I Think She's Ready for Potty Training but Not Sure What the Next Step Is.

Updated on May 01, 2009
K.M. asks from Newnan, GA
15 answers

Last week my 17 month old daughter started pulling at her diaper, so my friend asked her if she needed to go potty. My daughter responded by going into the bathroom and pulling at her diaper. My friend sat her on the potty and she peed!! Whoooppeee!!! Of course they danced and cheered and I did too when I picked her up. That was on Thursday and she did it 2 more times on Saturday, everytime we dance and cheer. But she hasn't done it since. She hasn't asked and I haven't pushed. They tried at daycare with no results but I was glad they at least tried. I bought her a potty seat but haven't shown it to her because I don't want to push her if she's not ready. I think she is but I don't want to stress her to do something she's not ready for. She's only 17 months and I know that's early.
What do I do now??? Do I show her the potty? Do I start asking her every hour like the "experts" say? Do I wait for her to ask? I still dress her in her diaper and clothes every day, do I let her be naked at home with no diaper? I am so confused. There are so many different methods and I don't know which one to try. Please help!!

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J.F.

answers from Macon on

No, it's not too early. You have to keep at it. Show her the potty, and when you go, have her sit on "her" special potty. It takes long at day care. Don't let her be naked, you're not. Sometimes it takes a long time. Keep it up.

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R.A.

answers from Charleston on

Congratulations for a few successes. Get her started now because she's already shown she's not comfortable in a wet diaper. She'll be just fine and you'll reap the reward sooner.

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A.J.

answers from Atlanta on

She is totally ready! Get ready to save some money (by not having to by diapers anymore.

My son started potty training at about the same age as your daughter and by 23 months he was fully potty trained day and night. Every child is different, but many are ready this early. My daughter is 16 months and she goes on the potty before bathtime. We are getting ready to start day time potty training very soon.

I don't have any magical advise for you on how to potty train. Just find something that works for you and your families schedule and go with it. For us this ment we introduced my son to the potty then would put him on the potty every hour or so for a week then the second and third week he essentially went without pants while at home (however, I am a stay at home mom so this was 95% of the time). When we went out I would either put on pull ups or plastic training pants (I found these to be more helpful). There were a few accidents, but not many since he hated being wet. I would suggest lining your car seat with something when you go out (we used depends underwear, we cut it and placed it in the car seat on top of plastic grocery sacks to prevent any pee or poop from getting on the car seat).

Another thing that was really helpful for us was the potty book. I would suggest getting one and reading it regularly. They have them for girls and boys and this just reinforces what you are telling her.

Do a google search on potty training methods then pick one or a combination of several that you think will work for your family. Good Luck!

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D.P.

answers from Atlanta on

My daughter, emulating a friend, first peed in the potty at 15 months old. Of course, I had visions of being out of diapers by two. But, I'd say their little bodies don't get that brain-bladder / brain-sphincter connection this early. I honestly see no harm in cheering when she does perform but don't get your hopes up to high just yet. And I'm sure you'll get this tons: NO PRESSURE. They train when they're good and ready. (For mine, I told her that she couldn't go to preschool unless she was completely potty trained by three. She made good!

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S.H.

answers from Spartanburg on

My daughter started using the potty at about 18-19 months and then completely lost interest. I would definitely remind her and show her the potty, but don't force it. We are now at 25 months, and once she turned 2 I decided she was definitely ready. Lucky for me, she had decided too, and was staying dry during the day one week later. She is still in Pull-Ups, and we don't have as much success at home as at school. We may soon go to all panties during the day, as I've heard this cold-turkey method works best.

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D.H.

answers from Atlanta on

That's wonderful! Wowsie! I've never had a child that even knew what that was at that age. lol

I would show her the potty. I wouldn't ask her if she wanted to go. Instead I would just take her. She is already showing that she can do it. I would not wait for her to tell you either....they really don't do that yet, until they are potty trained and then they tell you when they need to go.

I'm currently potty training my daughter...this one is stubborn.

That's terrific! Be proud! I have a friend who potty trained her kids (boys) at that age. Sounds like she can do it. I would go for it.

I'm not a naked advocate. Kids that are fully dressed learn to go to the potty just as well.

As far as when to take them...each child is different. You'll learn her routine. With my 1st child, he had to go quite often, so I started him out with every 20 minutes and extended the time as he went along. He drank a lot and couldn't hold it as much as his brother (number 2 son). My 2nd son could hold it half the day. Now my 4th child (the daughter that I'm trying to get potty trained) is like my 2nd child. I do hope my 5th child isn't this way. I hope he is easy like his brothers. My daughter is not!

Good luck!

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S.G.

answers from Savannah on

Give her the potty and see what happens. Just because you give it to her and have her sit on it doesn't mean you are pushing her to do something she may not be ready for. It could be another year of ups and downs before she is potty trained but that's ok too. Instead of asking her if she has to go, take her to the potty. If she doesn't want to sit on it, then call it a day and try it again tomorrow. Her intrest will pick up as time goes on.

Good luck!
S.

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K.R.

answers from Savannah on

My daughter went through the same thing.....it seems in the same order. She was about 18 months old when she started saying 'pee-pee' and I bought her a potty. She used it consistently for a whole week then stopped. Then she would use it randomly through the next few months. I would def. introduce the potty seat and let her know she can use it if she wants to but dont push it. My daughter is 2 now and fully potty trained. She literally had to say 'no diaper' for me to finally realize she was ready and probably was way before I finally did it.
Go easy with it. Dont push but she will be very ready. Just offer her the potty every time you go. That is what I did. Sometimes seh would and sometimes not. Just go with it.
Goodluck.

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K.G.

answers from Macon on

YIPEEE the end is in sight!
I started sitting my boys on the potty chair while filling the bathtub at about 13 mo. I let them run around naked for a few minutes while filling the tub or let them sit while the tub was filling. We always made a big deal about it if they pee'd-they most always did (that whole water running naked child=peeing syndrom) so there was lots of cheering at bathtime.
My older son was still about 2 when he decided to "go potty" on his own. We took off the diaper and that was the end of it. Still did pull ups at night for about 6 months.
My other son took a little longer to 'get it' and when he did, same thing. They were in big boy pants during the day and pull ups at night. He took a little longer at night than the other son.
Good luck!

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C.D.

answers from Spartanburg on

I would suggest to you that she is getting ready...but I would not push her at all. She is not old enough to push too hard anyway. It will just make her quit and not be interested in something that she has shown an interest in. AND YOU DO NOT WANT THAT!!

I have four kids--from 23 months- 13. Three boys and one girl. NOONE has been fully potty trained before about 26 months. I would also never suggest that Rene' is not very bright....I know that she is!!

My mother in law (who I consider a wonderful mother, grandmother and MIL) said that when my now 13 year old was a year old and no longer wet the bed at night that he was ready to potty train. (by that logic--he would have been ready at six months)

I tried it...but soon realized that was not potty training that was momma training!

When I had my daughter, and Dru was about 25 months he looked at the baby in her diaper, said, "Diapers are for babies!" and did not wear, or need to wear diapers any longer! For my daughter, who was being a bit stubborn to train, I finally bought a new "potty" that had a pink bowl...and she was potty trained. (She is 11 and still says, "Mom, the other potty was ugly!") (Go figure!)

They are all different. I think they do show an interest about now...but it is only an interest and they have to put it together in their own little head...and face it...they are quicker than we would be...let her take the lead....

The only time I would suggest that you have to push is when you let their interest slide and waited too long--then you have to make them potty train...she would have to be about double her age now to make that a possibility.

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C.E.

answers from Macon on

she may be scared you guys will cheer and dance every time she pottys and she just might not want that.

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E.T.

answers from Columbus on

my daughter is 23 months and full day pottytrained. she has been going on the potty since she was 12 months. i actually started at bath time once a day to get her used to the idea, and she went (sometimes even poop) at about 15 months i decided to work on it more with her since i became a sahm when my youngest was born. there are a lot of people out there that do start their kids at 6-7 months. children are quick learners and can be started early with no problems. i would introduce her to the potty and let her see how you use it. even if you have to take her every 45-1 hour it is getting her used to the idea. my daughter would go everyhour without a problem but it was between the hours some times she would have accidents. make a big deal out of it everytime she goes. huggies has a commercial for the potty dance online, and blues clues has a song about going potty. in our house we made a big deal sometiems even a small fruit snack if she went every hour or stickers work to. good luck. feel free to email me if you want help. i would gladly help as much as i can. i use to work in a daycare and had 14 two years olds trained in about 3 months.

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M.A.

answers from Charleston on

How wonderful for your daughter and for you and your husband! Of course there are numerous ways to potty train, and it sounds like you and your daughter are thinking the same way. We used a gradual method with our 2 boys, starting at about 18 months. We put the potty seat in the bathroom, and told them they can pee and poop there. Once a day, usually right before bath when they are naked, we would remind them to sit on the potty before getting in the tub. Sometimes they'd pee, sometimes not, and they'd get "good boys" either way. It wasn't until they were at least 2 years plus that we even thought about them not wearing a diaper, and then we lead up to "the day" for about 2 weeks: "In a few days, you'll wear underwear instead of a diaper!" with big smiles on our faces! (Don't make it a question!) They still wore diapers at nap/night until they stayed dry for more than a week, at least. Buy potty books to read on the potty (encourages them to spend enought time there to get the job done) and at regular reading time. Be excited and suggestive and supportive, but don't make a big deal out of it! haha

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P.S.

answers from Macon on

The daycare and you should follow the same path that your friend started. If it was the commode, then keep putting her on the commode. If it was a potty chair, then keep putting her on the potty chair. Be consistent.
P. S

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V.E.

answers from Atlanta on

One of my girls was 18 months when she said she was ready to "wear panties like Mommy". She had been waking up dry since about 6 months of age so we put her in training panties with very few accidents thereafter. We put her potty chair in the hall bathroom and she literally trained herself. Since they make "pull-ups" now you might want to let her wear these at home with no shorts where it is easy for her and make easy access to her potty chair. This daughter who trained herself was my 3d child. My 4th did not make this change as easily. V.

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