Potty Training a 19 Month Old!

Every child is different,my youngest was very stubborn and would tell he wasn't going to do that. I bought reward stickers of all kinds shapes and sizes, and computer paper and he would stick the stickers on the paper and make designs. The only time he was allowed to play stickers was on the potty. This worked so well that a month after he was trained he asked if he could play stickers, I said yes and he ran to his potty chair. I told him he could play stickers any where since he already knew how to go potty like a big boy. I also went to potty training underwear and plastic pants.ABSOLUTELY NO PULLUPS OR DISPOSABLE DIAPERS OF ANY KIND. Hope this helps.

just keep the potty there and letting him explore on his own. he will do it when he is ready. one thing, just don't force it. even if he is not quite ready yet, he is getting the idea and exploring what to do. J.

Hi L.,
Possibly the big potty might be a little scary to him. Buy him his own potty that he can sit on that is not so high up. He will be able to sit down without help! :) Hope this helps.
M.

I don't think he likes the height of the toilet. It's prety high up there for a little guy. Get the portable potty that sits on the ground. Then you can sit on the big toilet while he sits on the little toilet until he poops. He doesnt have to poop in there as he is still so young but as long as he sits on the toilet and knows what its for, that is enough for now. Sounds like a smart little guy! :) Mine poops and couldnt care less if its smooshed against his butt all day. Whenever I change his diaper after he's pooped, he just makes the "frrrfff" sound and laughs. Stinky little boy he is.

Have you tried a potty of his own. A potty would enable him to sit on the toilet, while you or your husband was on the pot, as well as making him more comfortable with it. Do a sticker page. Hang it above the potty, and when ever he goes he gets to put a sticker on that page. Also bring a book for him to read. When ever he does go, clap and get excited (I would be anyway), but the praise is a big confident booster.
Good luck,
T. D

It has been a long time (27 years) since I had this problem but after trying at 18 months and failing, I waited until mine was 24 months. That extra six months made all the difference; no accidents or diapers after that. I also used a child's potty chair as that makes apparently lets them feel more secure. Good Luck!

M. Z.

19 months really is very early, but some kids do. Especially if they're early talkers and can communicate it. Your son may be intimidated by the bathroom and it being a small, confining room. Also, the toilet may seem pretty high up there. You may want to get a little potty chair. Put it in the bathroom at first. If he still has an issue with the bathroom, try moving it out to another room where he can see everything and is not being removed from his toys or whatever. Eventually he will move into the bathroom and onto the toilet, but he may need to take baby steps getting there because he is so young. Good luck!

Have you tried putting a potty seat in the living room? I did that with my daughter because she seemed a little intimidated by the bathroom at first and it worked like a charm! Within a week she was going in the potty in the bathroom and within another week she was going on the big potty. That might make him more comfortable with the idea.
Hope this helps!

L.,
I have a daughter and do not have a son, so I'm not sure if potty training is different based on gender. However, what I wish someone had told me as I was stressing out during potty training is that you can encourage and help them along but ultimately it is their decision. A certain level of maturity, him being uncomfortable in a soiled diaper, peer influence all play a role in their decision...and trust me, it's difficult to grasp that this isn't in your control to a certain extent. I became so frustrated and stressed during that time and in hindsight it was so unnecessary. Keep on what you are doing but don't stress yourself or him out because that will make it worse. It will happen!!! Hang in there.

iraised 4 kids and i had them potty trained by time they were 2 buti have 9 grandkids now and they are different than my kids.most kids are not ready until there 3.thats when my grandkids were ready.and they all try to do it earlier but they werent ready.good luck

L.,

My greatest advice on potty training, especially boys is DON'T. All of my children have potty trained themselves for the most part. I encourage the potty but I don't pressure. The signs for potty training can show up LONG before he's really ready in his mind to use the potty. And there may be many still missing. My just turned 3 yod knows how to use the potty. He does it every morning when I take his diaper off and he goes. But he isn't potty trained. I am!!! He knows how to make it come out but he still doesn't recognize the signs that he's about to go. The fact that your son does could mean he'll potty train earlier (like my girls did.) But you may still have a ways to go. He obviously doesn't want to sit on the potty. If you start to force him he will resist it and it could take longer.

All of my other children decided on their own when they wanted to potty and it didn't take any time at all. My oldest was 2 1/2 yod, my oldest ds one month shy of 3 yod, and my youngest daughter was exactly 2 (she was the easiest.) With my 3 yod, I encourage him to use the potty and we talk about where the pee and pooh go. He can tell me but his little MIND isn't ready to put it there. He gets too busy in his day to remember the potty.

Your little guy is so young. If you force the issue it could take longer than you want. But if you relax and just allow his body and mind to mature without pushing the issue, you will avoid much stress. If he shows interest then encourage that. But don't force him on the potty. Leave it out for him to see and use and let him lead this. Boys are harder to potty train than girls.

Just a few pointers though:

1) if you have a backyard, let him run around without a diaper and just a t-shirt. That way he will get to "see" where the pee comes from.

2) Pooh is harder to train in most children. You will need the most patiences in this area.

3) Consider a switch to cloth diapers (even if temporary.) The diapers now definitely don't help them feel wet. But beware. If he doesn't care it can backfire (as in the case of my 3 yod who will sit in just about anything all day. YUCK!!! He avoids me like the plague when he's dirty. LOL!!!)

4) AVOID PULL UPS. Those things are no different than diapers and they are waste of money. Invest in some of those thick gerber training pants (I can only find them online now) and use those when he's ready.

These are things I have learned through potty training my children. I just don't make alot of effort. I reward with jelly beans when my ds does potty (and a lollipop if he poos. We use natural candy that I found online.) He knows how to do it. He just hasn't made the connection yet.

BTW. I thought my 3 yod was ready to potty train about 8 months ago. I did try. I have a baby in diapers so I was desperate to save money. It was a mistake. LOL!!! Anyway, he continues to add specific signs that I never witnessed in my other children. His latest thing is that he can't stand to have dirty hands. Hope springs eternal in our household. I hate changing preschool diapers. But I love my son and I will serve him as he needs me. :)

God Bless,

K.

I started trying potty training our son when he turned two and a half because he seemed interested but it turns out he really wasn't. The only time he uses the potty is sporatically at daycare because every stops to use the potty. My pediatrician told me he probably wouldn't really be ready until 3 yrs and that boys can take much longer than girls. He still is interested in the potty but still sits for two seconds then runs away to pee or poop in his diaper. Don't worry about it too much.

Good luck.

The good thing is that he is starting to feel uncomfortable with a dirty diaper. That is a good sign. When my daughter was that age, I could not get her to poop on the toilet. She would pee, but wait until she got off to poop. I read that many children have a fear of pooping in toilet. Seeing poop go in the toilet was like losing a part of their body. I thought it was crazy, but it became apparent my daughter had that fear.

Take some time out of your schedule to devote to potty training. Use cloth underwear with plastic covers. It is very hard to potty train with diapers and pull-ups. Your child needs to feel uncomfortable.

I actually spent a whole day in the bathroom. I needed to catch my child when I knew she had to poop. I would not let her off the toilet. After she could not hold it anymore she started crying. I knew she was scared. I hugged her the whole time while she pooped in the toilet. She held onto me for dear life. After she did it once and realized she was O.K., she never had a problem pooping in the toilet again.

This is my personal story, other moms may have some good tips too. I know is sounds dramatic, but she is now 8 and drama seems to be a part of her life.

Hi L.,

Seems to me he may not exactly be ready. One of the first signs they are starting to realize is when they can tell you they have gone or are about to go, but if he runs away from the potty that tells me he's not quite ready to formerly start the training process. I'd keep reading the books and encouraging him. Sounds like he is on the right track and will be ready soon.

It might be that the "big" potty scares him. You might buying a small one to start and have it sitting next to or across from the "big" potty. My son never used the little one, but he sat on it with his clothes on while I or my husband went potty. He now uses the "big" potty.

You are on he right track, just keep up what you are doing. The worst thing you can do right now is force him to go, he is still a little too immature to understand fully what is going on. Watching both mommy and daddy will really help. I always waited until my children's 2nd birthday to kick into potty training mode. The first child tends to be the easiest to potty train, especially if they are boys. I bought my oldest son a package of Barney (his favorite character) underware, he was so excited to put them on! I told him not to pee or poop on Barney or he would turn around and bite his butt!! It totally worked!! My son was bowel and bladder trained in 4 days after recieving his Barney underware. I hope this helps you out, or at least give you a giggle.... All jokes aside, when you do decide to go into full blown potty training the key to sucess is to be consistant, this is not for whimps! The worst thing to do is to tell your child to go ahead and go in the pull-up or diaper in the middle of a crowded grocery or department store. I've lost my place in a long line too many times to count!!

Hi L..
I have 2 daughters and 1 son. My son was potty trained at 16 months. He was doing the same thing as your son. Since you are at home, try putting big boy underwear on him. Once he potties in his underwear, if he is really ready, he will not like it at all and will start going in the potty. Good Luck!

When our son was about 2, I started to try to potty train. He seemed to understand the general concept, but when I tried to get him on the potty, he got very upset and cried. I even tried bribery with M&M's. I finally concluded that he just wasn't ready. He was a very bright child but he just hadn't developed the maturity yet. So I put it off. I don't think there is an appropriate age for potty training. When they're ready, they're ready. So I waited. When I did potty train, there was some resistance, but it was different. More stubbornness than genuinly upset. What I wound up doing was just taking his underpants off and letting him go around naked from the waist down. The idea of going on the floor was completely out of the question for him. He went to the potty. It only took a couple of days. When I trained our daughter, I had a book that suggested that we get a drink and wet doll, and let her potty train the doll. That worked for her. Hope this helps.

B.

L.,
You might check out www.Diaperfreebaby.org. It's a website that discusses Elimination Communication which sounds like it might work for you in this situation. Hope you get lots of feedback and find some good solutions.

K.

My best advice is DON'T RUSH HIM. I am very serious. I have 2 girls and a boy. Boys just take longer. They need LOTS of exposure before they are ready. That is awesome that he is talking about it already, but that doesn't mean he is ready. I found that with my son if I pushed the issue he didn't respond. Eventually he did it on his own at about 2 years and 10 months. I'm sure your son will be ready well before that, but I would just let him do his thing. I would certainly still encourage him, but just don't push it too hard. It will happen all on its own. Also, don't be surprised if he has to wear pull-ups at night for a couple of more years. Good luck!

Here is the advise given to me....my son did the same thing at 18 mos. old. I thought, "this is too good to be true". I started asking other mom what to do. They all said to wait. They said, if you train them at this age, more than likely they will revert back at a later age & you will have to train again. Sure enough, my son is 2 and a half now & we are just now getting more serious about potty training.

Your son is doing the first step. First he has to recognise that he needs to go then he will d o this for a while. thats normal. when he is ready to go on the big boy potty he will. develop a routine of putting him on the potty at the same times each day IE first thing in morning, after meals, before and or after nap, right before bed... you son will eventually start going on the potty after a few weeks of this routine.

Boys usually take longer and really most boys should not even attemt to potty train until the age of 2. Get a sticker book that he LOVES and every time he goes pee pee on the potty you let him put a sticker on the underside of the toilette lid (if it messes it up and you can't get them off no biggie just buy another lid) I used m and M's for poopies and it worked.

but the first step is usually the baby telling you pee pee or poo poo and they have already gone. this is them recognising the feeling of having to go and going and the next step will be doing it on the potty.

I have 3 boys and the oldest is 5 and was not potty trained until the age of 4 due to social delays but my 3 year old is getting it. no poop on the potty yet but that is not uncommon for boys.

A.

I would probably try it a few more times, and then wait a few months. If it is causing you to get frustrated, it is probably better to wait until they are really ready. 19 months is early for a little boy. But you know your son best. Best of luck. I also am a teacher of pre k through 5th grade PE! I love pre-k. They are darling. God's children.

Some boys are ready earlier than others. My son hated the poo poo diapers and broke himself before he stop peeing in his pants.

You may have to get a little chair so that he feels comfortable beig on the floor or a lower level and not sitting so high in the air. Either way it sounds like he is trying to do it. Good luck to you.

Well from personal experience you have to be very careful not to start too early. If you feel like maybe he is not ready after all don't push him. My now 7 year old acted like she was ready about at 18 months or so and I started working with her, and she wasn't as ready as I thought but I pushed and pushed and I think that is why it took sooo long to potty train her. Just an idea that is what happened with us because I pushed so hard and she wasn't really ready. Hope this helps.

He might be afraid of the big toilet. I'd try him on a training potty that you would sit in the bathroom and see if that interest him. Also, I would maybe put him in training underware. With my daughter, I had a real hard time trying to train even with pull ups because they were so much like diapers; however, when I put her in the training panties, she absolutely hated the feel of urine or poop in them. It didn't take her but a couple days after wearing training panties to be potty trained.

Good Luck!

I bought a little potty and put it in the living room and she would sit on it on and off during the day-reading,playing,watching movies,ect...I know it's a little wierd but it worked for us!
Good luck to you and I hope that helps!

Maybe the big toilet scares him. Why don't you try a potty chair just his size that he can use and then he can go when he needs to. You can also move it around the house if necessary if he's scared of the bathroom.

Hi L.. Maybe your son is affraid of the big big potty and the flush. We bought our daughter a little potty of her own several months ago and just let her get use to it being in the bathroom. She would follow me to the bathroom and sit on it and sometimes she would even sit her dolls on it to pretend potty. She became familiar with it and comfortable. I think it helped her to become familiar with it and feel safe before actually trying to use it. She has just recently started to actually use her potty now. Maybe a smaller training potty that sits on the floor would be more comfortable for your son at first. ??

It's great to get him introduced to the language and the potty concept. However, don't push it. Kids aren't really ready until just about age 3 (some a bit earlier, some later but the consensus from me and my mommy friends was right about 3 when they really "got it". Those who tried earlier made themselves nuts about it and it didn't work that early. By just about age 3, mine were ready and just did it almost overnight without a fight. Boys typically take longer due to maturity so be prepared for that. The only issue I had with my 2nd one was she pooped in her pull ups. She was scared to poop on the potty. When I took the pullups away, she pooped in the potty. First time we had a big party (jumped around and applauded) and that was that. So save your energy otherwise you will make yourself nuts for the next year and 1/2!

Saying poo poo and pointing to the diaper are great. They show a sign of beginning of an awareness of his body but not necessarily a readiness to potty train. (See this for a checklist http://www.babycenter.com/0_toilet-training-readiness-che...) Most boys are closer, and usually older than, 3 before they potty train.

The last thing you want to do is push it. You want to make this a positive thing for him. If he's scared, he's just not there yet. It will only make things much much harder on you. It's great that you have books and that he's interested in the bathroom. Give him time to explore this and don't be surprised if he doesn't get it yet. He is so young and has a lot ahead of him.

My son was about 2 1/2 when he (and I do mean he) did it. He pretty much decided one week that that was what he wanted to do. We had read him a book about it since he was 2 and got him one of those seats for the toilet. It was also summer and he was getting prickly heat on his rear so that probably motivated him to stay out of diapers.

It really needs to be their idea. When they get it, they get it. It's just not worth turning into a power struggle imo. All kids potty train by kindergarten. All of my sons' friends would literally make up their minds one day and by week's end it was over. No amount of bribes, stickers, expensive training pants, etc made any difference until they were ready.

Keep in mind too that one of the signs of potty readiness is waking up with a dry diaper regularly. That doesn't happen until a child is more physically mature. I beleive it involves a release of hormones and has nothing to do with training. You may potty train a child really young, but it could be years before they can sleep without a diaper.

I know a lot of older people talk about potty training their kids at 1, but you have to ask what does this mean. A friend of mine's mom told me that they had special high chairs with potties sort of built in that they would just buckle the kid in all day. That was considered potty trained. Also, they would spend the day cleaning up accidents all the time and constantly worrying if it was time to take the kiddo to the toilet because they couldn't really communicate that. Better to spend a longer time in diapers and not deal with the stress imo.

Good luck!

Sound like your little boy is ready for potty training! This is great L.!!! Kudos to you. You just need to be patient. He will do it in the toilet when his ready, on his own terms. I have twin boys and they were potty trained at 15 months. I bought the seat to go on top of our big seat but they were too scared to get on it. So I bought a portable one. At first they thought its just a chair and I explained to them that this is their very own special toilet. I also used bribing ( I know it sound bad). I told them if they go poo-poo in the toilet they get a special treat. I also keep a small bag of cherios cereal in the bathroom cabinet for them to shoot at when they pee in the big toilet. They think its fun! Now if only I could get them to wipe thier own bottoms.

Hi L.:
Maybe he's afraid of that big ol' toilet! I can still remember being afraid of falling in and I'm 39! It sounds like he's ready - you may want to try a potty chair (not to mention, he can sit on his while you sit on yours). You can keep the small toilet seat for when he gets bigger.

Hi L., Looks like you got lots of good advice, but one thing that I didn't see mentioned was the potty books for children. They have them for boys and for girls. I found these books to be wonderful. It shows the little boy with his diaper on, thee he pps on the floor and makes a mess then finally he gets to pp/poopoo on the potty. They flush the toilet in the book and say bye bye pp and all that stuff. My kids loved those books. They laughed at them and wanted to read them over and over again. I know you can get a copy at Barnes and Noble. I also had what we called PeePee candy. I had a candy jar in the bathroom and when he would go pp he could get a M & M or something like that. Of course I gave more for pooping. Anyway good luck!!!!

You will be the luckiest woman ever if you get him trained this early!! :) My boy and girl were both hard to potty train---but I will say just let him do whatever he is gonna do right now--don't push but be encouraging! He is very young but it can be done at this age! Good Luck!!!