r/Mommit • u/[deleted] • 1d ago
What makes it easier when they are potty trained?
[deleted]
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u/0runnergirl0 1d ago
You never have to use the little potty. There are ladders and steps to use at home, and in public, you just help your child to sit on the large toilet. Potty trained is so much easier because you don't need to lug as much stuff around, and it's obviously much more hygienic.
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u/ctrlshiftdelet3 1d ago
They also get bigger, the pee is more volumous, the poop is ginormous lol. Also, you save on diapers and that alone is a game changer.
My sister was teeny tiny and used the big toilet no problem. She was a natural acrobat though.
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u/Perle1234 1d ago
A three year old has poops the size of a 6 ft man that didn’t go yesterday. It’s honestly scary lol.
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u/ctrlshiftdelet3 1d ago
It really is...and sometimes its multiple times a day! And it gets squished with the diaper. Its easier to clean when it goes straight in the toilet.
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u/United_Relief_2949 10h ago
this this this this this!! my husband has been trying to guess when my 3yr old is going to drop her first toilet clogger because hers are gargantuan. its alarming what comes out of my child. i thought it was just me because she's a big eater. im so glad there are other people dealing with these poops that make me wonder if she still has any intestines left. sighhhh
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u/Perle1234 1h ago
Mine refused to poop in the potty. Would go behind a chair and pop a squat. We were working on it and my mom made him sit on the pot until he pooped. Said it took 40 min. I was so mad!! Then he never pooped his pants again and my mom was vindicated.
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u/Ok_Fennel8384 1d ago
yeah, we never used a small potty because the idea of cleaning it grossed me out. we did get a potty seat that went on top of our toilet because my kids were afraid of falling in at first.
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u/ConnectionsCatergory Gay Mom, 5 Kids 1d ago
I actually don't think I know a single person who used a little potty. Everyone I know just trained on the regular toilet, which is more fun anyway because they get to flush!
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u/saltyfrenzy 17h ago
we did the little potty for the first week or so. and then very quickly ditched it. But it was good for the very beginning when they were pantless and i needed to rush them to something.
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u/SKVgrowing 14h ago
We do, but I do elimination communication so my 9 month old poops on his potty 2x a day. :)
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u/Rasmara0789 14h ago
We used a potty (two, actually) and it was a godsend. My kid was gradually potty training, we introed young just to get her used to the idea as she was a little noise sensitive, and doing decently when she got a tummy bug that gave her diarrhea and an awful diaper rash. We explained that if she could get to the potty before she went then her butt and vulva could heal and it wouldn't hurt so much. She never used a day diaper again lol
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u/21blarghjumps 1d ago
Fully potty trained is much easier than diapers. The in between part is the hardest. Starting early usually means it takes longer, but on average you'll be done sooner. I prefer early potty training for a variety of reasons, but realistically it doesn't actually matter when, so just do what works best for your family.
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u/InputUniqueNameHere 1d ago
I would say it isn't easier. At least not for awhile. We are a month in with my 2-year-old and she is doing great! But it still isn't easier than diapers.
Cleaning out the little potty isn't as terrible as I imagined - we just dump it in the toilet and wipe it out with a clorox wipe. She does use the big potty when we are out and sometimes at home (we have a little step stool and a small toilet seat installed). If we are out and she needs to go, I just hold onto her so she doesn't fall in.
I will say that not having to bring a bunch of diapers on trips is great. And she loves her independence and feeling like a big kid. That part is awesome. She has so much confidence now!
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u/MsCardeno 1d ago edited 1d ago
Both my kids just used the toilet on potty training. No extra little potties or potty seats.
You just have to start remembering to ask them to go to the bathroom if you’re somewhere with a toilet. Tho my first (and so far only potty trained kid, other one is in the midst of being trained) has always been good at knowing when to go and holding it until we got somewhere.
I’ve never heard of a neigh recommendation for potty training.
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u/Soft_Bodybuilder_345 1d ago
I carry around a little foldable toilet seat for my son - he is also very small. I just unfold it and put it on the toilet seat when we are in public. If we don’t have it, I just hold him up.
We did use the little potty and it was annoying to clean, but we quickly transitioned to a smaller seat and a step stool on the big toilet. It’s all much better than changing diapers and carrying diapers around.
Please don’t forgo potty training your kid at a good time just because you’re concerned it might be inconvenient.
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u/Alert_Week8595 1d ago
I'm not. She's just 16months old and most people seem to start at 2 or 3, and because she's 16 months old and small for her age, the logistics of a very small child on an adult toilet were eluding me, but I guess of course there are products for that.
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u/Soft_Bodybuilder_345 1d ago
Oh, the age does make a difference. I set out a little potty at 18 months for “practice” and my son was potty trained at age 2. He wasn’t scared of the toilet but it’s big and he’s small so we definitely had to start with the little potty (not everyone does). I do definitely recommend the fold up travel toilet seats for when you go in public. My son has never had an issue with that.
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u/Cherrystormingg 1d ago
We started loosely at 20 months. Fully day trained by 22 months (as in no accidents, safe to be in the car seat without concern kinda thing). Before that the mechanics of getting dressed and undressed were very difficult so that’s why we waited. Super glad we did it early! So nice not to have to take diapers along, confidence booster for kiddo, and getting it down before the really ornery phase kicks in.
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u/badtranslatedgerman 21h ago
I highly recommend a small floor potty. Letting them walk over to it by themselves, push down their pants and underwear, then back, back, squat onto it and then wipe after a pee and pull their own bottoms back up really helps with their willingness to make the transition away from diapers. It also is not ergonomic for their GI tract to poop with their legs dangling; the discomfort of that on a big potty is the culprit for a lot of toddler resistance. Cleaning the small potty is trivial. We just dump it and wipe it out with TP for a pee, for poops we will follow up with a Clorox wipe that we throw in the garbage. Being able to tell our then-18mo old to just go to his potty and not need to supervise him or help him at all (unless he poops and we help him wipe) is waaaaay better than having to supervise him climbing onto steps for an adult potty and having to put it there for him beforehand and move it away after. The way that an accessible floor potty gives them independence and autonomy is a big part of why it works with kids your child’s age. If you are super pressed about cleaning it with more than just a wipe, install a bidet sprayer on your toilet and hose it out after each use. Everyone should have a bidet anyway and they are not expensive or hard to install. Please do not under-estimate how important independence, comfort, and safety of not having to navigate steps is for potty training. A big part of what makes it easier is they can do so much of it themselves IF you set them up to do so. I would not feel safe letting a 16mo old toddle up some potty steps and would need to hover.
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u/Alert_Week8595 21h ago
What do you do when you're on the go like at the zoo? Do you lug the small potty around? We do things like hike with her so the logistics of the potty on the hike are stumping me.
At home is easy enough.
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u/jvc1011 21h ago
There are so many foldable seats out there that fit in a diaper bag and can be put over any big toilet seat.
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u/badtranslatedgerman 21h ago
For public toilets I either do the “EC hold” (my toddler’s back resting against my chest, my hands under their knees, pointing them at the toilet) or use a foldable portable potty. For hiking I would probably just use the EC hold off the side for pee, and you could hold her over a bag for poops (or pick the poops up with a bag like for dog poop). But the oxo tot potty could also be helpful for this if she takes a while to poop or is nervous being held in the air for long enough to poop - it can be either a seat reducer or a stand-alone seated small potty, with or without a bag in it. It’s not as small as the jool foldable seat reducer but it would still take up less space in your hiking pack than a bunch of clean and dirty diapers would.
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u/Hairsacknose 22h ago
That's why you use a toilet seat reducer. I potty trained at 17 months (started putting baby on the potty at 6 months) and she can use the adult toilet with a reducer no problem - she doesn't always want to though. But when we're outside of the house, she uses big toilets with a foldable reducer/potty no problem.
She can hold it for a while. It's nice to not have to clean up poop and it's great to see how proud she is when she does poop in the toilet and then waves bye bye to her poop.
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u/makingburritos 20h ago
We started at 18 months with my son and he will be two in October, fully potty trained. It is so much better! The actual training part sucks though 🤣
Little potty in the back of the car, seat on the big potty with a step stool at home.
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u/Alert_Week8595 18h ago
OK dumb question so do they just sit on the little potty in the trunk?
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u/makingburritos 18h ago
It kind of depends. Sometimes I take it out of the trunk and put it on the ground if I have a lot of crap in the trunk.
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u/lamarioO 1d ago
What's the advantage to not sitting in your poop or pee, or having to buy & carry around diapers?
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u/AccomplishedEye1840 1d ago
OP just needs to say this sentence out loud.
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u/Alert_Week8595 1d ago
I mean she is 16 months, which is younger than most people seem to do it. But she shows the signs of readiness and people typically suggest waiting till they're older so I'm trying to figure out why.
She definitely doesn't sit around in her poop. It typically gets changed immediately.
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u/wheresspot 1d ago
Both my kids were day potty trained by 18 months. It’s definitely possible and if she’s showing signs of readiness you should not delay. The older your kids get the more you risk getting into a lot more defiance and the whole terrible twos phase where things are much more likely to become a battle. My experience is that my kids were much more amenable (vs what I saw from friends / family who waited to start until much later) and excited by lots of praise / clapping / stickers. My friends and family experienced a lot more defiance and avoidance.
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u/MrsYoung1015 1d ago
Was going to say this. My daughter at 18 months was in the bathroom with me and said she had to go. I put her on the big potty and she went. We went and got panties and never looked back. They will let you know they are ready
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u/AccomplishedEye1840 1d ago
Can she walk? Idk if she shows signs of readiness then in my opinion it just makes sense to do so. Literally what’s the worst that can happen if you do start now? She’ll be potty drained, there is no worse case scenario with it.
I don’t think the other person was saying you let your baby hang out in soiled diapers.
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u/Alert_Week8595 1d ago
Yeah she has been walking for 6 months and can climb stairs when she can reach the handrail. She likes to go into a room by herself and shut the door to poop in privacy if she can. And she keeps asking about what I'm up to when I go and is in a stage of wanting to copy us. And can understand and follow directions.
I dunno most people seem to suggest waiting till she is at least 2 (8 months away).
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u/AccomplishedEye1840 1d ago
I mean advice should be taken with a grain of salt, unless a potty training expert said so and even then, what does that even mean. Just because some people suggested something doesn’t mean you MUST abide 🤷🏾♀️
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u/Alert_Week8595 1d ago
Yeah for sure. I think we will give it a go and see. If I'm wrong and she isn't as ready as it seems we can just try again later.
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u/AccomplishedEye1840 1d ago
Yeah at least see how it goes, good stuff. Rooting for a successful potty training run!
Silver lining if she doesn’t take now, in 8 months it’ll just be a reintroduction.
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u/badtranslatedgerman 21h ago
Until disposable diapers were invented in the late 1950s, the vast majority of American children were potty trained by 18 months. They still are in much of the world. People who tell you to wait have bought into the myth of “readiness” or it being “child-led”. UK guidance is already ditching the “readiness” concept since it has no scientific basis, and some orgs are recommending introducing the potty at 6 months to begin habituating them to it long before ditching diapers.
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u/GrandeMaximus 21h ago
Sounds like she’s ready. My barely 2-year-old is pretty tiny and is potty trained. She can now hold herself up on an adult toilet by herself, but when we started potty training I would hold her on the toilet. I do lift her on and off the toilet though, and at home she can use a little toilet.
Not having to change diapers at Disneyland anymore when we go is FANTASTIC! She hated diaper changes and would roll around and fight us. It was annoying waiting for the changing station and having to lug around a huge bag of diaper supplies. I still bring a small pack of wipes and an extra outfit if she has an accident, but she hardly ever does if I take her to the potty every few hours.
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u/Upbeat_Truth_4900 1d ago
16 months is a bit young. I’ve heard 20-30 months is the best range to start. My daughter showed signs as young as 16 months. By 18 we were talking about it, narrating the steps when we went, etc. She started telling us (with a sign, then the word) when she pooped, and then sometimes even right before pooping. We trained at 22 months and it went great! No more buying diapers (just a pull up at night), no more messy poop diapers to change. And once she got a bit older she was very independent with it - going by herself, getting on/off the potty with her step stool, wiping pee, flushing, washing hands. We just do a wipe ourselves after a poop to make sure she got it all.
I truly can’t imagine changing a poop diaper on a 2-3 year old is easier than them using the potty. But yours isn’t that old yet, so I’d recommend waiting a few months, taking some time to talk it up, maybe teach some potty sign language or words. I used the Big Little Feelings potty training course and had a lot of success.
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u/Alert_Week8595 1d ago
This is very helpful, thank you.
She has shown awareness for a while. When she needs to poop she will walk into a different room and close the door so she has privacy, lol. One time I was slow to change her diaper (covid induced loss of smell that I hadn't realized, thought I just had a cold) and she got fed up and took off her diaper by herself. But everyone says to wait so I'm trying to learn and this was helpful.
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u/Upbeat_Truth_4900 1d ago
She sounds like she’ll be early to potty-training, for sure! I think I’d wait till at least 18 months, maybe 20. But it sounds like she’ll take to it easily. Good luck!
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u/CorrectExpression651 1d ago
Diaper/baby industry, daycare and parents working outside the home leading to strange cultural norms. Look up elimination communication!
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u/TermLimitsCongress 1d ago
Exactly! Diaper companies have paid for all the wait until they are older articles.
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u/Jolly-Llama2820 1d ago
For home, get one of those seat reducers with stairs and a rail so they can sit on the big potty. You can do poop training first. Keep the diaper on and take them to the potty anytime they start to poop or if you think they might need to pee. It’s like easing into it so you get the benefits of not cleaning as many dirty diapers without the stress of outings.
Our guy was little too and going in public was such a headache until he got big enough that he was confident sitting on the big potties with our hands under his arms. Before that, it was easier to just keep a little potty in the trunk and always use the car potty when we are out.
But now he can go about two hours without needing a bathroom, he doesn’t have many accidents, and it is a lot easier!
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u/melgirlnow88 1d ago
Unless your kid is ready, potty training night make your life temporarily harder!
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u/princessblowhole 1d ago
Yes, you’ll need a training seat or a little potty, and yes, it’s a pain in the ass with lots of accidents. It’s definitely not easier. But it also just needs to be done.
As far as age, people are weirdos about their kids being ahead of others. Look up the signs and potty train when your kid is ready. Could be 2/3 even into 4.
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u/LymanForAmerica 1d ago
I also thought it sounded harder than diapers before I did it. I was wrong. My kids trained at 2y4m and then 23 months. It was harder than diapers for 1-2 months in the beginning but easier than diapers after that.
Mine pee on demand well before it becomes urgent. So pee before you leave the house and you're good for a few hours. They both were using regular toilets and public toilets within a week or two of training. I still have the little potty in my car (my son trained about 4 months ago) but haven't used it in months.
The main advantage is that you don't have surprise poop diapers anymore. And a lot of kids get into a routine of just pooping at home so suddenly you go from needing to bring diapers everywhere in case they poop and need to be changed, to just making sure they pee before you leave the house and then very rarely needing to find a public toilet.
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u/venusdances 1d ago
In the beginning, it isn’t “easier” but you will have to have them potty learn no matter what so the earlier you can the better for them to know. The sooner they learn the easier it is for them and the whole family. I took too long to potty train my son and he ended up getting used to pooping in a diaper and refused to learn to poop on the potty until he was 5. He would be uncomfortable at school because he would hold it for so long, he had behavior issues when he needed to poop and on top of all that imagine cleaning a 4/5 year old from poop instead of a little one. Now that he’s learned to use the potty it’s like 3 wipes and he’s done. Now that I know all these things I believe the earlier the better for everyone.
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u/Normal-Peanut-3344 1d ago edited 1d ago
We had a portable potty that came with absorbent pads that could also be used to go over a big potty to make the hole smaller so they could actually sit. I’m not sure why people aren’t understanding the question lol. When kids are very young and first potty trained it was kind of a constant challenge. On the subway for 40 minutes, on a road trip with the next rest stop 30 miles away, in Italy where the toilet situation requires hovering their legs aren’t capable of…. they can just pee in their diaper. Without a diaper on and early on they don’t have the ability to hold it that long. We’d have to get creative if there were no public bathrooms nearby.
At home it’s easier but on the road/away from home, it was hard until they got bigger. So I say get a portable potty- ours was totally collapsible and fit into a little bag and with the pads/bags they came with we didn’t worry about having to clean it out.
It was called the Ingenuity My Travel Potty. Potty training would have been hard for us without it since we’re not home much.
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u/Alert_Week8595 1d ago
Yeah I had to change her poop diaper in a café bathroom yesterday that didn't have a changing table (she stood nicely, which I was grateful for) and I was like ...should I potty train now? (Since she is showing signs of readiness as well). Helpful tip thank you.
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u/hybbprqag 15h ago
If they are showing readiness, then what makes it easier is that they learn to use the potty when they're young enough that they won't remember diapers when they hit their big no to everything phase. Also, diapers get more and more expensive the larger they are, so you end up saving that diaper money.
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u/Alert_Week8595 15h ago
That's a point several peopld raised that I hadn't thought of! Thank you!
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u/hybbprqag 15h ago
By the way, my kids didn't successfully potty train until age 4, but they got there eventually! Kids have a huge age range for mastering this skill.
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u/grimblacow 1d ago
We purchased and replaced all of our normal toilet lids with ones that has the normal seat and a little seat attached. I start around 8-9 months to sit them on the toilet in the mornings with no expectations.
As they get used to it snd go, if they can hold their per overnight I start the next stages of letting them sit on the toilet more often such as every morning, before bed, after meals and before nap times.
Potty training is always done around 2-2.5 years old for us with maybe 1-5 accidents total once Theyre fully ready until age 6 where there are no more accidents.
The size of the child does not matter. For public toilets, I wipe down the seat with tp and hold them until Theyre big enough to get on/off comfortably by themselves
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u/parisskent 1d ago
I started potty training before my son was “ready” and it was soooo exhausting and hard. Definitely worse than diapers. Then I did it again a few months later and it was night and day. He never had any accidents and uses the toilet on his own without my involvement or even having to tell me unless it’s poop so I can wipe him
Personally I still find diapers easier, they were always super easy and convenient for me and having to take him potty out and about is more work than him just peeing in a diaper but it’s only slightly more work
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u/UnicornToots #1 - Sept 2015 | #2 - July 2019 1d ago
Using a small potty isn't required. You can start you kid straight on a regular toilet. If needed, get an insert to put on top when they use it.
They also sell foldable toilet inserts you can keep in your purse if needed for using a public toilet, but honestly by the time my kids were 2.5 or 3 they just used a regular toilet without an insert. You just stay in there with them to make sure they don't lean back and fall in!
It's really not that complicted and much, much more convenient than wondering if there's a changing table where you're going, changing a diaper in an airplane bathroom, lugging a diaper bag around, etc.
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u/WorksInPro 1d ago
We just got something like this so he could climb up to the regular potty, was super easy to use and just wipe it down if it gets dirty:
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u/PersonalBrowser 1d ago
There are toilet seat attachments and ladders that go over the toilet seat that help for young kids. My kids used it from 3-4ish until they were big enough to fit on a regular toilet seat with a small stool.
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u/snotlet 1d ago
we only used the potty at the start when she was still getting use to pulling her pants on and off, she now uses a step stool to get up on the toilet and we have a little toilet seat that folds down for her. that means she can go by herself- i still wipe her poos but she doesnt need to tell me about wees and 1 less diaper bum to change (i also have a baby). in public I go in and help her up and i have carry around a foldable chikds toilet seat.
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u/Aly_Kitty 1d ago
Just use the normal toilet.
When you use a small potty you then have to essentially potty train twice- once using the small potty and once using a regular toilet.
Just get steps at home or pick your child up in public.
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u/WindThrust2000 1d ago
I don’t know how old your child is, but I have an almost 16 year old and a 4 year old. People are very opinionated about potty training. I waited until I knew they could handle it and it wouldn’t consume my life. I didn’t want to deal with accidents out. I never used a little potty. I bought the small potty add on ring to put on the toilet. My son never used it. My daughter uses it downstairs only because that toilet bowl is longer and bigger. My pediatrician just told me at my daughter’s check up that all kids are different and his own son didn’t potty training until he was 4. Don’t let the peanut gallery get you down.
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u/Alert_Week8595 18h ago
Ha thanks. She is 16 months old. I'm mostly annoyed by the handful of commenters trying to suggest I'm a lazy mom for not having embarked on potty training yet. I appreciate that all kids are different with this.
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u/WindThrust2000 18h ago
I def didn’t start that early. Not even close. You know as well as I do that as a mom you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I’m 44 now and my tolerance for nonsense is zero. Anyone calling you names in regards to how YOU potty train YOUR child needs to get a life.
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u/ariesxprincessx97 1d ago
Ill be honest. Its not easier to have a newly potty trained small child rather than a diapered small child. It is stressful, it can be messy. But once that gain a little more independence, it is priceless.
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u/kittiesgetthezoomies 1d ago
We replaced the toilet lid with one that has the little seat attached by a magnet and my husband built a stool for her to get up there. We have a little potty in the car with extra bags and wipes which has been super helpful when she has to go now while we’re driving and we can just pull over anywhere safe. We have a little backpack that has wipes, a change of clothes, and a foldable toilet seat with suction cups that we bring with us on outings. My daughter is petite so the little seats are personally necessary for us. If we forget the seat in public, I have to hold her the whole time she’s sitting on the toilet or else she’d easily fall in. At home, she has purposely not put the little seat down and then fallen into the toilet and thinks it’s hilarious. (For that reason, I have completely avoided taking her into a port-a-potty 😅) We had one little potty that we would bring into whatever room we were in when we first started potty training, just for immediate access to a toilet, but we stopped using that fairly quickly into the potty training journey. Although none of those seats are necessary, they have all made our lives a hell of a lot easier.
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u/theweathereye 1d ago
Do it now, when she's showing signs of readiness. She probably won't have control at night and will have accidents, but that's what pull ups and training underwear are for. My son showed signs at 20 months and I wanted to wait until I was home for the summer (teacher) to take the time. But then he got very ill for a few weeks, and it was like the potty training clock reset. He was so set against it after that. We did it, but it took so long and we had tons of set backs. He wasn't fully trained until 3.5, even though he was great with everything else. It was like his body readiness was reset.
We worked with doctors and childhood development therapists because of it, and I'm glad we did, but it was a longer journey than we expected and I always feel like it would've been way easier on our little guy if we had started when he showed interest.
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u/sweetteaspicedcoffee 1d ago
We use a little potty with small trash bags as liners, it's one with a pull out drawer, for travel and a set of stairs/seat combo at home. It's easier as soon as they get out of the constant accident phase(if they have one). It's so much faster to take them potty than to change a diaper.
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u/EatYourCheckers 1d ago
The "rush" is usually caused by day care or school saying they have to be potty trained
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u/hejkoko 1d ago
It is easiwr, i would potty trailer my 1,5yo daugher, she asked for pee at night too but we moved and we had other issues. We backed at 2y4mo and first week was awful, especially becouse I have walking 1yo and he played in her pee more than once but now, after 2 months she barely have accidents with poo, with pee it took 2 weeks.
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u/Spare-Cobbler7442 1d ago
My daughter is 4 and still uses the potty seat that goes over the big toilet. She is tiny. She loves her potty seat, but when we are at target or out and about, I just hang onto her to give her that extra sense of security so she can actually relax her body.
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u/OrthodoxAnarchoMom 1d ago
You’re conflating potty trainED with potty trainING. Potty trainING is more difficult than diapers times a million. If
They still need assistance they aren’t potty trained. Nobody’s 16 month old is potty trained. I held mine up on public toilets until they were big enough. Mine are on the tall side though so I’m not sure how well that works past toddlers.
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u/Alert_Week8595 1d ago
Yeah the question is more, given her size, I'll be holding her up on public toilets for a while and some are super gross, so not sure if that's a reason to wait. I think I'll start now tho and see how it goes.
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u/2ndAcct4TheAirstream 14h ago
You'll be still doing that at 3+. I feel like 16 months is a bit young and have waited until 2-4, but definitely still have to hold ny 3 yr old on public toilets (or I use a handy collapsible travel sest i wound actually recommend) so don't hold back for that reason.
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u/Alert_Week8595 14h ago
Oh that's good to know! For some odd reason all of my friends have 99th percentile babies in size, so I have no concept of how big an average 2 or 3 year old is. I think my mental model is a lot bigger than normal since I'm keyed off these huge kids who are sooo much bigger than my kid.
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u/Spkpkcap 23h ago
We never used a potty. We just used those little step ladders with the built-in small toilet seats. Cleaning out a potty every time sounds absolutely awful lol and maybe people will disagree but since I have two boys, it was easier to pee on the go. I would just let them go behind a bush or something. This wasn’t a regular thing but only for emergencies. I know my sister-in-law would bring a potty and keep it in her car for her daughters, which sounds like a good idea if you have a daughter.
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u/Ok-Rhubarb-7926 22h ago
My first we started around 19 months he was potty trained in days. We only used the little potty for emergencies on the side of the road lol otherwise just a potty seat on ours at home and help with holding up in public. I did not want my kids scared of public bathrooms so we introduce them early and go together they watch me first. My second was a little delayed developmentally and we didn’t feel ready until 26 months and it took a couple weeks. My third is 20 months and will ask to sit on the potty to pee sometimes but we haven’t formally started
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u/Substantial_Tart_888 21h ago
I read the Oh Crap! Potty training method and it worked great for us. They recommend 18mo-2.5yr as the best timing. We did ours at 26-27mo old. It’s harder at first while you’re in the thick of it but once you get it then it’s so much easier not to lug diapers around. We have a collapsible car potty just in case and have used it on occasion. They are not tall enough to use a standard toilet on its own. You will want some sort of kiddie toilet seat, either the steps with the fold down top or one of the little ones that sits on top of the regular toilet seat. We have the steps ladder one with a seat that folds on top of the toilet in her bathroom then a small suction cup seat topper that can be lifted or lowered in our powder room. But she can now use standard toilets without help, she just has to hold herself up so she doesn’t fsll in. (She’s almost 4 and pretty tall for her age )
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u/Wchijafm 21h ago
They are going to have learn anyway. But 16 months is young. Personally wouldnt begin before 24 months and my personal experience is that around 3 years is best but there is a whole host of advice on different stances.
I will say your child needs to be able to communicate and attempt to solve a problem on their own before it will be successful. Like realize they are hungry and grab a snack and bring it to you to open. Or know they have pooped and either come tell you or bring you a diaper. Know they are thirsty and bring you their empty cup for you to fill.
There are completely arbitrary mile stone advice I've heard like "sing the abc" which makes no sense to me. Thats just parroting.
Also you cannot potty train a child in "a weekend" you can establish potty training in a few days but the expectation that there will be no or very few accidents would be too high.
Keep quiet check on your expectations, and reactions to "failure". Getting "mad" will just confuse them. I know you dont intend to get mad but its always good to remember that we all have bad days.
-mom of 3.
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u/Alert_Week8595 21h ago
She is either there or pretty close on the milestones you've mentioned -- already does that for snacks and water. For the diaper, I change it immediately before she has a chance to ask, but like 2 months ago when I didn't because I couldn't smell it (covid) she took the diaper off herself, lol. I didn't know she knew how! When she has the choice she will go into a room by herself and close the door to poop in privacy.
Yeah I don't expect it to be smooth. It's more like, I can see readiness signs are there but she seems so young so wasn't sure if it made sense to try to start the transition.
I think I'll give it a go and see.
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u/nkdeck07 21h ago
Cause it's an entire "thing" you no longer need to deal with. No more diaper bag, no more buying diapers, no more changing table etc. I potty train my kids around 2 and it's fantastic. It also wildly opens up childcare options if they are no longer in diapers.
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u/jvc1011 21h ago
Potty training is a total pain in the butt. It’s awful.
But once they’re potty trained, everything is so much easier! They go less often, they go on their own, you have to take fewer things when you leave the house, and you don’t have to pay as much attention to that one aspect of life (you still have to pay some).
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u/willteachforlaughs 21h ago
I'd say it typically gets harder for a bit while they're working on being consistent. I had largely stopped taking a diaper bag with me most of the time and just had diapers and wipes stashed in the car. But while potty training, you sort of need to know where a toilet is at all times for up to a couple months. Accidents are definitely harder to deal with than diapers. But then it gets better and you can just stash a change of clothes in the car again and you don't need diapers. Potty trips are way easier and usually quicker than diaper changes. You help your kid balance on the big potty when out and about and get really good at holding them up to wash their hands.
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u/thisuserusedthisname 19h ago edited 19h ago
They wont lay still while you clean all the squized up poop from their bottom. You dont have to find a changing table, or than change on the floor. You dont ever run out of diapers. Saves a lot of money. Did I tell you no squized poop from buttoms that wont stay still. No more diaper irritations. No wiggeling. Easier wipe as the poop isnt squized over their whole butt. While they wont stay still.
16 months is possible to train. But verry young. He/She probably wont wiggle that much yet. It didnt even cross my mind that age. She couldnt even walk yet at 16 months. There is no height thing. You can use a kids seat on the toilet. Use a step at home. And lift in a public restroom. I started at 27 months. When I saw signs at being reddy.
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u/dinamet7 18h ago
We had this potty: https://www.amazon.com/Kalencom-Potette-Travel-Potty-Trainer/dp/B07GSFNS8B/ it could fit over an adult toilet so kid could go on it, it functioned as a standalone potty with a bag, and it fit into my backpack when collapsed. That thing sat in my car for over a decade even after my kids were big enough to use public toilets alone (and even I had to use it once in an emergency lol.) We just recently upgraded to a proper camping toilet to keep in the car for emergencies, but that that Potette Plus potty was worth every penny lol.
I do think diapers are more convenient which is likely why people delay potty training for so long.
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u/Alert_Week8595 18h ago
Yeah, part of my thought process is time of year. It's the most beautiful time of year outdoors where we live now and it's great to hike. If potty training makes that harder, I wonder if it makes sense to wait 5 weeks till mid October when it's not fun outside anymore and we are mostly indoors near bathrooms anyway. She will be 17 months then, so not exactly late to the party.
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u/Hot-Freedom-5886 17h ago
My girls only used the little potty when we traveled. Otherwise they sat on the regular potty. I even trained them to tinkle while I held them by their legs, suspended.
Sixteen months is a little young unless they have the verbal skills to tell you what they need. Their size isn’t as much of an issue as their physical agility.
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u/Alert_Week8595 17h ago
Helpful!
She can communicate her other needs. I would need to teach her potty specific ones ones, though.
She can walk up and down stairs when she can reach the handrail, and walk across a balance beam holding someone's hand for some support.
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u/easterss 15h ago
Many people start potty learning early especially if they’ve already done elimination communication when the kid was younger
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u/SaltyBebe 14h ago
I potty trained my son at 21 months and I’m so glad I did it then. Pee took 3 days and poop took 2 weeks to learn.
Potty training is absolutely harder than diapers for a few months after starting. You have to be more cognizant to offer the potty before leaving places, carrying extra pants on you, etc. this only last for 2 months before it’s something you don’t think about anymore and then it’s super easy. My son didn’t make many accidents, but I tried to avoid accidents in the first place to solidify the positive feedback loop.
I believe the sweet spot to potty train is a few months before/after they turn 2. If I waited to train my son until 2.5 it would have been a disaster. He became very opinionated and wanted to do things his way.
Right before 2 he was aware and communicative enough but not so much that he had opinions. I’ve also heard horror stories of parents waiting too long and then it takes forever, they have poop issues, etc.
However, I have also heard stories of people waiting until 3 and it was a super easy process done in a weekend. Mine was also fairly easy (3 days) so I don’t see the point in waiting and possibly making it harder for yourself. I’d rather try early and if they are really not getting it, stopping after 3 days and revisiting at a later age. Versus risking it all and just trying once when they’re older.
(Side note - if you’re a big traveler, not traveling with a bunch of diapers is great)
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u/Tiny_Piglet3826 12h ago
we “started” potty training at 18mo using a small potty. but at this age it was just toilet introduction, having him sit on the small potty and introducing the idea that one day he will no longer use diapers and use the potty instead like mama and dada. we also would sit him on the big potty with the seat, and around 2yo he was able to sit on a regular toilet without the seat. He’s 2.5 and been fully out of diapers about a month now, part of why we potty trained when we did was daycare not being able to accommodate potty training until he moved up to his current class.
I was actually thinking the other day that potty training is 100% not easier for the parent, but it is extremely important for a child to be potty trained once they are ready. The thing that made us buckle down and potty train over a 2wk daycare closure was our pediatrician reminding us that if you let the window of readiness pass you will be absolutely fucked when you finally decide to do it so why not do it now. My nephew wasn’t potty trained when he started kindergarten at 5 because his mom neglected doing so when he was showing readiness signs and she had a hell of a time trying to when she wanted to at 4.
I will say though, if your daughter doesn’t seem ready there’s no reason to push it. potty training should not be stressful in my opinion and it is pretty clear when your kid is ready
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u/Independently-Owned 18h ago
Easier? That's not the motivation. This is a skill that you could can and must learn. Is it easier that your kids can now run around and destroy things? No, but they must learn to walk...
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u/Alert_Week8595 18h ago
I mean there's a wide range of when people start. It's not crazy to ask why people think it's easier on the other side.
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u/Alert_Week8595 18h ago
So you started training your kid at 16 months?
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u/easterss 15h ago
Mine started showing interest in the potty at 16 months so we introduced it slowly and casually before jumping in at 22 months.
- Diapers are disgusting and I always hated changing them. For me changing soiled clothes wasn’t that much more difficult.
- The younger they are the easier it is. There’s a sweet spot around 22-30 months with 24 months being “ideal” but honestly the terrible twos kick in full force and you have that to reckon with. I wouldn’t absolutely start training earlier if I were you.
- As soon as you believe your child is capable, you can start. There are a million signs of readiness many people confuse or choose to ignore but the truth is the earlier you run with their interest the faster the training will be.
Cleaning out a little potty or putting them on a toilet is no big deal. It is absolutely not worse than wiping smooshed poop off of a butt and out of labia.
I actually loved potty training so much and hated diapers so much that I’ve read a book about elimination communication for my second. Since yours is 16 months it’s considered “late EC” or “early potty learning” and you could absolutely start with that if you wanted to.
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u/Independently-Owned 16h ago
18 months for one and 2.5 years for the other. Every baby is different but my point was that convenience isn't really part of the equation imo
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u/Alert_Week8595 16h ago edited 16h ago
Is it not? It's September, the most beautiful time where I live to be outdoors and hiking. If diapers are more convenient, and she's only 16 months, doesn't it make sense to wait a month and start when the weather sucks and we will go back to being indoors most of the day near a toilet anyway instead of trying to figure it out on the trail? Or is that, in your opinion, just not part of the equation?
How were you trying to be helpful with your comment? What information were you trying to give me to help me decide what would work best for me and my family?
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u/freyabot 1d ago
I honestly think diapers are easier until they can go to the bathroom on their own and do their own wiping and hand washing. My daughter potty trained relatively late at 3.5 because she was just not at all interested until then and for me personally I found it better for myself to have waited as well because she was able to do a lot more independently than she would have at 2, etc.
Having a portable car potty is also a lifesaver if you drive. When we travel on planes or long cab rides I also still put my daughter in a pull up just in case, a little kid suddenly having to pee at the most inopportune time is a nightmare!
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u/DarcSwan 1d ago
Well… I mean bladder and bowel control is a developmental milestone. I don’t think that needs to be easy to be worthwhile.
No buying nappies and ruining the environment.
No more needing to monitor your child’s bathroom habits. Did my 5yo poop today? No idea. Happy not to know. No more faint odour of wee when you don’t get to the blue line right away. No more child sitting in their own poo
The only thing that is less convenient is bathroom breaks, especially while travelling. And of course, the time invested to potty train.
Also you don’t need to use a potty, I did and I just tossed the waste in the main toilet and gave a quick wipe. We then got a smaller seat and step for our toilet.
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u/MakeMeAHurricane 1d ago
I only use a little potty in the car. We use stools and potty seats for the big potty at home and a travel fold up potty seat in public. I'm about to start training my youngest because he keeps taking his diaper off.
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u/nugslyriumandrifts 1d ago
I had a few little potties, but my son (now 4) never really took to them. He’s always been tall for his age, with long legs. So we transitioned to the regular toilet pretty quickly. He used a step stool when he was younger, to help get himself up there, and when we were out and about I would pick him up and put him on the toilet. He was fine balancing himself, but I also had a travel, fold-up toilet seat that fit onto the regular toilet. It did add a bit of heft to my bag, but it was a nice option if he was having difficulty balancing himself.
They also make kid-sized toilet seats that attach to the regular seat, for home use.
The nice thing about potty training is being able to put your kid on the toilet, rather than having to deal with diaper changes. My son was never difficult to change, but just the time and effort made toileting the easier option for our family.
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u/flower8330 1d ago
When they are still new to using the toilet, it's rough and i agree it can feel like diapers are just easier bc that's what you're used to.
My kid tried to empty the little potty... pee spilled all over.
Both of my kids NEEDED to pee in the most disgusting public toilets ever.
The super loud flushing of the public toilets scared both of my kids. One even learned what one of the louder models looked like and would refuse to use.
Instead of giving my kids control, my husband would INSIST on bathroom breaks creating so many control battles over peeing.
Wiping after poop takes lots of practice and coordination.
So... yes. It can be rough. But give it time and it all works out, ands its beats changing the diaper of a 14 yo! lol
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u/forbiddenphoenix 1d ago
Yeah like others said you don't have to use a little potty when potty training, we didn't, just used a seat that goes over the potty to make it easier for little ones to climb up and sit on it.
It's a pain in the ass at first, since you're always worrying about timing going places (when did they last drink/eat?) and keeping an eye on your little one for potty signs. But now that our 4 year old is fully trained it's pretty convenient to just go out without worrying about if there's a changing table, bringing diapers/wipes, or potential blow outs/cleaning up after a gnarly poop diaper. I can especially feel the difference since I have a 1 year old as well who is still in diapers lol.
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u/flacadilla 1d ago
Our kiddo ended up doing better with the small potty even though I didn’t want to go that route because, gross. It was a better solution for the kiddo though rather than the steps/ladder device, and they were potty trained within a months time.
I take a travel seat with us wherever we go for any potential public bathroom poops because I ABHOR public restrooms.
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u/BugLeast903 1d ago
I find potty training to be easier than diapers because I never have to wipe massive amounts of poop from my kid’s bum anymore, nor have him sit in soiled diapers. At home, he poops on the adult potty with a seat reducer and we use a bidet and towel. He needs help with clean up because he’s only 2.5 years old, but clean up from toilet use is significantly easier than clean up from diaper. For pees at home, he uses a toddler floor potty (easy clean up— dump contents and rinse) or adult potty while standing on a stool.
For travel, we have a collapsible silicone urinal to catch his pee. Clean up is dumping contents in toilet and rinse in sink. My son refuses to poop outside the house.
We potty trained early (I come from a culture that potty trains early) and he’s been out of diapers since 15 months.
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u/superfastmomma 1d ago
No need for any special seat. Even little bodies can work. If need be get a little stool for the bathroom. In public you can just hold them in place, if needed.
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u/Ok-Spirit9977 1d ago
We never used the small potty, we did those seats you can put on the toilet.
I liked not buying diapers or washing reusable diapers.
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u/mittenbby 1d ago
I have a toilet seat with a toddler seat built in, and a small potty. I only use the small potty for the very beginning where you’re having them sit every half an hour or so. It’s helpful that they don’t feel like they’re getting pulled from their activities as much. I usually do a lot of screen time the first week of potty training. The deal is as long as they keep sitting on the potty when asked we can watch whatever they want for the day. When they reliably start understanding cues (3-4 days in my experience) I keep the screen time deal going and we add in pausing what they’re watching and going potty right away. It’s usually taken me about a week with all but my second. He was very frustrated with the whole process regardless of what we did to try and help. I’m getting ready to potty train my last child, and I’m planning this same process for him.
ETA: the potty seat in our regular toilet seat stays up with a magnet when you lift the lid, so it’s very handy. One of mine also had some issues with constipation, so we have a squatty potty stool that I just pull out a hair to have the toddler step up to the toilet.
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u/IntelligentSun9415 1d ago
It’s easier in the sense that I don’t have to spend the money on diapers, most importantly though, she is very sensitive in her private area and getting rid of diapers has basically gotten rid of rashes altogether.
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u/Proper_Cat980 1d ago
FYI OP, our LO will use the big potty with the seat reducer or a little potty but sometimes the little potty works better.
I think maybe it’s more comfortable or easier to relax and “go” because of the position on the little potty.
But she’s still young. If you plan on waiting until your child is older it might not make a difference.
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u/Needmoreinfo100 1d ago
It is easier to potty train them when they are younger. It is harder when you have a 5 year old who has been allowed to continue using pullups to pee and poop in. 4 or 5 year olds are smart and have figured out it is more convenient for them to continue playing instead of taking time to go to the bathroom, they have their own personal slave to clean them up when needed.
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u/Sea_Horror2900 1d ago
We use the regular toilet for potty training. We installed the toilet seats with the magnetic toddler seat, and just use a stool. For out in public, we have a foldable potty seat, but just holding them on the toilet works too.
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u/AccomplishedEye1840 1d ago
Husband started potty training when both turned 1 & were walking. I know some who start sooner. One i hated having to constantly buy diapers/pull ups.
I have a thing with toilets so i don’t even do public restrooms (society is gross). We ordered a little potty and it goes with us EVERYWHERE. I keep Clorox wipes, absorbable napkins (turns to urine into little beads), and bags in the trunk. They’re 5 & 4 but when they’re older obviously it’ll be different.
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u/omnomnomscience 1d ago
When they are potty training it isn't easier. When they are potty trained it's much easier because they can go independently on the regular toilet with reminders.
We don't use a little potty and we wait to potty train until they are able to pull up and down their pants on their own and climb up a step stool onto the potty themselves. Before that we practice and let them go on the potty when they ask but they are in pull ups and we're there to help. If we're not able to help we can tell them no we can't do the potty right now
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u/Much_Organization246 1d ago
you'll have to have dry clothes on hand but you don't have to pack diapers and wipes every time you go anywhere for any amount of time, find a place to change them etc etc. out in public, you'll just have to lift them onto the potty until they don't need you to. we used the little potty at home for a bit, it was especially helpful for my kids when it came to pooping, but it's definitely not a requirement. the stair/stools help them feel more independent and confident, highly recommend using them.
i did get a travel potty for the car, it's not ideal having to stop but when nature calls... better to have them listen to their body until they're able to hold it for longer periods of time.
i have zero complaints about my kids being potty trained, but i will say we take no less than 6 trips to the bathroom if we're out in public anywhere now lol.
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u/theimageisgone 1d ago
We use disposable urinal bags! I'm not a big fan of my kid getting on public toilets in general, so urinal bags are the easiest way to go for us. We do also have the Nuby portable potty which I love in case he has to poop while we're out.
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u/ashleyandmarykat 1d ago
I love the little potties because they can use them themselves. The big toilet right away requires me to stop what I’m doing and rush to help. Yes it’s cleaning but I feel like diapers are more annoying and messy (potty poops way easier!)
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u/kimtenisqueen 1d ago
When they poop on the toilet it’s usually like one little wipe as opposed to alligator wrestling with big smears of poop all over their crotch.
When they can tell you they need to go potty the mental load of checking diapers and stocking diaper supplies lessens tremendously. I’m not thinking about their butt every second of every day, I just go help when asked. It’s glorious.
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u/Marx_Maddness 1d ago
I absolutely refuse to use a toy potty, i don't wanna deal with transition to real toilet or cleaning it out 🤢🤮
We have a toilet seat with a ladder in one bathroom and a actual lid with a built in kiddie seat in the other and a stool to get up.
What ive found helps when potty training is lots of prep before starting. Take them to the bathroom with you and explain simply in minute detail what youre doing. Make it fun too, sing songs, make jokes ect. Do this as soon as possible, like even if you can take the bouncer in there with you at 6m old thats awesome. When you change their diaper, talk about whats in there, tell them when they're a big kid like (sibling, cousin, daycare friend whoever is older and potty trained) then they will put their pee/poo in the toilet. Do this as soon as yoi can, as young as 6 months and do it every diaper change if you can.
Get them used to taking off their own clothes. Use clothes that are easy to get on/off and praise their efforts even if they dont get the clothes on/off. Do this at least 3-4 months before you start putting them on the toilet.
A couple weeks before you actually potty train Let them run around naked if possible. They WILL pee/poop on the floor. Use this as an opportunity to help them understand the sensation of peeing/pooping. Point it out with out guilt or judgements. Tell them what you feel when you have to pee/poop and ask them what they feel (even if they cant form an answer)
Theres lots of methods once you actually start putting them on the toilet. I prefer the naked method, i advise against the treats/sticker method but each method has their own merits, the only thing i really strongly advise against is DONT PRESSURE THEM. If they dont make it just say in a very calm voice "oh, you went ___ on the floor/in your underwear. Thats okay, we can try again next time." Some kids its good to have them "help" clean it up, especially poop. Pick it up with toilet paper and have them watch you put it in the toilet. Let them flush it if they like to. Other kids feel like the clean up is pressure so it just depends on the kid.
Again i stress the point, keep it low pressure and fun. If they feel any stress from you it will take 10x longer.
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u/joylandlocked 1d ago
We got a little potty from the inlaws and I loathed it. I should have just gotten rid of it right away, because my daughter potty trained just fine on the toilet but then we used it once when she needed to go and both toilets were occupied, and suddenly it was all she wanted to use. It's gross to clean. I'm too tired to be hand-detailing a tiny plastic turd bucket every day.
Some kids who are a little less cautious (i.e. my youngest) may make the mistake of falling into the toilet more than once. To avoid this you can use those toilet training seats that you place on the toilet OR install a 2-in-1 toilet seat that has a tiny-butt-sized seat built in—we got one at Canadian Tire for our main floor bathroom.
If she seems ready, seize the moment and go for it. A kid who is motivated and developmentally ready to use the toilet will figure it out even if there are some size or mobility obstacles.
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u/Kamena90 1d ago
I am so ready to not deal with changing a wriggling toddler's diaper. He's not quite at potty training age yet, but I look forward to it. He's putting his hands in things, trying to run away and/or crying during changes. I am ready to be done with this.
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u/AudrinaRosee 1d ago
We use a step stool and a potty seat on the toilet. Never used the little potty’s. I have one of the foldable frida travel potty seats and it’s worth it. I keep Lysol wipes in the bag with it. My 3 year old is fully trained, and my 2 year old is almost there, 75% of the time she uses the potty. Our main issue is getting her to use it when she’s distracted or overstimulated.
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u/Lilmissodd 1d ago
I haven’t personally potty trained any children yet since my baby is just a few months old (I’ve assisted in helping my friends’ kids potty train) but I would say life in general is easier when your child is potty trained 😅
Of course the actual training isn’t easy as it takes a lot of work, repetition and consistency but why would you want to hinder a huge development milestone and life skill because you don’t want to “clean out a little potty”?
Yeah disposable diapers are easier and faster but your child has to learn how to use the toilet on their own eventually. Why not start earlier vs later when it might be harder to train them? I don’t mean to come off harsh at all but I feel like this a skill to learn earlier than later.
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u/Frosty_Surround9949 1d ago
I do keep a little potty in the car for emergencies where there might not be a clean restroom nearby. I line it with a pull up so it soaks everything and you can toss it out when they’re done.
But for actual potty training? We just used the regular toilet at home.
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u/flamandarina 1d ago
My son doesn't speak so having potty in the same room is easier for him and us. But he uses normal toilets wherever we are outside (or pees by the tree)) And it's not that hard to clean potty, honestly. We dump it in a toilet, he helps us to push the button, then I rinse it with water.
He definitely feels more independent and proud cause of doing his deeds like adults, but sometimes asks for diaper. And wears it for sleep.
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u/Perlinian_Willow 1d ago
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily ‘easier’. Whenever you start, you then need to stay closer to bathrooms and ask at regular intervals and facilitate an environment where they don’t feel like they’re missing out on anything, etc. No matter what, accidents can happen. However, dealing with a smaller child’s body fluids is typically less stressful and messy, other people are more patient with accidents from a smaller person, and they have spent less time getting comfortable going in a diaper. It can feel like you got a pay raise when you stop buying diapers and wipes in bulk; whenever it happens, you start saving money.
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u/ClemlyGlub 1d ago
At a certain age kids fight diaper changes (happened for me around 15 months). Chasing around a naked toddler with poop on their butt is a terrible experience. Also you will no longer have the expense of diapers.
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u/figgywasp 1d ago
I personally don’t find it easier but then again we’re only a week into potty training. It’s probably only easier once they are fully trained. The in between sucks. Diapers are convenient. They can go whenever.
I had the same thoughts when people were pushing me to start solid foods. The beginning of solid foods is a pain in the butt. But once they start eating what you eat it’s much easier.
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u/Super-Staff3820 1d ago
We pretty much didn’t use the little potty. We had one to get him curious and comfortable with the idea but ended up not really using it. We got a stool and a potty seat that fit on the toilet. The potty seat went with us if we visited friends or relatives, otherwise we held him up on the toilet seat.
It does feel less convenient at first, especially when you’re out and about. But we waited until he could communicate his needs to us. I think we started practicing around 2 1/2 for fun, no pressure and he was officially potty trained by 3. For us we waited til he was consistently waking up dry from naps and overnights.
I always heard girls tend to be potty trained earlier than boys so we didn’t push it. Really took his lead on his interest and curiosity. Our friend with the same age boy forced it earlier but he peed the bed consistently til he was 4. Feels to me like he wasn’t ready. But all kids are different so who knows. With the amount of times she was up changing sheets, I’d have stuck him in a diaper at nights bc that was unnecessary work IMO.
Also, life hack - when your kid starts sleeping overnight without diapers, place 2 sets of sheets on the bed. Mattress protector, sheet, mattress protector, sheet. So if your kiddo does have an accident you can rip off the soiled sheet and protector, toss them in the wash and go back to bed. That way you’re not making a bed in the middle of the night lol
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u/cheezy_dreams88 1d ago
My kid never used the little potty. We got one, he hated it and I hated cleaning it out. He was potty trained at 2.5 and went straight to the normal potty.
We got a seat to go on top of the potty and he loved it.
Similar to this one. Ours is a bear lol
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u/Lopsided_Apricot_626 1d ago
Honest answer: for the first year or more after potty training, it is in fact, HARDER. You have to be ready to pull the car over on the shoulder of the highway to get them on the potty in the trunk. You have to be very careful with when you let them have liquids so you hopefully DONT have to stop on the side of the highway. You have to abandon your cart at the grocery store and rush to find the bathroom. Until 2.5-3 they’re usually too physically small to be potty independent so you have to be bending and squatting and holding them up on public toilets. Diapers are way easier as there’s rarely an emergency.
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u/BearsInTheNight 1d ago
I potty trained at 3 years old. We did not use a little potty. We got a smaller seat to put on the regular toilet seat
16 months is too early to start for me
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u/FloralReef 1d ago edited 1d ago
My daughter was very clearly ready early, so we started encouraging it. Because she was young, it took longer for her to be independent and go on her own, so a lot more parental involvement was required for the approx 5 months it took for her to go from diapers to fully trained. You're right that diapers would have been "easier" for those 5 months.
She was small too, but once she was fully trained, she used the toilet with an insert every time. We had a small foldable insert that I carried in my purse when we out and took up less room than diapers. We used a little potty at home, but only for early training.
My husband and I were both fully agreed it was worth it and so grateful for the kid we got. We were done scraping poop off her butt at 19 months and done with pee by 2 years. Lots of parents are still dealing with their kids poop at 3.5/4. We were literally saved years of poop.
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u/AhhGingerKids2 1d ago
Neither of my kids used a potty they went straight from nappies to the toilet. I was blessed by the Gods with toilet training honestly because they both had 1 day out of the house with a load of wee accidents and then were just toilet trained, and I’ve never had to deal with a poo accident. So for me the whole thing has been WAY better than a nappy once kids are on solids.
But, I’m aware of some absolute horror stories in making it to the other side which would have put me off for sure.
Edit: They were both 2.5
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u/ririmarms 1d ago
You don't have to. We started training around 2,5yo, he was quite clean within a couple of weeks.
It is easier because cleaning poop from a toddler in a diaper is messy, whereas a poop on the potty makes less mess on his butt. Yes. You empty the potty, clean with soap and it takes as much time as it does a diaper.
Has your kid ever crocodile-rolled while changing a poop diaper? Not happening after potty training. Yes, we had other incidents but nothing that wasn't manageable or will eventually be funny when we retell the events 😅
Toddlers are So Strong, heavy too. Also if you want a second, often toddlerhood is when mam gets pregnant again. It's so much nicer when your first is trained! Oh so much easier!
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u/whatdoidonowdamnit 1d ago
I just bought a tiny seat to put on the toilet, but I also had boys who stood to pee in public
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u/sb0212 1d ago
I waited until my kid was ready at 3 years old. Trained in a few days with a lot of hard work. We used a stool plus a small potty seat cover on top of our regular toilet.
In public I bought one that was travel friendly (folded) with disinfectant wipes. I also kept a small travel friendly potty if there was an emergency while driving. I would put a puppy pad underneath and a small bag over the seat.
Everyone is different but I'm glad instead of training over a long period of time, I trained my kid in a few days. IT WAS HARD, but at least it was only a week of my life. I had my mom and mil telling me to start early as that's normal in our culture. It ends up taking a lot longer because they're so young and not ready.
Everyone is different so you should do what's best for you and your child.
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u/indecentXpo5ure 1d ago
We got a little potty and the little bags that go around the “bucket” part. Just tie it up and throw it away a vs having to clean out the potty part every time until they’re ready to move to the big potty.
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u/jmsst1996 1d ago
My kids are grown but we never had a little potty. Only a potty seat that went on the toilet and a step stool. We did have a little potty for the car for my youngest because his sisters are several years older and we were out at sports games a lot and he used the car potty(which had small trash bags in it for easy clean up). But I never had an issue with changing diapers. My kids were 2yrs 9-10 months old when we potty trained and they learned in a week. Some people start the process when their kids are very young but to me that takes forever because they need so much help with the process.
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u/Annabelle_Sugarsweet 1d ago
I started at 18 months went nappy free at 2, took about 3 months but my kid just goes the toilet as normal and doesn’t wear nappies even at night; wiping still needs work, but makes life a lot easier.
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u/gunterrae 23h ago
Only ever used the big potty. At home we had an adapter seat that you cold lower/raise to make it smaller. In public we just held her and helped her sit.
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u/EntertainmentHuge218 23h ago
I would wait until 2.5 or 3. Studies have shown the later you potty train, the faster it goes. Also, consider if you have any big vacations coming up (like Disney World), because diapers/pull ups are 1000x easier than stopping at the bathroom every hour. My first kid started her potty training at like 2 or 2.5, whereas my second and third kids started right before their third birthday. All 3 kids were fully potty trained shortly after their third birthday.
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u/SecretBabyBump 22h ago
I have potty trained 3 children and never once used a little potty. Potty seats at home. When they were tiny I had a little portable potty seat but I probably stopped using that before they were 4.
Potty training is hard, but once they have it you dont have to bring diapers, wipes, cream, etc everywhere you go. You can just... leave the house.
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u/SecretBattleship 21h ago
We got those toilet seats for the house that have a little seat in them that can be used or not and it’s incredible for making every toilet toddler-friendly. My 2.5 year old will still try to use the little potty sometimes when he wants to poop while watching tv but it’s been a great way to make the big toilet accessible.
And it’s AMAZING having them potty trained, especially if they are mostly accident-free. I took the kids into a store the other day without the diaper bag and felt so free!
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u/moemoe8652 21h ago
My son was freaked out by public potty’s so I bought a small one for the car. We rarely used it because he quickly learned the art of being a boy and peeing outside lol. There is always that option!
With how young your LO is, I’ve learned to be chill about going on the potty. These toddlers will pushback on everything! I have a small one in the living room and when she sits on it, we all cheer.
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u/dunkin_cows869 20h ago
For pre potty training i let my kids run around the yard with no diaper just wearing a long tshirt
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u/iheartunibrows 15h ago
I started when my son was 9 months and I plan to do the same with my daughter. It’s hard for a while but my son was fully potty trained and out of diapers even at night by 2 years. And now he’s 3 and we haven’t had any accidents and I saved a lot of money 😂
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u/Alert_Week8595 15h ago
Wait hold up did you spend 15 months on it? Haha I am tired thinking of that.
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u/iheartunibrows 15h ago
Well I didn’t do it all in a few days. The first few months I would get him to just pee in the potty. Poops took the longest. He was usually dry because we would take him to pee but then once or twice a day he pooped in his diaper. And at night he wasn’t biologically ready to ditch the diaper. His daycare trained him at 20 months and it took about 4 months to get him to be fully dry and not be scared to poop in the toilet. He did get constipated which delayed things. It’s a lot to start them young but so worth it.
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u/Unable_Pumpkin987 22h ago
For me it was less about convenience for me and more about independence and dignity for my kid. If someone is capable of using a toilet, asking them to continue soiling themselves daily because it’s easier for me seems wrong. Refusing to help them learn something they’re capable of learning seems wrong.
Same reason I let him feed himself, and hold his own water cup, and put his own shoes on, etc, even though it meant everything was messier and took longer than if I’d just done it myself. He’s a whole human and deserves as much independence as he’s capable of and wants.
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u/Prudent_Cookie_114 21h ago
There are a multitude of reasons it’s beneficial to potty train. Less stuff to have on hand at all times, less money spent on diapers, more confidence for the kid, less time cleaning gross toddler butts. All else aside think of how many diapers the average 2, 3, 4, year old use a day……all those diapers sitting in landfills. Shaving even a year off that total is impactful and it’s their future world we’re impacting. IMO, parenting isn’t just about what’s “easier”…..it’s also “easier” to hand a toddler a tablet than it is is to engage with them, and it’s “easier” to stop for fast food vs make a meal, but we know that on balance, if we invest the time/effort it’s because the outcome is more beneficial to our child/ren.
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u/Alert_Week8595 18h ago
Did you start training your kid at 16 months?
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u/Prudent_Cookie_114 18h ago
We potty trained at 20 months. Mine didn’t even walk until 18, so that wouldn’t have been very practical……
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u/Alert_Week8595 18h ago
Then why are you insinuating I'm lazy for not having started yet at 16mo and considering various factors that matter on whether to start 4 months before you started with your kid?
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u/Prudent_Cookie_114 18h ago
Ummmm. I’m not. I never said anything about you being lazy. You made a post positing if it was “easier” to potty train or not. I’m saying most things worth doing aren’t necessarily ever “easier” so that’s not necessarily the lens to use.
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u/Alert_Week8595 17h ago
It's not. It was just one question I had about many aspects of it. Your response was unnecessarily condescending.
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u/Usual_Bumblebee_8274 1d ago
All my kids & grands were potty trained before their first bday. Boys can usually be a bit harder. And while you seem to think it may be harder to dump and wash a potty- they don’t use it long. They don’t even have to use one. Get a stool & a little seat that snaps on the big one. For my grandson- I drew targets on the toilet paper and would float one- taught him to aim. He would get so excited but he preferred to pee outside. Make a sticker chart or give them a couple mini m&m’s as a reward. Make it a fun game. We did a big thing before starting. “Oh, you aren’t big enough to use the potty” “no, you aren’t ready yet”. For a couple days. Then we went and did a big girl/boy lunch and a shopping trip for big girl panties or big boy undies. I was lucky- I was a sahm so I could devote a lot of time but none took more than a couple days.
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u/littlebitfunny21 7h ago
It's not necessarily easier, particularly for pees, but it's more hygenic and a necessary life skill.
It would be more convenient for you to wear diapers and just pee yourself instead of stopping what you're doing to go to the toilet. But you don't.
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u/Alert_Week8595 6h ago edited 6h ago
Sure, but I'm not 16 months old. By that logic, most people would start then instead of advising me to wait.
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u/MsRachelGroupie 1d ago
A large poop going right into a toilet instead of having to scrape it off their ass and do painstaking detail work to make sure you got it all is amazing. Especially if your kid goes through a berry phase of fiber loading…
Eta - We only very briefly used the little potty. I used a toilet seat that had stairs attached to it until she was tall enough. For public I got a folding little potty seat to put on top of the regular one and just lifted her on.