When will you start Potty Training?

My son is only 12 months old and I know that it will be a while til I potty train him but I was curious to see at what age you are wanting to start potty training.
My daughters are 11 and 8, so it's been a while....Plus potty training a boy will be a LOT different..lol

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5%

 (1) 

1 year

68%

 (13) 

2 years

15%

 (3) 

3 years or greater

10%

 (2) 

Whenever I have the time

19 Members voted

[kennedydp5]

i used to think that kids should be potty trained at age 2...  until it came time to potty train mine, lol!  we started my oldest at 18 months and she was fully trained until 3 1/2 (and she's still a bed wetter).  we decided to start our 2nd dd at 3 and it only took her a couple months.  w/ our 3rd coming up on her 2nd b-day in april...  maybe we'll start her in the summer time....  but i'm going to take cues from her and not push it.  (and of course our baby is no where near even talking about it, lol!)  :)

[Van73]

Yes, I agree I think we'll wait til we see "readiness". I have NO idea how to potty train a little boy! haha  My two girls...my eldest was the easiest, my 2nd daughter didnt want to even talk about it and wasnt even trained til she was almost 4! hahah
But its hard in a day and of when mom's have kids in daycare too!  Luckily, I am a SAHM with my son, so hopefully it'll be easier!

[findinghumility]

With our first boy we tried at 2 1/2 and he seemed ready and did OK.  Well it became a struggle just with us wanting him to go because he would wet otherwise, and him not wanting to go because it wasn't his idea...typical 2 year old stuff.  We went back to diapers since it was going sooo poorly and we didn't want him to associate the potty with a battle.  We just started calling his diapers "baby diapers" every time we put them on and eventually he said "No I'm a big boy!  I should wear underwear" and he switched and had very few accidents after that.  He was about 3 or so at that point.  Our second son just turned 2 and although if he asks to go potty because he want's to be like his big brother we certainly encourage him and praise him, but we are in NO way going to be pushing him to potty train like we did with his brother.  I'd much rather spend the money on diapers and save the struggle until their really ready, the push and push and just have it be a tough experience.  Good luck though!  Every child is different so you just never know!  

[heatherlynn22]

our boys are only turning 7 months old....and they're our first. but my nephew is almost 2 and he's starting to do the "i'm ready for potty training!!!" he grabs his cute little bum when he has to or has gone poo and he looks at my mom (his gammow) and says..."gammow...I PEEPEED!!!!!!!!!! DIAPY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it's funny.

[babyscience]

I was thinking around 2 or 2 1/2, depending on how ready he is.  I guess I am just going to wing it.  I dont want to have it start to early and have him and me get frusterated.

[Sasha80]

My dtr is 26 months.  We tried around 21 months and she just wasn't ready.  I wasn't going to push the subject.  Then we tried in Jan. and she has been successful since.  She only wears a diaper at night now and lets us know when she has to go pee and/or poop.  

[Whitneylauren]

It is so essential to wait until your child is ready to potty train. This age varies greatly from child to child. Also, it is important to remember that little boys take a longer time than girls. We waited until our son was almost 3 to really start advocated the potty. We watched him for cues- like he would go in the potty then tell us- before we even started working on it. He was fully potty trained in the day within 2 months of turning 3. At night we remained much more relaxed and just put pull ups on him until he stopped wetting them at night. That took like 6 months. Seriously I thought that training was going to be difficult, but because we waited it seemed really easy. I think that sometimes when parents decided to train their children young it is more the parent who is trained not the child.
The Mayo clinic has a great informative article with everything you need to know:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/potty-training/CC00060

They even say that some children won't be fully potty trained until the age of 7!

[Countrymama]

my first son could have cared less about the potty. he was 4 before he totally there. but my little one started wanting to go on the potty around a year and a half.  i think alot of it was him learning from big brother.
but potty training is definately something you have to wait until THEY are ready for. if you try to force it before they are ready, it will take that much long...IMO

[kelliestarr]

Whenever my child is really.

[mamaofonetrying42]

With Ethan we started at 18months and you could tell that he wasnt all for it, so we stop and picked up again when he was 2 still wasnt into it, so we stop and pick it up again a few months later, we did this intill he was 4month shy of his 3 birthday, and at that time he got it and he has been potty trained since. He has been doing great! Since then intill now(about 8months) he was only had 3-4 accidents!! It was a hard road, but he got it! Your child "needs" to be really for it to work!! Good Luck!

[tiredbuthappy]

dd was showing readiness by 15/16 months. She even went a few days wearing undies all day with just 1 accident. i was going to fully potty train her over the holiday break, but i was so sick and tired from my new pregnancy i couldn't do it. Plus, it's always cold in my house, and training with all of those layers would have been a nightmare. i kinda let it slide because i've been too sick to be consistant and i don't want to confuse her. when it gets warmer we'll take the final plunge and just do it. her verbal skills are much better now, and she's showing even more signs of readiness than before.
she is an exception though. i have worked with so many toddlers, and it's very rare for one to train before 2. like everyone said, follow your child's lead. most train between 2 and 3, but i've seen plenty train between 3 and 4.

[lovemykiddos3]

I potty trained my son at 18 months, by the time he was 2 years old he had it down. My daughter just got potty trained and she is 2 1/2 years old. My son was very interesting to train, so I just waited until my daughter told me she wanted to go on her own. She is potty trained and I'm excited because I have 6 week old baby, and changing two diapered kids is way too much.So in just wait until they tell you they want to go.

[Michele, Katy, TX]

I didn't read all of the responses, but I do agree with some of what I saw in that it is just really important to wait until they are "ready".  And I think that happens at different times for each child.  Watch for signs.  Maybe put a little potty in your bathroom and when you sit down to go, you can sit your child down (when he is older I mean).

I don't start until they are almost 3.  I know that sounds late and like forever, but if you start too early, it will just be frustrating for both you and your child.  I read that and believe you me, it makes sense.  By me waiting this long, it doesn't take me too terribly long.  By then, I know they know when they need to go and again, it's less frustrating for them and myself.  Getting upset or frustrated with you child during potty training can cause it to take longer.  It can also cause constipation, because then they may try to hold it so they don't make you mad, etc.

Okay, didn't mean for this to be so long.  All of this just to say to wait until they are ready.  LOL

[7preg3b]

I have a 18 month old and have bought an elmo pitty but we've only sat on it a little..  He is not ready yet..  maybe soon,,    

[dgarroway98]

Did you know the average age that a child is FULLY POTTY TRAINED around the world is 12 months old?  And in the USA babies are allowed to sit in their pees/poos until they are 3 or 4 years OLD?  

All this "readiness" talk is total brainwashing by huggies and pampers.  These greedy corporations want you to believe that a baby cannot control their elimination.  It is just not true.  In Africa, babies are trained by 6 months (if you had to carry your water miles and wash all your diapers by hand, I bet you would be very interested in this fact!).

It is your responsibility as a parent to teach your child how to use the potty, just as you would teach them how to use a spoon, how to walk, how to avoid danger and how to sit still in a car seat.

Millie was 16 months old when I first hear the above information and we got started teaching her right away (no we did not beat her or abuse her, so please keep an open mind here).   By 18 months she was FULLY trained.  No diapers even at night.  She could hold her pees for a few hours and SHE is trained.  SHE tells US when she needs to go...it is not US who are trained.

My Point is that WE TAUGHT HER.  We did not try to let the information "infuse" into her by avoiding the subject.  We took the time and effort and TAUGHT her.  

To learn how we did it:   http://pottytrainingatoddler.blogspot.com/