Too Early to Potty Train?

I don't think it's too early when she is showing interest. My oldest son wasn't ready until 2.8 and trained nearly over night. My daughter, wasn't really even talking when she showed interest. She was 18mos. She would tap on her "privates". This was her sign to use the bathroom! She was completely potty trained before 2yrs.

I hope this helps!

When a child show that she knows what is happening, she is ready to be potty trained. I have 3 children - all grown now and they were all potty trained by 18 months, my daughter was trained by 10 months because she could not stand to have wet diapers or dirty diapers. When she started to make a face I knew she had to go. I would play a game and say, "wait, wait" and run her to her potty chair. She loved it for I always did a little "dance of joy" for she was a big girl. My two boys didn't want to be trained till they were about 16 - 18 months old. It didn't take them very long for I constantly watched them and got them to the potty chair in time. They are all grown now with children of their own - all their children potty trained by the age of 14 months. Sounds like little Emmy is ready so go have fun with her and help her to be a big girl.

if she is that excited to potty train then go with it. Maybe you will get lucky and she will be completely trained by the time the baby is born. yes some do go backwards but if they know the concept and were doing it well it won't be as bad to get her to go back to it. Usually the regression starts because parents are so busy with the new baby that they forget to ask the older one if they need to go potty as she will probably still need to be reminded for months after being potty trained. some of it can be for attention of wanting to be the baby again but if you give her some special time when the baby is sleeping then she may not regress at all. All kids are different but if she is wanting to go potty then go for it. I found it more difficult to start potty training after a baby was born. You just don't have as much time to focus on it with the time and demands a baby requires especially those first 6 months.

i am a firm believer in waiting for them to be ready. if you tried to push her before she was, it would be counterproductive - but if you try to hold off now that she seems to be, she may get the wrong idea, and lose interest. if she's ready, she's ready. if she's showing that much interest then maybe it'll be okay when the new baby comes, because it was her choice (and i know little ones have a lot of "control" issues, especially with big changes like a new baby) so maybe that will be something she can take pride in and also give you a chance to give her that one on one attention she'll be craving. good luck - i hope she doesn't backslide too much when the new baby comes!

This has nothing whatsoever to do with your potty training post (and unfortunately I can't help you out as I haven't been there yet)... but every time I see a post from you I think of how much I LOVE your two little girls' names. I have always been way picky about names- I like them to be unique but not wacky, and your choices are absolutely ADORABLE! Since I think it every time you post I figured I should share.

I would say let her go at her own pace if she is interested in the potty keep on putting her on, get in the habit and she will learn eventually, my son is 26mths and has sitting on his potty for awhile now, we got it when he was 18mths, he would sit on it and play with it. Just got him into seeing us go and let him know that it was his potty and when he is ready thats his potty to go on, he has gone pee many times on it and pooped once. I'm not really pushing it yet until he is 2 1/2. He comes to me with his clothes off and diaper off and goes and sits on the potty and pees. I dont know if he gets the sensation yet of having to pee, I think its a fluke thing he goes. His diaper is normally already wet when he wants to pee on the potty. When he does sometimes he goes alot sometimes he goes a little.

I think it's great that your daughter is showing signs of being ready to potty train. My son turned 2 in January and we're not even close! But he is the baby of 3 children, so i'm not in a hurry, my first 2 potty trained at 3yrs. old.
If it was me, I would let her sit on the potty and keep encouraging her. I had a friend whose daughter was trained before 2 and did wonderfully even after the new baby came a few months later. Some children are just ready sooner, physically they can do it, the brain just has to catch up! If she should regress, use pull ups, not diapers. Good luck to the potty training and new baby!! V.

With my daughter I started to put her on the toilet before she turned one. One day around her first birthday I found her going by herself. Now with my son he was like 2. He would pause before he went and act really funny so then we would run him to the bathroom. We couldn't use pull ups or diapers either we had to go straight to underwear. He knew it better with the underwear. Yeah had lots of messes to clean up but it went quick

I say go for it. I know they always say don't do two big events at one time, but i went through the same expereince. I had several surgeries in one year when my son was 22 months. He just decided one day he was going to be potty trained. Both 1 and 2. I couldn't even get out of bed so i did not want to encourage it really becuase I was not ready. But he was very persistent and I did not want to miss the 'window'. so my husband took it over and he is now 3 and has been potty trained fully since then. Some kids are just quicker in that area than others. If she is ready, then she is ready. I would not worry about the regression with the new baby coming. If it happens, it happens. But I would say don't miss this window. You could save alot on diapers, even if it would only be a few months.

Potty train when the child is ready. Sounds like she is...go for it. If she does regress, so what. You'll get her back to where she needs to be. Just try to remember when the new little one arrives to give your older child her own much needed attention...and she probably won't regress. :)

Hi Brittany, I started potty training my son at 1. I have found that as soon as they begin showing an interest in it then, there's no problem with beginning the process. It's pretty simple, start up a routine for when you'll have her sit on the potty. Upon her going in the pot reward her with a high five or something simple like that, or with a toy or something she likes. I hope this helps you.

That is awesome! The most important thing you can do is encourage her and praise her for her efforts. It's a possibility that they can regress but not a for sure thing. As long as you let her decide when she's ready and aren't forcing her to do it you should have a very successful time with it. It sounds like she's ready! Good luck.

I am a fan of Dr Sears. You can use his web site as a source. He lists 5 criteria to determine if your child is ready for potty training. Not having trained anyone myself, I will reserve any advice. Good luck!

Everything I have read says not to try potty training around the same time as another big event, i.e.: moving, another child (birth or adoption), getting a new bed, marriage/divorce, etc. My son not there yet, but if your child is interested in the potty, I think it is time.

Hi B.,

I see that you have a bunch of responses already but just so you know, my son was only 2 years and 1 week old when we potty trained him and I had a baby 2 months later. He didn't regress until a little after we had the baby and that was only he was waiting just a little too long to tell us he had to go. Once we focus our time on him on going potty again, he's done fine ever since. I used the 3 Day Potty Training Guide and it's awesome! He was potty trained in 3 days and one thing that they stress is to NEVER put diapers or pullups back on there from the day you start. Sounds messy, but it's not, it just clicks! But your daughter definatley sounds more than ready! I wouldn't worry about regressing because if she does, it shouldn't be more than a week. And look at it this way, if you start now, then by June she'll be a pro! You also don't want to have to worry about potty training after you have a new baby since right now you can give her your undivided attention! Good Luck!

My daughter was trained around 18 months. If your daughter is showing that much interest then go for it. My daughter did not regress at all when she became a big sister. If your daughter does want to go back to baby diapers like the baby, then just put on your best actress performance and try to put one of the newborns diapers on her. Laugh at how tiny the diaper is and how big she is. Way to big for these tiny diapers! And the baby can't play like she does and can't eat yummy food like she does. Just point out how wonderful it is to be a big girl, not like the baby that just lays there all the time. Usually that will help the older sibling get past any regression they may want to try out.

I agree with everyone else who has said that if she is showing signs, then go for it. I work with toddlers at a child development center and we give parents a "Potty Packet" with lots of information. There is a toilet learning readiness page where parents can check off all the readiness signs their child is showing. There are a lot, but some of them include being able to tell you when they have gone or need to go, disliking or noticing a dirty/wet diaper, being able to pull pants up and down (or at least start to try), and show interest in sitting on the potty. It sounds like she is showing several of these signs. That's good!

As far as a method, many parents talk about a 3 day method, or other specific ways to potty train a child. I have seen so many toddlers learn to use the potty at school just by sitting on the potty several times during the day and sometimes they go, and sometimes they don't. Asking them often if they need to go can also help. We don't use rewards, stickers, or candy. This is a normal bodily function that everyone does and I don't think rewards have anything to do with it. If you want to praise her, just tell her how proud you are of her that she is learning how to go on the potty.

We have to remember that potty training really is a learning process--it is a new skill they are acquiring and we can't expect them to do it within a certain amount of time or get it right the first few times. You will have to teach her what to do at each step. It will take practice and expect her to have accidents--even after you think she is totally potty trained. Remember not to make her feel guilty or ashamed for having accidents. Just help her get cleaned up and remind her what to do when she has to go.

Good Luck!
C.

When a child is ready-go for it! My 2cd child potty trained herself basically (doing what you daughter is doing) just before my 3rd child was due. I had the same concerns about regressing but that never happened. Because it was something she was interested in, there was no problem. If they have any self-control (ie. wake up dry or able to ever make it to the toliet) they're not too young. All 4 of my sister's children were potty trained before 2 years of age. Most of my children trained around 2 1/2.
D.-mom of 9

Summer is the easiest time to potty train, less clothing to remove, and yes, she will regress after the baby, but it will be less pronounced if you make extra time for her and her needs. If she is showing a desire to please you and use the toilet, even if she doesn;t make it in time, then you should strike while the iron is hot and train her with effusive praise. Worked for my four. And really, do you WANT 2 in diapers? Good luck.

I think it depends on the child. I had my daughter and first son potty trained and sleeping thru the night with no accidents before they were 2 years old. My second son took a little longer and wasn't potty trained until 2 1/2. Don't pressure her, but if she is interested let her start trying.

Hello B.,
I am a SAHM to an 8 & 6 year old boys and 2 1/2 year old girl. If Emme is showing signs that she wants to - do it. Don't stress over it, just keep encouraging her. It is much easier when they want to do it, than when you are ready and they have no interest in it. My 8 year old showed signs before my 6 year old was born. I work with him a little at time. He wasn't fully trained until after the baby was born. I had him help me get the diapers and wipes or anything to make him feel like a big boy, so he would regress. Make her feel like a big helper when the baby gets here and she will love the baby even more. I have just trained my 2 1/2 year old daughter and at first she was tough, now we clap and get very excited every time she goes potty. We have been trained for 2 weeks now. I had to give her panties for her to do it. The pullups did not work for her (they did for my boys). I bought the plastic pants to go over cloth diapers for when we are out and if she has an accident she does get it on everything. Good luck with it. And remember every child is very different and let her tell you what she wants and GO FOR IT. Have a blessed weekend!
Blessings,
T. D

I potty trained three children--a daughter and two sons, and found the boys hardest to train; however, my mother-in-law had 10 children--two sets of stairsteps--and never had two in diapers. I followed her advice--get them used to sitting on the pot as soon as they can sit alone. Even if they don't do anything--let them sit there--particularly when you are using the bathroom. Don't force it, just make it a natural process. And, I always made a big deal when they went in the pot. We clapped, cheered, sang. When they caught on, they would do the same when I went to the potty. As soon as I flushed, I would get a cheer and sometimes a standing ovation as they would look into the toilet to see my success. As I look back--they are now in their 30's--I remember how fun it was at the time. Now I'm a Nana and it's wonderful to watch history repeating itself. Nana in MO

I would say that your daughter is ready to potty train. I potty trained my daughter when she was 18 months, just before her brother was born and she did not regress. You have to make a big thing of it. Put her on first thing in the morning and two hour intervals at first. My doctor said that if they can go two hours they are not ready. Good Luck
G.

Never too early to introduce your child to the basics of potty training! My daughter, who was just over 2 when our son was born, had been introduced to potty before she was 2. However I missed the memo on the older child regressing when little baby comes along - you're already one step ahead of the game there:) Our method for toilet training has changed along with her age and comprehension of things. Started with a sticker in book every time she went (she loved stickers then); At 3 1/2 yrs, getting ready to start preschool, we explain that big boys & girls at school go in the potty. Being able to wear pretty princess panties vs. diaper/pull-up was also an incentive. Much to my dismay, our daytime sitter rewards the kids with candy & gum. NOT my favorite - use it as a last resort. Best of luck - share what works, or doesn't.

It's not too early!! My daughter started potty training about 18 months....and we started b/c of her prompting. (liking the potty, pulling her diaper off each time she was wet) She was fully potty trained within a matter of weeks and was wearing panties at her 2nd bday!! I know it always doesn't happen that early, but I was happy! I also run a daycare and have seen more problems with children whose parents wait a long time to start...with the attitude "they won't be in diapers in elementary school". I say if your child is interested go with it!! Good luck!

If she's ready, she's ready. Just put on the potty whenever she wants to go. It may help to make a routine of putting her on soon after she wakes in the morning. I had great success with my daughter doing that. Even if she does regress to diapers after her sister arrives, the experience of having learned to use the potty will make it much easier for her the second time around.