What age to start toilet training

I don't think 19.5 months is all that old and certainly no need to be worried about it yet. In saying that though I sat my DD on the potty first thing every morning from about 16 months onwards, not because I was TT her but because I wanted to get her used to sitting on it. We used to have 5 minutes of book reading while she sat on the potty first thing in the morning and more often than not she would wee in it.

I started TT when she was able to remain dry for longer periods of time and she seemed aware of what she was doing and knew the difference between wet and dry. DD showed signs at 18 months and went well for a month then things fell apart and I stepped back a bit till she was 24 months and she got it within 2 weeks. She spent lots of time bare bum over summer and I put her on the potty regularly. I spent time talking about wet and dry (I used washing her hands and swimming and watering the garden to make my point). I don't remember directly asking her if she was weeing or pooing but I sat her on the potty at times she was likely to go (1st thing, 20 mins after breakfast, before her bath etc) and when she did I made a big deal out of pointing out she had done wees in the potty.

Hope some of that helped. Good luck!

It took my daughter till just over 3 to really get it. I had several people tell me that if they are ready it would be easy. I tried a couple of times when I thought she was showing the signs but it was hard and she clearly wasn't ready when i look back. Sure enough when the time was right it actually was easy. Only a couple of accidents and she understood straight away what to do and where to do it. I wouldn't be worrying about it at 19.5 months old. I actually had a couple of friends whos children TT early and they had loads of regressions and problems over a long period. Most ended up back in nappies for a time and all of them seemed to 'get it' around 2.5-3 years old.

My DS is just two, and he sounds just like yours! No acknowledgement whatsoever, blank looks when I ask him if he is pooing, happy to run round in a filthy nappy, pooed on his own foot one day and just kept going...He's so not ready!! He still seems amazed when his willy pees! So we'll wait a while

Boys do take longer than girls. DS1 is toilet trained for wees but for some reason hates doing poos in the potty or toilet.
He has just turned 3.

I wouldn't worry about. It is much easier when they are a bit older and they can go to the toilet/potty, manage their own pants and then know to wash hands afterwards

nzpiper wrote: Its the minority that tt that young...and honestly, changing nappies is sometimes easier than TTing. Wait till they are gagging for it

Totally agree!

My DS is 2.5 and we're going to give it a shot at Easter. He would have been nowhere near ready before two, and I think it's only recently that I have felt confident that we can have a go and see what happens.

My boy started tt at about 2.8 months and it went really smoothly, about 90% in 2 weeks. You can start earlier but it is a lot of hard work from parents side and tends to go on and on and on!!!

My DD is 13 months and I've started putting her on the potty lol. She's done wees in the potty once and does #2's quite regularly in the potty now, but she freaks out when she does poos in her nappy lol.
My Mum had all of us kids TT'ed by the time we were 16 months old cause she started real young with us, I'm hoping to do the same and so far so good But I guess it just depends on the kid really. My sisters kids weren't fully TTed till they were 3

Thanks for all the tips ladies! Just lurked in to read up on where everyone else is and am very reassured now. DD is only 17months and calls poos "wees" and tells us every time she has one. Watches us on the toilet and loves to sit on her potty and read a book but has yet to actually do anything in there. Might try the routine on it, after breakfast etc? I'm not in a hurry but i wouldn't want to miss the signs if i can get her started when she is keen. Especially with another due in less than 5 months!

when they can manage the routine by themselves, pants off, pants on, wash hands. and ask for the toilet. anything before that is probably more work for the parent than anything

hi,

my daughter is 2 (just turned 2 this week) and about 3 months ago was just so suddenly keen on toilet,,,climed on it herself (luckily the lid was closed) as i heard her there and she was smiling at me happily from the loo... she loved the potty, first few days all she wanted to do was sitting on it but one she accually did the wee, she got soooo horrified by the noise, wee spleshing etc... that she just wouldnt go nowhere near the potty or toilet.
She holds for hours, really from lunch time sometimes till 7pm or longer and then her wee is just too bit for any nappy. she also has regularly dry nigh nappies and sometimes says she s doing wee,,, before she wets she nappy. It s frustrating as she feels to me to be ready, but just screams if suggest trying to sit on a potty or toilet. I think she loves wearing nappies as she is adament which colors of her Itti s she wants on and get s them out from a drawer....
oh well, toileting is just like eating, they cant be forced into these thing, so just take a breath and wait when they show interents as the stress is not worth it.
I guess unless she s keen before I ll leave it till next spring:-)

Good luck to all!!!

Edited by iceland