I need help potty training my 17 month old son?

Question

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A A POTTY TRAINING CHAIR FOR MY SON WHO IS 17 MONTHS OLD WE WANT TO START EARLY BUT I AM NOT SURE HOW TO APPROACH IT OR HOW TO EXPLAIN IT TO HIM SO HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT I MEAN. WHEN I PUT HIM ON HIS LITTLE CHAIR HE DOESNT REALLY LIKE IT BUT HE DOES LIKE IT WHEN I PUT IT ON THE BIG TOILET. HE WILL TRY AND SIT ON THE BIG ONE FOR A FEW MINUTES, BUT THEN HE WANTS DOWN. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE OR IDEAS THAT COULD PLEASE HELP ME LET ME KNOW

Answer 1

I think the best thing to do is wait until he is ready. You dont want to rush him, or it might take him longer.

Answer 2

It is likely that 17 months is too early for potty training your little guy. If you are diligent and always take him to the toilet on a regular basis (every 1/2 - 1 hour throughout the day), then you will likely catch him before he has had a bowel movement/urinated in his diaper/underwear a fair amount of the time. You could call him "diaper-free", but he is not potty trained. A child is ready to begin potty training when he has developed verbally enough to have understandable words (to everyone and not just the parents) for bowel movement, urine, and toilet. Additionally, he should show some interest in the bathroom and what bigger people do in there. He should also be able to show some awareness that he has peed or pooped such as tugging at his diaper, getting a clean diaper and bringing it to you, or you notice that he goes and hides when he has a bowel movement. All children grow and develop at different rates. Before a child can begin potty training, he must reach a neurological milestone in which a specific spinal cord reflex is inhibited by the brain. This spinal cord reflex is what automatically empties an infant's bladder when it is full. As this becomes inhibited he will go longer between wet diapers. I personally use waking up consistently dry from nap time as the biggest readiness indicator. Potty training, as with most milestones of your baby's life, such as walking, sleeping through the night, and rolling over can only be accomplished on the baby's time table. Having the potty chair in view in the bathroom and encouraging him to sit on it or the big potty are all good beginnings. You can speak matter-of-factly about what is going on when you change his diaper. Talk about how he made pee-pee in his diaper and you will change it. Tell him when he gets bigger he can put his pee-pee in the potty like daddy. Let your son take the lead in potty training, be positive and encouraging. Potty training is a process that can take several months or even years to accomplish. Typically this happens between age 2-3, but some can be as young as 18 months and some aren't ready until age 4. When he can tell you he has to go potty, can make it to the bathroom before he has an accident (most of the time), can pull down his own pants and get on the potty himself, then you can call him potty trained.

Answer 3

I am a single mommy to a 3 year old son. I started potty training him at 21 months and he was completly potty trained at 27 months. However, he did not start to learn to stand and pee until he was 28 months and had it learned when he was 31 months. With me being a single mom (due to the death of my husband) it was a challenge of me teaching him to stand and pee. However my younger brother who is the best male figure my son has and is somewhat like a dad to him was my best help on teaching him to stand and pee. In between 28 and 31 months he did ask me if he could stand to pee pee and sometimes I let him and some no. He is now 37 months old and I do have a rule that if he can not aim in the potty when he pees he has to sit down. Hint: When ever he is finished pottying I do point his penis down before pulling his pants up.

Answer 4

I started my son at 18 months old. It's been 2 months and we have yet to make potty on the toilet! BUT, he has made progress. First of all, it's going to take longer since he's so young. DON'T force anything on him. Forcing him to sit on the potty "until he goes" or for any reason will just make him hate it. It's a learning experience for him. This is what I have done with my son.

I bought the potty chair and some training pants (not the disposables, but the cloth ones with plastic lining). We have a half bath in view of our living room, so we leave the door wide open and the chair sits in view in the bathroom. At first, I would take him to the bathroom about once an hour and sit him on the potty and say "tee tee" and then pour a little warm water between his legs. After about a week, he came to learn the word "tee tee." Then I point out "tee tee" whenever he has wet his training pants. When those pants are wet, he knows it and he doesn't like it, so he gets my attention that they are wet or dirty. Then I point out "tee tee" or "poopey" whenever he's getting clean pants on so he understands that's what happened. Put him on the potty immediately after he wakes up in the morning or after naps... they almost definitely need to go at those times. My son tends to wet his pants right before he wakes up though, so I haven't had any luck with it. Also, if you don't mind a few things being peed on, let your son run around without a diaper for a little while everyday and watch when he goes. Then if you catch him, point out the tee-tee he's making so he can be aware. This has been very helpful with my son. He does go in the bathtub and he'll scream out "Tee-tee!" with glee, but for some reason he won't do it on the potty! lol! However, after 2 months of working with him (not forcing) he has learned to pull of his training pants and sit on the potty for a while by himself. I can tell him "go tee-tee" and he'll sit on the potty himself, but for some reason he just won't go on the potty. All I can say is be patient and keep at it. And if you figure out how to get him to tee-tee on the potty on command, then let me know! haha! Good luck!

Answer 5

Your little guy is still young. At this age I would just make it a normal comfortable thing. Help him get use to the potty. I would set him on there before a bath, maybe when you are sitting on the potty, at convenient times. Don't rush it. If he likes the big potty, buy one of those booster seat deals. You can get them at any store with a baby section.

Answer 6

Please keep in mind that boys usually aren't potty trained until closer to 2.5 or 3. Don't ask me why it takes them longer to catch on. First, does your son tell you when he has went potty in his diaper or before he goes? If not, then it is too early to start potty training him per say because he doesn't yet understand his urges. However, it is never too early to just start putting him on the potty with some books before bath time and maybe before or after a nap. The link below has helpful information. Most importantly, it is your son who will tell you when he is ready to be potty trained not the parents telling the child.

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/toilet-training

Good luck.

Answer 7

O.K. I have 2 ways that might work. My gf had a potty in her bathroom for a couple of weeks, and would sit her son on it when she would go or whenever he would sit there just to get used to sitting on the potty. One night after he had his bath he was naked in the living room and had to go, he ran to th ebath room and went on the potty. He wouldnt pull his pants or diaper down to go, but if he was naked then he knew that he had to be on the potty. He kinda did it himself.

My sister is working on her son right now, he is only 13months, but she wants him to get used to it for now. So she started with letting him use it as a seat to get used to it. Then she started sitting him on it before bath time when he was waiting for the tub to fill. When he would go she would chear him on. He knows what its for but wont go to it on his own yet. If he goes on the potty now he claps his hands and gets all excited because he knows hes done good. She doesnt give him any treats or anything because he is doing it on his own, and doesnt seem to know that he could get candy for it. He even does his big job on the potty sometimes.

So I guess it is a case of sitting him on it, and getting him used to it. Try and get him to use it, but dont be upset if he doesnt, it will happen. I have heard that boys are harder to train than girls. If he has a Poo face then it is easier because you know when he is going and you can place him on the potty. Start with his diaper on until he sits on his own, otherwise you might end up with it all over the place like my sister. Good Luck

Answer 8

showing it to him is fine and even letting him set on it but do not make him set on it if he doesnt want to. after he poops in his diaper take him to the bathroom and put the poop in the toilet and show him "this is where poo poo goes" and flush and say "bye bye poo poo" this is just letting him know what it is. you will really need to wait for the signs that he is ready. hiding when pooping, telling you after he has peed or pooped and showing a real interest in it. be prepared, many boys are not ready till around 3 or even older. my son was not potty trained til he was almost 4. its just something they have to be ready to do and if you push them or make them feel bad in any way you will only delay the process. once he is older and you think he is ready you can let him run around naked. keep a close eye on him, once you see him peeing-hurry and put the little potty under the pee stream and cheer that he peed in the potty and reward him with a small sticker or cheers or the pee pee dance (make one up by dancing or going in a circle and saying "I Peed!")
good luck

Answer 9

That is pretty young to start potty training. He is more likely to have more accidents and have more of a struggle with you.

But, if you really want to start and he likes the big potty...buy a stool and a little potty seat that fits on the adult potty.

Answer 10

EVERYONE that i talk to about potty trainign says to try for a few days and if the child is not interseted that they aren't ready. Than try again in a month or so until your child is ready. When the child is ready, potty training is much easier.

Answer 11

You've got some great answers but I wanted to add a little something different. To get my boys to go pee-pee we sprinkled cheerios in the toilet water and had them aim for them. Try it when you can it is a great way to get the number 1 problem accomplished anyway!