Just for fun...When Do U Start Potty-training?

Updated on February 23, 2011
K.S. asks from The Dalles, OR
9 answers

How/when do/would (if u don't have kids yet) you do it in your family? Is it the same for boys vs girls?

I start as soon as they are supported sitters and w/my son I will do pee-pee sitting untill he is tall enough to aim at the big potty. I only give praise but no treats...I think I like the star chart idea for older toddlers. I use diapers untill they can stand on their own...then pull-ups...then only panties/undies or "nakie-butt" unless we are on an outing, have a busy-busy day, at church, and when w/a baby-sitter.

****What about cloth diapers where the kid can feel wet but still protect their clothes (and your fruniture and save on wash size)? Has/would anyone done/do this?***
So, just wondering how other think. :)

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Featured Answers

S.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I potty trained at 3 with both kids. They did fine and never had an accident.
We did use pull-ups and got to decorate the potty with a sticker for each use. It was a piece of art when we were done. LOL. We took the potty everywhere in the car. Parking lots galore and no time to think about it, just stopped and went. My daughter never liked the flush so that was a challenge, but we got through. Once they went for a month , they got to pick out underwear. No accidents at night either. I think the age being older helped us a lot.

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More Answers

K.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have 2 boys and 1 girl.

I waited to start PT, till they could wake up dry, for my kids it was right around turning 2.

We went all undies all the time, no negative anything, dum-dum suckers as a reward and the boys both were taught to pee standing up, we never went backwards, only forward and it only took about 3-4 days of me having to watch them like a hawk and ask them to go potty, then it was all them!

All 3 kids were successfully night and day trained right before or after they turned 2 years old. I have learned that I was very lucky, some kids have a difficult or longer time, with being able to wake up dry, none of mine did!

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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

Hi KBS I started my first at 19 months by 20 months trained,(Son) my second was also a son trained at 19 months wanted to wear big boy underwear like his brother, out daughter started her at 19 months then got orders to go over seas so we put it on hold till be got over there and we trained her in like one day at 22 months on a regular toilet, her potty chair was in shipment. J.

A.S.

answers from Iowa City on

I didn't start potty training my 3 year old until she expressed interest (around 2 but we got sidetracked when I was placed on bed rest). To me a child isn't potty trained until they know when they have to go and go without prompting (if I have to sit them on the toilet every half hour or I have to "catch" them before there is an accident then they are training and not trained) so to teach toilet usage before they even know what is going on is pointless to me. I never used pull-ups. We went from diapers to undies (I have found most kids think of pull-ups like a diaper...they don't view it as an accident since it is contained).

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K.L.

answers from Bellingham on

I have three girls and all of them I *started* around 18 months when they showed interest. Basically I let them have naked time as much as possible with the potty in the same room and gradually they started going in it. Definitely have to be okay with cleaning up accidents this way but they learn pretty quick. The whole process was a long one for us, though - to being fully "trained" as two of them took quite a bit longer to be dry at night. And then there were accidents well after training had occurred... especially with my second daughter who never wants to stop what she is doing and still "holds it" too long. So for us it was a lot of naked time at home, diapers when outing for a while, transitioning to undies. I like the old cloth "training pants" that are more like thick underwear. The pull-ups are too much like a diaper and my kids wouldn't recognize they were "wet". I have heard some people say that waiting until later - 3 or so - is "faster and easier" because they are more ready at that age. I personally felt that if my child wants to try and use the potty at 18 months I should encourage it, and I have seen people whose children trained rather quickly at earlier ages so sometimes I wonder if the "age 3" thing is a diaper company conspiracy sometimes... ;)

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N.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Both my kids were potty trained by 2 when they showed interest. They are not twins, a few years apart so just a coincidence they were potty trained at 2 yrs of age. One girl, one boy. We went "cold turkey" with both and both were fully PT within a week. My DD had about 3 accidents. My son - 0.

I've had friends whose child was PT by 18 months. Then I've had friends whose child wasn't until 4 yrs of age.

Best of luck!

L.G.

answers from Eugene on

Boys are so much slower than girls. The difference is about a year. I always began when they responded with interest to the idea.
I used training pants and it worked.

C.S.

answers from Redding on

My daughter was interested from about 20 months, but we waited until she was 2 1/2 because we were having a baby and we wanted to give adjustment to the newborn before trying that. She took a week at home with just a few short outings. We went to panties for training. She wore a nighttime pullup until she was 4 1/2 though...

For my son, I love telling his story. I was going to wait until he was 3 to even try just because I wanted to make sure he was ready and I was always told boys take longer...we came home one day after daycare and he said "mommy, I want to wear big boy underwears and go on the potty". I said, ok sure...(thinking we will give it a try). That was it! From that moment on he was "trained" had only 2 accidents in the first month. He wore nighttime pullups until 3. He begged and begged to wear underwear to bed and we finally gave in, we didn't want to discourage him. He had a few accidents then that was that. :)

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I think your approach sounds fine! I've only trained one girl, but started early, used only encouragement and patience, and it worked well. She was in undies-only by two.

The only one I had to "push" was her daycare teacher, who apparently thought it was easier to leave them in diapers forever (or they moved up to the next class...). I knew my daughter, however, and knew that I could have a "power struggle" on my hands if I waited til she was older.

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