Almost all parents wonder when to potty train; when the appropriate age is or the magic time when their toddler will effortlessly toilet train.

Leaving them looking like hero-parents. And diaper-free, of course.

That’s why I want to share this information with you. I have toilet trained four children of my own and I remember clearly wondering when to start potty training. What was the perfect age? How would I know?

Well, you don’t need to wonder any more. Here is what I learned the hard way about starting training.

– It’s about him, not me.

I remember the day I decided my oldest should no longer be in diapers.

He was about eighteen months old and very independent.

Little did I know those were not even close to potty readiness signs.

What are readiness signs, you ask? Those are the physical and emotional cues you see in your child that tell you he is actually ready to start potty training. Not some arbitrary date on the calendar. Not my own mother’s wishes.

But cold hard facts. Measurable realities. Things like waking up dry from naps. Telling me when he was wet or soiled and wanted changed. Imitating me in the bathroom.

My son showed none of those signs. I pressed on.

I bought a cute little potty chair. I bought even cuter toddler underwear. I showed them to my son. He was delighted with his new toys.

Again, none of that was a potty readiness sign. I was setting myself up for failure and didn’t even know it.

I collected potty books from the library. My son and I cuddled on the sofa and read together. He jumped up and down and I was thrilled with his enthusiasm.

Uh, none of that was a readiness cue.

We started potty training. Which meant I put him in the cute little undies, showed him how to sit on his cute little potty, read some cute little potty books and waited for him to pee in his potty.

Nothing happened.

But my son was very happy and excited. Me, not so much.

I stayed positive and pressed on. We visited the potty chair regularly that first day. At last, totally by accident, my son peed in the potty.

I was ecstatic. I praised and loved on him. We danced around the room.

He pulled on his cute new underwear and went and played in his room. When I went to check on him a bit later, he was sitting on the carpet in his new cute WET undies.

I frowned. He smiled and pulled at his pants. He thought everything was going great. I knew otherwise.

Weeks and then months passed. It took my son over a year and a half to get potty trained and we fought most of the way. He would deliberately wet his pants in front of me to watch me get mad. He didn’t care if he was wet or soiled.

I was frustrated. I cannot tell you how frustrated.

And all because I didn’t know about potty training readiness cues and how important they are in deciding when to start potty training.

But I know now. And the rest of my children certainly benefited from my self-taught education.

And I hope you can benefit, too.

If you really want to know when to potty train, take the time to learn about the potty process. There are many excellent resources, both paid and free online. Listen to other parents who have already passed this way. Take the time to get to know your child and that will help you determine the potty training method that’s right for her.

Above all, wait until she’s ready. Trust me, you’ll both be grateful.

Author Bio: Colleen Langenfeld has potty trained four kids and helps other moms get more out of their mothering at http://www.paintedgold.com . Toilet train faster using her potty reward charts and creative ideas plus uncover more about when to potty train by visiting her website now.

Category: Parenting
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