2 Year Old Potty Training

Hi L.,
All children are different so it is hard to say what is a good age to start potty training. In my experience with my son and grandson and being a previous daycare provider, I would say just wait until he shows some interest, otherwise it is very frustrating for you and him and you are training yourself to take him, not him to go when he recognizes the urge to go. He will let you know. For boys it is usually closer to 3 yrs old. If he tells you he is wet or wants you to change his pants or takes his diaper off or recognizes when others go to the bathroom, those are good signs that he is ready. Then you could put a potty chair in the bathroom and let him get use to it being there and when he wants to sit on it, let him and just go from there. Just tell your MIL that you are waiting until he shows interest and is old enough to understand the connection between the urge and going on the toilet. You can begin to limit his liquid intake from dinner until bedtime gradually and then he wont miss it when you start to train him. He will have setbacks, try to be patient and it will just CLICK in his mind and body one day and he will be trained. Give him lots of praise when he does go and be understanding when he has accidents because if you scold him, he will think he can't please you and he will stop trying. Have a routine of taking him when he wakes up and about every 1 1/2-2 hrs throughout the day and at bedtime. I used the potty chair first because the big toilet is hard to climb up on when they are training and sometimes scares them and you want them to be able to do it themselves when they need to go, then I moved on to the big toilet with the removable seat from the potty chair. Good luck! :)

Hi L.! I babysit from my home and from my experience with little boys, if they are wanting to go pee-pee or poo-poo on the potty, then they are ready. If your son shows no interest in the potty, he's not ready,and if you try to push it on them,it won't work. Just give it time, i did they same thing with my daughter, but 2 is a little early. I watch a little boy now that is 2 1/2 and he can't even really talk much less tell me if he has to go potty. I would wait until he is curious about the potty! Hope this helps!

Hi L.! I don't have boys but my daughter just started showing interest in the potty when she was ready to be potty trained. We set up the potty in the bathroom and we would ask her if she wanted to go and things like that but we never pushed the issue with her. When she was about 2 1/2 she started trying to use the potty and was trained just before she turned 3. Its a process and your little guy will let you know when he is ready. I think if you push the issue too much he might resent going to the potty. Every child is different but more around the age of 3 is when he will REALLY show interest. Hope this helps!

Wait, wait, wait!! I have 3 boys. The first one I pushed and pushed and with lots of tears and frustration (from both of us) he was potty-trained at 2 1/2. My middle guy is the most stubborn of all, so I waited and waited until he seemed ready. He never did, so at 3 yrs. and 3 months, I declared "no more diapers." It was so much easier-3 days and he was pottying with no accidents. The 3rd one was the easiest of all. One day, I forgot to change his diaper for most of the day-he was soaked. Took off his diaper on his own and declared "I not need diapers no more!" Off to the potty he went and never looked back! He was just a little over 3.

Boys typically potty train later than girls. By the 3rd, I finally realized that potty training was a child's accomplishment, not mine. So, it didn't matter who told me their 2 year old was potty trained-great for them. It didn't make them a better mom than me.

Whatever you use to potty train, make sure it's something that's portable-if you're at Target, it's tough to take along a potty chair!!

Go ahead and let him sit on and play with the potty chair or seat for awhile. Ask him if he wants to try to potty-if so, great! If not, let him know that's ok. From someone with experience, it's definately a much more enjoyable experience for everyone if you wait until the child is really ready.

I had planned to use the 3 day method, but with an infant in the mix also, it would be hard to give him that much attention.

At daycare, every hour, they take every 2 yr old potty - be it they actually potty, just sit there, or at least get asked if they want to potty. Between that, and me asking at home, he got to the point where he would ask to potty. Sometimes he is already wet, but he will pee when he sits on the potty. Still working on pooping on the potty. Seems to be a little afraid of that. :)

When we are home, we do big boy underpants now. He doesn't pee in them, he always goes to the potty. But unfortunately, he does rip them off and then poop on the floor when I'm not looking. Stinker!

Hi L.,

I think you've already got some great advice, but here's something I would add. I read somewhere that when you do start potty training it's a good idea to praise your son just for sitting on the potty. Whether he goes or not doesn't matter so much, because that puts too much pressure on him. Right now, he definitely has control over sitting there but he may not have control over what comes out, so just praise him for the things he can control & he's likely to repeat them. Good luck!

I was interested in this topic as I just got a Potty for my 17 month old... He has for MONTHS been Holding himself and going to gate when has has to go peee... I will ask do you need a new diaper.. WE go to change and he is dry... 4 min later WET.... I just have been sooo lazy and not getting the potty sooner I am sure I could of had him trained by now... GOSH... But we got the potty now.. and it is set up.. We let him sit on it... with and with out diaper... I know at night USUALLY he will go poo... I will TRY to get him to Sit to go in the potty and if it happens cool IF not... I will just try to keep it in the bathroom..

They sell many books... the Potty book and sesame street has a bye bye diapers book... They also have DVD.. I think you can even rent the potty dvd at Family vidio for free.... check into that hu... but if you make it fun.... Maybe he will want to do it....

Keep it out * You know in the bathroom.. and Let him know it is their for HIM.... so Maybe he will just head on in.....

Good luck!!! and Have fun with it!!! DONT force it... LIke get mad.. that will set things back!!!

If it gets stressfull drop the topic for that time and do something elce..

Also they have the Elmo Polly doll.... If that helps....

I am a mother of four boys....Each one was different when it came to potty training. Tell your mother in law that he will be potty trained when he is ready. I have always started out talking about it with each boy. Saying things like "lets go potty" taking him to the toilet and showing him what it does. I would also have a portable potty chair in the living room with us, let him sit on it. They are usually ready on their own, he will start to show interest in the toilet. My youngest is about a month away from being two and he tell me when he needs a diaper sometimes. What ever you do, dont push him. They are more ready when they are closer to three.

I have a three year old boy who is completely potty trained. He had to be to start preschool this August.
We started around age two. I bought the potty seat that is a chair and can snap onto the toilet. We first used it as a chair and let him sit on it in his room or the living room, where ever he wanted. He was excited to sit on it. Nothing happened for a while and then he peed in it and we were so excited. So I would suggest just buying this kind of chair and letting him sit on it once a night. He will eventually do his thing. But don't pressure him.
Then once he goes in it for a couple weeks, try snapping it on the toilet and tell him that is how mommy and daddy do it. Let him see you go so he understands.
The exciting part is flushing it away - my son thinks that is just great.
We started with pullups after he went a couple times. Then when we were home on the weekends I just put him in cool big boy underwear. After one or two times of peeing down his leg he understood that he wasn't wearing a diaper anymore and he had to go on his potty if he didn't want to get wet. Now he loves wearing his big boy underwear like daddy. We were only in pullups for a few weeks. Boy is it great not having two kids in diapers!!!
Good Luck! Boys are easy to train!

Check out thepottytrainer.com, I myself have just been researching the potty training and have only helped as a teacher with other kids. But, 2 of my friends used the techniques on that website and it worked great! Plus, if you buy the book there's a money back garauntee. I would sign up for the mini lessons first and just start talking to him about the potty first. Anyway...that's all I've got. Good luck!