The TV Mommy

Call me crazy but I’ve started potty training my 15 month old. Yes, you read that right. I’m potty training a 15 month old! Before you think I’m one of those mom’s who’s forcing her child to grow up too soon or convinced my child is some prodigal son (he may be, you never know) hear me out.

At just 13 months old, my little boy crawled into the bathroom to find me getting ready for work. He pointed to his diaper and said “poop”. Sure enough I picked him up and there was a familiar odor. Never had I been more excited to hear that word (mind you he really only said “mama” and “dada” until then).

While it easily could have been a fluke, kids are observant and understand more than we think they do.

This got me thinking, how young is too young to potty train?

Some kids pick right up on it at a young age. Others are slower to give up the diaper. Upon doing some research I developed a check list for parents to follow to see if their little one is ready or not.

• Can your child follow simple instructions?
• Does your child use words or body language to indicate they have to go to the bathroom?
• Does your child ask to use the toilet?
• Has your child showed increased interest in the bathroom?
• Does your child stay dry for at least 2 hours?
• Does your child complain about dirty diapers?
• Can your child pull their pants up and down?

At our 15 month check-up my pediatrician asked if my son showed any interest in using the bathroom. I admit while he checked off some of the items on the list above, he certainly didn’t cover all of them. I was surprised when she said I could let him try. Her reasoning: introduce it now before he gets to his stubborn “no” phase.

To save my son any future embarrassment let’s just say it has gone better than I could have hoped. I know there’s no rush. Kids will eventually learn. Usually anywhere from 18 months to 3 or 4 years which means my little guy still has plenty of time.

While we may not be there quiet yet (we have started occasionally wearing pull-ups and not just diapers), this mommy can still dream of the day we’re diaper free.