Early potty training - anyone done it?

[Opprobrium]

I've had quite a few people tell me that potty training can start as soon as E is crawling, which seems iminent! If it's possible I'd be interested in possibly giving it a try...

Has anyone here potty trained this early? How do you go about it? Is it easier than leaving it later or harder?

[sunshine]

Sorry Opps but there is no way I could imagine have trying potty training with a LO the same age as your little girl!

DD is 20 months and has only sat on the potty this week!

[lucypede]

I haven't done it and probably won't either, but you basically plonk them on the potty first thing, after naps and about 20 mins after a drink. If you see "signs" of doing a poo ( like straining I suppose :teehee:) then again you get them on the potty. I read about it in Tracy Hogg's toddler book I think. Actually, I suppose I could try it...I'll have a think!

[Azana]

Is that an attached parenting concept? I don't think they actually have bladder countrol until at least 18 months so I can't see how this one works..
I would think they would have to be able to pull their own pants down too - I will read the replies you get with interest - I'm still not there with DD1 at nearly 3...

[sparkliness]

Sorry, no idea, but there's no way I'd try.

We waited and waited until Molly was really ready, and it took two weeks. My friend started her LO in February and we meet once a week at soft play. EVERY time she soils her pants, although she's been good at the other for some time.

Most people I know who started early have either had to stop, or have been chasing them around with a potty for months.

I was under lots of pressure from the in-laws, but I totally don't get what the big deal is about waiting.

[August Girl]

There is no way I'd try that early. I was hassling my DS about potties from the age of 18 months. He wasn't remotely interested till he was almost 3. I could have spent that time doing far more fun things. I'm planning a more relaxed approach with Del.

[Bubble]

I don't get how it can work either (and I also think the stress on you would be terrible!). We've more or less got there with Sam now at 2 years 2 months, and I think that's early personally. He now says 'wee wee mummy' and we go up to the toilet - if he was a lot younger and wasn't able to tell me, I have visions of him permanently stuck to a potty :huh: Also, since we started training, he is starting to go longer between wees, whereas when he was younger he did them little and often, so I think it would be terribly difficult to work out when they needed to have a wee.

It has been pretty much stress-free with Sam, no point putting extra stress on yourself (or your LO) if you ask me!

Bubble
xx

[Princess Fiona]

I think its utterly ridiculous to even attempt to potty train a BABY.

Your LO is only 5 months atm, which is v young for crawling IMO i would expect the average age for crawling is anywhere between 7-10 months (i could be wrong though)

We tried Lucy with the potty in the summer when she was 17 ish months and did have some sucess but just when i thought she was ready to be trained properly she's regressed and now has a :hissyfit: everytime i mention the word potty so i'm leaving it for the time being, i don't want to force the issue.

TBH i can't think of a reason WHY anyone would want to train such a young baby to be potty trained, seems an awful lot of hassle to me.

[Angel]

I had advice from a family friend who informed me her little boy was potty trained for poo at 3 months :faint: - this was 30 years ago though ! I think as others have said it involved sitting them on the potty regularly throughout the day and at "trigger" times for poo.

Personally I wouldn't even consider it. I think they're all ready at different times but they don't have awareness of bladder control until at least 12-18m so it would be learned behaviour rather than a concious decision IYSWIM !

We had a couple of goes with Alex, one at 2yrs and then again at 2.5yrs when he was really ready and he was trained in 2 weeks - he then trained himself overnight and has been dry at night for nearly 4 months now. I'm very much in favour of waiting until they're ready !

[Velvet Chain]

I toilet trained JJ at 18 months which is considered early these days...but no way could I imagine training him when he started to crawl - would have been a nightmare, and I am sure that at that age he wouldn't have been aware of it anyway.

I think it is better to leave it until they are a little bit older and have more understanding

VC

[Micah]

I am also a big believer in waiting til they're ready.

So your baby may take to it early, but they may not, and unless you are very careful you could end up with a whole load of problems.

Dh's ex trained both of hers very early, and OK the little girl took to it about 14 months (but was still having the odd accident at 3) but it has completely messed up the boy. He's 8 now and still isn't dry at night and won't tell anyone if he needs a poo, and will deny it if asked whether he needs/has been. He does have a learning difficulty but his toilet problems seem to stem from being pressured into it too early, he sees it as a bad thing and tries to hide it.

just my 2p :smile:

[RealGoneKid]

It's the Baby Whisperer that suggests there are two windows for potty training - one at about 9 months and the other at about 2/2.5. Mum has also "suggested" to me a number of times that I should be putting E on the potty now - she just seems so small for that...... It would be fantastic if it worked but I am worried about putting pressure on her to do something that she's just not ready for....

[Damsella]

Why would you want to do early potty training? It is a total PITA. Long car journeys - shopping trips in the buggy - trips to the playground. All become a complete nightmare without nappies and a child that isn't fully potty trained.

[Alycat]

Am a little confused also as to why you would even want to potty train a baby.

Also I don't think potty trained would be the right phrase, more potty managed as until they are able to tell you they want to go and have some control over their bodily functions you are not training merely managing the situation.

If you put a baby on a potty for long enough they will do something. I know when I was a baby - 30 or so years ago, it was common practice to sit a baby on a potty after a feed, this is maybe what you are thinking. Personally I cannot see what it will achieve, other than a load of un-necessary stress

But or course, this is just my own opinion

[creativezen]

My cousin was speaking about this. Her baby boy was born in January and apparently one of her friends who has a baby of the same age puts her baby on the potty for poos cos she says the baby always does a poo at the same time of day and she may as well do it now and then the baby will be totally used to using the potty. She still uses nappies all the time though for any wetness.

[Franny]

Why would you want to do early potty training? It is a total PITA. Long car journeys - shopping trips in the buggy - trips to the playground. All become a complete nightmare without nappies and a child that isn't fully potty trained.That's how I feel about it but I'm sure people think I'm a lazy moo! :oops:

Thing is, our mother's generation did it much earlier because nappies were such a hassle when they had to soak them in a big bucket overnight and didn't have washing machines (yes, I'm over 35!). These days, nappies are no bother at all. You just whip 'em off, wipe and whack another one on. And even if you are using washables, they aren't the hassle they used to be.

[WoollyNewty]

Totally agree Franny!

From what I've heard it is possible to 'condition' a young child/baby to pee/poo on command (i.e. they perform a function on order) but although this would save you washing if you were using terry nappies it would be very tiresome and restrictive (not to mention using your time in other ways!) AND it doesn't actually help with bladder control/poo control - it teaches a kind of conditioned response (i.e sit on the pot and you might pee) BUT it gets you no closer to the whole idea of FEELING that you need the toilet and then asking for it. In other words it just stretches the whole potty training thing out for literally MONTHS (if not years).

I've got a good book here called the NCT Guide to Potty Training (or something - I can't be arsed to go and find it!) and it basically says there is no 'right' way to train a child but there are about 4 approaches: The really early approach (the one you're talking about), the typical British approach (which means you sort of start when they understand what a potty and a poo are but it drags on for months), the approach where you wait until they are older and very ready and then keep them in for a week making them drinks loads and really making the potty the biggest great thing ever and train them in a week and finally the approach where you basically wait and wait and wait until they are very ready and actually want to use a potty/toilet like 'big people' and basically do it themselves with a bit of encouragement from you. Of course there are variations within these variations but let's just say that I am in NO rush!

[cherry fizz]

I remember reading in 'toddler taming' (I read it as part of child development at school :lol:) that there is toilet timing, where luck and digestion means if you put a little one over the loo/potty 20 minutes after a meal there is a sporting chance they will produce something and this method was often used to reduce the messy nappies, when the washing was such a pain.

[Annie Goolahey]

I think if you want to do it, do it.
Personally, J wouldn't have done it- he hasn't yet, but I'm sure it must work for some.

[twirlygirly]

There was a thread about early potty training a while ago here http://www.damsels.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21277
However not as early as you are thinking.

HTH

TG

[donna-j]

Thomas is nearly 15 months, and has done a poo in his potty twice this weekend (I have never been so proud about anything in my life :lol: ). He has started telling us when he's about to go so we are just taking the opportunity while it's there. It might get us nowhere, but if even one out of the two that he normally produces each day ends up in the potty just before his bath then it's a start and a nappy saved ...

He has always been very 'obvious' about pooing though. Even at a few weeks old he would get very grumpy and we would have to put him in his cot for 'Thomas time'.

I was dry through the night at 15 months [show off smiley]

[Opprobrium]

So that's a great big resounding NO then!!! :lol:

It wasn't something I was thinking I have to do now, just heard about it & wondered if it was a good idea to try it, if it was easier in the long run or anything. Never mind then! As you were! :lol:

[spandangley]

I've had quite a few people tell me that potty training can start as soon as E is crawling, which seems iminent! If it's possible I'd be interested in possibly giving it a try...

Has anyone here potty trained this early? How do you go about it? Is it easier than leaving it later or harder? My mum had us all on the potty by 6 months, just put the potty intfront of a sofa, pout a little stool in front of it wiht a book or toys on it and let us sit there twice a day, just getting used to it. She said we used to poo in it and never in our nappies!