I was curious as my friend is going to start potty training her daughter as soon as she can sit up which is normally around 6 months. I just wondered when people did start potty training and how long it took to train their little darlings. Please, can I just have answers only from people with children or people that know about babies because whenever I put a question on here I have loonies answering sometimes!!
Hi vvaneesa,
We introduced the potty when my daughter was about 8-9 months old. We used cloth diapers from birth, which helped I think because she hated feeling wet. We always changed diapers immediately. I took her to the bathroom with me often so she was familiar with the process before ever putting her on the potty. She went potty the first time I put her on there. It was right after a nap. She always woke up dry from naps, so it was a perfect time to try for the first time.
Once we introduced the potty, she never went number 2 in a diaper again. We kept her in diapers at first because we couldn’t find underwear small enough for her. She would occasionally pee in her diaper due to our inability to get her to the potty in time, and it was never a big deal. We just changed her and went on with whatever we were doing. Instead of carrying a bag of diapers, we used to carry her little baby Bjorn potty when we went out.
It was always a positive experience. We never pressured her. It was very easy. We just had to make sure to sit her down before leaving the house and every hour or so at first and then less often. She always let us know when she had to potty. The first time I put her on the potty, I taught her the ASL sign for it, so she quickly learned that was a good way to communicate that she needed to potty.
Every child is different though. I think as long as it never becomes a negative experience for the child, it’s a great thing to do. It has to be a positive experience.
In short, she was completely out of diapers by age 1.
Let me know if you have other questions!