I have a 14 month old daughter, how can I...?

Question

Start to potty train her? She has a kiddy potty and she loves to sit on it when she follows me into the bathroom. I have no idea where to begin with the potty training. What is a good age? I read in a parents magazine that a mother had her 9 month old potty trained...I really don't see how!

Answer 1

From what I've read it doesn't seem to matter much when you start, you won't get yr child potty trained before about 27 months. You can start now and have 13 months of frustration, or you could just leave it until she's old enough!

Answer 2

There is another question like this just moments ago....If she enjoys her potty then it's only a matter of time. Try using training underwear with her, once I did that she learned very fast. She may just see her potty as a chair right now. But you are doing the right thing....take her every time you go, and take her pants down too so she can sit on the potty. She could sit on the potty for a very long time before anything happens, just be pacient. I got a potty training video that she LOVES, but it doesn't make her go use her potty. She wont be in diapers forever, so relax and know that it will happen soon. This is very early by the way, most kids are between 2-3 years old before they learn, so way to go Mom!

Answer 3

If you are serious about it i would read the book Early-STart Potty training. It has a lot of insight on potty training before 2 years and why it is better. Alot of bladder problems are caused by toddlers not being potty trained early because in a diaper they only potty a little bit at a time so they dont completely empty their bladder. Also we are teaching them to potty in a diaper from birth on. They have control over their bladder muscles by about 6-9 months. Dont you notice that your child doesnt pee or poop while you are changing their diaper yet as soon as you put a new diaper on their diaper is pottied in again? This is why i believe that this book is good. It is very informative, not only potty training wise but also in how diapers can affect an infant and toddler. We are starting potty training our 15 month old, and i just got the book and started reading it. Hopefully it will help you too :) GOOD LUCK!

Answer 4

You are already in the right direction. When you go to the bathroom and she sits on the potty too, pull her pants down and let her go. Even if she does not go get her in the habit of going to the bathroom when you do. If you have time while you are both going to the bathroom give her a book to look out and hang out a while, when she finally does go in the potty praise her. I have even known parents to sit them on the potty when they are watching TV. Also watch for her cues, if you know she is going to go poop, take her to the bathroom and hang out. Each child is different, you just have to get them to go on the potty once and then you have crossed a big hurdle, you have to be consistent. Do not punish her if she has an accident! The answer to the age thing really depends, most children do not even develop the muscles to control there bowels until 18-24 months. Although I started taking my child to the bathroom and sitting her on the potty when she was your daughters age. Then at 20 months she went, by the time she was 2 she was completely trained.

Answer 5

You are already doing a good job. Just watch your child for signs of readiness and follow her lead. There are great books on potty training and videos with Bear in the Big Blue House and Elmo. Expose her to the idea, sit her on the potty regularly when she wants to, and wait. Don't force her. You will be surprised.

You can also do a "diaper holiday" when she is closer to being ready. Stay at home for a weekened and take off the diaper. Try to get her on the potty every time she needs to go. Lots of parents train their kids in one weekend with this method.

The big thing is that she must be ready and she needs to lead the effort.

Answer 6

Hi.I am a mother of 2 and a Home Child Care Provider.I have been working with children for 12 years now. I have been know to potty train ANY child by the age of 2 maximum, so far. The thing is it is different for each child. For my own two and many others I put them on the potty before we do almost anything. (snack time, as soon as we wake up, before lunch, before we go out, when we get there, etc) Don't make a big deal to go on, but when they do pee or have a bm (bowel movement) then make a really big deal out of that. Dance, sing, clap hurrah anything, stickers, a sticker chart beside the potty works too. After so many stickers, they get a treat, say movie, book, trip to library, anything that they would love, Even just praising them on how wonderful they did works. Don't make a big fuss over accidents, just clean it up and put them on the potty. The more confident they are, the better they will do, at everything. Kids are a lot easier than we realize. They just want to be told, like all of us how wonderful they are. Get rid of the diaper, it only makes it harder for them to go on the potty. Put on easy off clothes, because they start to become independent and the easier it is for them, the better. Bringing her with you when you go is great too. Just do what you feel is right, and good luck before you know she'll be done!!

Answer 7

I think it's probably a great age to let her sit on it and get comfortable with it, but in my experience, she's too young to really potty train. I'm sure there are kids who are potty trained then, but between 2-3 is more realistic. My daughter started getting interested around two, and knew how to use the potty shortly after. With constant reminders, we would make it all day without an accident. It wasn't until she was almost three that she really consistantly used it on her own (and made it through the night). Good Luck!

Answer 8

When your child is ready she will let you know. My son started to like the potty at an early age but he hadn't developed a nice set of words yet. So I continued to allow him to sit on his potty and wipe and try but I didn't start potty training consistently until he had the enough words to tell me he had to go. He is almost 24 months.

Answer 9

Potty training! Such a fun topic. I was potty trained when I was 13 months. I never had any accidents, just decided one day I wanted to wear panties(so says my mom). Needless to say I had HIGH hopes for our oldest(a girl). When I took her in for her 3 year well check, she was still in diapers. I was getting pressured from the in-laws, "Just make her wear panties. She will learn to go in the potty! You have to make her sit on it until she pees!" I just felt like she would let me know when she was ready. So when I went in I was ready for "the look". You know, the one that the pediatrician gives you when you are not doing something right, like still letting them drink out of that bottle! LOL! However, he said, "There is no rush. One day she will let you know that she is ready." He said if we pressured her she would have more accidents and we would probably have to deal with bed wetting. One morning, two weeks after her checkup, she came into our room in the morning with her panties on and said, "Daddy and Mommy, I don't need diapers anymore. I am Big!" We were like "OKay?!" To this day she has never had an accident and has never wet the bed! I think we try to push our kids into doing stuff before they are ready just so we can stop buying diapers or because some other kid is doing it. Then we punish them when they wet the bed or go potty in their clothes and I think that only makes things worse. If she wants to wear panties one day, let her. If 30 minutes later she wants a diaper back on, put one on. Potty training can be so simple and stress free for the parents and child. You just have to let them do it in their own time and that time is different for every child. Good luck!

Answer 10

As long as she loves to sit on the potty - go ahead and start training her. Usually, you should start the potty training at age 2 but maybe she's ready now..........................
If a mother trains her baby at 9 months then they only way it is happening is that she is holding the kid over the toilet. My ex-mother-in-law once said she did this to one of her kids at 6 months but she had to hold the baby over the toilet. By doing it this way - it's really NOT potty training. The toddler needs to be able to do it on their own - not be held over the toilet.