Potty Training---where to Start??

If you do it when HE really shows an interest then you don't need any books , when he becomes curious of the potty or toilet , tells you that he has done/or needs to pee or poo then he is ready. What I have done with my first 2 (youngest not quite there yet) , is leave them with nothing on the bottom half & for the first few days stay home , take them every hour and sit them on to see if they need to go. The key is not to force them to train if they don't want to , when they are ready is really is quite a quick process.

Also night time dryness can take longer than daytime , it doesn't mean they are not potty trained though , some kids just cannot wake up in the night if they need to go. My middle daughter is now 4 , she started training at 3 and within a week was trained with pee and poo , but she still wears a pull up to bed at night and yes it is wet in the morning , she is such a deep sleeper I can literally lift her out the bed and move her elsewhere in the house and she will not wake up!!!

I loved Gary Ezzo's "Babywise: ....nighttime sleep" book, so found one by him called "Potty Training 1-2-3." I haven't read it yet. My son is almost 2. I stopped reading it when I noticed that my son did not 'pass' the 'prerequisite checklist'.

He book starts by talking about 'developmental rediness' and 'bladder rediness.' Then goes on to say that if you wait until your toddler is ready, then potty training can come within just a few days.

"The primary signs of readiness emerge when your toddler:
- stays dry for two or more hours at a time
- has regular bowel movements.
- wakes up from his naps dry
- stops an activity while urinating r messing in his diaper
- stands a certain way and holds on to his diaper as he eliminates
- is interested in 'big boy' training pants
- wants to imitate parents or older siblings using the toilet
- is able to understand and follow simple instructions.

"Secondary signs of readiness emerge when your toddler:"
- can sit and play quietyly for about 5 minutes
- can put toys and other posessions where they belong on his own
- can dress and undress himself
- has a name for urine and bowel movements

They say that 'most' of these signs should be present before starting training. Good luck! My boy is almost two. He will sit on his plastic potty when I go. He likes to flush my toilet after I'm done. I invite him to sit on his potty with no diaper on. He'sdone it a few times, but hasn't gone potty on there yet. I'm trying to not pressure him. Haven't watched it yet, but here's a link for a free Huggies Potty Training DVD: http://www.pull-ups.com/na/potty_training_DVD.aspx

Don't start until he shows a MAJOR interest. I have a good friend who's son "showed an interest", but he has been "potty training" for over 9 months now. He rarely has an accident, but he still wakes up wet every morning (a pretty clear sign that he probably wasn't ready). We didn't start with my son until he turned 3, and I was thrilled that we waited! We started in the middle of September, and by the middle of November he was out of pull-ups completely (night time and all)! I think that when they are TRULY ready, it will happen on its own and be quite easy. I don't know that I've answered your question, but I hope that you wait it out until he says he wants to! Good luck...it is a scary process!

First make sure he's ready! Starting too early will just frustrate everyone. Look at this checklist.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training-readiness-chec...

I disagree with the PP who thinks that nighttime wetness means a child isn't potty trained. Don't confuse nighttime dryness and potty training. many, many children simply CANNOT hold it all night, nor are they awakened by the "urge" to pee. Concentrate on daytime and nighttime will follow when his body is ready. I do agree that when he is "ready" he will get day potty training very easily! Good luck!

I subscribed to one website that had a book for sale which was online. You basically printed it out. It was a lot of information, which appeared to be opinion. If you want opinion, you can get it right here and then some.

Basically, at this point I would just start talking about going potty on the toilet and big boy pants. He will show interest soon enough. Once he shows an interest, let him try it out with a lot of encouragement/cheering. I found it best to make a routine in the morning of sitting on the pot and she would often go. Everyone has to go first thing in the morning. Gradually increase the schedule and soon enough you are done with diapers. Every kid is different and pooping is the most difficult to get them to do on the toilet. As well, public restrooms may spook them too. I never used any type of candy reward system, but my constant praise made her really happy and proud. They are learning to use a new muscle, so be sure to exercise a lot of patience.

Really, you don't need books and dvd's and all this on potty training. It is a waste of money. If he is not ready why force? It is just going to be stressful for you and him. Let him decide when. You can definitely provide the options, but let it be his choice and don't push it in his face. I have 4 boys. I didn't potty train one of them. I just let them decide and they did. They just decided they didn't want to wear diapers any more and started using the toilet. Around age 3 I bought a pack of underwear for them. Because each one was different. They just did it themselves between age 3 and 4. No stress for anyone.