20 month potty training

[KBP]

hi! This post is for moms who have experience with potty training around this age. I know most people wait so much longer than this to start teaching but I fully believe potty training readiness is taught and encouraged and the responsibility of the parent. I can’t imagine her being in diapers at 2 plus lol just seems very odd to me and a disservice to her.

So for the moms who have potty trained around this age, what was your experience? We are on day four and I’m still deciding if it’s going well or not! I’m watching her like a hawk, and I put her on the potty every 15 minutes. If she has to go poop or pee she will go with no problem. However, between those 15 minute intervals if she has to go she will just go on the floor. I catch her mid pee and put her on the potty and tell her pee pee goes in the potty. I can’t even imagine leaving the house at this point. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, refuse to do pull ups as that is just a variation of a diaper. I think they make it more convenient for the parent but confuse the child greatly...
Thanks!

 

[SarahBear]

I did EC with my kids. My first was more "successful" with it as she was out of diapers for non-sleep time at 18 months. At 19 months, she had a regression, plus a vacation, which meant she was back in diapers until she got better with the toilet again at about 22-23 months. By the time she was about 2 years, 3 months, she was out day and night. When she was 2 years 4 months, her baby brother was born and my milk came in, which meant she was nursing for real again (rather than a minimal amount of dry nursing) and she needed diapers at night again... then she had a huge regression (probably because of having a baby brother) and was totally dependent on diapers for a number of months until I did a more standard version of potty training.

My son was out of diapers shortly before two. I don't remember his exact pattern, but he slid back during a vacation as well. He could have been out of diapers again sooner than he was, but my husband (the stay at home parent) was not ready to commit to it. We started potty training over Christmas break (end of December) and he had a month straight of accidents, but got closer and closer to using it. He was reliable after about another 2 weeks, so before he turned 3 toward the end of March. He's 4 and still needs night time diapers.

As for leaving the house, you have a couple options. One is to have the child go potty right before leaving and give the child the chance to use the bathroom, every time you arrive someplace, and right before you leave. If they have an accident, then you deal with it. Even older children learning to use the potty, have accidents in public places. Even potty trained children who haven't had an accident in years, have accidents in public places. It is OK and just part of having young children. The other option is to do exactly what I have described, but use a diaper as back-up. You could also use cloth training pants as a back-up. Keep extra clothes handy and have something to put under them in the car seat, in case they pee in the car seat.

So, I guess my advice, as someone who trained kids young, realize that although you are right about not having to wait for "readiness" to begin training, there are a number of things that can set your child back. As long as you keep your expectations in check and keep things light and neutral when there are accidents, you'll be fine. Your child may be in and out of diapers, or your child may be trained and done with diapers. You don't know for sure. If your child ends up back in diapers, that is OK. If you need to re-train later, try to do it before three. When you train close to three, kids can be tasked with the responsibility of cleaning up their accidents and changing their own clothing. An incentive (i.e. chocolate chip, or sticker), if needed is also helpful. And when I say "cleaning up their accidents and changing their own clothes," they will of course need adult help with some of this, but it's not hard to make them feel like they're the ones responsible. This responsibility is a natural consequence and makes toilet use more appealing because it's easier to use the toilet than to change clothing and clean floors.

 

[noon_child]

I put her on the potty every 15 minutes. If she has to go poop or pee she will go with no problem. However, between those 15 minute intervals if she has to go she will just go on the floor.
Thanks!

It's entirely your choice of course but I think if your child needs to pee more often than every 15 minutes it is going to be long and hard work to toilet train. Of course you don't have to wait for readiness signs to introduce the idea of potties, or practice using them and learning what they are for.

 

[svaughn8814]

We started at this age. With us, it went in cycles. We would have really successful months where I would think "She's got it!" and then all of a sudden, she would regress. My 3 year old is finally all the way potty trained but it took from year 2 to 3 for her to fully grasp it. My advise is be as patient as possible. It gets frustrating when you think they are potty trained and then they're not. Our living room rug is completely ruined from my daughter peeing on it.