, just don’t forget about the wee schedule. It was even better 2 months later when we got him using the big potty, potty’s are gross (though not as gross as wiping a messy nappy covered bum).

I don't think all toddlers will give readiness signs or show interest. For me it was when I got sick of trying to change a messy nappy with a too wriggly toddler.

Mine was almost 3 before he “potty trained”. But at that point there was no actual training involved. He just used the toilet one day(with a kids seat) and we never put a nappy back on him. Easiest thing I ever did!

Mine was 3. I waited until I felt he was ready.

Also, don't expect them to be dry at night as soon as they are dry in the day

Mine was 2.5; he grabbed my hand and asked to go to the toilet. You could have knocked me down with a feather. He was dry from then on, barring a couple of accidents, and totally clean/dry within bout a month.

@DropYourSword

Mine was almost 3 before he “potty trained”. But at that point there was no actual training involved. He just used the toilet one day(with a kids seat) and we never put a nappy back on him. Easiest thing I ever did!

I did the same at just over 2.5. So easy, I’ve never had to clean up an accident once. I’m lazy so for me it definitely paid to wait.

I waited until they had the language to tell me.
My eldest didn’t speak until nearly three so I waited until then.
My second was speaking in sentences and potty trained by his second birthday.

We did it when dc1 was 3. Fully trained in 2 days and dry through the night from day 3. Never regressed, has wet the bed about 3 times maximum. It was really easy and quick. I think try it and if it works then great and if it doesn't then don't stress and come back to it in a couple of months.

We tried from about 20 months, but only for a day or three, after about three attempts we just left it. DC was nearly 3 when they self potty trained - never used a potty, always either the mini toilets at nursery or on our loo with the insert. Had maybe one or two accidents. But basically it was like a light switch and took no effort. I found it was other people who provided the pressure to get potty trained. Nursery were good though and said they'd do it when they were ready.

Another self potty trainer here. DD was 2.5 and when I was getting her ready one day she said 'no nappy, I'm a big girl' and that was it. A couple of accidents over a week or two but nothing major. I'd tried before a few times and she wasn't having it but as soon as she decided it was done, dry at night 2 weeks later. Trying to force it just stressed is both out.

DS is now 2 and isn't showing any signs of readiness. I am 100% ready though, definitely over trying to change a wriggly, stroppy toddler! I've tried him on a potty and toilet with a child's seat and he just cries so have left the potty out and praise him for sitting on it but he doesn't have the awareness yet (as evidenced by the massive shit he did on his sisters bedroom carpet yesterday that neither of them noticed!).

Some people have success starting younger, but it very much depends on how receptive the child is. Mine are so headstrong they won't do anything before they are ready but I know one who was 'potty trained' from birth (I don't believe this is potty training but some swear by it), others who potty trained from 12-18 months and others who were nearer 4.

I know one who was 'potty trained' from birth (I don't believe this is potty training but some swear by it)

I’m with you @MajesticallyAwkward - I don’t think hovering a baby over a Tupperware container every hour so they can shit in a lunchbox really constitutes being potty trained!!

Yeah potty training is each to their own you can either wait to see if you get lucky & the child asks to use a toilet (and self train), of course a proportion will do this but you won’t know if you are one of those lucky parents, but accept you have to change at least 1500-2000 nappies before that point (sounds like a lot of work and waste when quantified). So maybe it’s just a perception of what is easier for the adult. We found everything much nicer, cleaner, simpler by ditching nappies early, maybe we got lucky, but then history shows that a lot of people must of got lucky as most kids were trained around 18months-2 years before the 1950s! I think modern day super absorbent/dry nappies make it really hard for kids to learn this skill early is the bigger problem these days so I don’t blame some parents not being prepared to do it until they are older sometimes.

I would agree that training from birth is not really training though may help the process, we didn’t do this as sounded like too much faff and hard work! But a lot of 18ish month olds will have the cognitive skills to actually potty train & know what it is so it’s not just guess work and that is the sort of training I am in favour of, but equally I don’t really care how other people chose to do it it as it is their decision & some people find it very stressful to commit to it when that young.