Thread: What age do you start potty training?

My littlemans coming up for 17 months soon & absolutely hates having his nappy changed. Just wondered if its to early to start potty trainng & has anyone got any tips.....

For many it's about 2 1/2 when the child can control the flow and it doesn't just leak out.

Now it the time to have a potty laying around. Teach him what it is for. Encourage him to sit on it. Don't be forceful though or you could cause issues and delays. What I used to do is get Heather undressed in a morning and take night nappy off then leave her without one on for a while before putting another on. She just started using potty of her own accord when she was ready. Expect a few accidents though. Some people wait till summer and try it out in the garden.

Lots of babies don't like having their nappy changed - I used to have to wrestle with Alex and when he became mobile is was almost impossible but he was nowhere near being 'ready'.

17 months is very young to start potty training imo, especially a boy as their development is slower than girls to feel the urge to go *before* is happens . There are lots of publications out there with advice and 'norms'. The main ones I remember are to be child-led to a certain extent i.e. is he showing interest in the potty, is he often dry after naps, can you communicate effectively to embark on this?

I was in no hurry as I read it can often hinder the development from nappy to loo so I decided to wait until mine showed positive signs. e.g. Just after her 2nd birthday my daughter said 'I want to wear big girl pants now' and that was that - no mess at all, no accidents, brilliant.

Alex wasn't ready until he was almost 3 and in fact it was the school who suggested we go for it as the class he was moving in to needed trained children. So we did it and after a couple of hit and miss weeks, he got it. Was still wet @ night though for some considerable time after. The fab thing about boys is that when they need to go, as Alex seems to constantly, they can do it almost anywhere - and find that fun.

Btw, we didn't use a potty - went straight for the loo with a child seat.

Originally Posted by Ginnygin

Btw, we didn't use a potty - went straight for the loo with a child seat.

Same here.

Neither liked the potty.

Both mine were over 3 before they were intrested, ds2 was pain because he'd wee but not poo!!!

Thats good then as I thought he was a bit too young....only started wondering cause my friend started potty training her boys at 6 months!!
Thanks for the advice though I'll be happy to wait a more few months!

DS was 2, he showed absolutely no interest before then.

DD1 was about 2 1/2 - she started showing interest just before DD2 was born (so about 22-23 months) but then reverted as is the norm I guess. She then hung out with her friend (who was potty trained) for a day, watched her and then just did it from then on! It was great. So I am a great believer in the idea that they'll do it when they're ready.

I can't even imagine beginning to train DD2 right now and she's the same age as Aidan. She struggles etc but so did DD1. Again, I think that's normal.

Originally Posted by bobinog

DS was 2, he showed absolutely no interest before then.

No I think about it I am doubting myself now, maybe he was 3. I actually can't remember.

He never used a potty or those child seats for the toilet either, he used to hold himself up with his arms!

DS1 was just over 3 and a pain too as he did wee's in the potty/loo and I still had to put a nappy on for poo's! DS2 is 20 months and does a wee in the toilet (copying his big brother) at night just before they have a bath together, I'm not going to start training as I think it's too early.

Originally Posted by ellie

DS2 is 20 months and does a wee in the toilet (copying his big brother) at night just before they have a bath together, I'm not going to start training as I think it's too early.

Same here

Emily (20 months) shows a real interest, but is nowhere near ready, and I would simply spend loads of time washing and clearing up accidents. If you think your DS hates having his nappy changed, then think about how much more inconvenient it would be to have to change all his clothes every few hours...

Emily will also copy Sofie and wee on the toilet (with seat) occasionally, but with Sofie I waited until she told me she was ready and didn't want to wear nappies anymore. She was just over 2 years old and it took less than a week, but she is a girl and was also in cloth nappies.