16 Month Old and Potty Training - Columbia,SC

It would depend, in my opinion, on whether she's just practicing a new skill she's learned (look what I can do mom!), or if she is actually being bothered by a wet diaper. If she is insisting on a clean diaper every time she gets a little wet, she is probably ready to start trying to use the potty. Either way, you could get a potty chair and start trying her on it, just to see how it goes.

Sorry the only one potty trained at that age is the parent. The brain isn't even capable of sending the message to the bladder until they are, at minimum 18 months, but the average is 2.

A diaper coming off is just her learning a new skill, nothing more.

She has learned a new trick. That does not mean she is mature enough to understand holding her urine and feces until she can find a bathroom...lol.

So wait until she is at least 2 or 3 before starting training. I think the older you start them the easier it is.

Sounds pretty young to me, but I know some kids are early toilet users. Could it be that her new "skill" is undoing the diaper and she's pretty proud of her new skill? What about teaching her to be your "big helper" when her diapers need changing, so she learns when and how to use her new skill?

You could always buy a potty chair and let her see it and sit on it. But 16 months is young in my opinion. I would use duct tape until she stops messing with her diaper and once she realizes she can't get it off she will probably leave it alone.

16 months is young... I've had kids in my daycare potty train before 2 and it's almost always led to problems. The aren't emotionally ready. If you do potty train this early, you can almost be guaranteed that you'll end up training a second time.
I'd wait. Read potty books to her if she's interested. Get a potty and let her sit on it. I wouldn't push it.

Many American parents will say she's too young, or not ready, but potty training happens early all over the world, and it's not cruel or mean, just a matter of a mom being calm, diligent and consistent.
So yes, if she's showing interest and you are willing to work on it then go for it, diapers are GROSS, the sooner they go away the better!!!

Here is a web site that lists signs of readiness for potty training.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training-readiness-chec...

Does she show any other readiness cues? If not, then she's probably not ready to start training.

My niece was completely potty trained at 18 mos (which is very rare), but it worked for them and my sister didn't push her. She was just ready.

The only way you will know is if you put a potty out for her to use and sit her on it when she takes her diaper off. If she doesn't immediately jump off or fight you she could be ready to start. Then you work with helping her learn to recognize her body's signals, getting there, etc.

If she always jumps up or fights you she just learned a new trick ;) Get out the duct tape, start it at the back of the diaper, wrap around the front, end it in the back. If she still gets it off put her in backwards overalls, with the shoulder straps adjusted snugly, a onesie underneath if she's ultra-determined.

Toddlers CAN learn to potty train this young, my daughter pee trained herself by eighteen months. Typically they exhibit many readiness signs we overlook or ignore, a century ago little ones were trained around a year old, they are capable of learning. Do what feels comfortable, if YOU'RE ready, do it, if you want to wait on her she may not "be ready" until she's well over three. Your attitude about it speaks volumes to her.

Of course start now! They are never too young to learn where pee and poop go! Spend 10-15 minutes every day with her naked in the bathroom on the potty. Try to time it. My favorite book is Early Start Potty Training. Your library should have it.

And please don't listen to people who say she is too young. The rest of the world potty trains by 18 months. There is a potty training window between 16-24 months. If you grab it, your child should be trained by 2. This does not mean accident free, but it can mean poop and night trained! (My kids both poop and night trained at 21 months).

Oh yes, and both of my kids were pee trained by 18 months. They didn't always take themselves, and they needed a lot of help, but this is when they
got it and would take themselves off to the potty. I found it helpful to put a small potty seat in the playroom and let them run around naked.

Too young to train, but not too young to have her own little potty, or have one of those covers for the potty and a stool so she can practice when she wants to. Now might be a good time to get pull ups so she can practice pulling her pants up and down. It's an important skill.

Potty training takes some time to do you can introduce it to her now and if she isn't ready hold off till you think she is.

Absolutely go for it. Half the world's children are trained by 12 months. In the US the average age kids were trained (fully trained, not just started) in the days before disposable diapers was 18 months. My sister and I were trained at 13 months and my brother at 15 months. My son trained in a week at 24 months (would have tried earlier but we were travelling frequently during the months before that). I never heard of 'potty readiness' until I started reading this board. I suspect it might be a concept invented and supported by the disposable diaper industry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/09/nyregion/09diapers.html...

For those who say the adult is trained and it is work to help your child put her clothes on and take them off and climb onto the potty - well yes. But we are all trained - we are trained to recognize when a child has gone in the diaper, run over and change it. I'd rather be trained to help out first and avoid the whole dirty diaper thing.