How Old Were Your Children When They First Started Using the Potty....

Updated on October 18, 2011
A.F. asks from Lees Summit, MO
19 answers

And by that I mean on a regular basis. At what age did you start? At what age did it seem to catch on? And when were they for sure out of diapers?

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K.G.

answers from Boca Raton on

a little over 2 for pee pee.. Almost 2.5 for #2 on the potty... Overnight in undies, about 2.9 years old :0)

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J.S.

answers from Albany on

My son was using potty constantly, caught on, and out of diapers...he was 2 years and 5 months old, he did wonderful, had some accidents if (we) I forgot to stop giving my son a drink so late. He was in underwear immediatly.

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L.O.

answers from Detroit on

my daughter poop trained at 2 years 2 months.. pee trained at 2 years 4 months.. she trained in 3 days for pee. she was out of diapers on the first day.

my son pee trained at 2 years 10 months. poop trained 2 year 11 months.. trained in 3 days.. wore panties from day 1 of training .. do not buy pull ups.. they are "panty diapers" per my daughter.

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G.T.

answers from Redding on

Mine were about 2 and I think 2 is pretty much the average age, but it really varies with each child. They'll do it when they are mature enough to do it and that's about all there is to it. Practice makes perfect, they usually like to be like "Dad" if they are boys, and little girls learn best from wanting to do it like Mommy.

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S.H.

answers from Detroit on

2 years, 8 months for my daughter. She decided she was ready. I didn't potty train other than getting her familiar with the potty, how you do it, etc. Other than that, nothing! Once she decided that she didn't want to wear diapers anymore... it was super easy and she never regressed or went back to diapers, even at night. She has NEVER had a nighttime accident and only the occasional day time accident because she waited too long and couldn't do the dance long enough to get her pants off and on the potty.

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K.U.

answers from Detroit on

It didn't happen for my daughter until she was 3.5 and that was because we took the diapers away cold-turkey so she didn't have a choice anymore (she had been extremely resistant to the whole potty training business until then and we finally decided enough was enough - physically we could tell she was ready, mentally was a different story). She still had pull-ups for overnight because I wasn't sure how she would do but she trained pretty quickly (like, 3 to 4 days) and after a month or so of being consistently dry overnight, we ditched the pull-ups too. I know this isn't the norm for most people but it worked for us and she decided she was very proud to use the potty and that having wet pants wasn't very fun!

EDITED TO ADD: the above applies to being pee-trained. It did take her 4 or 5 more months to start going poop consistently in the potty instead of her pants. She was more afraid of using the potty to poop, then started holding on to it, which just made it worse. A little Miralax straightened her out and got her on the right track.

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R..

answers from Chattanooga on

My DD is 17 months old. I started her when she was able to walk on her own, around 9 months. She really caught on with actually using the potty around 15 months... but I still have a hard time getting her to poop in it. She only wears diapers now to sleep, or if we are going to be out and about without easy access to a toilet. Other than that, she wears training pants. (thicker underwear, not pull-ups...)

The biggest thing with my DD is to make sure that I am reading her cues correctly. Usually, if she has an accident I will be able to look back on her behavior and realize that it's my own fault for ignoring her needs.

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D.S.

answers from Kansas City on

We started my son at 38 months when his teacher mentioned he was ready. Wow, was she right! He took to it immediately.

After she made the comment at school one day, we went to target, picked out some "potty prizes" together and the next morning it was good-bye diapers. Day and night. For good. He has had only one daytime accident since that day and surprisingly only peed at night the first two nights and then nothing ever since (it's been 8 months).

I know our experience is very different from a lot of people. I think it's because we waited so long. Yeesh, I feel like I'd still be waiting if the teacher hadn't spoken up. I either missed all of the cues or he simply didn't have them!

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J.V.

answers from Chicago on

I put my daughter was in trainers at 18 months and my son at 21 months (he could have went into trainers sooner, but I was lazy. He started taking himself to the potty regularly at 19 months).My daughter was in undies during the day and night at 22 months. My son just turned 22 months, so we are just in trainers...I will hopefully be moving him to undies in the next month. We'v have 3 dry mornings in the last week.

My son started using the potty at 16 months, my daughter 18 months. I introduced both of them to the potty at 15 months.

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M.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

We started and he was successful during the day at 2 1/2. He started waking dry a little more than a month before he turned 3 and he was then completely out of diapers.

M.B.

answers from Orlando on

I started my son at around 20months and he was out of diapers during the day by his 2nd birthday a month later was out of them a night. He was young but never liked being wet/dirty so it was so easy to get him on the potty.And over the years since I can count how many accidents he's had total including night times.

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J.D.

answers from Boston on

My oldest son was pee trained 3 months before his 3rd birthday but continued to ask for a diaper to go poop for 6 more months. My second son was completely potty trained 3 months after his 3rd birthday. And my daughter was pee trained at 2 1/2 but continued to ask for a diaper for the next 2 months. Every child is different but when they started to show interest in going potty I got rid of the diapers and went for it except of course for pooping. A lot of kids seem to struggle with that and you don't want to push too hard because it can cause them to hold it. If they had a lot of accidents we took a break and tried again when they seemed ready. I'm not a big fan of pull-ups, so I never used them with any of my children, but I watch a little boy who used them and he has done really well. Try things like getting a potty and picking out undies to get them excited and just wait for them to show interest!

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D.M.

answers from Denver on

My daughter was 22 mos, My son 3yrs and 1 month. I didn't do pull ups either. They trained when they showed signs and interest.. I waited for the cues - wanting to sit on the potty, telling me they went etc. Don't push it - each child is different.

K.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

All 3 of my kids (2 boys 1 girl) were completely potty trained right at and around turning 2 yrs old. Took about 2-4 days total w/each of them...when they were ready, they were ready...no turning back.

*I waited till my kids were waking up with dry diapers before even starting....I just lucked out about how easy they all were, and I am thankful for it too!

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J.J.

answers from St. Louis on

My daughter was daytime a couple months after her 2nd bday and a few more months after that night time too. My son was 2 1/2 day time and within another week night time. My daughter was ready when she turned 2 but my son took a little longer. He would show interest for a couple days and then none. Finally when he was ready that was the end of diapers. Hes very independent and wanted to be the one in control.

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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My son was 25 months. He was out of daytime diapers immediately (we just put him in underwear, he had frequent accidents for 4-5 days, and a few more for another week). We did not try night time until he was about 27-28 months - he was dry as soon as we tried (maybe an accident every month for a few months - mostly when he was completely exhausted).

He had no signs of potty 'readiness' that I am aware of - we did no rewards (food, stickers or otherwise) - just told him pee and poop went in the potty - and took him there often.

C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

My son started peeing in the toilet about a month after he turned 2, but he wasn't potty trained until 2 months later. He was completely out of diapers, even at night, at 2 1/2 yrs.
My daughter first started peeing on her potty chair at 16 months, but she wasn't potty trained until she was 22 months. She wears diapers at night still but she just turned 2 in August.

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L.R.

answers from Dallas on

My two were very different. With my oldest son we started putting him on the potty on a regular schedule right around the time he turned two, early February, but no real results till late October. First week of November we made the big push and put him him underpants and he was pee trained in less than a week. Poop was another story, it took until Christmas eve. We were sitting down to a big family dinner and he jumps up and yelled "POOP!". The rest was history. He's four and a half and stil isn't night trained. With my younger son he started about the same time sitting him on the potty at regular times, then he just got it two months later. Poop happened maybe two weeks later. He night trained right about the same time.
I never used pull ups. I kept them in diapers until they stayed dry between scheduled bathroom visits (usually around every two hours) and started telling my when they had to use the restroom consistently for about a week, then we switched to underpants. Sure, there were some accidents the first few days, but they got the idea pretty quickly. Any if they didn't get it in a few days, I reserved the right to switch back to diapers and start over.

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J.L.

answers from San Diego on

2.5 pee, poo, nighttime, done. She potty trained like her personality, did it. Done.

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