How old was your child when you started potty training?
My son was 19months, if you have a boy going potty outside made it fun and all it took was gramps to show him how to pee on a tree. Then you just have to teach them they can't always go outside.
#1- 22 months. He was fully day and night trained in a week.
#2- 18 months- shewas fully day trained by 21 months nights at 2 1/2
#3 - 15 months but we took a more elimination communication route with him. Anyway he was day trained at 21 months and nights at 24 months.
Before anyone says anything negative :) I just wanted to assure you that all of my kids were trained with the utmost love and paitience. It was just a priority to me to get the done early. They are now 3, 6, and 9 and suffered no ill effects by not being allowed to trian on their scheduale. I have a friend who's son is 3 1/2 and the potty is a daily battle for them. I am glad I did not have to go through that. Likewise I have nothing negative to say about those who wait.
My daughter was about 2.5 and trained in a couple of weeks, because she was clearly ready and interested. My grandson was a few months older, as I recall, but also was ready and trained quickly with no problems.
Check out the great "readiness" checklists at this site, plus tips on various training strategies, the best ages to start them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach: http://www.parentingscience.com/toilet-training-readiness...
An important developmental step for every child is potty training. Most children begin using the toilet as toddlers, usually between 18 months and 3 years old. (Note: It usually takes a little longer to potty train boys than girls. Boys, on average, can be successfully potty trained in 12 weeks. Girls, on average, can be successfully potty trained in 10 weeks.)
Signs that your child may be ready to start potty training include:
Staying dry for at least two hours at a time.
Having regular bowel movements.
Being able to follow instructions.
Being uncomfortable with dirty diapers and asking for them to be changed.
Asking to use the potty or saying that they need to urinate or have a bowel movement.
Showing interest in the toilet and/or wearing “big kid” underpants.
When you begin potty training:
Dress your child appropriately for potty training. Garments with elasticized waists, Velcro, and snaps are usually easy for your child to take off and put on.
Choose a potty seat that your child can easily use on their own.
Your child may want to personalize his/her potty: by letting him/her write his/her name on the little potty, a sense of ownership can develop. Your child may be more likely to use a potty if s/he feels it is uniquely his/hers.
Assure your child that s/he will not fall in the potty (many children have fears of falling in a toilet while sitting on it).
Encourage your child to use the potty at regular intervals - or whenever s/he show signs that s/he needs to go.
Use proper terms (urinating and defecating) as well as the terms your child may be more comfortable with (peeing and pooping). Make sure that you define your terms so that your child becomes adept at using the terms him-/herself.
Start with the basics. Both boys and girls should be shown how to potty from a seated position first. Once boys master urinating from a seated position, they can “graduate” to learning how to urinate while standing. The reason boys should learn to urinate while seated first is that bowel movements and urination often occur in the same bathroom visit . . . additionally, the delay in learning to urinate while standing minimizes the likelihood of your son making messes while enthralled with the spray he can create by urinating.
Teach your child to wipe properly. Show him/her how to remove toilet paper from the roll, wipe, and throw the used toilet paper in the toilet. Instruct girls to wipe from front to back, which helps avoid urinary tract infections. (Note: your child may need help to wipe effectively, especially after a bowel movement, until about age 4 or 5.)
Be supportive and use rewards, such as stickers, when your child is successful on the potty.
Use praise, applause, special songs, reading a special book in the bathroom, or whatever else resonates with your child.
Avoid pressure: your child will likely have accidents during the process. Don’t punish him or her for any setbacks.
Be sure that your babysitter understands your approach to potty training and is consistent with rewards, praise, etc.
Let your child pick out new ‘big kid” underpants with his/her favorite characters (Dora, Thomas the Train, etc.) on them.
Use potty-themed books and videos to reinforce key messages.
Don’t begin toilet training during a stressful time (e.g., moving, new baby, starting a new preschool, etc.)
Recognize that your child has control of his/her bodily functions, and you can’t get him/her to “go” on the potty until s/he is ready. Don’t turn this into a power struggle because it’s one that you won’t win. If your child seems to develop a resistance to potty training, don’t continue the potty training. You can resume potty training when you child again expresses an interest in learning to use the potty.
When your child has completed a visit to the potty, show your child how to flush the potty. Some children experience fear of the flushing mechanism: they fear that they themselves may be flushed away. You may need to flush the potty for your child for a period of time, until your child observes no harm resulting from each flush. At that time, your child should naturally develop a desire to try his/her own hand at flushing the potty. Once the potty is flushed, show your child how to wash his/her hands.
Calmly and patiently teaching your child how to use his/her potty can be a trust-building, bonding experience for both of you. Let the potty begin!
Daughter was 2...literally went from diapers one day to underware the next and never looked back. She had few accidents, including overnights...she took a while longer to poop on the toliet. she would put a diaper on to poop...this lasted a couple of months.
Daughter at 2.5.
Son day after his 3rd bday.
We started when THEY wanted to so it went smoothly.
My son was 2 yrs, 3 months. He was ready to, asking about the potty and wanting to go.
Two and potty trained by 3 1/2. Took forever, but we got there : )
My DD is 3 years 8 months and we only just started last week. Part of it has been because of extreme resistance on her part and part of it is last year, when she was 2 (which seems to be the norm for most people), was probably the most stressful time of our lives. We had a new home built, moved from out of state, then I lost my job, and my mother was diagnosed with cancer and ended up in hospice care the last 5 months of her life - the last thing I wanted to do was think about potty training, especially since DD was not showing interest!
Every kid is different though, and it's not really a question of age so much as what signs of readiness they might be showing.
My Daughter was 2.
My son was a little over 3 years old.
We went according to THEIR readiness though.
I started mine when she was 20 or 22 months old..she is 27 months old now...still a work in progress but she is good during the day (not the night). Only has an occasional accident (seems to be always whenever she is eating dinner...on my watch)
