Help getting started

[Rani123]

So I'm almost ready to start potty training with my 20 month old. I feel he's got a good understanding of what to do. Watched me and DH in the bathroom. However I feel I need some help to get started. First time parents.

I would like to train directly on the toilet rather than potty as that's what he's seen and knows. What are MNs experience on this?

Any recommendations on books I can read with my toddler?

What did you do when you went out and about ?

Any other help tips would be great.

The Oh Crap potty training book (I ignored the night time training bit though).

Mine went straight to the toilet, too.

Every twenty minutes we’d remind them to ‘try’. We also put a ping pong ball in the loo for them to try and hit. (Probably wouldn’t work if you have a super flush - or girls).

We also did it in the summer, when they could walk around the house half naked. No hard to pull on trousers. They’d also feel instantly when an accident trickled down their legs.

They cracked it in the week.

Good luck.

The Oh Crap method is really good for young trainers but you can’t do it if you’re adamant you want to go straight to the toilet. But if you’re sure then probably the only way to go about it is the ‘3 day method’ although it’ll probably be more like a week when DC is that young. Essentially it’s lots of fluids and take them really regularly- every 15 minutes at first then start to space it out.

We had a small potty initially, we had some resistance to being taken away from playing that frequently and it worked better than the toilet since he could use it right there. Also to try catch the pee mid flow a la the Oh Crap method. We transitioned to the toilet within a week no problem, once he was going every hour or so it wasn’t a constant interruption.

We have a folding toilet seat from amazon for out of the house, it looks like a frog and he loves it.

Thanks for the advice so far. Forgot to say I've got a little boy so do you train to pee sitting or standing.

Also I guess he needs to be able to pull up his own trouser too, not quite mastered that yet

My youngest is a boy. I would say train to sit initially. I think it was the oh crap book that said when they’re really tiny, wobbling on a step stool, with their pants round their ankles trying to aim into porcelain bowl can be a bit dangerous and I’d be inclined to agree! Not to mention the aiming neatly is a bit beyond a not even 2 year old. And you don’t always know if they’re going to pee or poop when you’re still at the initial taking them regularly stage. Standing up is only for behind a tree in the park here 🤣 We’ll probably start doing it at home when he’s closer to 3.

Trousers - it’s a part of being fully potty trained as in going completely independently but you’re ages away from that so you can just do his trousers for him for now. I would just choose outfits wisely to make it easier so elasticated waist bands and nothing too tight.

I'm doing my 2.5 years old twins - girl cracked it over a weekend using potty's and - that's for weed and 💩 - boy isn't ready yet. To be honest I think 20 months for a boy is a bit young - the younger they are the longer it takes in my experience so I prefer to wait a bit and then they pick it up much quicker. My eldest was closer to 3 and did it over a weekend.. that was using the toilet as she hated potty's

To be honest I think 20 months for a boy is a bit young
There’s apparently no evidence at all that suggests boys are ready later than girls with day training (granted they can be later to produce the night hormone). They’re all individuals and actually my DS was ready earlier than my DD and trained at 22 months versus 2.5 years.

I agree though that 20 months is really young so I’d want to make sure regardless of sex that they had basic signs of readiness- nappy dry for at least an hour, awareness of going like hiding to poop or tugging at a wet nappy, can follow 2 step instructions, decent speech and already able to communicate needs e.g. can they ask for a drink or snack.