Actually, fully trained by 15 months isn't that unusual. Back 1 generation ago, almost every child was toilet trained by 2 years, reliably, and in the 50's the normal age for complete reliability was 18 months, with many many kids less than that. I was semi-toilet trained at 11 months, but had a regression due to an anal tear on the potty - then took 6 months to get over that. My sister fully TT'd at 17 months. my aunt never had a nappy on after 11 months (and my grandma was quite houseproud!) there are lots of examples. BUT disposables have drastically reduced the incentive for kids to use potty - thus I have recommended to lots of friends to change to cloth at 9 months or so so they start to get the feel. also, there's lots less incentive for parents using sposies!
Apparently starting younger, rather than waiting is the key. (heard recently that a study from scandinavia demonstrated that kids were better off introduced to the potty much earlier than is currently normal. Wish I knew where a copy of that study was.)
as for bargaining with a 10 month old, I guess you woudl tell them every time you put the nappy on, plus let them learn from experience that after a change they are naked. They certainly can learn much before we think they can but I guess it takes lots of repetition - much like for a dog. a dog has the reasoning capacity of roughly a 2 year old, and even a puppy can learn what a 1 year old can learn - pups certainly learn how their actions effect what happens to them very easily. I guess one can only try!
MMM I don't think at that age thats actually being toilet trained. I think thats more like what people who do EC. I think it would be reading the signs etc.
We have never really used a potty, our toilet seat has 2 seats on it, so it has a smaller child seat that can be put down over the lge one.
wel maybe a potty might be a good idea then?? perhaps less intimidating? Also, in a potty she can hear the noise a wee makes more clearly than in the loo. They are cheap - $6 at target - not too much to risk if she never wants to use it.
as for age, I have no idea - but if it was a normal thing at 18 months then I dare say it was properly trained - mums back then often had huge families and I doubt they would have been looking at too many signs if the kids had no way of making their needs very clear. I guess it all depends how you define "toilet trained" hey!
I define it as not using nappies or having any accidents. But that might still mean I do all the reminding and taking ot the loo. Others might not call it trained until the child takes themselves every time without any reminding.
Yeah, i don't think it's TT if i'm still having to remind. I consider TT to be able to know they need to go, and can go, in the right place. I know they'll sometimes need help with wiping/clothes etc. but i reckon her saying "i need a wee" and then doing a wee is TT whereas me glancing at the clock and taking her off to the loo isn't. Just my opinion, i guess it's different for everyone.
I was TT at 11 months my mother told me, but when i quizzed my dad i was, in fact, put on the loo every hour-90 minutes from then until i was 2 and a half. If i did that with Smee she'd be "TT" as she's pretty reliable as to when she goes if her routine is regular. I've read so many places now that physiologically they don't get enough warning to be anything but be occasionally lucky until they're 20 months or so, and i'm not making any concerted efforts before then.
I just got a potty at the weekend. Just now she gets applause if she sits on it, and if she's having nappy-off time i ask "want to do a weewee in the potty?" and she'll sit but hasn't peed yet. I guess if she does i'll give big praise and if she doesn't - no worries.
We have a potty, actually we have 2 but never had much luck with them so just don't bother. I think they do see it as strange because Mum & dad don't pee in a potty.
yeah, that could happen. maybe recruit a friend with a slightly more tt'd toddler to come and demonstrate???
as for no warning before 20 months - I think newborns are born with good awareness but it fades with nappy usage as the child has no reason to continue to strengthen these muscles or listen to their own body as theri toilet is always on their bottoms. I heard that after 2 years of nappying a toddler's bowel sphincter is less strong than at birth, so it takes a while to re=establish control.
I know that my dd cries a very specific cry, with the "Ah" syllable in it a lot when she needs to wee - at first it was too late by the time I got there but now I can hear the cry, finish my last mouthful or type the last sentence, pick her up, take off clothes, cover and nappy (if she's wearing that much) then hold her over potty and she'll go in 10 or so seconds. Her father and grandma have occasionally recognised this "potty call" too, with enough warning. She's 3 months. we're more than occasionally lucky too - she does about 15 wees a day, 10 or more in potty. all poos in potty for 5 days of week, about 2 dirty nappies weekly - just small bits that have escaped while she's just waking or something.
by the way, I NEVER used to believe any of this - until I tried it myself and found I must have been completely wrong. my doctor said that when he went to china with his 8month old son they couldn't buy disposables and were looked at like they'd flipped their lid for not having their kid already nearly toilet trained. they had to stop using nappies that day - kid started toilet training straight away and was, like most chinese kids, reliable by 18 months.
ETA - Glenn has his older brother to see using the toilet. See the problem isn't knowing how to use the toilet, its realising he needs to use it.
Today he poo'd in his pants but actually said when I told him he had undies on "No, got nappy on". So I let that one slide as he did think he was wearing a nappy.
I've started TTing my 2yo recently, for the second time. I tried a few months back, cos she seemed ready i.e taking lots of interest in when other people go to the toilet, recognising wee's and poos etc...but we didn't have much luck back then, so i figured she wasn't ready. Now with a new baby in the house, i'm finding having 2 kids in nappies is a lot of work, so i decided to try again. Plus she has a hideous nappy rash that is driving her (and us) bonkers at the moment, so i thought great opportunity for her to run around without anything on, or in her undies.
She seems to be really anxious about letting go though. She'll happily sit and "play" with the potty, but when it comes to actually letting a wee out....it's close to a traumatic event!!! She screams and dances around, hopping from one foot to the other, saying "i don't want to" and holding on to herself. We've tried many things, but it doesn't seem to be working. She did finally do a wee yesterday, and i praised her lots and when we told daddy last night he was very proud etc etc. I thought today we might go better, seeing as though she go such a good, positive response yesterday, but no....we're back to the screaming and carry-on.
My eldest daughter basically TTed herself at 18mths....one day she just decided to come sit next to me and do wee's....by 2yo she was TTed during the night as well and 100% nappy-free. So now i think "what's going on" with Broni...and was thinking is she lazy or just not ready...so i'm glad i cam upon this thread. I will perservere and will take on board some of the suggestions/advice/comments written. I know it's early days....but thank heavens we have a tiled house! lol
Glenn still hasn't really improved much. I tried pull ups but after wearing 1 he broke out in a contact allergy from something in them. I dunno if I want to try another brand or not. We are moving soon & will have floorboards so wont be as big a deal. But just today he has had 2 accidents. He just doesn't seem to register when he needs to do a wee. All trips to the toilet are from us taking him.
He is getting too big for nappies though so it better click soon.
I so hear you girls. I am having trouble with Kat still. She knows when she's done one. She tells me when she's "stinky" or when Jess is. But she still cannot release and i can't seem to help her know how to. I've tried the wee'ing on the loo (standing up so she can see me. I got cheered and clapped but no closer to her going). I've done the every 30 mins thing and she still manages to hold on till she's off and in knickers before doing it. She hates the feeling but she still wets her pants and not in the potty/toilet. Should I give up for a while? Jess on the other hand enjoys sitting on the potty. However she doesn't understand how to wee either. *sigh* Knowing my luck I will end up with 3 in nappies! AUGH!
hrm. there needs to be a toilet training school, like sleep school where you can send/take ur toddler for a week or two and they Teach us and the kids how to TT sucessfully hehehe
definitely Kerrie - i'd pay money to go to one! Oscar was at the same stage as Glenn in that he would go on the loo/potty if i woul dput him on it but would never tell me and if i asked woul dsay no - only to wee/poo 10 seconds later. I gave up and went back to nappies a few months back as i really didn't have the energy. We talk about it now and he tells me wees and poos should go in potty or toilet but just wont/doesn't seem able to tell me before hand.... so still in nappies and i'm waiting for a sign off him that he is more willing/able.
Good luck girls and any more hints/tips would be great - thanks
katkins - will she wee on the potty WHILE she is wearing her undies? it'd be a start.
then you could cut a hole in it. i'd try to tt both girls at once. jessica I see is almost 2. definitely not too early. doing them together could create some healthy kind of competition! (BUT, so that you don't go insane - I wouldn't take jessica out of nappies yet - just encourage her to use the potty as often as possible - eventually she will do most of them in there and then you can drop the nappies- but that could be weeks/months away. if you don't stress about it, it won't matter how long it takes - starting earlier.)
Thank for the advice girls, I do do that anyway. I sit them both on potty at same time. They both just seem stuck on the releasing part. They will tell me when they HAVE done one. But even if I can see they need to go and sit them on the potty (jess last week was dancing due to doing poo, we sat her on and she did a tiny bit, but wouldn't do any more till we put her nappy on), they won't do anything till they have their nappies on again or knickers on. Pretty much as soon as we take them off the potty they seem to go. I'm not going to stress. It'd just be nice to have two nappy less kids when number 3 comes along....
Thanks for the encouragement girls! Looks like there are a lot of us with almost 3 year olds still struggling with TT. The grandparents are coming tomorrow for a week I'm hoping Nathaniel will want to show off to them and we can use that as a bit of leverage????? Wishful thinking but I think that everything is worth a try!
I have a 3 year old DD who will merrily sit on the potty but nothing ever happens there. Nothing ever. She then stands up and 3 minutes later pees on the floor. I feel like I have tried everything. I suppose the only thing left is to go diaperless for a while and see what happens. Too bad I have so much carpet.
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