Toilet training before two... am I wasting my time?

[Marie000]

Is anyone else trying to potty train a young toddler?
Or has anyone else tried it in the past (successfully or not)?

I just bought a potty for my daughter last weekend and I am trying a few things to move her towards potty training. She is 20 months old.

I doubt it will happen quickly, but she has shown some of the signs of being ready. She can go a few hours without wetting her diaper. She can sit and stand from her potty without help. She loves to please and do things like the grownups.
So far she doesn't have a word for pee or pooh. She doesn't use that many words consistantly in general, but she is getting much better at communicating what she wants.

Here is what I have done so far:

- encouraged lo to sit on her potty (without her diaper on). I sit beside her and we read books, play with her toys, etc. She loves it. She loves sitting on little chairs, so I think that's what it is to her so far. We have read all our books about potty training, and she will point at the potty in the book and then at hers. She hasn't peed in there yet, but I am hoping eventually she does (by accident) and then she will have more praise than she ever had in her life.

- let her walk around without a diaper. I don't do it all the time (for the sake of my couches, dinner chairs, etc.) but I want her to start realizing when she is peeing and put words to it. So far she peed on the floor twice. First time I didn't see her do it, but afterwards I told her (in a happy voice) "hey! you peed!". I picked up some of the pee with toilet paper, brought it to the bathroom and put it in her potty, explaining to her that this is where pee goes. Then we emptied the potty in the toilet and waved goodbye as I flushed. This morning I saw her pee on the floor so I once again pointed out to her that she was peeing. Then I took her to sit on the potty (telling her that's where she can go to pee) and then we did the whole routine again with picking up the pee.

- when she had a poo in her diaper, I took her to the bathroom with me, put some of the poo in the potty, then flushed it down the toilet.

That's all so far.
I am also thinking about putting the inserts of her pocket diapers outside of their pockets (to make her feel the wetness more) but I will wait a little for that. I guess there is no point in giving her more incentives to do something she doesn't understand yet.
If I see her starting to pee and I am close to her, and she is close to the potty, I might try to sit her on it mid-pee. I would have to be really careful not to startle her while doing it. I wouldn't want to risk a negative association.

So am I trying too hard?
Will all of this help or should I just wait until she is ready to do it all at once?

 

[Eleanor ace]

If it was me I'd leave it until she's showing signs of being ready, but I do like an easy life! DS was very interested in toileting at a young age (boys and their bits eh! ) so I got a potty and let him have nappy free time and he'd wee in that. Then he started refusing to go in his nappy when he was out and holding it until he was at home and could use the toilet so we just stopped using nappies altogether. We didn't have to do any potty training and I'm glad because from threads I've read on here it is a right pain! DD is different to DS (so far at least), she's not bothered about being wet or showing any interest in the potty yet so I plan to hold off until she's either interested in doing it herself or she's getting to nursery age.

 

[caz_hills]

We trained ours on at just past two years old so he was quite young too. The main thing we saw to know he was ready was that he went to the corner when he did a poo and wouldn't let us near him. So he was conscious of it and knew what he was doing. And thankfully he must have been ready as it took us under a week and we never looked back. But I wouldn't rush it - it sounds like you're doing everything right and she will take the lead when she is ready. Plus when the weather is better you could take her outside and have nappy off time and take the potty too so that will encourage her x

 

[SarahBear]

Violet is just a few days short of 19 months and she's been using the potty consistently for the last month. She has her off days and at only 19 months, she does have her accidents, but she's essentially potty trained. She just needs more time and development to get it more solidly. This is all to say that training before two isn't crazy or impossible. It used to be the norm. It sounds like you have some pretty solid strategies. I'd just keep it up.

 

[housewifey]

I guess if she's showing signs then why not?!

Or daughter was 2 weeks after her 2nd birthday when she just said she didn't want them anymore so we went along with it and she was potty trained during the day within a week. At 3 and a half nearly now we are only just conquering night time peeing, so don't rush it, follow her lead and see how it goes.

Sounds like your doing all the right things so far Xxx

 

[JASMAK]

Well, if you want to know if I think you are trying too hard, my answer is yes. Because when your child is ready, there isn't that effort. I think if you can remain carefree, then it wont do any harm and she may gradually catch on and when she is physically able to, she will be prepared. I think its when parents expect it to come quick and get upset when it doesn't, that it is a problem.

 

[george83]

My son was trained at 2 years and a couple of weeks old and took to it straight away. We'd brought a potty months before and left it in the bathroom for him to get used to, occasionally we'd mention it particularly before bath time and ask if he wanted to sit on it. he never did if we asked but then if we didn't he would mention it. IMO it might be a bit soon to expect to see brilliant results but everybody has to start somewhere so why not start raising the idea of the potty

 

[Eleanor ace]

I forgot to say in my first post, DS was 16 months when he started using the potty/toilet consistently for wees and 20 months when he was out of nappies completely (he wasn't so keen on pooping in the toilet for a while) and we've only had one accident which was a couple of months ago and down to the public toilets being shut. So I'm not against potty training before 2, just against having to work hard for it

 

[My_First]

Well, if you want to know if I think you are trying too hard, my answer is yes. Because when your child is ready, there isn't that effort. I think if you can remain carefree, then it wont do any harm and she may gradually catch on and when she is physically able to, she will be prepared. I think its when parents expect it to come quick and get upset when it doesn't, that it is a problem.

I guess this is it for me. My son was a few months shy of three and it took him three days, to master the potty and a week later the toilet. Now im expecting a regression when the baby comes, but we have had no accidents, and hes dry at night too. Maybe it was just my sons temperament who knows, but I went with the path of least resistance, and an easy life too.

 

[hayz_baby]

I don't think there is anything wrong with pointing in the right direction. Just take it easy. We had nappy free time and showed him the potty before he was 2 but we had no intention of potty training him, just wanted it slowly ease him in. Just after he turned 2 I noticed we would grab his willy right before weeing so I managed to get a wee in the potty. Tbh that was when it clicked with him and within 2 months we were out of nappies day and night.
So I would go with the flow but I don't see an issue with pointing in the right direction. Just don't push iykwim. If it isn't working take a step back.

 

[Marie000]

Thanks everyone!

Yesterday has been really busy, so we had little time for the potty. I will just do it whenever we have time. No point in holding off on our usual activities just to sit on the potty.

But I'm glad to hear I'm not crazy.
Most potty training guides I read talk about 2-3 years, and really insist on waiting until the lo is ready. But I guess there is no harm is trying, just as long as I am not insisting on success.
There is one thing I am wondering about though. One of the sign of being ready to potty train is a discomfort with wet diapers. My daughter has never (EVER!) shown any discomfort when wet. She has never cried because her diaper was wet. Will that change?
(we use cloth pocket diapers, so I guess she feels the wetness more than if she was in disposables, but less than with other kinds of cloth diapers)

 

[Islander]

ella sometimes uses the potty for pooping and has done since she could walk, she communicates with a hand gesture that shes pooping...i just did it constantly while saying poo poo everytime she went. we are going to be potty training around 20/21 months in the summer hols. good luck!

 

[Babybear85]

My twenty seven month old isn't.potty trained yet and I am just going with flow tbh. I would rather master it on a few days then.have it drag out for months on end...what's the point. We do have the potty out but if I.suggest he use it he says no thanks. He knows what it's for he just doesn't want to and I don't see the point for making him and him getting upset. I did catch him the other day though when I poled my head around the door spying pulling down his trousers and then wondering what to do next but he'd already poohed so I think it's clicking but other than having it out and saying what it is I am not pushing. This was just after we gifted our friend and her little boy used his and he keeps telling me brody used it lol. And yes I think when she's ready she will start to get upset when in a dirty nappy my son will pooh and then craving done I pooh pooh and then gets upset when we change him. I think when they get ready they get a hit weirded out with the sensation of it

 

[RaspberryK]

Ds has only been out of nappies 3 weeks, less than a handful of accidents. He was ready so we just took nappies and that's it day and night.
Before that though it was a slow process of having the potty available and then putting him on when his nappy was dry when I came to change him and before bed etc.
Xx

 

[XJessicaX]

I am introducing DD2 (17 months) to the potty. She watches her sister and has great interest in the potty and sits on it to try it out. She tells me before she goes for a poo and wee and she has excellent bladder control. Been jumping with both feet off the ground since about a year old too (apparently a sign they have bladder control!)
I wont be 'training' her any time soon, but I am gradually familiarising her with the idea of a potty so that when she is ready it hopefully will just be a natural progression from using a nappy.

 

[wannabemomy37]

I think it's fine to potty train before 2. I'd say 2 to 2.5 is the ideal age to be trained.
Ariana is 25 months and has been completely trained (not a single accident) since probably 20 months. It only took 2 weeks tops to get her to this point and it was as simple as can be. Started at about 18 months and she had no word for pee/poo and no understanding of feeling the need to go. I just kept placing her on the potty/toilet every 30 minutes for the first 2 days then every hour for the next few days until she finally was going at certain times of the day.
I believe that you need to TRAIN the child as how can they be ready for something they really don't know? If you don't train them until they are 3 they already KNOW the feeling of going and KNOW to do it in the diaper at that point. I say any time after 18 months is fine. Any earlier is just for fun as they simply don't have the ability to hold their urine

 

[Eleanor ace]

DS wasn't bothered about being wet or dirty as a baby but when he was about 15 months he did start being bothered by it and that's when he started being really interested int he potty. He was in cloth and would just take his nappy off as soon as it was wet and then before he weed.

I am introducing DD2 (17 months) to the potty. She watches her sister and has great interest in the potty and sits on it to try it out. She tells me before she goes for a poo and wee and she has excellent bladder control. Been jumping with both feet off the ground since about a year old too (apparently a sign they have bladder control!)
I wont be 'training' her any time soon, but I am gradually familiarising her with the idea of a potty so that when she is ready it hopefully will just be a natural progression from using a nappy.

Ooh I've never heard this but DS was jumping properly by 1 too and an early toilet user. Interesting!

 

[lewood88]

I tried to train dd1 early and she wasnt ready she is only now weeing and pooing on the potty, she let me know she was ready? If i was id let her tell u shes ready x

 

[Noodlebear]

I definitely don't think it's too early for some and it's a good idea to familiarize them with the potty but I wouldn't be expecting much because it doesn't sound like she's ready to be potty trained. I'd wait if I were you, she'll get it so much quicker if you don't try and get her to do it before she's ready.

 

[lewood88]

I tried to train dd1 early and she wasnt ready she is only now weeing and pooing on the potty, she let me know she was ready? If i was id let her tell u shes ready x