Potty Training a 19 Month Old Boy

I think that its really good that he's starting so early. But I wouldn't press the pooping on him for a while. Let him master one thing at a time. And always reward him for his good work and progress.

He doesn't have bowel or urinary control and he lacks the maturity to want to use the potty all the time. He's not even 2 yet and many boys are 3.5 or 4 yrs old before they are trained. Trying to train him now is just going to aggravate you. He needs to know pee and poop go in a diaper, a pull up or in the potty - no where else. Keep the pants or overalls on him over his diaper.

I have a five year boy. He also expressed an interest at that age, however, right now ~ that is what it is: Fun. My suggestion is to keep it that way and DO NOT PRESS IT. He is too young and most boys do not fully potty-train until at least age 3.5 or even 4 years old.

Keep this in mind, let him do what he is doing, but if he does fall away from it (which he just may, but if he doesn't that so be it... let he run his course), keep your faith in him. This is HIS deal, not yours.
Too many parents end up trying to potty train (boys especially) and if there is any stress later (like in pre-school or any event changes in the home), you are setting yourself up for a set-back in this training process as they revert.
My son was trained just before pre-school started (during the summer of the year pre-school, just before his birthday)... He reverted due to a constant change-over of teachers, and there were two boys that thought it would be great fun to lock the kids in the bathroom. This may not seem like much to you or I, but to a small child~ it's very stressful.
My SIL redid her kitchen: The floor, cabinets and new paint... My nephew reverted at age 5 and had accidents.

Just something to keep in mind.

I'd encourage him or get him 'pull-ups' if he'll wear them. He may like those as they have characters on them, if you don't want accidents. But he is too young to fully train and expect to stay that way in my opinion. (and after what I have seen & heard with other parents.)

Truthfully, he's most likely too young to be potty-trained. Not only is 19 months very early emotionally, but even for a very mature child, at 19 months, most kids just don't have the bladder control yet. So I wouldn't worry about encouraging him to poo in the toilet just yet.

Having said that, I could go ahead and be excited and encouraging when he wants to go on the potty. I think it's great that, instead of being scared of it (as so many kids are), he wants to pee in it! What a great way to make it fun!

Your son sounds a lot like mine--always interested in the potty, would go sometimes when we put him on, told us when he had a wet diaper and sometimes before he wet. He was 19 months old when I put him in big boy pants full time. He wet a few times, but when he did, I calmly took him to the potty to finish and told him "pee pee goes in the potty"--then I would have him help me clean up the mess (as best he could). When he pooped in his pants, he would usually stop himself and tell me. I would take him to the bathroom to finish and make a big deal of dumping the poo into the potty, again saying "poop goes in the potty." He caught on within a week and was completely trained by 20 months. He still can't get his pants up and down, but at 27 months, he has very few accidents and those are when he's playing and doesn't stop to go to the bathroom. Then he just wets his pants a little and finishes in the potty. I've heard that if they can go all night without wetting, they're ready. Some will tell you he's too young, but I really believe my son was ready and he's doing fabulous now!

One thing I forgot: make a HUGE deal of it when he does successfully go pee or poo in the potty--smiles, claps, dances, etc. They love to be praised and they will be so so so proud of themselves when they see that you're happy. Tell him he's a big boy, that you're proud that he's learning, etc. I think that works better than M&Ms, honestly--and you don't have to worry about running out of praise!

Elimination communication is training YOU, not your child. Most boys are not ready to train until they are at least 3 years old. This is not laziness or a lie. This is a standard that is widely accepted by the medical community. If your child thinks its funny to go potty in inappropriate places, he is not making the connection between "going" and where to go. His brain is only 19 months old. There is a HUGE difference between a 19 month old and even a 24 month old.
I remember getting excited when my kids took an interest early in the potty. I got so frustrated when it seemed like they were "backsliding" by not using it after using it for a couple days. Then I talked to my pediatrician and she recommended laying off it for a month. You know what? After a while, the boys knew when they had to go. They made the choice to be "big boys". Once they decided on an action, it only took a couple of days for them to get the hang of it. No accidents at night, no pull ups. When I was struggling to get them to use the potty.....accident city.
So many people get in a tizzy over potty training and all I can say is.....they aren't going to go to college with a diaper. It will happen in its own time. Stop stressing out yourself and your child.

Edit....
What I'm trying to say is this: Most 2 year olds know their numbers and the alphabet. This does not mean that they can do word problems or read a book. It means that they have been trained to repeat what someone tells them. And they will not always get it right. The synapses in their little brains aren't ready to make the leap. Just because you train yourself to take your kid to the bathroom every couple of hours, or to take them when you whistle, doesn't mean that they are trained. And good luck finding a care provider if you insist on it. Everything in good time.

Just keep on doing what you're doing. Many kids go through phases of interest and even using the potty, but the physical maturity to truly potty train (recognize the need to go, control bladder and bowels and the go when appropriate) doesn't happen for most children before they are between the age of 2 and 3. There are a few exceptions (both early trainers and late ones) that are within the normal range.
And don't be disappointed if he looses - it will return eventually.

I think he's too young to potty train.

some good potty training tips can be found at this preschool blog. good luck!
http://blogs.goddardsystems.com/Cedar-Park-TX/2009/12/13/...

There is NO DIFFERENCE potty training a girl or a boy! I'm SO TIRED of that myth! Boys don't train until 4? Are you kidding me? (this is in response to the other people who responded... thats absurd!)

We used Elimination Communication with our boys. We started with our oldest at 18mos (very late in EC world) and he picked it up right away, and was able tos ign potty within a few days. By 2 he was using the potty by himself except wiping #2's. With our youngest we started at 6mos, and by 9mos he could sign potty and was spending most of his days diaper free. He was totally out of diaper adn into undies full time by 15 mos (day and night).

I'm so tired of hte myth that boys train later. Its such a joke and in MY OPINION an excuse for parents to be lazy and not train their kids.

Babies are born with the ability and full control over their bladders and bowels. Anyone who has ever been peed on by a baby boy will tell you it comes out all at once and with force and effort. They KNOW how to control those body functions from birth. But sitting 2-4yrs in an ultra absorbant diaper and they LOSE that ability. the phrase if you don't use it you lose it rings totally true here.

The 'window' is open until about 20mos. If you can reach your child before that time, he/she will still have the full control over bladder and bowel functions. They just need redirection to use them in the potty. EC is a very loving, patient, bonding experience. I highly recommend you look into it. www.diaperfreebaby.org is a great site too, and there is an entire board at mothering.com devoted to EC.

I have a 4yr old, I can't imagine him still in diapers. He can wipe his own behind for cripes sakes! This myth needs to be dispelled and stopped being handed out to parents who are obviously following hteir childs cues! You are mama, you know he's ready, he's ready, go for it!

EDITED TO ADD- in response to the 'EC is traiing hte parent not the child'. Obviously thats not true, if you ahd read my post you would see that both my boys could use the toilet on their own will, by signing they had to go or taking themselves, very shortly after starting EC. My 9 month old could crawl to the potty. He would stop every few feet and sign potty while saying 'mama'. He knew. Again kids are born with the full bladder control, and its only lost when allowed to sit in the diaper for years, and has to be relearned at that time.
Besides, you are trained to feed yoru kid when hungry, put them to sleep when tired, and wipe their butt when the poop in a diaper.... taking a smal lchild to the bathroom is just another thing that you can do for your child, reading their cues, to be more in sync with them. This mom is knowing her childs cues and is going with it, I wish more parents would instead of pushing them off as 'eh, is just a phase' and then having a 4yr old in diapers!

I have a girl and I know there is supposed to be a big difference between girls and boys for PT but she started PT at 18 months (it was all her, she would just tell me she had to go potty and when I put her on the toilet she would go) and was in underwear full time by the time she was 21 months (everyone said she was too young so I didn't push it) and has only had 1 accident while out and about (2 more while sleeping) in the last 9 months. When you guys go to the bathroom does he ask or do you tell him what you're doing? I think that's how my daughter learned - she still asks if we are peeing or pooping. I would just tell him when you are doing it, then ask him if he needs to poo. Or if he has any classic signs of going poop then once he starts those put him on his potty. One other thing - my daughter has almost always preferred going on the big potty rather than her own. She liked her own initially when she couldn't get on the toilet by herself but once she was able to do so she would always get on the big potty. She loves to flush, too, especially when there is poop. So maybe you could tie that in?

My son was 18 months when he started to potty train. He sounds just like your son, and was very ready to do it on his own, I was the one who wasn't ready and didn't want to deal with it! We never pressed it, and I let him wear his big boy underwear when we were home during the day, but put either a pull up or diaper on him while we were out. Don't make it a big deal if he has an accident, just say "it's ok, next time we'll try to put it in the potty", or something like that. We did reward with one mini m&m each time he peed. Once he was fully trained we gradually took them away, and ended up doing the same thing with poop. He's now 2.5 and has not had an accident in probably 9 months, even sleeps through the night with regular underwear. In summary, I don't think he's too young, every child is very different and develops at their own rate. Good luck!