Anyone start toilet training at a young age?

seeker

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 1:23 am

I don't really understand the anti-potty sentiments here. The potty was the greatest thing. Would you feel comfortable using a toilet three times your size? And when they're just starting out, you want to make it as easy as possible. Toddlers want to (and should) be independent and learning how to go to the bathroom is part of that. Plus, the potty is so convenient that I missed it when my kid got too big for it - what else do you do when your 4-year-old is using the toilet and your 2-year-old needs to go RIGHT NOW as they often do when they're just starting out, but can still do even much later? Or if you need to take a shower, you can stick the potty outside the door so the trainee can still do their thing. I LOVE POTTIES. Are you worried that they'll have a hard time transitioning to the big toilet when it's time? I wouldn't worry too hard about that, it's another one of those things that should come with wanting to be big. Eventually the potty will seem babyish. And they'll go to school where there won't be any potty, and everyone makes on the toilet, and they'll be fine.

As for the original question, both my kids started young. It grew out of their own interest. I don't think they had any feelings of negativity at all from starting to interact with the potty before they were ready to be trained. It was more of a fun thing, getting used to the idea, they'd sit on it and feel just like a big kid, read books on there (like mommy Wink

) It was a huge pain in the neck doing all the running to the potty and taking off the diaper and putting it back on for a kid who didn't really know what they were doing but got a kick out of saying "I need to make!" but I'm all for following a child's interests. There's no negativity and feeling of failure if there's no expectation. If something comes out on the potty, it's a party, and if it comes in the diaper, it's expected and normal and fine. Gradually you notice when their "need to make!" is getting more accurate and the diapers are staying dry, and then it's panties time.

One started playing on the potty probably around 15 months (at my mother's house because she had one in her bathroom for visiting grandchildren of various families and used to babysit her every afternoon when I was at work. I personally had no need for a potty when my first child was 15 months old!) the other I don't remember exactly when but she had a big sister to catch up to. They both ended up being trained by about 21-22 months. The first one had a major regression when we had to relocate after Hurricane Sandy, and it was not going well so we just went right back to diapers, acted like nothing happened, and about a month later started re-training which went pretty smoothly.

amother

Mint

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 7:06 am

Yep, read a great book about infant potty training and started watching my kids for signs around 6 months. It took a long time and I was careful to not be impatient but all my kids were potty trained by 18 months. I also used cloth diapers so I think they were more aware if they were wet. I had a friend who NEVER used diapers. She carried her baby in a sling and would "know" when her baby needed to go and then hold the baby over the toilet and he would pish. It was remarkable how intuned she was with her baby. I remember reading in China the babies wear crotchless pants and that they potty train "early."

lucky14

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 8:48 am

amother wrote:

Oh wow. I'm so impressed she was able to figure that out with her baby! I know they do it in other parts of the world, but I've never seen it done before. Anyway like you said I read that it's beneficial when babies are wearing cloth diapers since they feel the wetness a lot more. Do you think it would be of benefit to do if my baby is wearing disposables? Do you think it was helpful what you did?

miami85

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 1:01 pm

My daughter--my 3rd, started showing interest several months ago--I mean watching her brothers, pulling off her diaper, climbing onto the toilet--so I went with it. She's 20 months old and she's actually had "success" a few times, but she has no patience. If it doesn't come right away, she gets right up. I don't think there's a real benefit of training so young, but if she's interested, I won't discourage it.

I feel that there are 3 components to toilet training--social-emotional--has to be ready for the responsibility, biological--need to be aware of the urge and able to control the urge which is controlled by hormones, and intellectual--old enough to understand "waiting" and "patience" as well as the steps to the process. If a child is SO young that they can't get on the toilet themselves, can't wipe themselves/wash hands, can't understand the responsibility of waiting until the toilet is available--then they aren't really READY. If they think its a "game" of going on the toilet and you say "hooray" or they get a chocolate chip, will they still do it when the motivation goes away or you aren't paying constant attention? It CAN happen early, but don't EXPECT it.