Potty Training 18 months

Lookie!

http://able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=301007#301007

That's most of what I'd say now, too. Go ahead and get a potty -- let her help choose, get one in a color she likes or with a character she likes on it. Tell her what it's for. When you see signs that she's about to pee or poop, whisk her over there. If she gets a few drops in (even if the rest is everywhere) be VERY amazed and impressed and praise to high heaven.

Then leave it at that stage for a bit (what we did, anyway), that the potty is there and if she uses it, WOWSERS!!!!!!! (big positive reaction), but if she doesn't, that's fine.

sozlet thought it was fun.

Then down the line, after she has a firm concept of what the potty is and how to use it, you can get into more specific incentives.

We also read some books about going to the potty and how cool that is, and made note of it in other books that didn't have that as the main point (like, there's a Maisy book called "Maisy's bedtime" that was a favorite around then and as part of getting ready for bed, Maisy uses the potty and Panda uses his little potty... etc.)

I agree with that. That's about what we did. Then, after a while, when you know she's ready and when you're ready, just go cold turkey. We just had them go with no pants, at all, for a day or two. Of course, this had to be in the summer and we had to stay in rooms that we were able to easily clean. Accidents happened but it's much easier for kids to remember to go to the potty when they know there is no alternative. Most don't like to pee on the floor.

But yeah, right now I'd do what soz said. Especially read books about it to her.

The day Chiquita came home from the hospital was the day Yaya chose to use her potty for the first time....

We'd delayed starting serious potty training because kids tend to regress when new siblings come home. Siwwy Siwwy pawents.

Shewolf, my ex mother-in-law told me to leave them on the potty until they went, even if it took two hours. And I wondered why my ex was so anal...

I wasn't about to do that and did the relaxed, Dr. Spock way. I was thrilled when my younger son finally got it--I was beginning to think it might not happen until he went away to college.

This way makes lots of sense as long as it is done in the way described. You are such a good mommy that I'm sure the Bean will catch on and want to please.

18 months isn't too young to start preparing her but don't be surprised if it's another year or so before she's really ready. The preschools here expect the kids to be trained by the time they start school at 3 years old. Both my girls were 2ish. One was much easier to train than the other, she would pee but wouldn't poop because it scared her. Obviously she got passed that stage but it did take a while longer.

hmm.. good stuff.

i already -
take her to the bathroom with me
talk to her about whats in her diaper
point out when she is pooping or peeing
so i will start emphasizing those things MORE for a while then go pick out a potty this weekend.

I plan on making such a loud laughing / jumping/ squealing reaction to her making it to the potty i might scare her..
But i know that is a great thing to do.
then .. as time goes on, just lower the duration of my reaction until it isnt necessary anymore..



not fully trained until 4,5 or 6 ????
wow. I did not know that.
So. hmm.. no time restraint there huh.. hehe
that is good to know.
I figure, getting her safely out of diapers will take about 6 months. And i am ok with that. In fact, if it takes longer .. so be it.
I dont want to scare her and the easier , the better IMO.

question-
I see alot of used baby potties at used baby stores.
Safe? Not?

Just to forewarn you shewolfn - I did all those things too. My older child was 3 and a half when she was completely trained and my almost 3 year old, pees a couple of times a day.

We tried to only use positive enforcement - never forced her, introduced her similar to like it sounds you have and most of the suggestions (even the no pants thing), she is just damn stubborn. One day she announced she wanted to wear underwear and from that day forward no problems.

My younger in the process does like the clapping and high fives when she does use the potty. She wants to wear pull ups instead of diapers, so in the morning, I say you need to use the potty first before you can wear a pull up - so she will in the morning. She will not poop in the potty and only pees sometimes.

My conclusion, each child will do it when they decide. No use getting all worked up, just positively encourage and it will happen when it will happen.

im hoping i can maintain the simple no hassle approach to it.
What I plan ondoing is keeping it close to her play room so when I SEE her acting like she will go, I just put the potty on the floor and sit next to her while she goes.
No biggie .. just sit there, read a book..look out the window.. Kinda like I DO on the potty.. hehe
and when she goes in it FREAK OUT get happy silly clap jump up and down .. so that the thinks " hey, look what i can make mommy do!!"

Then, maybe in about 2 months of doing that, and she has a concept of using the potty,, start the " big girl ' talk. Big girl underware, pull ups, etc..

I know it will be a while before she is able tosleep at night and stay dry. So that isnt even in my plan of action for.. I dont know? A year or so? Or should I start pointing that out as well in a few months?

With my youngest son we tried a different approach. When he was old enough that he could sit on a seat by himself, we put him on the potty everytime I went. We never forced him to go. If he did he did, if he didn't he didn't. All children become potty trained at the exact same time. When they are good and ready and not a second before.

No more corny foot prints? he he he...

Each child is different, however, you can usually tell if they are physically able to go all night when in the morning you find a dry diaper. My almost 3 year old is like that. If I pick her up right away in the morning, her diaper is sometimes dry. The bigger problem is when they decide they want to do that - that is strictly on their own time table.

What I try to do is simply bring her to the potty first thing when she gets up so she gets the idea of it.

i think my biggest fear is that I am choosing the wrong time for Bean.
I have read dr sears suggestions on what to look for when begining potty training, and i see it all in her.
The conscious decision to stop playing to poop, the squatting , the attention to what is going on in the diaper, the desire to have it cleaned immediatly..

and then i hear/ read somewhere else.. to wait until they are 2? or older?
What if I scare her into NOT wanting to use it because I am trying too early?

I mean, obviously..there are no adults walking around in diapers due to their parents trying to potty train them too early. hehe

I dunno. Im worrying too much when I just need to go with my gut.
It says start.


Link-
i think that is a great way to tackle the wet diaper at night..and i will use that technique.
After she gets the concept of peeing in the toilet, i can put the potty into the morning routine and see how well that works.
Did you take your daughter to the potty even if she had a wet diaper? Or just when she was dry?

I think it depends on what you define as potty training.

If you are expecting that this will begin a process that will wind up quickly (weeks, say), that's unlikely. But there is no particular reason not to just begin the process, see what happens.

When people say "wait" I think they have in mind a process that is shorter from start to finish. Bean might not be ready to be completely potty trained -- no diapers, just underwear, and no accidents -- but she can start practicing with the potty, which is an important step along the way.

I wish I could remember exact ages, sozlet was using the potty occasionally from when she was very young, though, I want to say one year but I'm not sure. It's just that it wasn't exclusive until she was more like 2.5.

Oh no. I am not trying to get her 'completely' potty trained in like... 6 weeks. hehe
I hear people who say they have done that with their kids im not sure i buy that.

My goal is - to introduce her to a potty and ME catch HER before she goes to teach her what it is for
and maybe in about.. 6 months? be at a point where she is possibly asking to go. Still with diapers on of course. that is a great beginning , and I think 6 months is a realistic time frame for learning how to use the potty and to help her to recognize the feeling of " i gotta go'.
No accidents and no wet diapers at night will fall into place after that I think.

i have learned of quite a few tricks while googling potty training tips..
like on, I thought was GREAT..
pour blue food coloring into the water and make a game out of making it green..

I typically just have her go to the potty in the morning. What I usually do in the morning is ask if she wants to use the potty - then I say if she goes pee she can wear a pull up! Just enough encouragement to get her to decide to use it on her own without forcing her.

Honestly I don't think you will "hurt" anything by introducing it. If she gets to have the power to choice to use it and it does not become a chore or you have to use it situation. For your own sanity (and believe me I went through a time line thought in my head with the first), I would suggest to go ahead and do what you are planning, but don't even have any time thought whatsoever. Just go by her lead. I thought my older daughter would be trained by about 2 and a half or at least 3 - I started using stickers, M&Ms anything, but she had her own time table in mind.

Girls always seem to catch on earlier than boys.

My son expressed a lot of interest in using the potty when he was about 18-20 months, and we had a couple of successes (followed by effusive praise, of course!) but he quickly lost interest. After a few weeks, he became very unhappy whenever we prompted him, so we stopped bringing it up.

When he turned 3, he was ready and it only took a few days. He never wanted to use the child's potty...he wanted to use the big one like we do, so he would be "big." So we got one of those little padded insert seats with handles that lift on and off easily. Also, he REALLY wanted "big boy underwear." I made a HUGE deal of taking him shopping for some. He saw the Batman undies and took them off the rack himself. Wouldn't let go of them. I told him I wasn't sure he was "big" enough yet. Of course, this made him INSIST he was. And I told him that there were only three pair of Batman underwear in the package, so if he got all those wet, he'd have to go back to a diaper. That did it! He had a couple of accidents after that, and we were done. Pretty painless.

Yep, that's very similar to how we finished things up, too. Padded "big" potty insert and pretty underwear.

Plus a little peer pressure -- she became really interested in underwear when she saw other little girls in the dressing room at the pool putting on undies instead of diapers when they got dressed.

Except my girls Eva - I guess they are made out of a different mold.