I know it may seem a little early to some, but I am wondering if any one else has tried to toilet train a 14 month old boy? We are not trying to push him, we just want him to be able to have a bowel movement comfortably. Often times he tries to go when he is in his booster seat and he strains a lot, and it may be because he is sitting down. We are thinking that maybe sitting on the potty would help since it would not put pressure on his bottom. Just a thought but if any one has any experience with this I would love to hear it, pro or con. He eats a lot of fruit and vegetables and drinks about 12-14 oz of diluted juice or water a day plus about 20 oz of whole milk. Thanks in advance for the help.
I've been putting my daughter on the potty since she was 6 months old. She tells me when she has to go poopy 100% of the time and peepee about 75% of the time- I would say that the earlier you start the better. I think the earlier you start the easier it will be(you don't have to force the issue but offer the potty) - I keep lots of books around and its a great time for us to read together as well.
well 14 months is quite young but the way I look atit is if your not forcing him, it should be ok
I would suggest just trying to time his BM's and then sitting him on the potty.
Or if you notice him straining, put him on the potty. I think if his poop signs are clear then you shouldn't have any problems, With poop training, LOL
Good luck
M
I (the mother of 5 little boys) wouldn't bother trying yet...with my first son we started at 18 months(because we saw some signs..or so we thought)and it took about 18months to train him (18 frustrating months)....with all the others I've followed their lead and it took less than a month...my now 22month old pee's on the potty when he wants to but I never encourage or discourage him there was a week where every BM was on the potty and I was thinking we were close and now he's back to every once in a while...by 2and a half...they're usually ready..before then by ped says don't bother they aren't physically ready...of course everyone is different, but my experience is 2 and 1/2 is about normal.
I, like Rhannie, do EC with my 16 month old. We started at 4 months and by 6 months she was pooping 90% of the time in her potty. She HATES pooping in her diaper. Pees depend on how often we can or want to offer the potty. Sometimes we have only one or two wet diapers a day sometimes we only catch one or two pees.
You know your son better than anyone so trust your instincts. When to start potty training is largely cultural but many people in our culture think it is physiologically impossible for a child to be potty trained before 2 or 3 years. It's true that your son may need help getting to the potty or getting clothes off until he is 2 or 3 but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't start until then.
If you can, spend some time with your son without his diaper and pay attention to how he behaves before and when he eliminates. Try to pick up those signals even when he is wearing a diaper and either get him to a potty or at least validate what he is doing by saying pee pee or psssss or whatever sound you choose, then change him quickly. The more you reinforce the signals the clearer they become.
Good luck
I don't know about a boy that young because mine were around 3 years old when they trained. My youngest is 14 months and has been pooping on the potty for a few weeks now. She doesn't ask to go but she does strain quite a bit. (she is a loud pooper) So when she starts I can pick her up and rush her in to the potty. She has an easier time getting it all out while sitting on the little potty and her feet can touch the floor. I am not pushing her to use it, I just know that she can poop easier sitting on the little potty we have. When she is finished she claps for herself and gets a huge hug from me. She also flushes it after I dump it into the big potty and waves good bye. If you can catch him in the act of starting to go run him to a little potty and sit him down and see what happens. Good luck!
Jenn
PS my dd still pees in a diaper most of the time so she is defiantly not potty trained and won't be for some time. I only put her on the little potty so it doesn't hurt so much for her to go.
Go for it. I'm doing EC (elimination communication) with my daughter and she's pretty much potty independent at 20 months. We started at 2 weeks, so 14 months sounds late to me :D
Now seriously, if your son is regular, you can put him on the potty at the time for his bowel movement and sit with him. Read books and relax. If he still strains to get the bowel movements out, he may be constipated--just keep an eye out for this and consult your Dr if it continues to be a problem.
When you go to the toilet, take him along and let him sit on the potty and play with a toy. My DD usually starts to pee when she hear me go--similar to the sound of running water. . . Be consistent with you pottying. Clear communication is important too. Talk to your son, encourage him, and if you get a reward great if not, let him know the potty's there whenever he needs it.
Look into EC for more tips:
If you'd like more ideas on a gentle, natural approach to early toilet introduction, look into "elimination communication" For more information see:
http://tribalbaby.org/ECindex.html
http://diaperfreebaby.org/
http://www.white-boucke.com/reviews/latestarters.html
In country that I am from kids are potty trained by 12-16 months, and we started with our boys at 3 months. It was working well while I was consistent, but then I got lazy and just did not keep up.Go for it , hope it works:)
I don't really have experience, but I am thinking about starting potty learning soon too (my son is 18 months). I have just finished reading "Potty Free Before 3" (lots of libraries have it), which I highly suggest. The author believes in intoducing the potty as young as 6 months! She believes that it can help with things like consitpation too. Just making the potty part of the routine might help him to feel the urge to go more.
You will find that a lot of people will tell you that you are wrong to start potty learning so soon, but after reading this book I wish that I had started earlier. You know your son best and if you think he is ready to start trying out the potty then you are right.
Hi S., I am not an expert, but am a mother of 5(years ago) One of my sons was ready at 14 mos old. You could try putting him on the potty and see if he likes it. If you happen to catch him when he is straining and he goes on the potty it is a good thing. Potty training is a touch and go thing and you have to go with the childs needs but I would give it a try and see. Also, make a big fuss if he goes and don't be discouraged if he may not want to go the next time. Then again he may :-) Best wishes, Grandma Mary
