Potty Training Ideas for 18 Month Old

Hi S.
I don't believe using candy or any kind of a bribe is ever good to train children to do anything in a positive way. They need to understand the process in their own terms and understand why it would be a good idea for them to be trained. I would say things like 'Now that you are getting older and I am sure that it is uncomfortable to be in a wet messy diaper you would like to be able to control your bladder and use the potty. So after each drink and each time you eat we will try using the potty until you master the process. Then you won't have to sit in the uncomfortable messy diaper." You need to give her the results you want to achieve but put it in a manner that there they wouldn't want to choose any other way. But you don't want to make them feel bad in the process. And when there is a mishap you could say something like "We will try again next time." Never do you want your child to feel bad about themselves.
All the best to you. Let me know your progress is going.

I'm just wondering what the rush is. She's only 18 months old! Most kids aren't really ready until they start getting closer to 3 yrs. old. If you let it happen naturally, at the rate that she is really ready and showing interest, it will be a much easier, quicker process for you both. So let her sit on the potty and wipe, read books about it, talk about it, but don't push her to really DO anything that she's not ready for yet. She's still a baby, please don't start making her grow up too fast already!

Just wanted to share a site, since you mentioned you can't buy anything right now. As are many people, with tight budgets right now.

The site is: www.freecycle.org
You can get things "free" etc.

I really can't comment on toilet training your daughter or trouble shooting that, since I did NOT "train" my kids at this age or before, as you requested. But I have 2 kids, and all I know is, each child is different.

My MIL claims that she toilet trained ALL her kids before this age, AND trained all her grand-kids in just one weekend. What she did is, leave them bare-bottomed all weekend at her house. Which she could, because ALL her flooring is hard tile floors, and she has NO carpets what so ever. But, still, the kids were not "completely" trained 100% in just one weekend. They still had normal slip-ups or regressions... and night-time training & night-time bladder control is a whole other thing, especially in a child this young. But, my MIL says it is "easy" and you just take away their diapers. So, I guess, she is like that book you mentioned- about potty training in 3 days.
Personally, I don't know how they do it. LOL

Well anyway, sorry for rambling.
Good luck and all the best, hope the "freecycle" website helps in some way.

All the best,
Susan

i started potty training my daughter at 18 months also... shes 2 now and we are still working on it. at 18 months i took her to the potty every 30 mins and i would have her sit there till she peed. she usually went within 5 mins. try reading a book to her. sometimes when my daughter doesnt want to go potty right away i show her that mommy goes potty to then i try her again. my daughter doesnt seem to care about an award either. i keep my daughter in panties all day except for when she sleeps. also usually we put her in a pull up when we are out of the house but we are easing into wearing panties for these outings. i usually have 1-2 accidents with my daughter a day (1 pee and sometimes 1 poop). i dont count her peeing when she sleeps as an accident yet.

We started potty training my 22 month (but <20 month adjusted age) daughter 3 weeks ago and we're still working on it. My daughter did the same thing for a while- she'd even sit voluntarily on the potty for an hour plus (even though I'd read not to let them sit that long) and then pee as soon as she got up. She seemed scared to pee on the potty itself (don't know exactly why). Anyhow, the only advice I can offer based on my limited experience and success is that I tried to get her to overcome her fear of letting go on the potty by putting her feet (or sometimes her hands) in warm water-- it works. I only did it a few times (over a few days) and tried to reduce the prompting a little by letting water trickle in the sink instead of putting the water on her- again just for a few days as needed. It worked for us. She's no longer scared to pee once she's sitting on the potty, but now we just need to work on getting her on the potty more consistently! By the way, we used the 1970's book Potty Training in Less Than a Day and I also read the Potty Training in 3 Days instructions, and many comments from others online.

put her on every few minutes. if she does something give her pennies & let her put them in a jar so she can see them. Or gummy bears. cerel, like cheerios, or some of the sweet ones if you let your older daughter eat them. Mini marshmallows. Any think you feel is a reward. All children are different. My oldest daughter broke in a couple of weeks at about 1yr old. My younger daughter thought it was play time & took until after she was 2. Two of my grandsons were the same way the 1st broke easy at a young age the 2nd was older 2 1/2 but broke in a couple of weeks.

I remember feeling like every option had been exhausted, and my little girl would never 'go' on her own. Then, I brought home The Potty Book - For Girls by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. It's a great story with wonderful pictures, and a simple rhyming pattern throughout. We kept it in the bathroom, and read it everytime we were in there. It kept her on the pot for awhile, and she loved the book because it wasn't long before she could remember the 2nd rhyming word on each page (and eventually had memorized the whole thing, that is how often we were in there!) This gave her a great sense of pride, as did the celebration she had when she 'went' like Hannah (the big girl in the book) learned to do! Our special time together in the bathroom also made her eager to go! I am no expert, but this worked for us!
Good luck Mama!

Maybe you should grab the diaper BEFORE you take her off the potty! Maybe seeing the diaper is a cue for her!
Like a puppy, try taking her to her potty chair 15-20 minutes after she eats and/or drinks. The plumbing is usually getting activated about then and she can see the results of the her actions. Toddlers, especially girls, tend to make the connection pretty quickly.
Candy is probably not the best reward as it has it's own many drawbacks. But lots of praise is always welcomed by little kids and doesn't give them empty calories or rot their teeth!
Good luck!

According to a potty training in three days program that I looked at 22 months is the youngest age recommended for success. Your 18 month old may just be too young. I know my son was. He could go pee on the potty before his bath but he didn't have enough control over it to go the whole day. Good luck!

hi S., kudos to you for strting potty trainin early. first let me tell you, you don't need no book. If she peas as soon as you take her off the potty, then have her sit on the potty a little longer, for example if you put on the potty for 5 minutes, and then she peas, have her sit on the potty for 10 minutes, I know that may sound long, but not if you sit her in front of cartoons. My best advice is once potty traing starts, no diapers, no pull ups, regular terry cloth training pants, if your try and potty train and use diapers/pull ups, it confusses them. I used M&M'S for reward, but I also used discipline, my first born a son was completely potty trained by 20 months, only had to discipline once, a lot of rewards, my second born was 19 months when he was completly trained, he was easy, he didn't want to wear diapers because his big brother didn't they are 3 years and 4 months apart, I told him he could wear big boy underwear like his brother if he used the potty like his brother, that was all it took, my daughter was 22 months. Your daughter is 18 months old, she has time, just work with her, be patient, my thing is as long as they are completly trained before 2, your're in good shape. My kids are all grown now, but traing them was easy, no battles, and I have potty trained so many of my daycare kids, all before the age of 2. J. L.