At what age did you start TT/TA With your child?

[Pandamum]

OK, so I'm pretty sure I'm the world's worst toilet trainer. I need lots of help!

With both my girls it become a very long, drawn out and traumatic process.

I think some of my mistakes have included:

starting too late (both my girls were close to 3) By this age they both seemed very attached to their nappies and wouldn't give 'em up without a fight.

Not encouraging 'awareness' behaviours ie. never having any nappy free time, never seeing themselves actually wee/poo and the results it produces etc.

I also hate the kids being in the toilet - hate the fact of them being in a germ ridden area! For eg. our toilet area is currently gated off so Elijah has never been in there or really watched the rest of us going to the toilet.

So what I want to know is at what age did you encourage your child toward being tt/ta?
What can I do to help Elijah become more aware? He will now come and say he has done a poo and pull at his nappy.

Any other tips will be greatly appreciated!

[Lousmum]

I voted 2-2.5 and 2.5+ because I started with Louis later, and Marcus earlier. Although Louis was at childcare so he was actually using the toilet there before we started seriously encouraging it here. He fully TT'd around 3 (night and day).

I think possibly you need to get over not wanting them in the toilet They have to go in there to use it, so imo they should have access to it. Not to play obviously! but I've always just gone to the toilet with them in there if they follow me in. They get very curious so best way to learn is to see it and for me to tell them what I am doing. If you're concerned about germs in the toilet then just make sure you encourage thorough handwashing afterwards, and be sure they understand what the toilet is for - ie, not for playing. Marcus also watches Louis go to the toilet a lot - because Louis won't have the door shut anyway - so he's been seeing his brother go for a while now. You know, I think there can be just as many germs in other areas of the house, and outside, so the toilet is nothing to worry about really (public toilets are a different matter LOL)

Nappy free time is also a good idea. I have been giving Marcus more than Louis would have had, mostly because I'm home with M to do so. He's wee'd on the floor a lot! but he's at least aware now of this happening, and he's started running for the toilet after he's done his business on the floor. hopefully we'll get him to run to the toilet BEFORE he does his business on teh floor soon!

I also tell Marcus that if he's done a poo, he should tell me, and if he thinks he's going to do a poo, he should tell me. I have no idea if he is at the stage yet where he recognises that somethings going to happen before it's happening, iykwim, but he did tell me he wanted to go to the toilet yesterday and subsequently did a poop on the toilet, so I'm thinking that he's getting there with the awareness before it happens.

[april]

I didn't really do anything! Jet isn't fully TT, as in he wears nappies out and is nudey (his choice) at home, wearing pants usually ends in accidents, but he prefers no pants so yeah, LOL.

We had a potty sitting around, but I never sat him on it or encouraged him to use it. I let him come to the toilet with me, so he sees me going. We keep the toilet door closed and eventually he has learnt not to go in there unless he needs to go, he used to go in and flush and flush and flush LOL

Around the age of 2 he started ripping his nappies off and preferred being nudey and we started to have lots of accidents. All I did was say to use the toilet or the potty and get him to help me clean up and eventually of his own accord he started taking himself to the potty, and right now he seems to be transitioning to the toilet.

I don't think you can *make* them TA if they aren't already/ready to be, iykwim.

[~Melissa~]

Caitlyn TT'ed at 2 years & 9 months. We started trying with her before she was 2 because people kept telling me she had to be TT'ed before Emily was born

Emily TT'ed at 2 years & 3 months literally in one weekend. We felt she was ready so we just committed to staying at home over a long weekend. She had 1 accident & by the Monday we felt confident enough to take her out of the house with knickers on. It really was very simple.

I thought Chelsea would TT very early. At about 22 months she was probably 50% there. She was wearing knickers at home with only the occasional accident & then nappies for sleeps & going out. Then something happened & she decided she didn't want to do that anymore & now at 2 years & 7 months she is still fully in nappies. She is quite content to stay in nappies atm so I don't know when she will change her mind on that one

[Baby Blossom]

With Brendon we started at around 18mths just talking about it. If he had nappy free time and he did a wee we would make a big deal about it. He toilet trained (day times) at 22mths. Matthew was a little older and I didn't do anything. Just a lot of watching his brother and one day just took himself to the toilet. That was just before 2years. Both times it has been really simple but I was never allowed to pee on my own.

Sorry I can't offer any more help.

[purple_elmo]

Lucy started using the potty at 12 months and was fully TA by 18 months :O I didn't encourage it, she just started weeing on the potty.
Sam started doing poos on the potty at about 20 months and he was TT before his 2nd birthday. I didn't do anything drastic with TTing, just had a potty out, and they have all had lots and lots of nappy free time at home.

[Jojo]

With James I think we tried around 2.5 years but he wasn't ready. A few months later we tried it again and he literally caught on to the concept within a two days. There is a lot to be said for waiting until THEY are ready imo

I bought some cheap terry/plastic pants (if only I knew about MCN then!) and he wore them so he would know when he did a wee. They leaked like billy-o (and we had carpet then too lol!) but did the trick.

TT for number 2's proved harder though because he developed a fear of the toilet but fortunately that sorted itself out in time for going to kindy.

[lincolnsmum]

all children are different.. so go with what you feel is best, For me i started the summer before my son was 2 so he was around 18 months but we did it very slowly and he was fully day tt at around 22months and night tt at 2.5 yrs .. What worked for me was getting him to wee on cue using a psss sound i know it sounds weird but it helped heaps and was great for when we were out and he was unsure of using public toilets or if i needed a urine sample at doctors.. also i found having a potty book was great and he could relate and even now still like looking at the book

carly

[Bec259]

I have been on & off trying to TT Alex since he was about 18 months, but we've gotten very serious now, simply because he is fast growing out of nappies.
He's too big for a potty, you have to squeeze his poor doodle in! So we have one of those seats that you put over the top of the toilet so they don't fall in. He has yet to do anything on the toilet, but he's happy enough to be on it. We go through 'mummy does wees, daddy does wees, the wiggles do wees, captain feathersword does wees'
I have an e-book I'm reading at the moment that says you should start putting them on a potty from about 12 months to desensitise them to they whole situation, so they are used to being on it - makes sense I think.
The book also guarantees you can toilet train your child in 3 days if your follow her ideas - I must finish reading it!
I've always been of the belief that they will use the toilet when ready, but I'm running out of time with Alex because he is getting so big - one problem is that he's such a prude, he won't run around with out clothes on or without shorts on. I'm going to buy him some jocks & make a big deal out of them being big boy pants etc.

[*Tracee*]

With Abbey we had a potty that would be in the bathroom from when she was about 12months old (have a pic of her at 15 months after weeing in it), we never actively TT'ed her, just let her use it if she wanted to. She TT'ed the day (literally) Claire was born so she was 2yrs 2 months.
Claire was day dry by 20 months using the same process as with Abbey, we never pushed and with Claire it was bittersweet as that was the ned of nappy wearing days in our house!