How early is too early to start potty training? I'm pretty sure that 10-11 months is too early for any formal training but why not
dream think about it, right? What has been your experience with potty training? And do you mind including details like the age your child was, how you did it, their gender, and big potty or little? Help a new mama out, yes? Thanks!
4 comments:
I heard of a mom (a friend's friend) who "potty trained" at 6 weeks, just by conditioning the baby. She just held the baby over a toilet. Never bought a diaper after that 6 week point. However, more practically... I hear 18-22 months is the first they can really control and understand the concept. I'm very curious about what others have to say.
Well, I have now successfully trained all 5 kids! Yay! So, a few things I have learned along the way. The biggest, most important thing that I stand by is to wait until the child is ready (and each child is different - helpful, I know!). Ari is now 2 1/2 and trained. I think Payton was a little younger than that but most have been around 2 - 2 1/2. I always left a potty in the bathroom long before I intended to train just so they got used to it. Some of my kids preferred the potty, feeling unsafe on the toilet, some preferred the toilet since that what mom/dad use. We used pull-ups only for training at night. We used training underwear during the day since they (and I) knew immediatly if they had an "accident". It is more work but I know that kids just think of pull-ups as diapers and use them as such. For me, if the accidents were too frequent, I would wait a little longer before trying again. I suggest training when you have time to spend at home for a week - no vacation just around the corner, no long trips in the car, no date nights out. You want them to succeed and consistency at home is best. We always did a lot of cheering when they would do something in the toilet/potty and we always gave a treat/sticker. Rewards are great. Some kids catch on really quick, some a little slower. Some kids have bigger bladders and need to pee less often, some need to go more frequently. I always used a timer at the beginning so I didn't get sidetracked. Well, that's my essay on the topic. Oh, one more thought - my sister tried to train her son much younger (I think 18 months). It became a year-long project rather than the quick 1 week it has taken me to train Ari now that she is 2 1/2. To each their own. :) Night training? That is a whole other subject!
Isaiah was interested at 18 months. Then we moved back to MB for 5 months and well it wasn't a good time. To start let your kid watch you go to the washroom, let him flush the toilet, we bought a POTTY training dvd from pampers I think and there is a POTTY DANCE on there that we played and sang each time. We used the little potties at first but I tried to get him on the big potty so he wouldn't be afraid of it and used a potty lid. I bought a travel potty lid when we were out and about. Eventually when I knew he knew what to do and we were settled in BC we let him go without pull ups. In my oppinion pull-ups delays potty training. Wait till your kids shows interest. Then use simple rewards like stickers for for our son we used a 15 min. george show each time he pooped.
I've got two trained and a two and a half year old who will pee in the toilet on command but refuses to tell you when she has to pee and doesn't like pooping on the potty. I tend to be pretty relaxed about potty training because I spent a whole year battling temper tantrums about the potty with my oldest (a girl). I started shortly after she turned two at the encouragement of my mom who is a preschool teacher. She fought tooth and nail everytime and there were many accidents and then suddenly a few days after her third birthday, she WANTED to wear her panties all the time and that was the end of it. She's had less than five accidents in the four years since, and that included at night. When she was done with diapers - she was DONE! After that I took the more relaxed approach of encouraging their curiosity but not being more demanding until at least three years of age. I don't remember much about potty training my son so it obviously isn't that traumatic. I agree it would probably be easiest to find a space of time you'll likely be very close to home and can allow for some accidents but with two children in school and a part time job - there's really no such thing for me. If I'm home one day in a week, it's exciting! Anyway, depending on how trained you are willing to be, it certainly is possible no matter what the age. Good luck!
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