When Should I Begin Potty Training My 2 Year Old?

I would introduce the idea and see what he thinks of it. Also, get a book to read while he is on the potty. In addition, when he is ready, buy some cool underwear. Tell him that he can't pee-pee in those. Also, a great video is Potty Power. I got mine from the library and my little girl loved it. I would steer clear of rewards because he will expect them everytime. When he does go in the potty, make a HUGE deal out of it. Call people and let him tell them what he did and instruct them to make a big deal out of it. I would jump up and down and yell "YEEAAHH!! YOU PEE-PEED!!" Then we would go call daddy, grandma or uncle and announce the big event. She loved that. Remember that you are following his cues, but be consistent. Don't make him go potty one day and not the next. If he does put up a fuss, just back off for a day or two and then ask again.

Good luck!

Don't worry about his age and follow his cues. Is he aware that he's going or has to go? Does he hide to poop?

Get a potty and some books about it. I'd recommend Once Upon a Potty. My son loves that one. Don't force him, just gently encourage him.

I had the same problem with my son. I talked to his doctor about it and she said if he shows any interest in the potty then start encouraging him. The worse thing you could do is push him. So buy a potty, some books, maybe a video and let him try it out. He most likely won't start till 3. Mine just one day started going to the potty and didn't pee in bed. He was about 3 1/2 and it was like he never wore a diaper.

My daughter was using the potty by two. It was hard to get her to move to the big potty. She loved her little one.

I wold suggest getting some of the children potty books. Then began to read them to the child. Take him to the BR. with you. he can set on the potty open or closed. But it is very, very important that potty training is not forced on the child.

I have 2 girls and 2 boys. The girls potty trained at 2 (asked to) and the boys at 3. I wouldn't be in a hurry to do it. Certainly, he is ready and able at 2, but it takes quite a bit more patience and work on your part. I typically wait until they almost do it themselves and I do it cold turkey and we get it in a few days, with accidents still here and there for a few weeks (usually when I forget to remind them to go try). Whatever you decide, keep it fun, positive, exciting. As soon as it becomes super frustrating, a discipline issue, or dreaded by him, you need to wait until he's more ready. I began putting various small potties around the house and in the bathroom, they would sit on them sometimes, read books about it,etc. Finally, they were really ready and off we went! My two cents with boys is to wait closer to third birthday.

My son will be 3 in September and he is still not potty trained. He was going pretty well a few months ago and would tell us when he had to go but he was never fully trained and still went in his diaper. However, now he has regressed and doesn't tell us at all. I am just waiting until he's ready and starts showing he's interested again. I don't want to push him but of course, I want him trained before he gets much older. I am just giving it a little more time and I think he will get better, I hope :)

Your son will let you know when he is ready. My first son was almost 3 1/2 before he was trained, my 2nd son was 2 1/2, and my 3rd son was 3. It just depends on the child. Each child does it differently and at a different pace. Give him time and understanding and he will get it done. Make it a game, a fun time and it will be a whole lot easier.

My daughter did not complete her potty training until she was a few weeks shy of 3. I wish I had handled it better. I was switching back and forth between pampers and undies. I think this was confusing for her. I tried pull ups but she did not respond to the cool feeling. Eventually she wore undies during the day and a pamper at night. Then she insisted she wear only panties. Since then she has had only 2 accidents. I do not yell at her for this. At night she wakes me up to go, during the day she goes on her own. If she dosen't go I ask her if she needs to go and always insist she try before car rides. I am ashamed to say that in the beginning I tried to humilate her by calling her a baby when she wet herself. This only served to make me feel bad and her to feel bad. Try not to compare your child to others. he will get it eventually.

As a child development expert, I suggest you wait until he gets closer to his 3rd birthday. It usually takes boys longer and can be very frustrating for both of you if you start too early. If you wait, he will be more mature, more ready, and he will learn faster. Yes, there are little ones that do potty train around 2-remember this is not the majority. Also, it is easier for girls to train at a younger age. Introducing the potty to your son would be a bad idea. And if he is ready, he will certainly let you know. But remember sometimes things that are new are interesting, then they soon get uninteresting really quick.
Take your time, there is no rush. He will get it! Good luck.

We started our son when he was about 2-1/2. A friend of mine suggested Cheerios. We made a game of it. I would drop 1/2 a dozen in the potty and tell him to "sink" them. It was slow starting off - his aim was lacking to put it nicely. I just kept a bowl on the back of the toilet and he would tell me it was time to sink them. We used them for close to 6 months before I was able to convince him that he could go with out them being in the potty. It just made going fun for him. Also - because we have a large yard and no neighbors - we encouraged him to "water the trees". Of course, that one I wish I hadn't started. It's now his 6yr old explination for not going inside. lol

I'll tell you what my Pediatrician told me:

"He will go on his own when he is good and ready, and I assure you that he will not go to Kindergarten wearing a diaper."

My doctor was right. Both my boys were completely out of diapers/pull ups well into age 4.

They are young for such a short period of time, I do not understand why mothers, not you of course, are so worried about getting their kids potty trained, off the bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, etc. Some of these items are a comfort to them, let them be comforted. Yes, the cost of diapers stinks (no pun intended - LOL) but they are not in diapers forever.

Good luck to you!!

My son was 3 and a week when he potty trained. My aunt (mother of 13 children) lived by the rule that a child will potty train when they are good and ready. I applied that rule to my son and one weekend, he came to us to announce that he was ready. He didn't have any accidents at home or at school except after unusually long and exhausting days. This was the best thing that I ever did for my son. On the other hand, both of my sisters "pushed" their children to potty train and have had to deal with "accidents" well into the 5's. Just remember that every child is different and will respond differently to every opinion. Good luck!

The summer my son would turn 3 he HAD to be potty trained to go into the 3 year old class and most of the kids in the 2 yr class were potty trained already so I know how you feel. The problem was that he LIKED his diapers. We put on big boy pants, read potty books, did the aim for the cheerios in the potty thing but ultimately he didn't care to do it. I told him if he had an accident, he would have to put the diaper back on and he ran to his bedroom looking for one! Finally, he understood he couldn't go back to school, which he loved, unless he wore big boy pants and he decided to do it. I realized after all the frustration it wasn't if he capable, but if he wanted to do it. So just try it out and see how he responds. Buy fun underwear and just encourage him. If he flat out refuses you may have a problem, hopefully he isn't as stubborn as my little guy! I know one thing that helped in crunch time right before school started, was to throw away the diapers so we didn't have that option and the next advice sounds cruel, but it was on the advice of an older woman and it worked. When he had an accident I had him help me wash out the underwear and clean up the mess. Once I did that a couple of times, he never had accidents again...just like a man huh????

J.,
everyone is different, you can try and start him now.. but it is up to him.. when I potty trained my boy someone said to me make it fun for him... try putting a fruit loop in the bowl or potty seat, and having him try and hit it when he is peeing.. it really worked!.. it mades it fun for him and he kept his pee in the tolit or saet and not on the floor... good luck!

My son didn't show any interest until after he turned 3, and he pretty much initiated it on his own. We let him run around the house naked for about a month, with not many accidents. Then we put underwear on him, and told him "No pee-pee underwear" (he has a speech delay, so simple was better!), after a week of dry undies, we put his shorts on him, and told him "No pee-pee shorts", and he's done excellent during the day, but he loves to drink a lot of liquids, so night time is a challenge. Hope this helps!