I recently potty trained my 3 year old son and it went really smoothly. We were able to talk about it and he really understood what he was doing. My daughter is 20 months old and is seeming so interested in the potty now. She asks to go and sits on the little potty at some point pretty much every day, wants her pants off, tries to wipe herself, even peed a little bit yesterday.
My question is, how have others potty trained a child of her age (or is it feasible)? I think the approach would be different than what I used for my son, since she's at such a different place developmentally (for him we had a "last day of diapers" and just stopped using them, cold-turkey - it worked great, and now he's pretty much completely independent in his use of the potty). Or would it?
I'd love advice from other moms who have potty trained a child under age 2, and to hear what worked or didn't work. I don't really have a problem waiting til she's three, but since she's so interested on her own right now, it just makes sense to make the most of it. Thanks!
Try reading "Potty training in less than a day". It does a intensive one day focusing approach, so that kids understand the concepts of pottying, and know what to do when. It's worked well for us.
The website diaperfreebaby.org has many helpful articles for teaching young children how to use the potty. Most are geared towards children under 6 months, as that is the optimum time to start that method. It is 100% non-coercive and follows the baby's cues and signs and natural rhythms. It is quite easily adaptable for an older baby or young toddler and this is a great article about late-starters specifically:
http://www.white-boucke.com/reviews/latestarters.html
This method does not use rewards or punishments at all. Pottying is considered to be a normal thing that we all do and when starting with a younger child there is rarely (if ever) a need to encourage through rewards (even including praise) since they aren't old enough to make it into a power struggle.
Please feel free to send me a message if you would like some more articles or to know anything at all about this method (regarding your toddler or even your new baby on the way :) because it truly is wonderful!
I thought it was totally insane when I first learned of it, but honestly, I can't imagine doing anything else now that I know about this way. I started both my girls at birth (with my second daughter I didn't do it full-time until she was about 6 months old) and it can be done part-time or full-time or even just occasionally. "Diaper free" doesn't mean without diapers completely, but rather means the freedom from full-time diapering. The idea that diapers are a tool and not a full-time necessity for babies - though full-time diapers can certainly be used between potty-times!
Consistency and communication are key, as is being relaxed and not expecting your child to instantly get it. If you feel stressed about it then your child will pick up on your stress and it might be time to take a break.
Best wishes to you!
~B.
we started at 4 days old and now at nine months i haven't changed a poopy diaper since the fall. just goes to show you they are ready to potty train way before 2! good luck!
Absolutly potty train her, it sounds like she is ready. Try reward charts with stickers. Allow her to sit on the potty as much as she likes with books and toys. You may want to see if she would like to try pull ups. It's very common for the second one to train early and you can be very no stress about it. Let her lead the way!
My girls were all potty trained before they were two, not to say they didin't have accidents, but take her shopping and show her all the pretty panties that she could wear when she is a "big" girl that really worked, another way is to have her wear not so pretty panties and this will make a little more work for you but she may not like the feel of being wet, that helped alot ( this is a grandmother speaking) but with my grandson who had to be potty trained before he was 14 mths old inorder to go to this one daycare we used stickers and they worked wonderfully, we got him a sticker book, each time he went he got a sticker,each time he got up dry he got a sticker, it didn't take long, wherever he went the stickers and book went as well so it could be continued. Good luck and if she isn't ready don't push you will only get flustered and so will she
My daughter was fully trained, even went to Montana with no diapers (10 hour road trip) for a whole month plus at 21 months. She did regress and there wasn't any trauma goin on so we had to go cold turkey, no more diapers. She was so ready. I started when each of my 3 were around 10 months and just before bath, I would sit them on the potty on one of those padded seats (ours was blues clues), around 12 months they each figured it out and would go regularly just before bath. That was the only time I was consistent with sitting them on it. However, with my dd, she was much more interested and basically trained herself around the 18-20 month. Good luck, but those padded seats really helped them feel like they would not fall in and there was no potty chair clean up like the other chairs. :)
I say go with the flow.....literally heehee. My son started at 20 months and is slowly getting it. He is now 2 and has dry diapers every night but has accidents if we dont remind him every couple of hours. I have had to back off a couple of times when it stresses him out....I no longer ask him if he needs to go,he would say no every time....he pees every time we put him on and will come and tell us when he goes poo...a minute too late. I have to admit, it is getting old...I have to keep reminding myself that he is only 2 and I am lucky he even has an interest! We have been in pull ups for 2 boxes now and have bought big boy underwear. If I could be home for a couple of days it would be a bit easier. I have a salon and am on the go quite a bit! My daughter was much easier. She is now 17 years old....Personally I think that diapers are so much more absorbent now its a wonder any kid wants out of them! I guess what I would say is just keep doing what you are doing and she will get it...she is well on her way!
Heck no, if she is interested get her out of diapers, my sons were all completely potty trained at 18 months and they went through the night as well.
I just watched my grand daughter be potty trained at 20 months and her mom used jelly beans as a reward. It worked! I know that candy is not something everyone wants to use, but it is special for her because she suffers from allergies to milk, dairy and peanuts so her diet is limited greatly, in my opinion not great foods. Anyway, she would get one jelly bean for peeing and 2 for poops. Now that she does it all the time, since it has been months mom has moved on and she doesn't mention needing a jelly bean.
The second child learns a lot of things quicker because he has the bigger sibling to watch.
Just think how nice it would be to have a few months off before the next little one is here :).
Go for it, praise her and praise your son for being such a "big mommies helper" Because you are going to need him with the third one on the way and her too!
She sounds totally ready.....girls do usually train earlier than boys and with her big brothers example she is ready to go...train her the same way as your son!
Good Luck and Congratulations!!! Maybe you will only have one in diapers when the baby comes.
I started my DD at 6 months. I started recognizing her bowel movement cues and bought one of those seats that sit on the potty. I would put her on the potty when I recognized she was about to have a BM as she got around your DD age she was very comfortable and familiar w/the concept of the potty. I started letting her go bare bum so she could see "what" that sensation meant when things started happening. That helped her make the connection quickly.
I say follow her cues and try to encourage her as much (yet gently) as possible w/o it becoming pressure. Also, let her pick out 'big girl panties' that she is interested in wearing. We used pull ups only when we were away from the house and it did lead to some confusion. As she got the point she started asking for them around 2.5 because she didn't want to stop playing to go potty. We brought our son home from China around that time and I was more lax than I should have been.
As her 3rd birthday approached I told her NO MORE Pull-ups! That worked pretty well, but she does still get wrapped up in playing from time to time and wet herself. Usually she pee's just a little to relieve the pressure. It makes no sense to me, but what does about parenting most days. :o)
C.: Busy WAHM to 4 y/o virtual twins
Owner: www.BeHappierAtHome.com
