When did you start potty training your child and how did you do it?

Question

I'm thinking of introducing the potty soon, at about 17 months, and just taking it very slowly, no pressure until hopeefully she will be daytime trained at 2. Thats my theory anyway. Do you think it will work?
Also I would like to hear some of your experiences, when did you start, what did you do etc.

Answer 1

My baby still got a long way to go before potty training. Here's some advice that helped for someone else: The lady put an old shoe besides the toilet and told her son that there were little men in the toilet and everytime you use the toilet, they would come out and put some money in the shoe. Kind of like the toothfairy. Then when he used the toilet he looked in the shoe and there wasn't any money. The mom told him that the men only wait until you've gone. She quickly went and put in some money and told the boy that she think she might have heard something. When he saw the money he was so happy, he called her back to use the toilet again. Since that day he never wore a nappy again.

Answer 2

If your child can communicate with you, then she is ready. There is no point in starting to potty train, if your child cannot tell you they need to use the potty. How ever i alway buy a potty at this age and have it around the house, so the child can sit on it whenever they feel like it. My daughter used it like a spare chair. I all so let them come to the toilet with me so they could see what happens there. I get no peace for about a year, but it is worth ti, i never have to ask them to wash their hand, they just do it, because they have seen me do it. And the transition from the potty to the toilet is alot easier too. By the age of 3 all my children are dry day and night, and i have had seven. Good luck.

Answer 3

Have the potty sitting in the bathroom. Doesn't have to be used straight away - just something to become familiar with. Sit on it back and forth (well obviously sit your daughter on it back and forth!) with no pressure to pee. Maybe even just when you go so she associates the two.
If the child is ready then the actual training should not take more than a few days although the no2s are a bit harder to catch in the early days! However, 17 months is still quite young so you probably will have to wait for a bit.(But I know that is your plan to take it slowly) I had the potty in the bathroom for my last child and it sat gathering dust for months - didn't want to show interest in it all! I ended up just going straight to the toilet with him - one of those small padded seats that sits on top of the big seat and he never did use the potty.
I have trained 3 children and all were a bit different. I never used pull ups unless going out the house. I think they are too much like nappies and unless the child can feel themselves wet they will take longer to register the need- to- pee- cos -I -don't -want -to- get- wet feeling.
When I decided to 'go for gold' they all showed signs of wanting to pee in potty/toilet and the odd one would be had every day (the eldest was the best and peed before every bath and bedtime to begin with) and I would ask them before a meal, after a meal and before going out if they wanted to pee. Then I waited till I had two or three days in a row that were free and could dedicate to letting them run around the house with pants on( DEFINITELY keep pants on - far better than a no2 on the carpet!) and that just took 2 days at the most. The no2s were maybe a day or two longer but once it clicks it clicks. Coming out of night nappies usually follows quickly afterwards. I had my kids fully potty trained at 2yr5mth, 2yr 9mth and 2yr2mth and they were out the night nappies at 2, 3 and 5 nights. I reduced the amount of fluids at night and my eldest has only wet the bed once in 7 years when he was 5. The first night the nappy was removed was sheer worry but once they're out it's unusual for them to go backwards.

One good thing about my last child learning to go straight to the toilet was that I didn't have to carry the potty around to places that wouldn't have one as using the actual toilet somewhere else did not phase him.

And have a phrase that you use constantly when using taking your child to the toilet so they can pick up on it. At this age the vocab is limited and a couple of easy words like 'pee coming' is far easier to say when trying to tell you quickly what they need.

Whatever you do - good luck!

Answer 4

my daughter has just started using the potty and shes 3 in january,i've had the potty around her from her being 1.1/2 but she never liked it my other two children where potty trained before they where 2 so i think it depends on the child and how they feel about it but whatever you do don't make a big deal if they have an accident or they will become to worried about it and make more mistakes i have let my little girl decorate her potty with princess stickers and she loves it
good luck
and just take one step at a time with it it's like most things with little children they will do it when they feel ready to

Answer 5

I started one of my sons at 18 months and the other 20 months, both were dry during the day and night by their 2nd birthday. I think the important thing is patience. I tried to feed and water them at roughly the same time each day, then time how long after drinking/eating they would go, once you get an approx time frame you get a better grasp. After doing this for a 1-2 weeks put pants on during the day time - no nappies, expect accidents, she wont want to be wet or uncomfortable. After about 4 weeks of this, i tried to stay home as much as i could for a week, by the end of this week no accidents, i would turn and they would be doing the business themselves. Keep to a bedtime nappy, you
will eventually see she doesn't like it, then its time for no more nappies. Move potty away and onto toilet with trainer seat. Good luck.

Answer 6

Sounds like you have it figured out. It's a good idea to start talking about it when they are this age instead of just making them go when they are older. Start asking her "Are you going to use the potty soon?" while you're changing her diaper. You need to get her excited about it. Make it seem more like something she "gets" to do rather than something she "has" to do. Let her make the decisions when it comes to potty training. Let her decide what big girl panties she gets and what rewards she gets for using the potty. Make it fun as well. Let her decorate her own plastic potty with stickers and things so it's more personalized and special. Give her lots of praise--and you should be on your way to a diaper free child :-)

Answer 7

i potty trained my daughter when she was around that age. She only had a couple of accidents at night and that was all.. the trick is not letting drink anything a hour or so before bedtime and make sure they go before they go to bed to prevent wet beds, but sometimes it does not always work. by 2 1/2 she had it down good on going potty...

Answer 8

Go for it. I introduced the potty when my son was about 18/19 months, just got him used to sitting on it 1st. I did't actually get him dry till July this year (He'll be 3 next month) The reason for this was His sister was born in June and I did'nt want to push it till everythin had got back to norm. So if your both ready have a go. Good luck!!

Answer 9

i have three children,two of school age and a new baby,with my eldest we felt pressured to get her potty trained and forced the topic on her as soon as she was two,it didnt work,she just met us with resistance in the end we let her do it at her own pace and she did it when she was ready,at about three she was dry day and night.We did the same with our son,we did the pull ups and let him get on with it,he was also dry day and night by 2 1/2,so from experience i would say chill out theres no rush and let your daughter do it at her own pace,good luck!

Answer 10

as soon as tehy turn 2 and i used my own special way that gets any child potty trained in a day