Potty Training/speech Dilema

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

Here is a checklist of potty training readiness.
The best way to start is with the checklist then let him go naked from the waist down if he identifies with all of the qualities on the check list.

You can teach him sign language for "potty" so that he can give you the hand signal when he is ready. Here's a link with the video of what it looks like:

http://www.signwithme.com/video_display.asp?ID=39

Hope this helps.

Is he even ready for potty training? Depending on the signs he is showing, he might not be ready for another year! A lot can change in that year as far as their ability to communicate! You can't just start potty training your child when you think they should start - they need to show signs of being ready and willing to give it a go.

As far as his speech, it might be easier for him to communicate with sign language at this time, and then consider seeing a speech therapy specialist if he is 3 or 4 and it's still an issue. If you are worried,you can also consider having him evaluated for any developmental delays since such screening is free of charge at this age.

I potty trained my son right at 2 years old. He has a speech delay and didnt hardly talk at all. He will give you signs when he has to go. My son made up this funny word when he had to go. Also just put him on the potty ever 30-45 minutes. I never used pull ups because they're pretty much like diapers in my opinion. Even at night I didnt. And as soon as he woke up, even though he didnt like it at first, I would put him straight on the potty. He quickly learned that if he peed on himself he didnt like it at all. Because with pull ups and diapers, they absorb everything, but underwear does not. He was fully pee pee trained in 2 weeks of working with him non stop everyday. The poo poo took longer because he liked to wait until the last minute for everything and by the time he realized it, it was too late. But he will learn. My son didnt give me any signs, but I got pregnant right before he turned 2 and I didnt want to have 2 in diapers, so I pushed him probably a little harder than I should have. But it worked, so I think I did the right thing. Best of luck!

Has he shown you signs that he is ready? Is he just 2 or is he 2 1/2 or nearly 3? 2 is early for most boys to potty train, and unless he is waking up from naps dry, requesting a change when he has a wet/soiled diaper etc. I would wait, especially considering that he doesn't talk much yet.

It is sometimes possible to train kids this young. But it's usually a case of the parents training themselves to remember frequent potty breaks, learning to recognize their child's "about-to-pee" behavior and "most-likely-to-poop" schedule, and being willing to put up with frequent accidents for months.

And even when he figures it out, it's not always for keeps. Once the child realized the demand for consistent success stretches on for the rest of his life, he not infrequently regresses. Regression is also extremely common with a new sibling distracting the parents, and many experts recommend NOT trying until the new family dynamics are established.

Every family I've known has had the best results with waiting until the child wants to train. And kids do, just like they want to learn to walk and talk as soon as they're ready. It's excellent to talk about potty training and what the body does, and to experiment with sitting on the potty, it's great to play potty games with toys, puppets, and occasionally the child, it's great to read books and watch videos, to let him watch you use the toilet, to observe how much easier time he'll have when he learns to use the potty and doesn't have to stop for diaper changes. (I thought of this as "pre-training" with my daughter.)

And at some point, he'll start showing more curiosity and indicating that he wants to try, perhaps even voluntarily sitting on the potty himself. He'll probably be thrilled by the whole idea of big-boy underpants. That's when you can let him know you'll help him remember; let him help you work out a plan so he's got some control, and go for it. Kids will often train in a matter of days at that point, with fewer accidents every day.

Children who are ready for this step toward maturity take great pride in the accomplishment. Charts and reward systems aren't even needed. Children who are pushed into it tend to become irritable and resistant, or even worse, begin to feel a sense of failure and frustration.

So, if you decide to go for it, and your son hasn't yet shown initiative or that he can reliably recognize his urges, be prepared with a timer to schedule regular visits, toys and books for the potty, and a supply of cleanup rags.

Also, be aware that poop training and night training are sometimes separate steps for some children. Children can not help this.

I think kids have all sorts of ways to communicate. Watch for his signs, and he will let you know when he needs to use the bathroom until he can verbalize it. :) We used 3 Day Potty Training by Lora Jensen, and it worked wonders for us.