Early Potty Training? - Ankeny,IA

While babysitting for my youngest grandchild I started potty training her as soon as she could walk and that was when she was about 15-16 months. Every time we went potty and she didn't wet or dirty her underwear, she received a Necco candy. She was a whiz to train. Today she still comes and says, "Nana, can I have a Necco?" Boys tend to be harder to train. Just a warning, but good luck.

I read an article years ago about mothers who potty trained infants by holding them over the toilet. Never used diapers, supposedly. lol

It partly depends on how you define "trained." If you expect the child to be completely independent and responsible, then probably not. But I've known a few littles who were trained and self-sufficient by age 2 or even a little earlier. While the most popular and quickly-successful method being used today is to follow the child's lead, there's a huge range of ages when that begins, depending upon the child. And most successful approaches depend on the attentiveness and awareness of the adult doing the primary training.

Here's a most informative website that will help you sort it out. It gives a few variations on"readiness" checklists, plus tips on various training strategies, the best ages to start them, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach: http://www.parentingscience.com/potty-training-tips.html

It doesn't surprise me one but that those studies were done by, or funded by, a diaper company. As much as I DO believe, that you should wait until they're ready, I truly believe that all children are ready before 2 years old though. Based on my experience at least. It's almost always the parents who aren't ready to start potty training so they miss the window of opportunity.

Anyway, My brother and I were both potty trained at 18 months. All of my cousins' children were trained before 2 years of age. I have friends who admit they skipped potty training when their kids were 2 because they (the parents) weren't ready to commit to it, and their kids ended up being in diapers til over 4 years old.

My oldest daughter understood the concept at 18 months, but she wasn't ready. So we talked about it quite often, got a book called "Big Girls Use The Potty" and rught before her 2nd birthday she decided she was going to use the potty and completely, fully started doing so from there on out. Within 2 days she was into underwear 24/7.

My youngest daughter saw her older sister using the potty and wanted to try at 20 months. She took longer to train (3 months), but now at 23 months, she is completely potty trained and in underwear 24/7. She went through very distinct phases of poty training. We started with letting her run around the house with no bottoms whatsoever - just a long tee shirt or nightgown - for about 2 months. Then we put undies on under those long shirts while at home and she had quite a few accidents for 2 days until she figured out that they undies were not diapers! At that point she could wear undies, but only dresses out of the house because if she had on shorts or pants, I think that made her feel like she had a diaper on she would pee. So we did a couple of days strictly at home wearing undies and shorts so she could start to realize that shorts are not like diapers! This all went on for about a month and now she is 23 1/2 months and wearing undies with shorts all day whether we're home or at the store or at the park. She hasn't had an accident in 2 weeks!

I believe, that it all comes down to good teaching skills, patience, and committment on the parents part, without forcing. (Just in my opnion! - Don't want anyone who's kids are over 2 and still in diapers bashing me with comments that I'm judging them! ;)

Good luck!

Once my daighter was walking very very well, I began to introduce her to the potty/toilet. We began with her just becoming aware of what was happening with the toilet, ie, that's were poop and pee go, there's a sound when it flushes, etc. We put a little potty in the bathroom for her, but also got a kid's seat that fits on the toilet. We let her know she could try these things out. She did become curious and tried, off an on sitting on the potty. By a month or so down the line, and particularly after ditching diapers at home and wearing no pants and just cotton underwear, she was more determined to use the potty regularly. At 2, she now uses the toilet more frequently, the potty only sometimes and has engaged in zero power struggles or rewards/punishment around the toilet. We exchange a high five here and there to acknowledge she really is proud of her progress. Still navigating our way through sleep and excursions, but I really have kind of enjoyed this mellow, although long-term potty training.

I was surprised to look at the responses and not see any negative ones. Yay! I used this method with my daughter starting at 14 months and she was totally trained by her 2nd birthday. Others say the parents are trained and not the kids but she walked to the potty herself or would tell me she had to go. I think 'waiting until they're ready' is total bunk, save for the extreme case of a very stubborn or delayed case.
I think what really helped my daughter is that I let her go around without a diaper much of the time we were at home. She would be bare bottomed and if she happened to pee on the floor I would tell her, "You're going pee pee!" so she would be able to connect the word and the sensation. Of course, I cleaned it up right away so the house wouldn't smell . When you sit a kid on the potty at 3 years old and tell him to go pee-pee, they don't what that actually means. Also, whenever she came into the bathroom with me I would tell her what I was doing so that she would realize this is what people do.
My son is 9 months old and we just started early potty training last week. I'm hoping it goes just as well.

Early potty training is trianing YOU to respond to the kids' cues, even more so than training the kid! Make sure you just start putting themon the potty at regular times each day, wake - potty - breakfast- potty, play- potty-nap-potty, lunch -potty...basically between every change of activity, go potty - as they get bigger, it will get easier, and they will start to hold it longer....but at first, especially so little, try to go every hour to hour and a half - also remember you will need a por-ta-potty for trips, even short ones.

We have this, and LOVE it: http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

Uses regular gallon ziploc bags to catch the poop and pee - then we zip them up and drop them in the nearest outdoor trashcan.

At this age, it is a long process before they are "fully independantly trained", and they can day train, poop and pee training are often separated by a few weeks to months - but you will probably still need diapers for nap and bedtime, their little bladders are just not ready, and they sleep like the dead, so the signals don't wake them. My daughter was fully day trained ( still needed help wiping) at 20 months, night trained at 3, and potty independant ( no reminders to go or help needed with wiping or clothing) at 3.5-4. My son is a whole other story - we are working on it, and he is great about pee - at 2.5, but poop is not happening in the potty yet....it will come I am not stressing over it, we have plenty of time.

But there is nothing wrong with doing what you can for the stage they are in...it will not damage them in any way, unless you make a big deal out of accidents ( you shouldn't at this age - just say "Oops - you'll make it the next time!).

Good Luck!

We used elimination communication with both our boys and it was great! My oldest was starting on EC at 18mos and was totally bathroom independent by age 2 except wiping #2's. My youngest we started at 4months and he was out of diapers day and night by a year old. He was able to sign potty by 9 months.

our daughter came home from Ukraine at 3.5yrs old totally untrained. She got it a few months later but it was so stressful for her and us. She just couldn't get it because she'd been sitting in a diaper so long.

My point is, earlier is better! Look into Elimination Communication, and join the mothering.com message boards, there is an entire board there for EC.

I started putting my kids on the potty around 15 months old. I especially did this if I noticed them starting to go #2.....I would quick run them to a potty. My eldest son and daughter were trained by age 2 and a half and my other son was 2 weeks after his third birthday. I had neighbors who waited until their kids were ready and both were still having regular accidents in kindergarten. My advice would be to give your son plenty of time to sit on the potty without pants to get used to it. Ask him often if he wants to try and go potty. Have family and friends encourage him and ask him questions about being a big-boy and going on the potty. Good luck!

Not there yet, but look into "elimination communication" apparently, you can raise a diaperless child, if at first you pay lots of attention for signs that they are about to eliminate, and then, cue them to eliminate.

Mom tells me I was trained "early". Not sure at how many months, or how.

Good luck.

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Mine were trained at 22 months (boy) and 24/26 months (girls.)
I don't know if I can give you any tips other than watching and responding to their cues, and being consistent once you start. I had a diaper service and only used disposables when we traveled, so maybe that helped. And we never used pull ups, we started with the thick old fashioned training underwear and then went straight into real underwear.
Children in underdeveloped countries are trained early out of necessity so obviously it can be done. I never bought into the whole "wait until your child is ready" attitude, it's called potty "training" for a reason. It is a skill that needs to be learned. My kids' preschool felt the same way. Any two year old that started while still in diapers was fully trained in plenty of time to move up to the threes class, much to the shock of many doubting parents :)

Like many of the other mama's we did potty training early also. They say that children form routines between 15-18 months so now would be a perfect time for you to start with your son! My oldest son started potty training at 15 months. My youngest son started at 18 months (I was a little slower with him since I was taking care of 2 kids at that point). We bought the smallest underwear we could find and never looked back for daytime. My oldest took a lot longer to get the overnight training done so he did wear pull ups at night for about a year after he was daytime trained. We never had any of the issues I hear others talking about with kids who will pee but not poo in the potty or fighting their parents about going to the bathroom.
Good luck!