20 months old and fascinated by the toilet but not showing signs he’s ready to potty train

[Cashmeresocksandpjs]

My boy is 20 months and is obsessed with the toilet but isn’t showing any of the signs about being ready to potty train.

Just wondered if anyone has any advice on if there is anything I should be doing whilst he is so fascinated by it ?

I don’t want to miss the boat but I really don’t think he is anywhere near ready yet. He’s only told me once or twice that he’s done a poo, never before he’s done one and occasionally will pat his nappy when he’s doing a wee but hasn’t done that for a good few weeks now.

'Showing signs' is a bit of a myth, you just pick a good time and get started.
Start just putting him on the potty regularly at changes, after meals, before the bath, after naps etc

Sit him on it at bathtime, no need to really attempt any training at his age but there's no harm.

I agree re showing signs, you get people on here saying their 4yo isn't "showing signs" yet which is bonkers (excepting additional needs etc). If now's a good time for you then have a go, nothing to lose.

It can be easier to wait until they're closer to 4. It depends on the child. I used to work in a nursery, at 4 they only take a few days to get the concept.

Some maybe but generally I've found the kids who leave it to 3.5+ have a much harder time as there's so much more emotional stuff going on for them by then.

Pop him on fhe toilet and make a big fuss if he does anything. If you wait for signs and omens you may be waiting a while.

What are “the signs”?! Just start doing it and see what happens? My children showed no signs at 26 months but got it within a few days of starting.

I highly recommend the Oh Crap Potty Training Book…. I would read that before you make any decisions.

However I would say that fascination with the toilet is totally unrelated, it’s just because it’s a mysterious thing that other people use and he doesn’t, so it’s very interesting.

My personal take is that while it might be possible to potty train at 20 months, you will be making it harder for yourself…. It’s not just the week or two of active training, it’s the following months where they’re not wearing a nappy, are technically potty trained but you need to be constantly vigilant. I think that would be harder with a younger child who can’t communicate or understand as much.

Those first months are waaayy harder than having a child in nappies where you can just pop out, do car journeys, anything, and not have to plan around your DC bowel movements. I’m 2 weeks into potty training my 2nd DS so I’m quite aware of it. 😅

The Oh Crap book recommends between 22-30 months (I think, from memory). I did mine at 26 and 27 months successfully with no signs of readiness.