Are you considering potty training your child but don’t know if they are ready. Well here are the 8 signs that I’ve noticed with my boys that told me they are ready to be potty trained. First, what age should potty training start? I looked this up and the answer seems to be anywhere between 18 months and 4 years old. Even if you aren’t considering potty training your child just yet, please check out these signs to see if your child is ready.
1. They Stay Dry During “Long” Periods of Time
The reason why I put quotes on long is that it may not seem long to us but for a little toddler, it is! If your toddler wakes up from his afternoon nap and the diaper is completely dry then he’s telling you he’s ready. A few weeks ago Ted woke up from his nap with a dry diaper and immediately the alarms in my head went off, “Holy guacamole! He’s about to be ready!” This sign is always the first one I notice with the boys. Just make sure they stay dry during nap time a few days before you say they are officially ready.
2. They Notice Wet and Dirty Diapers
Recently, Ted has been taking off his diaper any time it is wet (and not when they have poop- thank God!). If your toddler starts to pull on their diaper when it’s wet then that means they don’t like a dirty diaper. They are trying to tell you they are ready to go on the potty.
3. Communicates When Pees or Poops
This one is critical if you want the potty training process to go easy. When I was trying to potty train JT I started (the first time) before he was telling me when he was going to the bathroom in his diaper. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard that made the whole process. So I decided to postpone his training until he started telling me when he was going to the bathroom. Now Ted has started coming up to me, pulling on his diaper, and says, “POOP!” Just another way he’s telling me he is ready!
4. Shows Interest in Potty
This one is usually the first sign a toddler will show. If you see them watching you or their older siblings going to the bathroom then they are showing interest. If you bring out the little potty or buy them a new one and they want to play with it, they are showing interest in the potty. Basically, if they are looking at the potty or watching you go they are ready.
5. Will Sit on the Potty
This one is VERY important in my opinion. If you are forcing your child to sit on the potty and they start crying then please stop. Your child is telling you he isn’t ready for the potty. Usually it is just fear or hesitation that is behind the crying. Just keep introducing the potty to them and explain that there’s nothing to be afraid. You could even use the potty yourself to show that it is not scary. But if your child keeps showing signs of distress then there may be an underlying issue. Maybe there’s been a big change in your child’s life, maybe they are sensing stress from you, either way you should postpone training until the issue is resolved.
If you want to read more about this check out this link: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/toilet-training/Pages/Emotional-Issues-and-Bathroom-Problems.aspx
6. Can Pull Their Pants Up and Down
This one is mostly to make your life easier. If they can pull down their pants then when they need to go they can run to the bathroom with little assistance from you. The pulling up the pants isn’t a deal breaker in this situation because you are just starting out. Although it is something to work on while you are training.
7. They will Copperate and Listen
If your child is going through a defiant phase and won’t listen to you because they are pushing their boundaries. This might not the best time to start potty training. But really it
8. You’re Ready!
This one is really important because as the parent you set the tone. If you aren’t ready then your child will sense that. If there’s something big coming up that will keep your focus away from the potty training (i.e. a new baby, pregnancy, vacation, moving, etc.) then I would say to wait until your complete focus can be on the training. The process of potty training is a long one and one that should be carefully thought out. You don’t want to start it one week and then have it fall on the wayside the next week. That’s not fair to your child or your sanity. So do you think you’re ready?
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day it’s up to you when you want to start training your child. They will show you signs that they are ready and its up to you if you want to act on them or wait. I hope these signs have been helpful for you and please don’t forget to share if you liked it or comment if you have some signs that I missed!
Thanks for reading,
Kel
Check out some of my other parenting posts:
My 2 year old is so ready to be trained. I should get start real soon! Loved reading this post.
Thanks for reading it! I’m glad you liked it! But remember if you aren’t ready then don’t start! It takes A LOT of work and effort so definitely wait until you are ready too
Great tips! We are considering potty training our youngest right now, but I’m just not sure she is ready yet! I found this post very insightful!
Thanks for reading! I’m glad you liked it. We are considering potty training our youngest right now too! She will show you when she’s ready
These are such wonderful tips. Especially for newer moms who are doing the potty training thing for the first time!
Thanks! I totally agree. These are perfect for first time potty trainers or parents like me who forget how to do everything I did the first time and need reminding haha
We just started potty training our 2.5 year-old and progress has been slow. Our biggest hurdle is that he lies to us about when he needs to poop. Last night, I looked over at him playing in the family room and asked “Are you pooping?” His response…”Aarrghhh….noooo….Aarrgh..” Spoiler: He was pooping.
Ahhhh yes the old “I’m not pooping while I’m grunting in the corner”! I have no idea why but it always makes me laugh. Getting my eldest to poop on the potty was definitely harder than going pee. I think I had to start grabbing him and putting him on the potty mid-grunt so he would go on the potty. Good luck!!
Good ideas! My oldest was a huge pain to potty train, but my youngest pretty much self-trained, which was SOOOOOO nice!
My brother and sister in law are in the process of potty training. My niece is ready, they are just having a hard time fitting it into the schedule of the day.
I don’t have a little one yet but potty training seems so scary!
the YOU’RE ready is so true! I’ve potty trained 3 kids (one more to go!) and the biggest thing i’ve noticed is THEIR readiness, followed by yours. any other milestones (verbal development, being a certain age, etc.) is secondary.
It is great to get them started on it early. Getting rid of diapers is so freeing!
Although I don’t have a child, all these signs are so true! I have babysat for 12 years of my life and these are just helpful reminders of noticing when the child is ready to start the process.