18 month old and potty training...when should I begin?

My DD is 18months old. My DH and I are at odds as to when we should begin potty training...any suggestions would help! I say to wait until she is 2 yrs old, he want to start now...

[Lostinaphorisms]

I'm not an expert, but I would say that 18m is on the early side. I think it wouldn't hurt to sit her on the potty while you read her a story or something and then if she does happen to go, give her positive reinforcement so she knows she did a good job. Then you'll have a headstart, even if she's not quite ready for the real deal yet. Some signs you can look for are: is she staying dry for long periods during the day (2,3,4hrs)? Is she able to pull up/down her pants? Will she sit still for a few minutes at a time? Hope this helps! btw, I have a 28 month old who is just beginning to potty train. I have also worked in several daycare centers and there were some children who weren't fully potty trained til after age three, so there is definitely a wide range of what's acceptable :)

[Limonada]

I agree with the previous poster.  Eighteen months isn't too early to begin introducing the potty, getting her comfortable with the idea of it and teaching her what it's for, but it shouldn't be done with any expectations or pressure.  If she's displaying clear signs of readiness (I'd add pulling off her diaper when it's wet/dirty to the list that the other poster provided) then that's a different story.

Boys tend to be different, but my son, now 4, was trained by the time he was 2.5 years old.  We started showing him the potty and sitting him on it just before he was 18 months old but waited until he was showing he was ready before doing any serious training.  He was mostly trained by the end of the first week, fully trained (daytime hours) after 2 weeks.  It didn't take long after that for him to be trained for overnight as well.

Good luck :)

[Helen72]

I would wait till she is closer to 2 since aroun 18 months my dd was going every 30 min or so.  She should be able to wait if she needs to.  I introduced potty early but it was not very useful till she learned to wait during a long drive.
Good luck!

[blueeyedtabbycat]

hey girl!! Havent seen you in a while:) well my Taylor is now 19 months but started potty training (going on the potty) at 18 months. I think if she is ready that its great. My Taylor does really well but she wants to go, I dont make her. But then again sometimes I feel like its a game to her cause every 5 minutes she is crying that she has to pee. Dalton, now 2 and  half started going on the potty at 15 months.  Again I didnt make him. The first time he did it he stood like his daddy and brothers. I didnt push the issue with him cause I knew it was WAY too young but let him use the potty when he wanted. He is now fully potty trained (since about 21 months) and sometimes I wonder if he could have been potty trained if I would have pushed it before at 15 months. I heard this really crazy story about these parents that were putting their 6 week old on the potty every hour and claimed she was potty trained. IMO they were on something, lol!

If she is ready I dont think it will hurt to try, just dont push it:)

[Juana824]

Thanks for the comments..I have started putting her on the potty first thing in the morning...her "royal potty' "sings" when she goes potty and she loves it. She even took some toliet paper and tried to wipe her privates...so I guess she is telling me she is ready. I don't want to force her, but she is showing signs,,,,