[msaguilar]

Hey folks - I was wondering at what age did you start introducing toilet training? Did you buy a potty chair earlier on, and did you wait (as my pediatrician recommended) until your little one could speak "pee pee" or whatever indication that he/she needed to go potty?
My son is fascinated with my and hubbie's bathroom visits, so I'm thinking perhaps I should take advantage of his curiosity.
Thanks in advance :-)

Maggie

[lisam951]

For both my girls, I purchased a potty and had it in the bathroom by the time they were 18 months old. My first, Kara, was interested early on and was completely trained at 26 months. She came to me and said she wanted to use the potty and never looked back. I actually took a package of diapers back to the store. Marisol is 2.5 and is just now showing an interest. She goes a few times a day on the potty, but will not go everytime. Just when we think she is ready and put the panties on her, she wet them. I figure one day she will decide to go everytime and don't stress about it. But if he is interested, I would go ahead and get him one, but don't push. Let it be his idea when he wants to use it.

[GabrielsDad]

I follow the "they will let you know" trend. My daughter showed absolutely NO interest until almost 3 years old, however once she showed that interest, she was completely potty trained in only a couple of days and never had a single accident.

[wvamom]

We have been doing potty training with Joseph now for about 6 weeks (he was 20 months old when we started). I just kept giving him liquids and putting him on the potty, and more or less by chance he went and I really cheered him on, then we kept on doing it.

For about three weeks he went every 5 or 10 minutes--he signs "potty" (that is, make the letter "t" and shake your fist a little bit)(at least, that's what they taught my older kids in school). Now he is up to 1/2 hour wait at a time, and only has a couple of accidents a day.

Our biggest enemy has been those diaper pull up training pants--he has no accountability when he is wearing those and doesn't care if he goes to the potty. I think he just doesn't like being wet when he is wearing training pants or underwear.

BTW, he is ahead of where all my other kids were--my girls were not trained until 26 months, and my older son was 3 1/2 (but he has Down syndrome and had delayed gross motor skills, which probably contributed to the later training).

I think, the earlier, the better, as far as starting. My SIL has had a time with my nephews because they didn't start until after age 3.

Good luck!
Carolyn

[KellyMigoya]

Let me tell you every child is different. Our first son was trained in a few days when he was 2 1/2. Our second son just became trained this summer at 4 1/2!!!! I was freaking out. He just adamently refused. My pediatrician said to me one day "Do you want a sure fire way to train him in one day" and of course my response was "yes" and he said "He will do it on the day he is ready to do it". Well that was in February. In June we were outside and Mateo was playing with the kids and walked up to me and said "I need to go potty on the toilet" and that was it. Put big boys pants on and never had an accident. I guess I will have to tell my pediatrician he was right.

[csw]

Follow his lead..when he shows an interest..then start..Ana is 27 months and is essentially potty trained during the day at home..when we go out I still put a diaper on her as public restroom are gross and I haven't bought that little device I saw from One Step Ahead yet that you put over the public toliets for girls to sit on..anyways..let him take the lead..dont push him. You may want to get the video/DVD Going to the Potty and also Mr. Rogers has a book about going on the potty..

Our son was 3 with with urinating and older with poops..but..he still wet the bed occasionally even at age 4...

I don't think I will get Ana fully trained at night unless she gives up her 8 ounce bottle at night and 4 ounce on at 5 or 6 am...

Ana is in many activites and almost all the kids her age who are 2 and even some that are close to 3 are still in diapers..she seems a little ahead of some..I would say 2.5 years old is average for girls and 3 for boys...have fun!

[msaguilar]

Luca is about to be 17 months, so I know it's on the early side and don't have any expectations for success, certainly! He has become really interested, though, so I thought I'd get him a little potty for himself to just plop down on while I and DH go.
Luca loves to come in the bathroom with me and while I go, he sits on the floor next to me and when I get up, he does, too. I thought maybe I'd get a little chair for him in the bathroom, but then figured I might as well get a potty just for him to sit on (clothed) instead of him using the floor, but wasn't sure if that would make him reluctant to become p-trained. I can't see the harm, I guess so maybe I'll buy one...
Anyway, thanks guys, and feel free, others, to post more experiences!
Maggie

[Kate'sMom2B]

I don't plan on starting Brielle until after the holidays (she turns 2 Dec 16th). We'll see how it goes. If she shows no interest, we'll hold off and try every couple months.

My oldest dd trained herself at age 2.5. She was going to daycare as I was in college and after a week, I went to pick her up and the director said, "Why is she still wearing diapers?" I was mortified thinking I'd failed as a parent until she clarified, "What I mean is, she's been going potty on the toilet all week with no accidents here so it seems like she should be in panties." What a nice surprise. We put her in padded pants and that was that I guess it was the "peer pressure" thing for her or something, lol.

My boys were closer to 3 and 3.5 by the time they were completely trained. My daughter from Russia was closer to 3 also (even though the orphanage claimed she was trained by 18 months, she was not--they were the ones who were trained by sticking her on the potty very regularly and getting lucky).

[Bonitabonita]

Maggie,

I say take advantage of his curiosity now!

I have had a small potty chair in the bathroom since my daughter came home at 6 mos. It was a PGN-waiting purchase -- it was just so cute & it made me feel good to buy it at the time.

Interesting thing is, however, my daughter is 11 mos. old now & goes pee and poop on the potty all the time. That is, 90% of the times I put her on. I think it's kind of a fluke. I mean, I don't think she can tell when she has to go, but she does know what to do when sitting on the potty . . . and it doesn't take her long. It's seconds, bam, and she's done!

The only thing I can think is that the potty being there is normal for her, nothing new. I used to sit her on it w/ her clothes on while I went potty when she was younger. There's never been any pressure for her to use it -- she just seems to think it's cool. Actually, for me, it's kind of more work b/c she still wears diapers all the time AND I have to clean the potty chair!

I would get him while he's interested -- it's a gift -- take advantage of it!

Boni

[Mariais5]

All kids are definitely different. My son was over three years old and showed absolutely NO interest. He didn't mind wearing a dirty diaper either. I would have to "sniff" him every so often to see if he needed changed because he was not going to tell me! My sister's advice was - He will be potty trained before he starts kindergarten, so don't worry about it! At 3 1/2, he decided it was time and just started using the potty.

[jnancynancy]

I remember when we started my daughter...I can't remember how old she was exactly 2ish maybe...when she started to crawl behind the couch and hide when she had to fill up the papers. It was so funny because I could hear little grunty gaspy noises and no one was in the room. I looked behind the couch and there was red faced little girl. Sometimes she would stand in a corner facing the wall. LOL!!!


She is 11 now and would die die die if she knew I told you all this. He he he

[KDhappygal]

We bought a potty late last year, knowing that our referral from China was coming soon. And knowing that our new daughter might have some potty training in China before we met.

I just kept telling Gabriella that when she was ready to go pee pee or poop on the potty to tell me and when she did, she would get a treat. We used one chocolate chip for pee pee and a Hershey's Kiss for poop.

At 24 months she decided she could go pee pee on the potty and control it enough the first time to get multiple treats.... the very next day we started with her training. It took a couple of days for her to fully get it and stop peeing on the floor but she was definately ready.

We still have some accidents, usually when she is angry with me....

Sophia on the other hand did come to us at 11 months with some potty training. She could pee on the potty but we needed to take her regularly. She wasn't telling us she needed to go. We let that training slip as it was too hard to maintain with both of them. On the other hand, a couple of months after Sophia came home she started to regularly poop on the potty. She doesn't really speak but makes it completely clear she needs to go.

[mary594]

Juliet is curious about the bathroom also. She always walks in on me. She even will hand me a piece of toilet paper. A couple times I will put her on the toilet and she thinks it is funny. She is 17 months I think it will be a while though since she doesn't seem to mind to sit in a dirty diaper. It is a struggle to try and change her.

Mary

[jnancynancy]

A tootsie pop was our treat for sitting on the potty. Had to sit on the potty until you were done. With a few carefully planned glasses of water earlier it worked pretty well.

[msaguilar]

Mary - Luca is almost 17 months, too, and he does similar things as Juliet, out of his curiosity...I put him on the toilet also, and he laughed and laughed! This age is so interesting, and I want to encourage Luca to be happy and curious about the bathroom so that, hopefully, he won't refuse the potty or view it as a "chore" later on.
Maybe if we are able to come to the Alabama weekend then Juliet and Luca can bond over their potty experiences as well as all the other things these 17-month-olders like to do! :-)
Thanks everyone else, for your advice and experiences!
Maggie