Potty Training Under Two
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Potty Training Under Two
June 2004
In the last few days, my 13 month old seems to be associating
the word ''poop'' with the action. Several times, with me and at
daycare, he has said poop and had a poop in his diaper. Today he
said poop and then squatted and pooped (in his diaper). I'm
excited by this, but it has also taken me by suprise. My husband
and I realized that we don't know how to respond or what to do
next. Do we give him tons of enthusiastic praise, or do we tone
it down so we don't give him some sort of complex about pooping?
Should we get a potty and encourage him to sit on it? How do we
encourage this and the next steps of potty training in a kid who
is only barely verbal (he says a bunch of words and does signs)
and without rushing him? I know it will a VERY long process, but
I want to do the right thing now to pave the way. I checked the
archives and they don't address this issue with such a young
child.
Thanks!
Good for your boy! This is the first step. What we found very helpful is after
pooping, take off his diaper, and together with him, put the poop in the potty and
let him flush it down. Wave goodbye, clap hands! Celebrate the poop! You can get
a little potty, and let him sit, but because he is so young, my opinion is just keep
celebrating the poop and pee, but no other pressure. I got the potty when my first
son was about 18 months, he was interested for a while, then lost interest, so you
never know. BTW, both my boys just automatically trained themselves right on their
third birthday, and we3 never had trouble with the fear of pooping. Maybe fear of
pooping in the potty is rare, or maybe all their poop we put in the potty with them,
and let them flush it was good. Have fun!
lisa
First let me say how great that your baby is beginning to make
the connection to the word poop and the action poop. But, in my
opinion it's too early to start potty training. It should not
be a long process. Once the child has decided to go in a potty,
he will. You might offer a potty option, say having one in the
bathroom and asking if he'd like to use it. But, no praise or
excitement should be connected to his ''successes.'' And, don't
be disappointed if he's 2 1/2 or even 3 1/2 and still doesn't
have it down. To be potty trained is HIS decision, not yours,
and he will do it in his own time.
Anonymous
Here is your window of opportunity for potty training, take it! Although you might
not be ready for it or weren't expecting it, this is your chance to begin the process,
while he is so aware of what is going on. I just potty trained my 2.5 year old girl,
and it would have happened a lot sooner if I hadn't been so ignorant. Last year when
she was starting to show signs of knowing when she was peeing and pooping, I held
off on the training process because we were going on vacation. I totally missed my
window. Now with my second daughter, I found out about EC, (elimination
communication) also known as early potty training. There is a whole world out there
that doesn't even put diapers on their babies, and a growing subculture of parents
practicing EC in the States. There are a couple of books written about it, but I
haven't read them. The idea is that you learn to read your child's signals or rely on
timing to get them to the potty before they go. Then you make a cueing noise or
talk to them, saying something like ''Psss'' or ''Do you want to go potty?'' In the
beginning you will make about 50 trips to the potty, but then you will slowly be able
to cut that down as you're able to predict/listen to your child's cues. My now 5
month old daughter still wears a diaper, but I am able to ''catch'' nearly all of her
pees/poops when we're at home. When we're out, I don't catch as many. But I don't
really worry about it. I'm just happy to know that she'll be trained way earlier than
her big sister, and that I don't have nearly as many diapers to clean. Also, she
already almost always holds her pee until morning, so she wakes up with a dry
diaper. I know, unbelievable. I hope that doesn't change. Anyway, if your son is
recognizing his bodily functions now, you are a long way ahead of where I was with
my first daughter.
In my opinion, what we do in our culture is suppress our childrens' ability in the
beginning of their lives to recognize their elimination needs. We put diapers
containing superabsorbent polymers on them so they feel dry all the time, up until
the time we potty train them and have major headaches trying to re-establish their
connection with their bodies as toddlers.
If you are curious about it, do a search for EC on the Google, and think about
joining the Yahoo ''late starters'' EC group. Also, here is a link to an article on
starting EC after your child is 6 months old: http://www.white-boucke.com/
reviews/latestarters.html
I'm still excited about all this as you might have noticed. Good luck with your
little
boy!
Go for it!
Our little guy started at 16 mos. He was fascinated by watching us, so we got
out the potty seat someone had given us and he began sitting on that while we
used ours. Then he got hold of a potty training book in a stack someone gave
us, so I read it. He kind of 'got it' and much to my surprise one night when he
was without diaper, he went in an used the potty properly. I never told him to
do it, but I did explain what was happening when I did it. I think he's basically
potty training himself, and now at 20 mos has the whole poo thing down; we're
working on pee whenever he's diaperless but have a way to go there. We are
leaving him without a diaper in the house more and more to facilitate the
learning process.
So, while the books say don't rush it and don't work on it until after 2, I don't
see any reason not to facilitate whatever the child is initiating in a low key way.
We do clap and praise when he does it, but try to contain our glee to a
moderate level. I've heard these things move in on and off ways, so have been
warned to get too disappointed or pushy if things regress for a while.
Also, is your child using cloth diapers? Ours is. There is a much better
feedback loop and such children normally potty train much much earlier than
the kids on disposables.
margaret
I started potty training my baby girl (now almost three) at the
age of four months, after reading a book called ''Infant Potty
Training'' or something like that (I since gave the book away).
It can be had from Amazon. It may sound strange to Western ears,
but most babies around the world are potty trained by the time
they can walk, or even earlier. This is especially true, of
course, in the ''developing world'' where diapers are too
expensive a habit to maintain.
Anyhow, it's not too hard to do, but it does require some
attention. Keeping dry is totally natural. In my opinion,
humans are hard-wired for this. My daughter was really into it
up to the age of about six months, and then went back to peeing
in her diapers until the age of about 16 months, when she
started walking. She clearly wanted to use the potty, so we put
her back on it. You don't have to go 100% all the time, just
ease into it. But do your best to keep the diaper dry or off
all the time. She was definitely pre-verbal at the time, but
could readily make her wishes known through gestures, etc. I
was surprised that she really wanted to complete a potty sticker
chart in the back of a potty book called ''Lift the Lid, Use the
Potty,'' illustrated by Lisa McCue. It had space for about 30
stickers. I was worried about how to keep the chart going after
that, supposing it would take many months to complete the
training. But much to my surprise, she was very reliable by the
end of 30 stickers, and didn't need any more! I was thrilled,
especially after my first-born wore diapers until 4 and a half
years old, and still freaked out when I forcibly took them away
(just kept waiting until she ''showed interest'' as almost all
advice books say, which she never ever did. Well maybe she
would have at some point, but you can't wear diapers to
kindergarten)(but that is a whole other topic--I think she has
other issues besides wearing diapers too long).
happy pottying
December 2003
All of a sudden our 16 month old son (first born) has started to
announce, sometimes, when he has made a "poo poo". All we have
done is call his attention to it when we or he goes, in the same
way we would point out an airplane flying overhead. No pressure.
Since he now seems to be interested we have pulled out the
Everybody Poops book and gotten a potty chair. He likes to look
at the book and sit on the chair but, again, we're taking his
lead. And there are times that we have offered the potty chair
after he has pooped and he doesn't want it.
I have read the books but my question is that he seems so young
developmentally. Obviously he has reached some milestone in that
he is somewhat aware and we would like to capitalize on
the "window of opportunity" but we also want to be sensitive to
his cognitive development and that he may not be ready for
actual potty training. We just don't know. Any advice about
where to go from here? Our goal is, of course, to gently
encourage continued progress in this area without overwhelming
him or turning him off of the whole process. We are not in any
hurry. We are completely OK if he doesn't progress at this point
and we have to wait until the more average 2-3 years.
Just wondering but not in a big hurry
Our little guy developed an interest and started talking about
it at around the same age. He's now 2-1/2 and has the same
passing interest that he did more than a year ago. So, yes, it
could be that your son is getting ready to train, but it could
also be that he's just more aware of it now and will need more
time before taking more steps. Our philosophy has just been to
keep the potty available, talk to him about it when he seems to
feel like it, and let him go for it when he's ready. He just
started a daycare/preschool in October where some of the bigger
kids use the potty, and he's sort of interested in that, but not
really at home yet. But, you never know, you could be one of the
lucky early ones! :)
Laura
Concerning your curious 16 month old I would definitely move on
the potty training. They really do have control and if you're
lucky enough to have him verbally express interest this is the
perfect time. Most grandmothers tell their daughters these days
that all kids used to be potty trained about that time. They
were almost all home with the kids all day and didn't lead such
hectic lives. My feeling is that we are too busy these days to
notice all but the most obvious signs of interest in potty
training in kids. Also, potty training is a little time
consuming at first. Having different care givers with different
opinions can also complicate this process. As I was trying to
train my then 2 1/2 year old daughter my infant boy was 6
months. I started putting him on the potty for her to feel a
little solidarity. He picked it up beautifully and easily
learned to pee when the diaper was off, not on. He would get
fidgety when he had to go, so up to the bathroom we all went.
My daughter, on the other hand, had never peed out of a diaper
before and it was a very difficult transition to learn. Of
course they all end up getting it. But do the whole weekend at
home thing with lots of juice and some little reward and he'll
be done very quickly.
I moved my little boy to pull-ups when he was about 12 months
because I got so tired of taking on and off diapers. We would
usually only need one or two a day. He went to underpants at 19
months.
ladysaraj
I think you should listen to your child's cues and disregard
normative information about when children should or shouldn't be
potty-training. My own experience: I started calling my son's
attention to urinating when he was around your son's age, by
making a ''ssssss'' noise when I would use the toilet. At 18
months he learned how to control the flow of his urine by
standing up in the bath and trying. I had seen him peeing a few
times and made the sssss-noise to call his attention to what was
happening. At that point we bought him a potty. He started
using the potty occaisionally from that point on, although
almost never for pooping. At about 2-years old we started
reading him ''Everyone Poops'' and bought him underwear. He asked
to start wearing it a 2 1/4, and soon after potty trained
himself in the course of a weekend. All this was at his lead
(he had a first experiment in underwear that proved too
stressful for him, so he asked for diapers again, we obliged,
then he asked for underwear a couple months later when he felt
ready). The toilet training happened without any stress and he
rarely has accidents. Ultimately, between the first awareness
of peeing and becoming toilet trained more than eight months
passed, so it was still a long process, but one that happened
easily and at his prompting. Good luck with your son, if he
wants to talk about pooping be receptive!
anon
April 2004
My 16 month old hates to have her diaper put on and often
asks for a diaper change right after she pees or has a
bowel movement. I wasn't considering toilent training until
around 2 years, but I really have to approach her carefully to
get the diaper on without a fit. I'm not into Elimination
Communication.
We've taugh her sign langauge for diaper change and toilet
(she uses toilet to mean bowel movement, pee, fart, or
burp). She loves to help flush and seems familiar with the
toileting proceedure. But, I don't think she can pull her own
pants down. Is it too soon to toilet train? If not, how should I
do it (gradually)?
To potty or not to potty
Sounds like you have a fine opportunity here. That is IF you
want to put in the time, and if you accept that potty training at
this age is a collaboration and not an indepedent skill
'cause of pants, timing etc., if you can accept accidents, and
if you can approach it without attachment to the outcome.
It's certainly possible. It's just not entirely in your control.
EMi
I'm sorry to tell you this, but you ARE doing EC (Elimination
Communication). :) You are honoring your childs needs and
desires in elimination already. I EC'd #3 starting at 7mo and #4
was diaper free at 5 weeks at home and 4mo in public. I think
I'm pretty well versed in EC. :)
I would simply take his diaper off. He is telling you what he
wants - I'd go with it.
Kathy
It sounds to me like your daughter is ready to at least try potty
training, though I'd suggest keeping it low key. She's too old
for EC (though I suspect some would disagree), but she shows some
of the signs of being ready for traditional potty training. She's
communicating that she needs to go, shows interest in the toilet
and doesn't like being uncomfortable in a diaper. Even though she
can't pull down her pants, she's going to need your assistance
for awhile anyway, so you can work with that. You might want to
get a potty training book that would give you a set of steps to
follow. I'd start changing her diaper in the bathroom. While
you're changing diapers, talk with her about how she can tell you
she needs to go and you'll help her put her poo and pee in the
potty. When you see her showing signs of needing to go, take her
into the bathroom, even if she won't sit on the potty, so she
associates the activity with the room. A couple of times a day,
just take her into the bathroom to sit on the potty, so she gets
used to it. Reading books there is a good way to get started. Let
her show her dolls and teddy bears how to use the potty. Read her
books about pottying. Eventually she'll get the idea and want to go.
I bought a potty video so my daughter could see other babies
sitting on potties and she totally gets the idea. Now we trying
to get her to put it into action. She's 21 months and we started
this at 17 months. She was doing similar things to your daughter.
Now she talks about pottying, tells me after she's done, runs to
the bathroom to go, sits on the potty, etc. Everything but
actually going in the potty, but she's getting there. We're not
putting on any pressure and she's just enjoying learning it. You
may want to let her go naked a little while so she sees the
results of the feelings in her body of going potty. It would
speed things along. I'm planning to do so outside this summer as
I'm not real excited about it in the house.
Good luck!
Lori
Oct 2006
My daughter is 20 months old now and I feel she is ready to be
potty trained.At 1 year old I started her for fun and she took
to it, however I read the books and it told me she was too
young so I (stupidly)stopped.This mistake has haunted me ever
since.I feel she is ready and old enough to be potty trained
but refuses to sit on the potty.Whenever she needs to potty,she
goes to a private area and if I look at her she keeps
saying,''excuse me'' over and over again till I look away.She
will not let me bring her to the potty and refuses to sit on
it.I've waited 3-4 months and tried again, she still refuses.I
resent listening to the books and info I've read about this.I'm
lost.How do I potty train a girl who refuses for me to even
look at her while she is busy at #2, let alone will not sit on
the potty?I've tried giving her a reward but that does not
help.I have no idea what to do.I would appreciate any
input,advice,info,help,stories that anyone can give me.I am
also struggling with the dred of having to bring her to a
public bathroom once she is being (has been) potty trained when
I will not even go to one myself.Any advice on that would be
helpful too. PLEASE HELP ME!
''EXCUSE ME!!''
I believe 20 months is very early to be potty trained. My own
children were not ''trained'' until 2 years 9 months(girl) and 3
years(boy). It was a breeze because they were really ready -
absolutely no fights and almost no accidents. Please consider
relaxing your expectations around this issue.
Late potty no worry
Most kids will potty train themselves between 2.5 and 3.5
years. If she isn't interested in your attempts, then she just
isn't ready and you shouldn't push it. Just wait until she is
ready. You can ask her about the potty and remind her about it
gently, but if she doesn't want to, just drop it. She'll use
the potty when she is ready.
Good luck!
My child wanted underwear at 31 months, so we went ''cold turkey'' on
potty training
(much praise, no diapers), for 3 weeks until I was sick of cleaning poop
off furniture
(not once in potty). We switched to pullups , with much frustration and
impatience
on my part for ... a year! In the end, all those moms who said, ''When
your child's
ready, it'll be easy & happen quickly''... were right! My child used the
countdown to
preschool (about a month beforehand) to prepare himself mentally, and once
preschool started, has not had a single #2 accident in 6 months! He
needed his
own time, space, and me to back off & stop making it my own issue &
problem. I
regret my impatience and frustration that I verbalized to him and I wish
I'd listened
to all those veteran moms who told me to settle down, he'll be potty
trained by
kindergarten. It's a skill our children need for life. We're there to
guide, but it
needs to be THEIR accomplishment, not OURS
hang in there, I hate poop cleanups, too
I also started my daughter's potty training at around 20
months. At first she was enthusiastic and did pretty well.
But as the novelty wore off, it went downhill fast. She went
back in diapers until she was around 2 and a half when I tried
again. That was an even BIGGER disaster, with much resistance,
anger, and even ''accidents on purpose.'' I didn't think it was
a battle worth fighting with her, so back into diapers she went
once more.
The funny thing is that just a few months after that very
unpleasant attempt I tried again, and this time it rapidly
clicked. No tears, no power struggles, and only a reasonable
number of accidents before she had it down. We were both happy
through the whole process.
So, my advice would be to not worry too much if your daughter
isn't cooperating or just doesn't seem to completely get it
yet. Let her wear diapers exclusively for a break from potty-
related stress, and try again in a few months. When she is
ready, it will be very obvious (and easy)
E in Oakland
You could start by having her private spot for pooping be the bathroom.
Then, or
with this, you could just start putting her in training pants or naked. It
seems like
she definitely knows before she goes, and she will not like being wet, so
the potty
maybe more appealing.
As for going in public restrooms, I don't know what your aversion is to
them, but
you can take solace in having her sit on a potty there too, instead of the
public seat.
My daughter, who pretty much trained herself at around that age, seems to
enjoy
visiting exotic bathrooms around town!
Oh, also get the story book, ''The potty book for girls'' and read that to
her a lot
anon
May 2004
We have been taking a *very* relaxed, ''follow-her-lead''
approach to potty-training our 22-month old daughter over
the past 3-4 months, and are now at a standstill. She
seems ready to be potty-trained in every way, except to
actually deposit the contents into the potty. At this point, she
constantly takes off her pants and diapers whiles playing.
Periodically, tells us she's going to go potty, and loves to sit
on the potty for prolonged periods of time-- only when she
doesn't really have to go. When she does really need to go,
she demands that we put on her diaper. She'll hold onto
her crotch and cross her legs to hold off pee-ing till I put on
the diaper. After she wets/soils the diaper, she promptly
asks to be changed. The times I've coaxed her into sitting
on the potty (when she really needed to go) with the promise
of stickers, she released only a few drops then clamoured
for the diaper, which she promptly soaked. I don't want to
withhold the diaper for too long for fear of causing her long-
term problems with release. Pee-ing or poo poo-ing into
the potty (the few times she's done so) seems to make her
very excited and proud as well as agitated and anxious. I
know we still have plenty of time to get her potty trained, but
she really has seemed ready for a long time now-- she's
very (exceptionally) verbal and communicative, knows when
she needs to go, can manipulate her clothing well, hates
wet/soiled diapers, can hold off going till she wants to, etc.
Looking back, I wish I had done the ''week-end potty-
training'' method way back when she initially showed the
interest and readiness. Does anyone have an idea as to
what's going on inside her head and what I can do to help
her realize it's OK to release her pee and poo-poo into the
potty? This has been going on for a while now, and I'm not
sure how to progress from here.
Kim
Both my daughters were the same! My 28 month old just finally
decided it was OK to use the potty. She had control for at least
six months, and was wearing a diaper only to relieve herself for
about three or four. My oldest did the exact same thing. Just
don't stress on it. Your daughter will eventually decide its
okay. I have no wisdom as to what is going on in their heads; I
often wondered myself! But I do know having gone through it that
they'll do it in their own time and not when pushed (tried it;
didn't work). Fortunately for me, my youngest was able to pee and
poop right away, whereas the oldest still had to use the diaper
to poop for several more months. I do not regret this method at
all; it was easy and stress free (except for the times I pushed
too hard). The weekend method would not have worked for my
children I suspect....
Don't push it; your daughter isn't even two. She won't be going
to Kindergarten with diapers, and maybe not even preschool!
Hilary
Sounds like your daughter is actually very well potty-trained at a young age. I'm
sure the potty part will come in soon enough. When my daughter was completely
trained for pee, she requested a diaper to poop for several more months. I just
dressed her in cloth training pants and gave her a diaper whenever she wanted. She
didn't have ''accidents'' because she told me when she wanted a diaper. The potty
was always available and one day she just started using it. We didn't make a big
deal out of any of this. I encouraged a nighttime diaper, but gave her the choice.
As an avid nighttime nurser, she really couldn't stay dry at night until she weaned.
anon
It is pretty early for your 22 month-old to be potty trained.
Since she knows what to to but doesn't want to, I would give it
a rest for a few weeks to a month. Just stop talking about it
and let her initiate it. This is the age where they are
starting to understand about control and she might not be ready
for that next step. If you don't object to changing her
diapers, give her some more time without pressure.
Joan
We have an organic/no processed foods household. But when it came to potty
training I let my beliefs about sugar and food coloring go and introduced Skittles-
We kept a jar of them on the back of the toilet and every time my little girl actually
went in the toilet we gave her one- Which sometimes meant five or six Skittles per
day. It completely changed the game. We were amazed to see what a difference it
made. It was probably more significant because she had no other refined sugar in
her diet and had not had candy before. She is now potty trained and so I threw out
most of the remaining Skittles and eventually they were 'all gone'- It seemed to
work for us. We also used it as a color game- she would pick out which color of
Skittle she wanted each time- Good luck!
Beth
Feb 2004
Help! We have been ''stranded'' in the final stages of potty
training my 22 month old boy. I EC'd (elimination
communication) since he was a baby and he also wore cloth
diapers up until a few months ago so he is VERY aware of his
bodily functions. His language skills are excellant and he
knows all the words for elimination (plus he has an older
brother to watch and learn from). Our problem? Well, we don't
always make it to the potty, we are on the move constantly(out
of the house) and I can't seem to break through to 100% potty/no
diaper. He's also too short to pee standing up so public
restrooms are particularly stressful(for me) b/c I don't want
him to touch anything. Yes, I have one of those take along, fold
up potty seats, but he doesn't like it.
Some people might say he is too young, but I think he is ready
and he's always been interested. I also know that I missed this
opportunity (my laziness) with my oldest child when he was 20-24
months, and then we had to endure diapers till he was 3 yrs
old. Should I just say bye bye to the last bag of diapers, and
go with underwear all the way(and all the mishaps with it)? Do
you take your potty seat(borjn) with you everywhere? Any
creative tips?
Cannot stand diapers!
My daughter was 23 months old when we said goodbye to diapers --
and I mean that literally: when it was clear to me that she was
ready, I told her that in three more days, she'd be wearing
underwear and not diapers, and would be putting her urine in the
toilet every time.
For the first two days we stayed home the whole day and spent a
lot of time with her sitting on the potty while I read to her.
She spent these two days naked so that she'd see right away if
urine came out while she was not on the potty. She had
six ''accidents'' the first day, three the next, and then about
two or three every day for a week, then two or three times a
week, then rarely.
I've read in several places (though I can't cite them) that it's
best to go cold turkey on diapers. Using them again sends a
mixed message. Learning the consequences of missing is part of
toilet learning. I required my daughter to wipe up any urine
that was on the floor, and if the sheets needed changing we did
it together. The only allowance I made, and did this for about
six months, was to put her in a Pullup, which we called ''road-
trip underwear,'' if we were going to be in the car for more than
about half an hour.
I found training pants (Gerber's one brand that makes them)
helpful because while they weren't all that absorbant, they
stopped the urine from reaching beyond her own clothing, if she
was standing, which was helpful when she peed in the grocery
store on day three!
I strongly encourage you to stick with it. Your son sounds
really ready.
Best of luck!
xinesinnott
My son ''nearly'' potty trained at 24 months but we did struggle
with timing stuff for a while. What I did was to carry an empty
wide mouth plastic bottle wherever we went and stopped
immediately (often not the most convenient or discreet of
locations), and allowed him to relieve himself. Seriously, I had
a stockpile in my car. I really think that correlating the
sensation of having to pee along with the telling you that he has
to pee with enough time to find a place to do so, takes a while
to develop. I did not put him back in diapers and just carried
changes of clothing for a while. To solve the peeing in public
while too short problem, I would just have him stand on the rim
with the seat up. It helps with learning to aim as well as the
yuck factor. good luck.
everyone has dry pants now
I EC'd my last two babies and used cloth diapers with my first
two. I think you should pee him when he needs to pee. I still
pee my 2yo in parking lots, beside trees, etc., when she
absolutely HAS to go. The other kids just wait in the car.
Before we go anywhere we all pee. Well, the 4yo and 2yo do. If
the 2yo doesn't want to pee on the potty, we pee beside the car.
We take a potty in the car with us.
I'm not sure if the problem is that HE doesn't want to pee of if
you're simply having trouble getting him to a restroom - if it is
the latter, I'd simply take him to a bush/tree/car with a potty
in it (the 4yo's choice) and pee/poop him there. The 2yo rarely
poops more than 2x a day and she always holds it for home, but if
your boy poops a lot, simply take a prefold (cloth diaper) with
you, place it on the ground and have him poop on it (at the
bush/tree/etc.).
I hope this has been helpful.
Kathy
Sounds like you are right where we were at 22 months. I did
carry a bjorn potty in a backpack, stroller basket, or trunk of
my car for a few months, along with a spare pair of pants. We
did not use pull-ups or diapers because I thought that was a
confusing message. My son is 30 months now and I still carry a
spare pair of pants for the rare occassion when we have an
accident. It's a big help if you can teach him to pee outside.
I'm not sure when that ''final step'' happens. He still needs my
help with his pants and getting off the potty. Seems like there
is always ''one more step.''
Good luck,
emi
Not to be totally annoying, but can you get over your wish for him not
to
touch the toilet seat? He's going to need to do it for awhile -- and
I'm
sure you've heard this a zillion times before, but one encounters a
thousand times more germs on the door handles of public restrooms
than on the toilet seats. And obviously you will do much better if you
can
use the public restroom!
My son (2 and a half) is about where yours is in terms of potty
training,
though in his case it's that I have a hard time getting him to tell me
before the need is truly urgent, and sometimes we don't move fast
enough. When it comes to public restrooms, I just balance him while he
sits on the seat, and he's fine with it. He also won't use a
porta-potty of
any sort, because it's not ''what big people do'' and he's very into
that.
I've just taken to carrying two extra outfits and a plastic bag
everytime we
go anywhere, and reminding him often (''Do you need to go to the
potty?''). I figure we'll eventually get there -- but I also assume
it's going
to take awhile, and that I'm going to have to deal with accidents.
Karen
Based on observing potty training in my daughter's toddler
class, it doesn't seem to matter too much if the child starts
potty training before turning two or after turning two. They
don't get it completely until they are about 2.5. Maybe this is
physical rather than based on the child's/parent's intent. To
prevent accidents until then you will probably need to take a
potty with you when you go out, scout out restrooms in advance
before going somewhere, and put on diapers when using public
transportation. My daughter was completely potty trained day
and night at 2.5 after being close to it for several months.
LC
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