Do I really try? | Imamother

amother

Hotpink

Wed, May 24 2017, 12:16 pm

My daughter is a somewhat precocious 2 year-old who's been interested in the toilet probably since 18 months, but she was too young to really take it seriously--it was a fun game, and we were moving so I wasn't interested in really going for it. She seems to be getting it more and more--but I'm only suggesting it occasionally, maybe once a day. Sometimes she is just not interested despite the offer of a treat, and then she has asked occasionally to use the toilet "to get a candy", and she'll say "its coming" and sometimes she's right and then sometimes nothing happens, so I'm not sure. Now I'm expecting mid-November, and I would LOVE it if she was toiled trained, but in my mind in order to be "toilet trained" a kid needs to be able to manage their clothing and know that I need to wait if the bathroom isn't available. Also, its a known thing that children often regress once a baby is born. Thus, should I try to really sell the toilet training campaign this summer or should I just let it continue naturally and if it happens, it happens. She also does not make #2 in the toilet at all. My boys didn't toilet train until 3/4 years old, so this is somewhat new for me that a child could potentially be trained this early. I have underwear and pull-ups waiting for her whenever she's "Ready"

seeker

Wed, May 24 2017, 12:39 pm

If she's acting ready and willing then go with the flow.
If she's not willing then try some gentle encouragement. Read books about potty, make sitting on potty fun.
A mid-training or recently trained toddler does not need to learn to wait for the bathroom to be available. You need to put the potty outside the bathroom if someone's going to be in there for more than a couple of minutes.
Also very normal to take longer for #2.
Baby's not due until November so don't worry about regressing at this point. It's much better for the kid to be trained when they're developmentally ready.
I think most kids have a window of time when they're ready and willing and if the parents miss that for convenience or something, then it becomes more difficult later on. Strike while the iron is hot.

amother

Babypink

Wed, May 24 2017, 6:38 pm

IME- and I've trained kids at ages ranging from 17 months to 2.5- it's a big PITA to have a young toddler who is trained but very dependent on a parent for assistance with toileting. In your case, I think that translates to letting her use the toilet when she wants, but not making an effort to train her until a later point.

gdgirl

Wed, May 24 2017, 7:49 pm

btdt. my 2 yr old seemed ready and was almost trained for 3 months but stayed in pullups because she wasn't dry all the time. she had better days and worse days. I carried her quickly to the toilet even in my ninth month. Then I gave birth and she refused to go to the toilet at all. Imho its not worth putting pressure on your child or yourself unless she tells u she needs to go and is more self sufficient. now my baby is a few months old and my daughter is over 2.5 and back in diapers. I feel bad I ever tried and hope I didn't cause her to train even later this way. I would not do it if I were u.