How to Avoid Potty Training Pitfalls

Our Mom's Talk question this week comes from Melanie S. Her son is 2-years-old and is doing great peeing in the toilet using a step stool, because he wants to mimick Daddy, but she can't get him to go all the way and use the toilet for everything. She's looking for some advice.

Potty training is a tricky subject and in talking with other Moms, it is a completely different experience for every child. I'm no potty training expert, but from what I have seen, when your child is ready they will do it quickly and painlessly.

For my son, even though he was the "right age", I think we might have started a little too early. He was turning 3 and his daycare wouldn't let him move up to the 3-year-old room until he was potty trained. Although it was annoying that we were forced into the training, his daycare teachers certainly helped to train him during the day. He had some great successes and some set backs that were frustrating at the time. He eventually got it and it only took a few weeks but I think if we had waited another month or two before starting, it might have gone smoother.

My daughter on the other hand announced one day that she was ready and we were done. I think we only had 1 accident. She was 2.5 years old.

From other articles and discussions online, the main concensus is that your child is ready when they can make it through the night with a dry diaper and when they start to show an interest - asking about using the toilet or wanting to mimick Mommy or Daddy. Here are some of the potty training questions and Mom advice over on the Mamapedia site. However, I think we can do better.

What advice can you share? How did you get your kids to become fully potty trained?