Potty training has got to be the worst thing about the terrific terrible 2s. Seriously. It's just so much pressure from all the other parents who have kids about the same age. Molly is potty trained! She wanted to do it even before she turned 2 1/2! Well la ti da Molly! My kids seem to think their potties are step stools so they can reach the sink and wash their hands. Yes, hand-washing has become a fun activity in my house. (Does Molly know how to wash her hands? Huh? Does she? Does she?) I kid. Sort of. My twins did show an interest in going on the potty a few months back. They sat on it. Clothed and with pants down. But there wasn't any action.
Now, like I said, they just use the potty for other things -- as a stool, a place for toy cars. When I was talking to my pediatrician about it, she told me something scary.
Never force them or make them sit on the potty to go, she told me. Not that I was, of course. She said that pressuring your kid to go on the potty could make them end up holding it and not going when they should, making them all constipated and backed up ... and um, if you are an adult and ever had that problem you know how horrible that is. Imagine how bad for a little kid?! My doc also said that if we try the potty seat on the toilet, instead of the free-standing ones we do have, to make sure they have a step stool that allows their feet to rest on when they are sitting. It helps ground the feet so they can go properly. Interesting.
All of this makes me think ... and I'll have to ask my mother, but I'm so very poo shy in public bathrooms that I wonder if there was ever some forced potty training going on oh-so many years ago. I swear since I've become a stay-at-home mom (TMI warning!) and am able to go number two in my own bathroom, I am much more regular.
Oh wait ... let's get back to the kids. I'll admit that I am totally fine with changing diapers. And if my kids aren't ready for potty time, they aren't ready. But I know they aren't going to be in diapers forever, so I'm not worried. It WILL happen. For now, I'm changing diaps, knowing that they grow up so quickly and I will cherish even these poopiest of times.
I'm going to call my mom now.
Are you worried about your child not being potty trained yet?
Image via Manish Bansal/Flickr
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Comments 40
My dd was potty trained in 4 days and she was only 18 months old. I've heard over people having 14 or 16 month olds that are potty trained. Lots of toddlers worldwide are potty trained well before they are 2. The only ones that take longer is North America.
http://pottytrainingearly.com/potty-training-research-highlights/
@ Nicole - Waiting until a child is 2 or older has more to do with their physical development than anything else. A child has to have bladder and sphincter control, which doesn't happen for most children until the age of 18 months or higher. Beyond that, they need to recognize when they have to go, be able to walk/run to the potty, and be able to fasten/unfasten clothing and pull their pants down. Potty training before that isn't potty training---it's parent training, as parents are doing all of the work. Babies do not have the physical development to control their excrement, nor do they really care. However, most experts do advise not waiting until the age of 3.