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Answers / Parenting / Toddlers (1-2)

18 month old boy and potty training?

My son is 18 months and he is my only child so I am not real sure with potty training. He is fascinated with everything with the toilet. He likes to sit on the toilet at any time so me and his father ended up buying a toilet seat you put on the toilet that he can sit on. Now, every time I go to the bathroom he is trying to push me off the seat to put his seat down and sit on the toilet. However, I don't know anything about potty training, I don't know how to know when he is ready, or even how to know when he needs to go? So I am wondering, how do I know when he is ready?1

 
Ctepanee

Asked by Ctepanee at 8:34 PM on Jun. 9, 2010 in Toddlers (1-2)

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Answers (7)
  • I didn't know anymore than you did. We started by putting our son on the potty once a day (right before his bath). When he was ok with sitting (this took us a while) and usually peed, we started training. We stayed home for a few days to do this. I let him run around in just a shirt and put him on the potty every 45 minutes or so. (he seemed to need something to "pee into" so being naked seemed to slow down peeing randomly.) If he peed, we celebrated. If not, we tried again every 10 minutes until he peed or had an accident. (Adjust the times based on what you experience.) After 2 days, we put on underwear and did the same thing. (We set timers to remember.) As he got better at it, we increased the time between potty visits. Although others will argue against this, we used pullups if we had to go out for some reason. (We limited this.) Giving extra water while training may help as it increases "opportunities" to pee.
    momofryan07

    Answer by momofryan07 at 8:49 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

  • When my first was 15 months old I started potty training him. I just took him to the bathroom every 30 minutes.
    Blaiden

    Answer by Blaiden at 8:43 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

  • When he does a number. 1 or 2 in the pot.
    Anonymous

    Answer by Anonymous at 8:44 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

  • He's asking to sit... let him sit. If he wants to sit with out a diaper, great! If he wants down, let him down! As long as there's no pressure, there's certainly no harm. We followed our girls' cues like this.. Once he's comfortable (and if he is now, start now), then start putting him on there at certain times of the day... maybe start with first thing in the morning (if that's okay with him) and first thing after nap, about 15 minutes after meals... Most likely, if he likes sitting there (and a minute or two is fine) you will start getting some "hits" without even trying. My daughter started asking to sit at 15 months; at 16 months we made it a regular thing. By 16.5 months she was only pooping in the potty! This is all still in diapers. Soon she started being dry after some (long) naps, so we just switched to undies at 17.5 months. We cleaned up some accidents for awhile, but by 20.5 months she was doing it all on her own.
    EmilySusan

    Answer by EmilySusan at 8:44 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

  • Also, reinforce his successes with praise, applause, hugs... that's really all they need to feel that what they did was okay... and if you need to offer stickers or small treats later, like when you're trying to get him to tell you when he needs to go, you can... but often that part isn't even necessary, especially for those ones who catch on before two, an age where they get such a thrill from making you happy!
    EmilySusan

    Answer by EmilySusan at 8:46 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

  • I let him set whenever he wants, I just get confused as to whether I am supposed to take his diaper off every time or just let him sit for as long as he wants. He likes flushing afterwards too lol.
    Ctepanee

    Answer by Ctepanee at 8:47 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

  • I would pull his diaper down when he wants to sit as long as he likes sitting that way... And that's great if he likes the flush... once he starts peeing and pooping in there, you can make that his reward! If he's a long sitter, then definitely try the post-meal thing... and bring a few books if you want... I bet you will get a b.m. quickly, we sure did.
    EmilySusan

    Answer by EmilySusan at 8:50 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

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