[Wisdom]

Our son is 19 months now (yesterday) and I think he's ready to start potty training. We bought a potty last month and have been talking to him about it and showing him how we go potty to get him used to the idea. They say a sign is when they go a couple of hours w/out a wet diaper and that's been happening with DS.

I've talked to a few moms and have found that some are waiting longer to begin training, like even three years old or after. One mom who has two sons trained the older son earlier but said it took six months for him to train. She waited until the younger son was over 3 years old and it took only a few days to train him. I was hoping DS would be potty trained by two. Do you think starting now at 19 months is a good time to start?

I'd love to hear others experiences with potty training. Thanks!

[aclee]

I think it depends. I won't start to train Ty till he can at least say Potty. Otherwise I think it's more training the parent, and not the kid. I could put Ty on the potty ever 30 minutes and he would eventually be "time trained" on the potty...in other words I would get him on there when he needed to go, but that doesn't teach him how to hold it, and then use the potty when he needs to.

[Magic_Hat]

I think every kid is different in that (and all) areas but if you think your guy is ready, why not get a potty and start training. You could just take it easy with it and suggest he sit and read some books about it, etc., and see how it goes. If he's not ready, then don't push it. I don't see a reason to wait. But I'm not an expert, we are training right now. DD is 27 months and doing pretty good but we've had a potty out for about a year so it's not a new concept to her.

[shy_bear]

I waited till at least 2 1/2 with both my girls. They both trained immediately and had no accidents.
With our son, who is almost 27 mths and has sensory processing disorder, I don't plan to do anything yet. He shows interest in the potty when we all go and likes to flush, but does not mind being wet or dirty at all! I also am not in a big hurry b/c he is probably our last baby and I want him to stay little!!

[Stormster]

Not even close at 24 months. I always believed you can start young and have a stressful, long period of learning or start when they are really ready and it's less stress and mess for everyone.

Believe me I'd love to. E gets rashes and I'd love to get him out of diapers but he also doesn't mind being dirty.

I'm guessing we'll start at 30 months. I chose a preschool 2's program that had no problem with diapers for just this reason.

[Quesita]

Please feel free to visit my blog and read all about Liana's potty training adventures. She will be three in September. And after almost a year of promising signs followed by downright refusal to have anything to do with a potty, Liana seemed to make up her mind last month that she was ready. And it was just after I had given up trying!

Liana's Amazing Adventures: Warning: Potty Talk Ahead

At this point, she is potty trained at home, and out and about with me. We have occasional accidents, but mostly she is doing great! When she made her mind up, she was ready. However, there is something going on at daycare, and she flat out refuses to use the potty there. One day she want 8 hours without urinating at all. Other days she has accidents there.

But we have one more week in daycare. And then a week together with a little trip. And then preschool.

[OakShannon]

Originally Posted by Wisdom

Our son is 19 months now (yesterday) and I think he's ready to start potty training. We bought a potty last month and have been talking to him about it and showing him how we go potty to get him used to the idea. They say a sign is when they go a couple of hours w/out a wet diaper and that's been happening with DS.

I've talked to a few moms and have found that some are waiting longer to begin training, like even three years old or after. One mom who has two sons trained the older son earlier but said it took six months for him to train. She waited until the younger son was over 3 years old and it took only a few days to train him. I was hoping DS would be potty trained by two. Do you think starting now at 19 months is a good time to start?

I'd love to hear others experiences with potty training. Thanks!

I think it varies a lot. My son is also 19 months, and he's not ready. He will look at me and say "poop!" when he's doing just that. But I don't think a wet diaper even registers. So I agree with Aclee - for us it would be "training" me, not him! But I went to a playgroup yesterday with another mom who has a son the same age. She said that he had just decided to start using the potty and was potty trained in a matter of a few days. He saw some older friends doing it and that was that! But he's pretty advanced in a lot of other ways, too.

I think 19 months is definitely younger than average, though. I guess I would just be ready to let it go if he has a hard time with it.

[Gs_Mom]

I hear boys generally take longer than girls.

At about 2.5 I bought a seat that sits on the regular toilet. We looked at it, talked about it, showed it how it worked. Around 3 we put up a chart and started giving stickers, followed by a trip to the toy dept for a reward. The novelty wore off ... at least for me, b/c he would want his toy after 5 stickers, but really wasn't trained. So that fell by the wayside.

A couple months ago (3.5), my hubby put him in underwear one afternoon and I came home to much excitement about how he hadn't peed his underwear all afternoon. (YAY! DH!). The next day we went him to daycare in underwear.

He has had some accidents, but is pretty well trained during the waking hours. At daycare he still wears a diaper a nap time (after daycare had several days in a row of ear underwear after naps). At home he naps in his underwear and does fine. So, he isn't completely trained. But, he does take himself to the potty by himself and asks for privacy so he can go alone (too cute). He also informed me that he can hold himself up and doesn't need the ring seat anymore. Guess he learned that from an older boy at school. When we are out he tells us when he has to go and we beeline it for the nearest bathroom.

When he starts waking dry on a regular basis we will try the diapers at night.

I personally think the best approach is to ease into it nad not put a lot of stress on them. They will get there.

[thanksgivingmom]

I have two nephews that are 32 months and 31 months - the 31 month old has been day trained for a few months now (but they still put him in a diaper at night I believe) and the 32 month old has NO interest in it. His brother wasn't ready til about three either...

[Amber76]

I used to watch a set of twins and my niece. I pottytrained all three at once, even though the twins are 10 months older. It just really, really depends on the kids. My niece was the first of the three trained, and she was reliably day trained well before her second birthday and started staying dry all night by about 25 months. One of the twins was day trained shortly after her, right before his 3rd birthday, and the other took a few extra months and was about 39 months before he was reliably trained at all. I think it really just depends on the child.

[aallen25]

Shiloh is 22 months old and we will be starting this month. I believe she is ready...we talk about the potty a lot, she enjoys sitting on her potty, etc. We're hoping to make her a big sister in January and I really want to have her out of diapers by then, but we'll see!

[tweetybirdus]

My 23 month old uses the potty as a method of getting into the bathroom so she can request a bath. (she's manipulative) lol She sits for appr. 2 seconds, then points at the tub and says bath over and over again and screams when I say no. I don't think we're ready or maybe we'll have to move the potty out of the bathroom. lol

She also doesn't seem to care when wet or poopy either.

[Fran27]

I'm in no rush! I don't want to have a battle either, I'll just do it when they show an interest. Honestly for now I'd rather change diapers than have to stop to go to the bathroom every time we go out anyway... plus I don't really want my kids to be stuck in their crib when they need to potty, and I'm in no rush to switch them to a toddler bed...

[mommy3]

I agree with no rushing -- esp. b/c if *you* do the training then you are constantly running to the potty w/ your child everywhere you go. I waited with each child 'til they were asking for help, as they watch my dh and I (with all bodily functions, ha) and seem to do what their bodies are ready for. My oldest dd trained herself overnight on a trip when she was 2.5 (she just wanted "pretty panties" -- easy); my ds was never interested and I finally listened to his preschool teacher when he was 4 that it was time and we just did it, then. No issues from him but he was mad at me for a day. Youngest dd trained herself w/poop at 18 mos and pee by about 22 mos. She had no pressure from her preschool teacher but was in a class where it was special to go by yourself. For my girls it was a fashion and cleanliess issue. For my son, he really doesn't like to deal with details, so he just dealt with it when I called "time" -- but he WAS 4. I went with the adage of being "psychologically and physiologically ready" and kept buying diapers until that time. susan

[Nevada Jen]

At about 18 months DS was ready and I know we could have trained him with little to no effort but we were not in a hurry. At about 19 months the window closed and he became an obstinate 2 year old. At 29 months I told him we were out of diapers and we needed to go buy underwear. The first day was more accidents than success, the second day was more success than accidents and the third day he was trained. We put him in pull ups when we went out but he refused to go in one. I was shocked at how easy it was. He wore pull-ups at night until he was almost 4 and now he wakes up to go at night if he needs to with about 1 accident every two months.

When I told the story to experienced moms many of them said there was a short window around the 18 month mark with their kids where they could have done it also but after that its another year before your kid is willing to work with you again. So my advice would be to go for it now! My other advice is to use real underwear from day one and just toss poopy ones. I figured it was worth more than the cost of a pair of underwear to me to not have to clean poopy drawers. Set aside a week where you will not need to go out much and promise yourself that you will not give up for 7 days no matter what and I am sure it will work.