[fraidycat]

Hi. I want to TT my 18month DS. I'm not sure if he is ready yet and am not sure what the signs are supose to be? I have got the Super Nanny's book and she says you can do it in a week and wanted to know if anyone has actually done this and knows how to do it. I am a SAHM so the time is not an issue. He is getting way too heavy to change on a change table now and when he poos he stands there and stares at me whilst doing it. Someone told me that she just sat her children on the potty after meals and that is how she did it but my little one wont sit on the potty but will carry it around! Advice please!

[sophiasmum]

Gosh, I've never trained them that early, mine were around age 3, I can't imagine it being easy at that age. I would wait.

[Fossy]

Is there a reason you want to train early?

I'd wait until you see clear signs of readiness - vocalising need to go to the toilet, interest in the toilet, watchig you go etc. Showing control of their bladder ie during nappy free time.

Trying to train if a child isn't ready can really impact on successful toilet training. I'd wait until you have clear signs of readiness. That being said, if the signs are there, go for it!

Good luck!

[Jess1]

My little one is the same age and I cannot imagine her being even nearly ready to TT. If you want to try of course go ahead but there is a saying that goes "the earlier you start the longer it takes" so it might be a bit more trouble than it is worth.

Do you know if super nanny has a timeframe to start because if she does the method she uses might not be suitable for one so young.

[Gonewiththewind:...]

18 months is INCREDIBLY young to be toilet training, especially a boy. Most people I know start toilet training their girls around 2-2.5 & boys 2.5-3.

[nen-c]

I've no idea about the super nanny method. I started DS relatively early - (21 months), but he had been telling me when he was going to poo and did have some awareness about wees, since he was 18 months. DS is now almost 2 and fully trained, but it probably did take us a bit longer for him to be 100% reliable as he was quite young than if I had waited for a few more months.

I suggest you look at some of the indicators that your toddler is ready, like at this site. http://www.babycenter.com/0_potty-training...ecklist_4384.bc

[AvadaKedavra]

All kids are of course different, but 18 months strikes me as a pretty miserable time to try!

The things your child needs to be able to do to be toilet trained is:
1. Recognise when they need to go
2. Communicate to you that they need to go
3. understand that they need to hold on until they get to a toilet
4. Be willing to sit on a toilet

My understanding is you should either start at birth or wait until they can understand abstract concepts and verbalise well I.e. 2.5 ish. Remember that toilet training is expecting a very unnatural skill from a little human - traditional societies wee and poo pretty much on demand, they might wander to the edge of the house/village but that's it. Holding on while you find a toilet in a shopping centre, or whole you walk home from the park? Very unnatural.

My DS toilet trained himself in two days at 2 yrs 9 months. He could do wees on a toilet about six months earlier, but had NO idea when pops were about to come (though could tell us 'too late' that he was doing/had done one). Super nanny or otherwise, I don't believe he would have had ANY chance at 18 months. And for what benefit?

[Princess.cranky....]

Sorry no idea about SN TT.. But have to agree 18 months is very young for TT. Most would not be ready at that age. If your DS can't understand about sitting on the potty then he is not ready yet.

I have not started TT with my 21 month old yet. She can go for a few hours without doing a wee but she doesn't have the understanding yet of what doing a wee/poo is. I will leave it a bit longer and probably start when summer comes.

Toilet training is a developmental process. There has to be the connection between the brain and need to do a wee/poo.
Signs of they are ready are going dry for longer and longer periods (2 or more hours). Telling you they have done a wee. They might hold on to their pants if they need to go or hide in the corner to do a poo. Should be able to pull down their pants.

It's much easier to TT during summer because you let them run around with no nappy/pants. No dealing with wet pants when it's cold.

Sitting on the potty at regular intervals is more 'toilet timing' then toilet training. It won't train your child if he is not ready for TT. I never had to sit my two the potty regularly. Once they were ready for TT it happens quite quickly and they took themselves to the potty/toilet without much prompting.

DD1 was 2.6 years and DD2 was 2.9 years when we TTed. Also be prepared that you might not night train till much later. DD2 is 3.9 years and not night trained yet.

[Allymeg69]

I haven't looked at any books or guides on TT, and wasn't expecting DS (20mths) to start yet, but over the last month or so, he has been showing a lot of interest in using the potty at childcare so his carers have been responding to his interest and giving him the chance to sit on the potty when he wants to. He has been doing wees on the potty during after-sleep change time at childcare for a week or so, and a couple of times at home has actually indicated he wants to wee and then does follow through when I put him on the potty.

He has also started pulling at his nappy and patting his bottom saying "poo" and up to now that has been his way of telling us he has just done a poo.

I am realistic in thinking it may well take some time before he actually knows enough in advance to tell us and allow us to get him to the potty or toilet, but both I and the carers at his childcare centre are just allowing him to take it at his pace and learn for himself what is happening. None of us are trying to actively train him IYKWIM.

So it very much depends on the individual child.

This post has been edited by Allymeg69: 24/05/2012, 03:06 PM

[new~mum~reenie]

You could try it, but not push it, if that makes sense.

I'm one of 5 kids and mum had us all toilet trained between 12-14 month. Just started putting us in undies, helping us use the potty etc. Not make it a negative experience etc etc

it can be done. She was shocked I left it till 2.5 with DS. I think a lot of it is to do with disposable nappies. They draw away the moisture too quick and that association between the need/sensation and then being wet is being learnt later. I guess the same goes with mcn's because the fleece 'wicks' it away without leaving them wet - where as we all had terry flats growing up.... just a theory...