All parents want the satisfaction and comfort of potty training their children from as early an age as possible. There’s nothing better than realizing for the first time that you don’t actually have to pack a “baby bag” full of nappies, nappies, wipes, mats, creams, powders, and all things baby changing! However, some parents put too much pressure on themselves and their young children to try to make it happen.
For whatever reason, we parents love to exaggerate the efforts and accomplishments of our little bundles of joy. I guess that’s what makes us loving parents! Many parents love to proudly announce to the world that their little cherub is potty trained simply because they put their little one on the potty at just the right time and voila, the magical potty is done! Unfortunately, babies and toddlers are not kittens and it takes more than one successful mission to win this battle.
So when is the right time to start? The answer is highly debated and responses are mixed, however it seems that the general consensus for successful potty training your toddler is between the ages of around 16 months to 2 years. Keep in mind that this is the general “starting point” and not the actual time frame in which your child should be fully potty trained.
Some people have reported full potty training by the age of 14 to 18 months, but this is extremely rare. Other parents know the struggle of potty training and have experienced that this stage of development was not successfully completed until the age of 6, 7 and even beyond. This is by no means the fault of the child or even the parents, but just another example of how different we all are.
I guess the key points to decide to start using potty training are not related to age but to action. For example, there is one key behavior your toddler displays that will show you that the time is right to start.
First of all, this is a stage of communication. If you and your toddler cannot communicate what is required, then you have absolutely zero chance of success. Your toddler needs to be able to understand simple one, two, and three word combinations so that they at least understand what he wants them to do.
Second, your achievement must have changed. They need to know that a) they are about to leave or b) they come up and tell you they just left. This stage is also highlighted a lot by the “hide” stage where your toddler will go and hide under a table, in another room, or even behind the couch to relieve themselves. Your toddler should also have shown that she can “take it” for much longer than before.
Third, your toddler has started to show an interest in why we all go to that little room and may also start to imitate other family members and want to be “grown up” and use the bathroom.
And fourth, they have mastered the art of taking their pants off (very frustrating, kids love to be naked!) and are bothered by or express a dislike for wearing a dirty diaper.
Once your child shows these signs regularly, he is more than ready and has a good chance of potty training. Keep in mind that it is much easier to potty train girls than boys in most cases. Remember also that the decision of when to go potty is often made by young children themselves despite the best intentions of parents!
