What do you consider as "potty trained"?

[BigDog]

Just curious....I here all of the "boastful" moms saying how their 12 month old is FULLY potty trained. And then when those of us who's children are....stubbornadmit that our 3 1/2 yo's aren't they kind of roll their eyes.

When I ask how they do it (to be nice). They say well....

'Once every 45 min. to 1 hour I take them and sit them on the potty for 5-10 min. If they go, then I give them a hug or kiss or some other treat. If not, then we just wash our hands and go through the motions like it happened." I ask so does it work? "Of course, sometimes 4-5 times a day they might have an accident. But, I know they are potty trained cause they are happy when they use the potty."

So let me ask...since that is IMHO non-sense above. And I know there are quite a few out there who feel just like that aforementioned mother....

When do you feel your child was fully potty trained.

*Personally, my kid has to do all of their business by themselves with no accidents (well maybe once a month or so if they "forget"). But, if I have to take them, wipe their tookus, and wash their hands.....then I'M potty trained, they are just compliant.*

[loladooder99]

lol i agree. My son turned three in march and he sort of potty trained himself. He goes in the bathroom himself and goes but I still have to wipe his behind. No accidents really just one when he was at his nannies. To me thats potty trained. I gotta wipe his face after every meal but atleast im not wiping poop off his entire butt cause it got smashed in the diaper. EW!

[amylynne01]

My DD3 is nearly potty trained. She knows when to go and where to go. However we have a tall toilet and a not tall enough stool, so she needs help getting on to go. She also needs help if she's wearing jeans since she still learning how to do that snap. I say nearly potty trained because she still hates to poo on the potty. She will hold it in until we put her in a pullup for sleeping (not night-trained which does not mean she's not potty trained - 2 totally different things).

So a kiddo is PTed when he/she knows when to go and can do all the potty stuff pretty much on their own, but it is not dependent on being dry at night.

[lbrown1618]

I agree. A 12m old cannot be potty trained. The PARENT is...aka- conditioned to know the signs of the child needing to go and sits them on the potty.

I also agree that night trained and daytime trained are different animals. I'm not sure what I think about the pee-trained but not poo-trained situation. Neither of my kids had issues with pooing on the potty that weren't worked out during the pee-training, so I didn't deal with that. So I'm not sure whether I think the child is "PT-ed" if they still refuse to poo. I'm leaning toward saying they are not.

[434Teresa]

LOL I have 4 kido's and I would love to see one that is 12 months and fully potty trained..I just find that crazy to even beleive.........I mean I would have to babysit for the day and see that child go and do it all then, I would no longer think that mom is not full of it...if some mom told me that I know I would look at her as if she was crazy without really meaning to.. not because of the age that my 4 were but because I have been around little ones my whole life and I am up there(42) and never have I saw a 12 month old potty trained..

son number one was a little over two
son number two was almost 3
My only little girl was well over 3 (twin) 4 years now
my third son was just a little over 3(her twin)

to be potty trained they must KNOW when they need to go and go get on the potty all on their own and take care of all of their BIZZ...sure you may have to say flush, and wash your hands(then make sure they are NOT playing in the water) but thats Just a kid...

My oldest son never like a wet/pooh diaper from day one. He would cry until it was took off. So he took very well to potty training and was very easy to train. i have always thought he was on the young side even then.

[Macaela25]

ROFLMAO...I had this conversation with another parent this morning.

My 17 month old loves to flush, and we pulled down the potty chair to kind of start the acclimation process...letting him check it out. We had DS4 do a demo on it for him, so he knows what it's for. My toddler will get you a diaper on his own when he is wet or pooped, and will tug at the diaper and say "Eww" when he wants it off. Is he ready to potty train? Not a freaking chance!!

When he's able to clearly verbalize that he needs to go, get to the potty on his own and get his own pants down (maybe with help at first), then he'll be ready to start training. This won't be for at LEAST another 6 months to a year, I guarantee. We started DS5 at 26 months and he was fully trained within 2 months (night and day). When I say fully trained, I echo what others have said - independent in the bathroom except with difficult snaps/buttons, and rare accidents. Wiping can be an issue for some kids, so I don't expect that as much.

I don't get why parents get all into who can put their stuff in the toilet first. It's not like it's a sign of intelligence or something, and it's not going in a yearbook, resume, or obituary. As long as you're potty-trained before you come to me at four for preK, we're all good :).

[gem7]

I pushed DD12 to potty train early b/c I had DS10 16 months later and didn't want 2 in diapers. She did learn to pee on the potty independently, but refused to poo in it. We had her in big girl panties and about 3 times a week, I would have to clean poo in them. And she was only going 3 times a week. I was frustrated, she was frustrated, and she was holding it in until she couldn't anymore. We delt with stomach aches for many years and now she seem to be on the right track, but all of that caused by an impatient mother. I learned my lesson. I let the other 2 potty train when they wanted to. DS10 was easy at right around 2. DD4 wanted nothing to do with the potty until 2 weeks before her 4th birthday. But the day she decided to use it and lose her diapers, she never had one accident, day or night. She is almost 5 now.

I'm the Sunday School for teacher for 1's and over 3 years have only had 2 that were potty trained. They told me when they needed to go and did everything for themselves. They were closer to 2 than 1.

Because of my experience, I hate to see parents push their young ones to pt. It can cause problems later in life like chronic constipation.

[kschick96]

I have a 12 month old and it would be awesome to have him potty trained-but there is no way, he is just too young. To me, having a kid potty trained is when they can go both #1 and #2 on the potty with little to no help. No accidents in their pants and they no longer need to wear pull ups-they are in regular undies.

I am not even thinking about bringing up potty taining until he is atleast 2 and we will see if he is ready then, if not we will wait. In my opinion, this is something the kid has to be on board with since they are the ones, "doing the business." lol.

[CW&M Mom]

Potty trained in my eyes...is pee and poo trained during the day...with a rare accident.

I don't count night time.

If someone wants to follow there 12 month old...cleaning up crap off the floor...so be it. They can have at it. But there is no delusion in my mind that that is nothing more then making a lot more work for a mother then needs be.

And I emphatically echo what gem7 said. The sooner you try, the longer it takes and the more your risking serious constipation issues. Do it when your child is completely ready it will make your live a hundred times easier.

[enginerd]

I consider potty trained when they tell you they have to go on their own. Of course you have to help them because they are too small to get on the potty on their own (we never used a potty chair). My DS was to short to "reach" over the edge of the potty by himself. so he had to stand on a stepstool. My DS pretty much potty trained himself at almost 2 1/2 - started tell me when he had to go and I would take him. He didn't quit wetting at night until he was 6. He just always wore pull-ups to bed so it wasn't a problem.