Is my 18 month old boy ready to start potty training?

Question

For about the past 2 weeks now, Our 18 month old boy will come up to either me or his father, Grab himself, and say UH OH..And sure enough when we check his diaper he has wet himself...Is he telling us it's time to start potty training? And how would we go about starting, he's not very vocal right now, he says a few words here and there, But we're not sure he's verbally ready to potty train...

Any suggestions?

He's very interested in watching both his father and I use the bathroom, We've talked about getting him his own potty chair for Christmas, Also, We seen this super nifty thing on Ebay, It's basically a urinal for little boys to learn how to stand up and pee...Has anyone used one of these? Good/Bad experiences?

Gage's daddy (Gage being my son, Lol) says that when he goes into the bathroom with him, He just stands there and stares at his 'stuff' and watches so intently... Lol, So we're kind of hoping by him watching Daddy pottty he'll pick it up pretty quickly, As I'm expecting a 3rd little one November 12th, And am NOT looking forward to 2 in diapers, Though I am NOT rushing anything with him, My 8 year old wasn't potty trained fully until he was 3 years old...(His father wasn't around full time though), I understand that it can and most likely will take time, I'm just anxious for my little one to make this big 'milestone' :-)

Answer 1

i think juliaH was on the write track until she said to go back to diapers if the process doesn't seem to be working . . . NEVER EVER GO BACK TO DIAPERS!!! this becomes completely confusing to the child, sending mixed messages and filling them with shame and doubt of their abilities. toileting is about becoming an independent person who is capable of taking care of their own body.

the child should be able to pull down their own pants and sit on the potty themselves. it's not the best idea for you to bring your child to the potty either (as someone else mentioned). they need to be able to get there themselves in time or you're the one that's "trained" and you're setting your child up for failure.

i would definitely go shopping with the child to get the potty, let them pick it out (give only 2 choices of the ones that you like and let them choose the 1). talk a lot about the potty and let them get familiar with it before you expect them to use it consistantly.

when you are changing diapers (in the bathroom with the potty) have the child pull down his own pants and take off his own diaper standing up (if there's more than pee in there, you can help to make sure it doesn't fall, but the child should be doing most of the work - if they need to be cleaned from a bm, have the child put their hands on the floor, rear in the air and you can clean everything that way without laying them down).

he should sit on the potty and try to pee everytime you change the diaper - don't make him, but if he's not willing to do this, he's not ready . . . just continue changing in the area with the potty and ask him to try everytime. when the diapers are dry more often than not and the child is sucessfully peeing in the potty more times than not, that's the time to start talking with them about the fact that they are taking care of their body and can start thinking about underwear.

if your child is 18mo old, this may not be for a while and that's ok. the fact that he now says UH OH and grabs himself may just mean that he feels his diaper is wet, not that he feels the pee coming. there's a difference.

PLEASE don't rush this process - and remember it is a process. children that are "trained" before they are ready exhibit behaviors and problems down the road that will stay with them. i have worked with toddlers for many years and have helped over 50 children and their families through this toileting process.

Answer 2

Some spirited and informed answers for you so far; I can only recount my experiences with my twin 4 year olds, a boy and a girl. Both were fascinated early with mommy and daddy using the potty and before they turned 2 each appeared ready to try. We bought them a small kids potty though at first they just stared at it as if it was a space ship. We watched a going to the potty video repeatedly, which they enjoyed but didn't really connect the dots regarding their bodily functions. My daughter tried once or twice but found the seat cold and "kind of scary." They lost interest in going to potty for a bit, moved to pull ups and then came back to wanting to learn, b/c we talked about them being big after they turned two. My daughter learned first, by a couple of months, though she had more accidents than my son, who wasn't completely trained until 2 yr 9 m. Also, he started to pee by sitting, and when he stood up to pee, like dad, he usually hit the floor more than the bowl. My sense is that even if your boy starts to learn it will take him 6 to 8 months more to really be out of diapers. My advice is to ease into in, encourage him when he shows interest but don't push too hard and don't make a big deal of accidents, which will happen regularly. Good luck!

Answer 3

My suggestion would be probably is. Just remember to be patient. I am against the potty chair though. Only because that is something else you will have to break him from. I would encourage you to get a step stool and teach him to use the big potty. I have four kids three of which are boys all completely broke by the time 27 months old. This is the way I did it and it worked. Also, you can put a lil dishsoap in the potty and when he pees on it it bubbles as well as flushing it. Another trick we used fruit loops and taught the boys to try and pee on them helps them learn to get the pee in the potty if you know what I mean. LOL

Answer 4

I have an 18 month old, and I think she is still way too young for potty training. I don't think I'm gonna even start thinking about it till she is over 2. I've considered buying a little potty to have in the bathroom for when she seems "interested," but even that would be more a game to her. Don't let your doctor push you into early training if you don't think your baby is ready for it.

Answer 5

Yes!! He sounds more than ready! He knows what he is doing when he is doing it thats all you need. My oldest was fully potty trained by 11 months. At 10 months she started doing that same thing your son is doing so I bought her a little potty and read her one of those potty training books showed her the pictures and everything. She was all about it, she stopped going at night all together within a few days and a month later I said goodbye to diapers til baby 2 came along.

One trick if you plan on having any more kids is from the day you take him/her home from the hospital when you change the babys diaper talk to him/her in a nice soft voice thats what i did to my oldest and im doing to my youngest and everything i would just be like "did you go pee" stuff like that telling the child what he/she did. not like its a bad thing or anything.. just laughed with her.. had fun.. shes a very smart baby..

email me if you want.. [e-mail]

Answer 6

If you really want to try, commit yourself to a couple days of staying home and letting him go naked around the house/yard. Have the potty chair nearby. He will almost certainly learn to run for the chair rather than pee on the floor. If he doesn't "get it" after a day or two spent like this, then he's not ready yet and you should back off and go back to diapers for a while. Oh, and don't forget to reward him if he does do it in the potty. We used candy. Worked like a charm!

Answer 7

I would say he's definately giving you signs. My son was around that age when he started doing the exact same thing. We got him a soft potty seat for the toilet and started sitting him on it every couple of hours. He's now 2 and we're in pullups instead of diapers. He still isn't telling us consistently but I'm not going to push him. However we do make a big deal out of every time he does go on the potty.
I haven't seen the toddler urinal though...myself I'm a little concerned about aim at this age, lol...at least my potty seat has a rim that helps!

Answer 8

Get a little potty for him and put it in the bathroom, put a book or two in also and some wipes. Let him see these things, and tell them that its his big boy potty. Show him how to sit on it and explain go potty here. Then when he comes up to you wet or just about too, put him on the potty and have him sit for a minute or so. Dont force it if he doesnt like it. But at least it will be there as a reminder! good luck!!

Answer 9

My 17 month old pulls at the back of his diaper when he has done a number in his diaper. He also likes/is fascinated with the grown-up potty. So, I have decided this Christmas to get him his own potty. I'm not going to push anything...and hopefully he will take to it quickly. If not, I am not going to pressure him. See how your son reacts to the idea of his own potty. Do you take him to the bathroom with you? If not, you should start letting him follow you in, just so he can see what it's all about. Also, make sure he can pull his pants up or down (my son can only pull them up) by himself. Potty training takes a lot of patience...but don't worry, you'll get there!

Answer 10

It sounds as if he is ready. My eldest son learned how to use the potty at 18 months (with diapers for naps and at night) My youngest son is 2 and a half and he's just ready.

What' really important is to spend a day at home and have him walk around without diapers. You may have an accident or two but he'll learn to use the potty faster without wearing diapers than if he is.