Potty training, here we come?

We decided a while ago to let Ethan show us when he was ready to start potty training. As an almost two and a half year old, it shouldn't be too long now but we aren't in a rush either.

With every stage, we've been more or less led by Ethan. We've read up a little and asked others what they have done, so we have a general idea of what to expect and the pitfalls and reward reinforcement ideas. With weaning, we started the process exactly at six months, as is the general advice but also because Ethan seemed ready, but we went at his pace and let him work things out in his own time.

And we are going to try and do the same with potty training. 

The general consensus seems to be that potty training can start from the age of two and it's usually up to the age of three before most children start, with boys taking a tad longer than girls to get the hang of things, so to speak.

A number of studies and professionals have also recently suggested that encouraging a child to start potty training early can potentially cause problems later on, even if they take to it straightaway - with issues of bed-wetting further down the line more prevelant in those that start earlier, apparently. 

There's always stories to support one approach or the exact opposite, but it's been food for thought.

For quite some time now, Ethan has delightfully told us when he has done a number two, and even sometimes just before he does, and this past week his interest has grown further. If hubs or myself goes upstairs, he presumes that we are going wee-wee and he knows what the toilet is for.

I'm sure that going to nursery has helped to fuel his interest in the toilet too, with older kids going through potty training in the tiny toilets there, so he must wonder what they are up to.

Then last night, he said 'I want a wee-wee, upstairs' so I said I would take him up, to which he replied 'I go potty now?'. We don't have a potty yet and haven't used this word ourselves so he's definitely picked it up from the other children.

When he was trying to settle to sleep, he then said again that he wanted to go wee-wee, so we took him to the bathroom and perched him on the toilet seat. Nothing happened, and he said he was finished, so we praised him anyway and took him back to bed.

He then talked about going wee-wee over and over for half an hour before he eventually fell asleep.

We are going to pick up a potty this week and take advantage of this interest, and see where it takes us.

Could potty training be about to begin?

When did you start with your little one? And what advice do you have, besides having a lot of patience and plenty of wipes ready to clean up accidents?!

UPDATE: it's official, Ethan has done his first wee-wee in a potty! In one of many over-sharing, proud mama moments, I can confirm that at 5.30pm tonight (Sunday 1st November), upon seeing his Thomas the Tank Engine potty for the first time, he asked to go wee wee, sat down and indeed did a wee wee! So proud.