Early Stages of Toilet Training - Where to Start?

After discussing the possiblity of #2, DH said he would like only 1 in nappies. So I want to start giving Aidan some prompts, and dont know where to start?

I think he is too young yet to understand undies, but should I consider buying a step and seat for the "big toilet" and/or a potty (which do you recommend, toilet or potty?) and I was also thinking of buying a doll that wees (any idea where I can find this?)

And finally, is it possible to teach boys to wee sitting down or is it best to start them standing up from as early as possible? I have read other posts where boys can get confused with standing up for wees and sitting down for poos.

Thanks!

hi jess

must say i have been a bit slack in tt - i tend to take the child's lead, my first dd was 21mths old when ds was born so i didn't bother trying to train her - i started when he was about 6mths old and it was a bit of a schamozzle so i stopped and waited - she was fully trained day and night by age 3 - in all it only took about 1wk

ds was 3 1/2 yrs old before he was trained and again he was trained day and night within the week (albeit the occassional accident here and there), i tried with him when he was around 2yrs old and it was just soooooo frustrating me and him - he would sit for ages and say he didn't need to go and as soon as he got of the loo he would wee - so back into nappies lol until one day out of the blue he said he wanted to wear big boys jocks so i gave it a go and i just let him guide me - turned out he wanted to wee standing up just like dad (didn't want a bar of sitting down lol) i had no trouble with the poo situation either - but then again he was alot older.

as for potties personally i don't like them at all, in my opinion you train them on the potty then you have to do it all over again and train them on the big toilet - with my first i tried the potty and she used to get frustrated with it cause it didn't feel right for her being so low to the ground and it kept slipping, i got one of those toilet seats with the steps on and it was much better, actually a girlfriend recently borrowed it and has trained her son he was trained nearly at the age of 2 1/2 yrs but it took her a long time.

sorry i haven't been much help here at all, i think i am slack in the toilet training situation but i just like to follow there lead, lani tells me when she is doing wee (or really i just can tell by the look on her face, and i ask her if she is doing wee and she holds her nappy - she tells me when she has done poo, she will look for me and coming over saying poo poo) i will try lani next summer she will be around 2yrs and 3mths or thereabouts and if she doesn't want a bar of it then i will just gently talk to her about it every so often and try again every few months.

am sure you will get some great suggestions for the others tho.

Hi - I used to have Cait sit on the potty from when she could walk, not intending that she would wee in it and understand, but just so she wasn't scared by it when the time came.

We bought a wee dolly from toys r us for $20 and it came with a bottle and dolly potty.

She also picked out a potty when she was 2 and we did train properly. The first pot was one of those white plastic ones with the tray across the front, and Caits bottom used to get suction cupped into it and leave a red line ! She also picked out undies when she was two years old.

I tried with Cait when she was two, but she didn't want to know about it. Tried again two months later and she got it in a week. It was a week spent at home, no creche, no netball, or shopping or friends over, its was full on undies and potty week.

Mooshie - I had the opposite with the toilet seat with steps, our loo is about three inches taller than the norm and the step thing never sat properly and Cait didn't like it. Cait liked the potty as well, and used to sit in front of the TV on it, ug ! Until we got new carpet and I put my foot down. Emptying the pot into the loo is also not a joy, especially when they want to help or do it.

Barb.

I got a potty for Maddison as soon as she could sit up, she would sit on her potty every morning eating her vegemite toast. Most mornings she did a poo anyways & now it would go in potty with a wee, she would clap & be happy, but not really know what she was doing as such, she wasnt walking, but she was not at all scared of the potty..
By the time she was 22 months she was full trained day & night.
We already have a potty in Indah's room too, so once she is sitting she will also eat her toast sitting on potty watching cartoons... I can only hope she is as easy as Maddy was..
I had no problems with her going on toilet from potty either, she just did it, but she would not flush toilet far about 6 months after being toilet trained as she was scared of the flush, she also was a pain wanting to empty potty into toilet!!!