Potty Training - Stafford,TX

Updated on August 23, 2009
W.W. asks from Stafford, TX
39 answers

Trying to potty train my 15 month old, and she refuses to cooperate. Any advice!

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M.B.

answers from Beaumont on

Why are you doing that? She is too young. It is not even developmentally possible.
It will cause emotional issues.
Read about it and then try again after the second birthday.

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W.W.

answers from Houston on

Hi W.,
That is quite young to do potty training. The nerves that control that area are not formed properly until about another year. It may be useful to just wait and let her tell you when she is ready. It is not an easy task at the best of times. If you do try remember to give her lots of praise if she even just sits on the toilet for more that a minute.
Good luck,

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K.B.

answers from Houston on

Hi W.-

My first question is what indication did she give you that she was ready? All kids are different and I have no doubt that there are 15 month olds out there that have been potty trained, but it's rare. My oldest two were 28 and 22 months respectively before we even attempted the potty and even then we were probably a little early with the first because it took forever. My now 21 month old is starting to notice the potty and wants to sit on it and play but we are not actively trying to train.

Good luck, hopefully there is someone on this site that trained this early and can help you.

K.

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M.W.

answers from Austin on

15 mo is very young for a child to be ready. They have to be physically ready or you are just going to be frustrated.
I have four sons. I only tried to "potty train" the first one. He is the only one that had bed wetting accidents until age 5. My other sons basically did it on their own, once they were staying dry for long periods of time. It's rare for kids under age 2 or 2 1/2 to be truly ready for potty training.

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T.

answers from Houston on

Cognitively she is not ready. There is actually something that has to happen in the brain to be able to understand cause and effect when it comes to controlling the bladder. She is just simply way to young. I have 3 children (2 of which are potty trained...the other is just two years old) and each of them started potty training around 3, one of them two weeks before and one of them two weeks after. They both got the hang of it within a week. Save yourself the headache and wait until she's at least 2.5!

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L.W.

answers from Houston on

W.,
I really can't add anything that these other moms haven't already said :) I have 7 children & from my experience the closer to three the better when potty training. I know some kids potty train much earlier but they are few & far between. It takes much more effort & frustration to potty train a child under 2. I tried potty training one of my sons at age two. unbelievably he could hold on to the walls & furniture at age 5 months & walk around them, stating walking alone at 9 months, talked at 11 months, but when it came to potty training that was different. at 2 he would have his BM in the toilet & wet his pants all day long. So I put him back in a diaper and tried again at age 3 & it was a breeze!!I have a baby that will be 2 in Oct & i'm not even going to bother the potty training process until next summer, then he will be old enough that it will be easy for him & me :) Depends if he's ready at
2 1/2 if not i'll wait til age 3
If you have the patience to wait it out you would be much less frustrated & so would your little princess!Enjoy your baby as long as you can, seems like once they potty trained the baby days are over & they grow up so fast,you will be handing her your car keys.... thinking, gosh it seems like just yesterday I was changing your diaper :) *joking* but they do grow up too fast :)
Best wishes!

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A.C.

answers from Houston on

Unless she has shown very clear signs that she is ready, you are likely setting yourself up for some frustration. Is she staying dry during naps? Can she physically pull her own clothes down? Does she tell you when she is wet or dirty? All of these are emotional and physiological indicators.

My daughter showed interest around 18 months, but it was just that...interest. There was no way she was ready. Now she is just shy of 2.5 and we kicked it off about 10 days ago and it has been going well. She has probably been ready for a couple of months, but I just didn't have the time at home to concentrate on it.

Good luck.

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J.B.

answers from Houston on

That is pretty young, maybe she isn't quite ready. Whatever you do, try not to turn it into a power struggle. If the potty becomes a battle ground you will end up being the loser! Maybe try her out closer to two. Good luck!

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B.K.

answers from Austin on

Too young. Don't frustrate yourself. Try again in a year.

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

W.,
She's obviously not ready for it and it is best to wait until she is ready. There are signs of readiness for potty training to observe first. Are you changing fewer wet diapers?
Does she dislike dirty diapers? Does she understand potty lingo? Does she have regular, predictable bowel movements? These are all signs that she might be ready.
When she is ready, you can try several incentives, such as letting her pick out her special potty chair, filling sticker charts or offering treats as incentives to go on the potty. My twin boys were potty trained at 3 and 3 1/2. One of my sons loved to get m&ms for going on the potty, and I was generous with them! The other loved sticker charts. If you force it, it will be extremely stressful for her and for you.

In short, watch for signs of readiness, figure out what incentives will motivate her
(you know your daughter.) and go with the flow of things. She won't be attending kindergarten in diapers!

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M.F.

answers from El Paso on

15 months is too young - their bladder control is not really developed until 30 - 36 months usually. AT this age, you will be trained, but not the child - meaning you will take her to toilet every hour or so , but she won't feel the urge and control on her own. Be patient and wait.

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B.W.

answers from Killeen on

I have 4 of my own and she is way too young to potty train. You have to wait till they are ready. They really will let you know when they are ready. Mine were not ready till around 2 - 2 1/2. If you just buy a little potty and just let it sit there so she is familiar with it, when she is ready she will start showing interest in the potty and they usually start to strip their diaper off too when they are dirty. Just relax and give it time. Good luck.

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K.P.

answers from Houston on

Sounds a little young. Was she interested in the idea? My son is the same age and I am waiting until closer to 2.

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K.C.

answers from Austin on

Give up. Start again when she wakes up dry from a nap or you go to change her and she is still dry. Usually after 2.
You are setting yourselves up for failure if you start too soon.
K.

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C.C.

answers from Beaumont on

She's way too young! Try again next summer.

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D.H.

answers from Austin on

Stop the insanity! 15 months old is to early, especially if she is not cooperating. Relax, it will happen soon enough. Usually age 2 is a great time and a lot less stress.

Grandma and mom

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D.M.

answers from Houston on

15 months is VERY early to potty train. She is still a baby and while she might have expressed some interest,probably isn't ready. Please be patient and don't rush her.Is she waking up dry,yet? Does she know (and can she tell you with WORDS) that she needs to go? Can she pull her own panties up and down and can she wipe herself yet? I realize that YOU might be "ready" for her to train but SHE needs to be ready. Personally, I would wait until around 2. I have successfully potty trained four children. Your daughter will not be in diapers forever...promise :) Good luck!

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L.A.

answers from Austin on

15 months is considered pretty early. I would give it a break and when SHE shows interest, which she will when she is ready, you can start again.. Otherwise you are really just going to be frustrated. Remember it is not unusual for a 3 year old to begin potty training.. You are not even half way there..

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A.P.

answers from San Antonio on

She's too young, wait until she shows interest, or she may never cooperate.

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S.J.

answers from Austin on

In my experience, especially with a girl, I would wait until she gives you clear signs she is ready. 15 months is really a young age to start potty training and if she's fighting you, a lot of times it will become battle of the wills instead of focusing on what you're trying to teach her. I have a very advanced now 3.5 year old and I tried too early with her as well. She fought it but finally decided it was time about 3 months before she turned 3. I wouldn't push the issue at this age.

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D.C.

answers from Austin on

Maybe she is not ready. My first was done by age 2 second one not so easy or willing. It was more like 3ish.

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R.A.

answers from Austin on

There is a lot of pressure on potty training. I stressed my son and myself out trying to push the subject when he was about the same age, until I resigned to the fact that he is just like his Mom.... stubborn. I was stressed by everyone telling me "all of their children were potty trained by 1 yr old..." First of all, they probably weren't... secondly, all children develop at different rates.

I left him alone about it, listening to my pediatritian friends say, it is not that big of a deal, if he is starting school and still in diapers... then stress ;) The best advice I ever had. I let him be, just would "talk" about it, but not forcing anything. We just let him run around in a long shirt no diaper or just in big boy undies at home, he had a few accidents, but we have tile... no biggie. Then when he was about 2 1/2 he said he didn't want to wear a pull up to school. That was it, it just had to be on his terms...
Good luck!

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C.W.

answers from Waco on

Hi W.
she is not ready. Wait a little longer. You don;t want to rush her ......she will let you know when she is ready. It will be easier for both of you then.
good luck and blessings

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H.H.

answers from Houston on

15 months old is EXTREMELY young to potty train. Many children aren't naturally ready until they are 3 years old. They need to be both physically and emotionally ready.

If your daughter is refusing to cooperate, she is NOT READY. She does not have the emotional readiness needed to potty train. You will be in for a lot of struggles and fights, and a lot of regression if you continue on this path. Wait until she's 2 and try again. If she's still not ready, wait a little longer.

People will tell you all about rewards they used, but I'm telling you - at 15 months old and refusing to cooperate, you're mostly going to get struggles from her.

Does she have any of the physical signs of readiness (staying dry during nap times and/or an hour or two at at ime, predictable bowel movements, doesn't like being dirty, is able to verbally or otherwise tell you when she needs to go, is able to pull pants and undies down by herself, probably more but those are what I remember)? Without most/all of those signs, you are going to have a big fight.

My son was 3 when he finally seemed ready and learned in less than a week. He's 4 now, and in the year+ that he has been using the potty he's had maybe 2 or 3 accidents. That's because I waited until he was completely ready. My daugher started showing interest at 18 months, but she didn't have other signs of readiness. now she tells us when she needs to defecate, but she still urinates all day long with never any dryness. She's 2, and I am waiting until she has all the signs.

There's no reason to hurry things. Your child is not going to be harmed in any way by learning later, but can certainly carry a lot of emotional trauma from aggressive too-early training.

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J.H.

answers from Houston on

She sounds to young. Wait until she is ready. A little closer to 2 years old is better. Don't make it a battle or it will take longer to train and only frurstrate the both of you. You want this to be a fun rewarding time not a struggle. My advice wait a few more months.

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L.R.

answers from Austin on

way too young, you'll have much less stress if you just wait until she's ready. she'll let you know.

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L.R.

answers from Austin on

wait until she's ready. she will show interest when its time.

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S.R.

answers from Beaumont on

She may not be ready just piddle with her and take her occasionally eventally she will tell you she wants to go on the potty. Do not make it a struggle cause then she will continue to refuse

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J.R.

answers from Houston on

She is too little. Wait 6 months to a year.

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L.S.

answers from Houston on

I am no expert by any means, but I think 15mos is too young. My son potty trained at 2 1/2. They say to wait until each individual child shows that they are ready. Good luck.

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D.S.

answers from Houston on

Hi W.,
My granddaughter is potty training...and she is about 2 years 10 months. You can check websites online, but most say the earliest is 24 months...they give you some pointers to gauge when your toddler is ready to potty train. If they are not capable, or old enough, it could be super frustrating. Even though my granddaughter is getting it...they are still accidents!
Another idea is to check with your pediatrician for advice.
Best wishes!

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K.T.

answers from Houston on

One of the best pieces of advice is to look for readiness (ie. waking up dry from naps/nighttime) but there are ways to prepare for potty-readiness in the meantime. Like sitting on the little potty WITH clothes on. Sitting on the potty during bathtime, read books or watch a show while sitting. We used it as another "chair" when introducing it as such a young age for several weeks. sitting on the potty became a part of the routine (first thing in the morning, after breakfast, after lunch, after nap, before bed). If she went, great, if not then she continued to wear her cloth diaper.

You could look up more information if you search for diaper free baby or elimination communication (yahoo groups for example). Even though they talk about much younger children, you can still find some good tips for toddlers. She probably won't be "potty trained in a day" or even be able to independently take off pants & underwear for another year. If you're looking for that result right away I'd say wait til she 3. But I found starting before 2 to be a good learning process for both of us and a great alternative to diapers. Because I was aware, we were able to jump in when she was ready, not wait for an arbitrary age.

I think the most important thing though is to not let yourself get frustrated. Kids pick up on our feelings so easily. I found that when I got overwhelmed and exasperated with an accident or a bad day, then there were SEVERAL accidents that followed.
Best of luck.

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F.P.

answers from Killeen on

Hi W., she's still young try not to force her. You can have her watch you while you go that would be a start. I hope this helps.

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L.M.

answers from Odessa on

It sounds like she is not ready. Don't stress you or her out. Just let it go for now, but always encourage her, be patient and use rewards.

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B.P.

answers from Austin on

15 months???!!! Why are you rushing it??? At least wait until she's two. If you push it before she's ready it will be much more difficult later on. Don't try to be an over-achiever in this area. Give her some time!

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S.O.

answers from San Antonio on

15 months is barely past a baby. She's not ready yet..that's why it's not going well.

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R.L.

answers from Houston on

You've received a lot of good advice so far. I just want to echo a few points. Every child is ready to potty train at different stages. It's great to introduce the concept, but it sounds like she is not ready, so don't push.

Toddlers have to be physically and emotionally ready to potty train. Here is some info on the signs of readiness:

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

http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/parenting_tips/potty_train...

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/pottytraining/l/bl_potty_r...

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L.M.

answers from Houston on

She's too young. Toddlers don't even develop the muscles to control the flow until they are around 18 months old. Then they have to be cognitively ready to learn how to use those muscles. If she is around other children just a bit older, such as in a day care, when she's a little older she may see them going and get the idea. If she is not around other kids, it may take longer for her to understand.

The day care my son went to didn't have doors on their toilets, so the younger ones could see what they little bit older ones were doing in there. That helped them along. They also used the reward system of 1 Skittle each time they went. We kept the same reward system at home. They started my son at 27 months and 3 weeks later he was in underwear full time.

I would wait at least until she is closer to 2 before you begin to try.

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S.L.

answers from Austin on

She is way too young. Wait a year.

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