1. 2 hour gap between pees 2. Pattern through the day with pee/poo 3. Child is able to follow simple commands 4 & 5. The child says 2 word-phrases. "More milk" "peepee" etc. 6. Interest in bathroom 7. Are YOU ready as parents? Back in our parent's time they started potty training as soon as the baby could sit on their own, and on average children were trained by 1 year old. Search "elimination communication".
This video was an eye opener for me. Before globalization and social platforms, it was very common in my country (Slovakia) to have babies potty trained around 18mo. It was almost embarassing to have a 2 year old toddler with a diaper. Then it started to shift as many moms adopted this "let's wait until he starts asking to go" approach. Now I can see where it all came from (Pampers). The standard practice before that was to put children on the potty (when they can sit unsupported) every time you change their diaper and before they go to sleep. If they pee or poo (accidentally at first), you praise them. That's what we did and both of our kiddos were out of diapers before 18months. 👍🏻
Thanks for writing that! I think now that my daughter can recently sit unsupported it is the perfect time to try that with her! I like that idea vs elimination communication personally, at least to start.
Used to work in japanese daycare/preschool. By age of 2 the children already potty trained, eat and clean by themselves. They wash their hands regularly and brush their teeth after eating. They put away stuff after using and really behave in public. Best work experience haha
@@LoudMinded thanks to the teachers being very strict and the fact that parents “allow” the teachers to be very strict to their kids 😁 after all the teachers r the one teaching manners to their children cause most parents would work and expect that their children learn most of the stuff from their teachers. Also I think it has something to do with the food they eat 🤔 Japanese kids dont really eat sweets/ stuff with a lot of sugars which can trigger them to be hyperactive. I found that this is the key to them being well-behaved in public lol
@Annisatisa I love their sense of community and responsibility, but there are aspects of the culture that show too much pressure is bad for the mental health. Still, cleaning up after themselves in Kindergarten and at school seems like something that should be done all around the world.
We have done elimination communication with both our kids and I love hearing it mentioned in such a positive way! I think my favorite thing about EC was that it was so gentle and gradual, we didn't have to suddenly take away diapers and changing their whole world. EC just slowly turns into having a potty trained kiddo. The bonus is that we used less diapers per day and we stopped using diapers well before 18 months.
I couldn’t agree more about our experience with EC and the ease of transition! It was such a positive experience for us as a family, and it’s refreshing to actually hear a pediatrician mention it in a positive light too!
Loved this! We practiced elimination communication from birth with my first. She was pooping in the potty by 8 months and out of diapers by 17 months. She’s now 2 1/2 and loves encouraging her baby brother, who’s 7 months, to go on the potty. We’ve been doing it with him from birth as well!!
We also did this my mum did this with me from 9mo, my grandmother encouraged her to do so. its actually quite freeing to have baby out of nappies! we stopped using them at 10mo, and baby has been pretty much consistently dry since 14mo now 19mo (obviously accidents do happen still sometimes but thats normal with young children)
Started EC with my boy when he was 2 months old, and I was amazed at how quickly he was able to learn! Won't go much detail about it since there are so many resources already out there, but def worth giving a try if anyone is interested!
Our daughter is 16 months and has been pretty vocal about her bowel movements but doesn't want to have her diaper changed. 😅 This was super encouraging for us to look at training early, thank you!
That was very informative. Thank you. I have a 15 month old boy and I can see he is definitely not ready as he is not displaying any cues just yet. I have watched your channel a lot, years ago before we tried to concive and your channel was such a great source of information, advice and hope. Just wanted to say thank you to you both ❤ you truly love your job and your family. All the best. Sabina - UK
Love to see it. The ages I potty trained all my kids were 2 (my oldest lol), 16 months, 19 months, and 20 months. First 3 girls, then a boy. My son was definitely ready later than my girls but still way before the average 3 years old that most boys are these days!
My son is 19months old and I cannot wait for the next video to know more potty training. I am already thinking about this topic for months. Exciting ✌️Thank you for the info so far🙏
Love seeing doctors talking about early potty training/EC! I toilet trained my son starting at 3 months using only transition times (waking up for a nap, getting home.) Babies are definitely smarter than we give them credit for, its funny how some doctors will swear babies don't have sphincter control until 18 months.
We did a bit of EC around transition time in early infancy with our first too, but were never consistent enough to make it stick until 18-22 months for our kiddos.
@@TheDoctorsBjorkmanI can’t imagine potty training process during 1 year or so… At proper age it’s just couple days in my first born case 3 days at 2 1/2 years old, pee and poo.
I’ve felt for a little while now that my almost two year old is ready for potty training, he checks all the boxes that were mentioned in the video. I just need to get my husband and I ready to get started! Playing devils advocate for childcare centres because I work in one and specifically with infants, sometimes it’s an issue of the actual infrastructure you’re working with. There’s no toilet in the infant room I work in, so to take a child multiple times a day to a different room would require calling another educator every time to cover them off. And sometimes there’s no one to call because everyone is needed somewhere. I think it’s important to do our best to meet families where they’re at, but there are a lot of barriers for ECE’s and childcare centres.
We 100% understand the challenges at many childcare centers and completely understand that “early” potty learning doesn’t work for every situation. Thanks for sharing and good luck!
This video came out just in time. My son is 15months and we have been thinking about potty training prep a lot. We don’t plan to start until 18months but this is very helpful info.
My daughter is 18 months and been peeing on the potty since 16 months. Sometimes she asks to go and I ask her if she wants to go any time I go. She usually goes 2-5 times a day in the potty, but she’s not staying dry inbetween, so she’s in a mix of pullups and cloth diapers still. We’ve caught a couple #2s as well. This was great information.
We are right there. 2 1/2, it's been a very slow introduction. I didn't want anything too intense because we would have a newborn. But I keep feeling so much guilt/questioning myself because she was already showing interest a year ago. She would already sit on the potty for a bit. Even peed occasionally. But the I got pregnant and was hit with worse fatigue than my first pregnancy and nausea. I just couldn't be present to keep teaching her in the way she needed me. But since my husband is taking a few weeks off at the end of the month, our goal is to work together to be really intentional about getting it "done".
We potty trained our first the first weekend we were home with baby #2 because it was a time when we had 2-parent support. It can most certainly get challenging when there are younger kiddos in the house, but you can do it!
I’m so glad you discussed this! I’m doing some forms of elimination communication with my children, and we do cloth diaper which has opened my mind to earlier potty training anyway. It is interesting how where the money is the recommendations tend to lean. I’m glad you covered this!
I’m starting mine at8 mths my first 3 did it quickly around 13-15 mths I’m 43 just had a baby in June. This one absolutely hates to be wet and immediately screams the second she’s pooped to get it off her lol. I think she will do it early and be quick about it. I bought a potty chair and the other day took her to it to 💩 she is learning so much right now and I’m taking advantage of it❤️❤️
I wish I had seen this one earlier! My daughter was showing signs really early on (around 6months) but we weren’t sure what to make (pun intended) of it. 😅 We are starting now at 2yrs old and feel a lot better hearing your approach. Thanks Docs!
A very fascinating and informative video! Huge respect to those who do EC, I don't have the energy. Mine is 18 months now, we're not quite ready yet. She does like to sit on the potty though, even if she doesn't go, cause she is obsessed with sitting in general nowadays and saying so 🤣
It doesn't take as much energy as you would think, you can do it part time. and actually for me tipping poo in the toilet and flushing it was far more pleasant than the blow outs I had with my first
Wow, thank you so much for covering this! I had my first 10 years ago and just did what my mom did (and her mom and so on). So my daughter was diaper free by one. That's when she had to go to daycare and it was heartbreaking to hear from care givers that they don't have time to take her to the washroom (but they did have time for changing poopy diapers). At 22 months she just refused to put her diaper on and went to daycare in underwear:) no accidents to the caregivers surprise. Now I am teaching my second. She is 8 months now and it's been a month since I had to change a poopy diaper. We are taking it slow with peeing since it's harder for me. So we do it before bedtime or if I notice that her diaper is dry after a couple of hours. Both of my girls loved using the toilet. Yes, I need to pay more attention to my child but it's so much more rewarding than spending time cleaning up diaper mess :) and I feel good about doing my part for the environment.
Started part time EC with my now 16 mo (she goes to infantcare) and its so rewarding to actually catch her cues (especially for pee,!) poop is easy. I hope to get her out of diapers by 2 years!
Summary of “Pediatrician Shares Keys to Being Ready for Potty Training Early” (RUclips video): • Presenters: Dr. Kurt (Pediatrician) and Dr. Sarah (OBGYN), parents who potty-trained their children before age two. • Overview: They share their personal experience, historical background, and expert advice on early potty training, emphasizing that it’s possible to potty train children before the typical age of 3 years. • Historical context: • In the 1930s-40s, potty training often started early (by 6-12 months), but practices shifted in the 1960s to more child-centered approaches. • The current U.S. average for potty training is 37 months, much later than in previous generations. • Cultural Impact: Disposable diapers and social norms have delayed potty training in modern times. The shift is cultural, not necessarily based on children’s biological readiness. • Signs of Potty Training Readiness: 1. Longer stretches between wet diapers (around 2 hours). 2. Predictable bathroom habits or patterns. 3. Ability to follow simple commands. 4. Use of two-word phrases (optional but helpful). 5. Verbal or non-verbal communication about going to the bathroom. 6. Interest in the potty (e.g., watching others use it). • Key Points: • Parents must be ready and committed to the process. • Consistency and creating a supportive environment are critical. • Accidents will happen, so patience and positivity are essential. • Recommended Tools: • Potty chairs, kids’ books, and other resources to aid the transition. • Next Steps: The next video will cover tips, tricks, and strategies for beginning the potty training process. The doctors emphasize that there is no right or wrong age, and readiness depends on both the child and the parent.
I have an 18 month old boy and i am planning on starting potty training around 20 months and eveytime i talk about it people tell me that is really young. I want to succeed amd be like watch us!
So excited for this, can’t wait for the next video! My son is almost 18 months and it’s so encouraging to know we might be closer to being potty trained than I thought 🎉
I'm going to be an older parent so I grew up in a time where being potty trained by 1 was the norm. My mother potty trained all her kids by the age of 1 and I took it for granted I will do the same.
We have started potty training at 28 months of age, reason for this was exactly the first keeping- there were lots of changes. When he was 21 months old we had another baby, then when he hit 23 months- we moved to different country and transition wasn’t the easiest, and lastly he started nursery at the age of 25 months.. He communicates good enough for us to understand him, he knows his letters numbers and colours and putting toghether 3 to 4 word sentences. He knows pee pee and poo poo, so we thought we will give it a try to start potty training. We bought steps and family toilet and started putting him creating nice routine where we go on the potty and after he’s done we flush and wash our hands. And I thought it was going good, but he doesn’t say he wants to go. When we put him on toilet and leave for some time he will wee and poo as well with no problem, but if I miss the spot he will wee and soil himself and only alert me straight after saying :” O-oh, wipe down” so I say nothing has happened, you peed/ soiled yourself, next time tell mommy when you need and we’ll go to the toilet. I told his nursery team that we started and they assured me they will be helping him there as well but now he holds his pee for up to 4 hours and I’m not sure if I should continue. We tried for over a week and he still doesn’t say he needs it. I put nappy back on him and now he watches if nothing is leaking when he does pee or poo. Any advice? Do I continue or do I give him some time? I have no issue wiping down the floors just wondering if it won’t make any harm to him if he’s holding for so long
I’m curious, my kiddo (3yrs) seems to be having some regression recently. We had to pull him from school where he had to be fully potty trained because of behavioral problems which we are seeing all kinds of doctors for. Is there anything you could recommend to help get us back on track? We began trying to get him comfortable with going potty and sitting on the potty at about 18 months and it took us until almost 30 months before we switched to “big boy underwear” and that definitely helped him feel he was wet, and helped him understand the signals his body was sending him.
I’ve read the Oh Crap book and my son is definitely ready. I’m the one who doesn’t want to go through that intense first few days. That sounds like torture…
For me my daughter started to show signs at 2. She is 2 years and 6 months old right now. I have been trying but with work it’s been hard to do and she still doesn’t understand when she needs to tell me when she is going to the bathroom. I started watching her cues but then she would become constipated when I put her in the potty.
My daughter just turned 3 and before that did fantastic. She was potty trained and didn’t potty during nap or overnight. She still pooped in her underwear a lot Tho. And then all the sudden she just went backwards and started peeing on the floor, in her stacking cups, in my coffee cups etc. now she’s over three and has no interest in using the toilet anymore and prefers her pull-up. It’s been very discouraging and I don’t understand what happened. I tried so hard to correct it but it got to the point it was too much. She was peeing on my couch multiple times a day, she would come in my room in the morning and pee in my bed. Just everywhere and was pooping on the floor. I don’t even know what to do now because everytime I try to get this going again it’s a disaster. I have an almost 2 year old too and she’s showing some signs of being ready now. Hopefully me encouraging her and getting her going will help my older daughter to want to try again too.
We did nighttime training separately. It’s possible to do at the same time, and doing them separately has potential challenges too. For us, we loved that our toddlers could continue to sleep through the night and saved nighttime training for a little later (2.5-3 years) with our oldest.
Basically if you want to do this you have to wake them up to go in the middle of the night since their bladders are not big or developed the ability to do this completely solo at night, many children this age may even still be in a crib. If you want to do that - go for it. My opinion is their sleep is more important at this age and it will come on its own between 3-5 yrs (and being disciplined about nighttime fluid intake will be an important factor).
I trained all my kids 24 months, 16 months, 19 months, 20 months, and all of them after the first couple of weeks rarely had night time accidents. It’s something that happens on its own in my experience and doesn’t need any special “training”
Thanks for talking about EC! So tired of hearing doctors tell me that potty training isn't possible because kids "can't control their bowel movements" before 2, when I know I was potty trained by 1 because disposable diapers didn't exist where I was born. Having the same problem as some other parents though where the daycare is unwilling to do anything besides diapers, and so my baby is having a regression...
I had read somewhere that forced early potty training could lead to bedwetting or nappy regression years or months later. I wonder if anyone has read any literature on this? I saw something anecdotal to this effect here in the comment section; and I also knew someone who was trained early and went on to have major bladder control problems as a school aged kid. Maybe it’s down to the child’s readiness more than the parents, and EC would definitely help there. Idk, I am just interested to hear various perspectives based on longterm outcomes. Our bub is 1.5 but has been telling us when he’s going in his nappy since about 12 months. So we more sit on the potty to practice (with nappy on) and make it fun. Maybe we’ll do it more frequently and with nappy off, moving forward. I just don’t want to cause longer term issues by doing it early for the sake of it.
My son is absolutely resistant against going to potty since he’s was 18 months. We tried 3 different potty’s to see if he’ll like it and we found one he’s willing to sit on but he gets up says no he wants to go in the pamper. He’s 3! 😢 I read him potty books and daddy shows him how to go but he refuses smh. I tried the 3 day underwear only thing and all it would do is he gets upset wetting and soiling himself instead of running to potty. *sigh* 😢
I did E/C started when my tot was 5 months now 21 months old. He has refused to use the potty he stopped going on the potty at 13 months. Now we are on diapers and I’m trying to get him to use the potty again. He wants nothing to do with it. I’ve tried everything from books, to stickers, to iPad. He doesn’t care at all, he will got bat shyt crazy if you try to put him on the potty. I’m home during the day so I have the time to teach him. I don’t want to stress him out so we’ve stopped trying for now.
So my 3 year old daughter (turned 3 in July) is fully potty trained during the day. We still have to wear a pull up at night and she pees in the diaper. How can we help get her out of pull ups at night if she’s still peeing in them?
My mother all be it has a degree in child development in the 1980s believes EC is harmful and would create anxious and neurotic children. I feel like it wouldn't but I'm not sure how to go about giving her the scientific evidence its not but I'm guessing from this video and the comments that it's only right if you feel your child is capable. How would I recognize that kind of capability? Should I talk to my pediatrician about it regardless?
We will talk about this a bit next week. You really can’t force it. Try to stay positive. Positive reinforcement and positive associations with the potty are key.
Do you go diaper free for naps too for a two year old? My 24month old poops in his crib before I even know he woke up or maybe in the middle of the night. I’m not sure. He refuses to poop in the potty no matter what but will pee. I just started potty training him but he mostly doesn’t stay dry for a long time. It always depends and sometimes it can be as short as 45min interval. So that has been tricky. He also doesn’t show me cues for peeing. But I mostly struggle with his poop. I can’t get him to stop pooping during bedtime, when we sleep together he can hold it for up to 3 days and I have to let him be and the moment he is on his own, in his bed, he’ll go 😭
Mine prefers to stand to do her #2 (poop), so she refuses to use the potty for that purpose. There is no straining or constipation. She can easily walk to the potty for #1 (pee) since age 1, but as of now (3 years old), she is still in diapers, because she does not want to sit down to poop. What can be done about it?
We will cover this more next week, but don’t recommend any pants to get started at home, and then something loose fitting for the first month or so at least.
I read diaper free baby but once I had the small, pooping angel in my arms all my grand plans went out the window. I did pull the diaper off for a few hours one day and managed to miss 2/3 pees. Seeing how many times she peed in such a short period of time with no noticeable indicators discouraged me, but maybe it's time to try again. She's 4 months. 😅 She also only poops every 2-3 days. No clue how I'll practice seeing the signs for that!
Your experience with that “small pooping angel” sounds a lot like what we experienced. For us, EC at that early age just wasn’t feasible and we had so much trouble trying to understand the pee cues too! Our only success at that you age was with scheduled times (waking up from nap, bath time, etc) and then we gave up and decided to wait until she was older. Keep up the great work and know that it’s okay to be human. ☺️
Just go for part time you'll gradually get there dont try to catch everything, its impossible. Traditional EC cultures dont try catch everything, As westerns we try do everything the perfect way. 4mo is actually a hard age to start I think 6mo probs will be easier once they have poo face
Misses are normal you cant catch everything best to stick to scheduled times at that age, waking after eating before and after coming out of sling/baby carrier. I think because we don't come from EC culture we try treat EC like potty training, but its not, you miss some you catch some, do easy catches and with time it comes together gradually every time you catch something you have saved a nappy and thats fantastic. I was the same when I first started then I saw this woman from southern india where they do EC as a norm saying YOU CANT CATCH EVERYTHING stop trying to be perfectionist which is how she saw EC being done in western culture, and then I realised and stopped stressing so much
Actually, getting potty trained by 1 has shown some negative effects. Sitting too long and too eraly on potty has negative effect on women and bladder muscles and bad toilet habits! I'm sometimes surprised that you deny so many things that become "the new norm" now in my country, like that sleep training is cruel etc...
There have been some studies showing an association between early potty training and symptoms such as bladder dysfunction and constipation. However, the studies showing this that we have seen have multiple confounders for this result and do not clearly show causation. Other larger population based studies have not found these negative effects, which is what made us feel very comfortable with early training for our kiddos. One key factor in dysfunctional bladder function in children seems to be high-stress environments, which goes back to our key point that early training isn’t the right decision for every child/family, but it most certainly is possible for many. Hopefully this helps!
Training your baby to use a toilet by six months is absolutely ridiculous. Please do not do this! They don't have the physical or cognitive capabilities and it can result in a lot of problems for them such as constipation, UTI, and smaller bladders.
My eldest son was #2 potty trained by a year old. We cloth diapered and had him in training underwear as we worked on #1 and bedtime. Our younger daughter is 19 months now and much harder to train. She doesn’t care if she’s wet or dirty. She’s got a shorter attention span and doesn’t want to stop to potty. They are such opposites that she is best at nighttime potty and worst for day time. Go figure. 🫠
Seeing elimination communication/early potty training talked about by medical professionals 🤩 I’m so hyped!
I thought the exact same very happy to see this!
Me too! We did EC from birth … out of diapers by 12 months
I'm so happy you guys are back!! You walked me through my pregnancy and then disappeared! Baby is turning 1 year in 2 weeks!
Sameee😂😂😂 I was like where are you guys please I need you😂
I know, I love you guys! Best doc duo!
Yes😂 me too, my baby is now 1yr 3months.
Same! My girl is 13 months 😃
1. 2 hour gap between pees
2. Pattern through the day with pee/poo
3. Child is able to follow simple commands
4 & 5. The child says 2 word-phrases. "More milk" "peepee" etc.
6. Interest in bathroom
7. Are YOU ready as parents?
Back in our parent's time they started potty training as soon as the baby could sit on their own, and on average children were trained by 1 year old. Search "elimination communication".
This video was an eye opener for me. Before globalization and social platforms, it was very common in my country (Slovakia) to have babies potty trained around 18mo. It was almost embarassing to have a 2 year old toddler with a diaper. Then it started to shift as many moms adopted this "let's wait until he starts asking to go" approach. Now I can see where it all came from (Pampers). The standard practice before that was to put children on the potty (when they can sit unsupported) every time you change their diaper and before they go to sleep. If they pee or poo (accidentally at first), you praise them. That's what we did and both of our kiddos were out of diapers before 18months. 👍🏻
Thanks for writing that! I think now that my daughter can recently sit unsupported it is the perfect time to try that with her! I like that idea vs elimination communication personally, at least to start.
Used to work in japanese daycare/preschool. By age of 2 the children already potty trained, eat and clean by themselves. They wash their hands regularly and brush their teeth after eating. They put away stuff after using and really behave in public. Best work experience haha
How do they do it, are there tips and tricks?
Sending my son to Japan *sigh*
@@LoudMinded thanks to the teachers being very strict and the fact that parents “allow” the teachers to be very strict to their kids 😁 after all the teachers r the one teaching manners to their children cause most parents would work and expect that their children learn most of the stuff from their teachers.
Also I think it has something to do with the food they eat 🤔 Japanese kids dont really eat sweets/ stuff with a lot of sugars which can trigger them to be hyperactive. I found that this is the key to them being well-behaved in public lol
@Annisatisa I love their sense of community and responsibility, but there are aspects of the culture that show too much pressure is bad for the mental health. Still, cleaning up after themselves in Kindergarten and at school seems like something that should be done all around the world.
We have done elimination communication with both our kids and I love hearing it mentioned in such a positive way! I think my favorite thing about EC was that it was so gentle and gradual, we didn't have to suddenly take away diapers and changing their whole world. EC just slowly turns into having a potty trained kiddo. The bonus is that we used less diapers per day and we stopped using diapers well before 18 months.
Less diapers, less trash, less expense, and a kiddo who’s building autonomy and self pride…. Congrats on all of your hard work!
I couldn’t agree more about our experience with EC and the ease of transition! It was such a positive experience for us as a family, and it’s refreshing to actually hear a pediatrician mention it in a positive light too!
Loved this! We practiced elimination communication from birth with my first. She was pooping in the potty by 8 months and out of diapers by 17 months. She’s now 2 1/2 and loves encouraging her baby brother, who’s 7 months, to go on the potty. We’ve been doing it with him from birth as well!!
Siblings encouraging each other to go potty is so CUTE!!!!
We also did this my mum did this with me from 9mo, my grandmother encouraged her to do so. its actually quite freeing to have baby out of nappies! we stopped using them at 10mo, and baby has been pretty much consistently dry since 14mo now 19mo (obviously accidents do happen still sometimes but thats normal with young children)
Started EC with my boy when he was 2 months old, and I was amazed at how quickly he was able to learn! Won't go much detail about it since there are so many resources already out there, but def worth giving a try if anyone is interested!
Our daughter is 16 months and has been pretty vocal about her bowel movements but doesn't want to have her diaper changed. 😅 This was super encouraging for us to look at training early, thank you!
It sounds like she might be ready soon! Best of luck for when you decide to go for it.
Take the opportunity while shes interested often people talk themselves out of it and wait until kid is older and even more stubborn
That was very informative. Thank you. I have a 15 month old boy and I can see he is definitely not ready as he is not displaying any cues just yet.
I have watched your channel a lot, years ago before we tried to concive and your channel was such a great source of information, advice and hope. Just wanted to say thank you to you both ❤ you truly love your job and your family. All the best. Sabina - UK
Love to see it. The ages I potty trained all my kids were 2 (my oldest lol), 16 months, 19 months, and 20 months. First 3 girls, then a boy. My son was definitely ready later than my girls but still way before the average 3 years old that most boys are these days!
My son is 19months old and I cannot wait for the next video to know more potty training. I am already thinking about this topic for months. Exciting ✌️Thank you for the info so far🙏
Thank you so much for this, it definitely helps me, I have a 15 Month old and had no idea when or how to even start potty training
We definitely didn’t feel ready at 15 months, but some definitely are!
Love seeing doctors talking about early potty training/EC! I toilet trained my son starting at 3 months using only transition times (waking up for a nap, getting home.) Babies are definitely smarter than we give them credit for, its funny how some doctors will swear babies don't have sphincter control until 18 months.
We did a bit of EC around transition time in early infancy with our first too, but were never consistent enough to make it stick until 18-22 months for our kiddos.
@@TheDoctorsBjorkmanI can’t imagine potty training process during 1 year or so… At proper age it’s just couple days in my first born case 3 days at 2 1/2 years old, pee and poo.
I’ve felt for a little while now that my almost two year old is ready for potty training, he checks all the boxes that were mentioned in the video. I just need to get my husband and I ready to get started!
Playing devils advocate for childcare centres because I work in one and specifically with infants, sometimes it’s an issue of the actual infrastructure you’re working with. There’s no toilet in the infant room I work in, so to take a child multiple times a day to a different room would require calling another educator every time to cover them off. And sometimes there’s no one to call because everyone is needed somewhere. I think it’s important to do our best to meet families where they’re at, but there are a lot of barriers for ECE’s and childcare centres.
We 100% understand the challenges at many childcare centers and completely understand that “early” potty learning doesn’t work for every situation. Thanks for sharing and good luck!
YOURE BACK!!!! Just in time I need all the toddler tips for my 14 month old 😊
This video came out just in time. My son is 15months and we have been thinking about potty training prep a lot. We don’t plan to start until 18months but this is very helpful info.
My daughter is 18 months and been peeing on the potty since 16 months. Sometimes she asks to go and I ask her if she wants to go any time I go. She usually goes 2-5 times a day in the potty, but she’s not staying dry inbetween, so she’s in a mix of pullups and cloth diapers still. We’ve caught a couple #2s as well. This was great information.
We are right there. 2 1/2, it's been a very slow introduction. I didn't want anything too intense because we would have a newborn. But I keep feeling so much guilt/questioning myself because she was already showing interest a year ago. She would already sit on the potty for a bit. Even peed occasionally. But the I got pregnant and was hit with worse fatigue than my first pregnancy and nausea. I just couldn't be present to keep teaching her in the way she needed me.
But since my husband is taking a few weeks off at the end of the month, our goal is to work together to be really intentional about getting it "done".
We potty trained our first the first weekend we were home with baby #2 because it was a time when we had 2-parent support. It can most certainly get challenging when there are younger kiddos in the house, but you can do it!
My son is 21 months and I’m so ready before I have another baby in 3 months . Thanks for posting this
I’m so glad you discussed this! I’m doing some forms of elimination communication with my children, and we do cloth diaper which has opened my mind to earlier potty training anyway. It is interesting how where the money is the recommendations tend to lean. I’m glad you covered this!
I missed you guys and your wonderful content. 21 month old and starting to plan for this, so couldn't be more timely. Thx for everything you do
We’re glad the timing works out well. Good luck!!
Some families do part time EC (only in the evening and weekends when at home) and it is still very helpful in getting them out of diapers sooner!
I can’t even tell you how much I was waiting for this the moment you said it. Thank YOU for the quick turnaround ❤ Truly thank you ❤
Welcome back!! I love every video you guys posted during my pregnancy and PP. My son is 10 months old now 🎉
Yay! Thank you!
I’m starting mine at8 mths my first 3 did it quickly around 13-15 mths I’m 43 just had a baby in June. This one absolutely hates to be wet and immediately screams the second she’s pooped to get it off her lol. I think she will do it early and be quick about it. I bought a potty chair and the other day took her to it to 💩 she is learning so much right now and I’m taking advantage of it❤️❤️
Yes! I'm so excited for this content! My daughter is starting to show signs that she's ready and I would love your tips
So so helpful. Thank you for being our heroes and sharing your knowledge
I wish I had seen this one earlier! My daughter was showing signs really early on (around 6months) but we weren’t sure what to make (pun intended) of it. 😅 We are starting now at 2yrs old and feel a lot better hearing your approach. Thanks Docs!
Omgosh! I cannnot believe how fast your babies are growing 😭
A very fascinating and informative video! Huge respect to those who do EC, I don't have the energy. Mine is 18 months now, we're not quite ready yet. She does like to sit on the potty though, even if she doesn't go, cause she is obsessed with sitting in general nowadays and saying so 🤣
Best of luck when the time comes! It sounds like she might be getting close to ready, but again, the most important thing is that you are ready too.
It doesn't take as much energy as you would think, you can do it part time. and actually for me tipping poo in the toilet and flushing it was far more pleasant than the blow outs I had with my first
I’m curious to know how EC works at night. Also in your next video can you talk about nighttime training? Thsnks.
Wow, thank you so much for covering this! I had my first 10 years ago and just did what my mom did (and her mom and so on). So my daughter was diaper free by one. That's when she had to go to daycare and it was heartbreaking to hear from care givers that they don't have time to take her to the washroom (but they did have time for changing poopy diapers). At 22 months she just refused to put her diaper on and went to daycare in underwear:) no accidents to the caregivers surprise. Now I am teaching my second. She is 8 months now and it's been a month since I had to change a poopy diaper. We are taking it slow with peeing since it's harder for me. So we do it before bedtime or if I notice that her diaper is dry after a couple of hours. Both of my girls loved using the toilet. Yes, I need to pay more attention to my child but it's so much more rewarding than spending time cleaning up diaper mess :) and I feel good about doing my part for the environment.
Looking forward to your next video. Thank you two!
It’s already up!
Started part time EC with my now 16 mo (she goes to infantcare) and its so rewarding to actually catch her cues (especially for pee,!) poop is easy. I hope to get her out of diapers by 2 years!
I’m sort of slowly starting EC for my 9 mo. I know this is considered late, but going to try!
Summary of “Pediatrician Shares Keys to Being Ready for Potty Training Early” (RUclips video):
• Presenters: Dr. Kurt (Pediatrician) and Dr. Sarah (OBGYN), parents who potty-trained their children before age two.
• Overview: They share their personal experience, historical background, and expert advice on early potty training, emphasizing that it’s possible to potty train children before the typical age of 3 years.
• Historical context:
• In the 1930s-40s, potty training often started early (by 6-12 months), but practices shifted in the 1960s to more child-centered approaches.
• The current U.S. average for potty training is 37 months, much later than in previous generations.
• Cultural Impact: Disposable diapers and social norms have delayed potty training in modern times. The shift is cultural, not necessarily based on children’s biological readiness.
• Signs of Potty Training Readiness:
1. Longer stretches between wet diapers (around 2 hours).
2. Predictable bathroom habits or patterns.
3. Ability to follow simple commands.
4. Use of two-word phrases (optional but helpful).
5. Verbal or non-verbal communication about going to the bathroom.
6. Interest in the potty (e.g., watching others use it).
• Key Points:
• Parents must be ready and committed to the process.
• Consistency and creating a supportive environment are critical.
• Accidents will happen, so patience and positivity are essential.
• Recommended Tools:
• Potty chairs, kids’ books, and other resources to aid the transition.
• Next Steps: The next video will cover tips, tricks, and strategies for beginning the potty training process.
The doctors emphasize that there is no right or wrong age, and readiness depends on both the child and the parent.
We didn’t have diapers when my daughter was born, and she learned to use her potty at 7 month of age with 100% success rate 😂 It can be done! 💪
That is awesome!
I have an 18 month old boy and i am planning on starting potty training around 20 months and eveytime i talk about it people tell me that is really young. I want to succeed amd be like watch us!
This is SO helpful. Thank you SO much!!
So excited for this, can’t wait for the next video! My son is almost 18 months and it’s so encouraging to know we might be closer to being potty trained than I thought 🎉
I'm going to be an older parent so I grew up in a time where being potty trained by 1 was the norm. My mother potty trained all her kids by the age of 1 and I took it for granted I will do the same.
We have started potty training at 28 months of age, reason for this was exactly the first keeping- there were lots of changes. When he was 21 months old we had another baby, then when he hit 23 months- we moved to different country and transition wasn’t the easiest, and lastly he started nursery at the age of 25 months..
He communicates good enough for us to understand him, he knows his letters numbers and colours and putting toghether 3 to 4 word sentences. He knows pee pee and poo poo, so we thought we will give it a try to start potty training. We bought steps and family toilet and started putting him creating nice routine where we go on the potty and after he’s done we flush and wash our hands. And I thought it was going good, but he doesn’t say he wants to go. When we put him on toilet and leave for some time he will wee and poo as well with no problem, but if I miss the spot he will wee and soil himself and only alert me straight after saying :” O-oh, wipe down” so I say nothing has happened, you peed/ soiled yourself, next time tell mommy when you need and we’ll go to the toilet. I told his nursery team that we started and they assured me they will be helping him there as well but now he holds his pee for up to 4 hours and I’m not sure if I should continue. We tried for over a week and he still doesn’t say he needs it. I put nappy back on him and now he watches if nothing is leaking when he does pee or poo. Any advice? Do I continue or do I give him some time? I have no issue wiping down the floors just wondering if it won’t make any harm to him if he’s holding for so long
Guy has a natural asmr voice
I’m curious, my kiddo (3yrs) seems to be having some regression recently. We had to pull him from school where he had to be fully potty trained because of behavioral problems which we are seeing all kinds of doctors for. Is there anything you could recommend to help get us back on track? We began trying to get him comfortable with going potty and sitting on the potty at about 18 months and it took us until almost 30 months before we switched to “big boy underwear” and that definitely helped him feel he was wet, and helped him understand the signals his body was sending him.
I’ve read the Oh Crap book and my son is definitely ready. I’m the one who doesn’t want to go through that intense first few days. That sounds like torture…
We thought this book was so helpful, and just had to find the right time to say go. You can do it!
For me my daughter started to show signs at 2. She is 2 years and 6 months old right now. I have been trying but with work it’s been hard to do and she still doesn’t understand when she needs to tell me when she is going to the bathroom. I started watching her cues but then she would become constipated when I put her in the potty.
My daughter just turned 3 and before that did fantastic. She was potty trained and didn’t potty during nap or overnight. She still pooped in her underwear a lot Tho. And then all the sudden she just went backwards and started peeing on the floor, in her stacking cups, in my coffee cups etc. now she’s over three and has no interest in using the toilet anymore and prefers her pull-up. It’s been very discouraging and I don’t understand what happened. I tried so hard to correct it but it got to the point it was too much. She was peeing on my couch multiple times a day, she would come in my room in the morning and pee in my bed. Just everywhere and was pooping on the floor. I don’t even know what to do now because everytime I try to get this going again it’s a disaster. I have an almost 2 year old too and she’s showing some signs of being ready now. Hopefully me encouraging her and getting her going will help my older daughter to want to try again too.
I missed you guys!! How is my bebe 1 year and almost 2m OMG 😂❤
Thank you for this!
My daughter is 18 months and we are looking to bring potty learning!
My main question, do your kids use a diaper at night, is that a separate process?
We did nighttime training separately. It’s possible to do at the same time, and doing them separately has potential challenges too. For us, we loved that our toddlers could continue to sleep through the night and saved nighttime training for a little later (2.5-3 years) with our oldest.
Basically if you want to do this you have to wake them up to go in the middle of the night since their bladders are not big or developed the ability to do this completely solo at night, many children this age may even still be in a crib. If you want to do that - go for it. My opinion is their sleep is more important at this age and it will come on its own between 3-5 yrs (and being disciplined about nighttime fluid intake will be an important factor).
I trained all my kids 24 months, 16 months, 19 months, 20 months, and all of them after the first couple of weeks rarely had night time accidents. It’s something that happens on its own in my experience and doesn’t need any special “training”
Can you teach us how to change a daiper or pull up please
Thanks for talking about EC! So tired of hearing doctors tell me that potty training isn't possible because kids "can't control their bowel movements" before 2, when I know I was potty trained by 1 because disposable diapers didn't exist where I was born. Having the same problem as some other parents though where the daycare is unwilling to do anything besides diapers, and so my baby is having a regression...
Daycare makes early potty training challenging for sure. Best of luck! We know how hard the ups and downs can be.
I had read somewhere that forced early potty training could lead to bedwetting or nappy regression years or months later. I wonder if anyone has read any literature on this? I saw something anecdotal to this effect here in the comment section; and I also knew someone who was trained early and went on to have major bladder control problems as a school aged kid. Maybe it’s down to the child’s readiness more than the parents, and EC would definitely help there. Idk, I am just interested to hear various perspectives based on longterm outcomes.
Our bub is 1.5 but has been telling us when he’s going in his nappy since about 12 months. So we more sit on the potty to practice (with nappy on) and make it fun. Maybe we’ll do it more frequently and with nappy off, moving forward. I just don’t want to cause longer term issues by doing it early for the sake of it.
My son is absolutely resistant against going to potty since he’s was 18 months. We tried 3 different potty’s to see if he’ll like it and we found one he’s willing to sit on but he gets up says no he wants to go in the pamper. He’s 3! 😢 I read him potty books and daddy shows him how to go but he refuses smh. I tried the 3 day underwear only thing and all it would do is he gets upset wetting and soiling himself instead of running to potty. *sigh* 😢
I did E/C started when my tot was 5 months now 21 months old. He has refused to use the potty he stopped going on the potty at 13 months. Now we are on diapers and I’m trying to get him to use the potty again. He wants nothing to do with it.
I’ve tried everything from books, to stickers, to iPad. He doesn’t care at all, he will got bat shyt crazy if you try to put him on the potty.
I’m home during the day so I have the time to teach him.
I don’t want to stress him out so we’ve stopped trying for now.
So my 3 year old daughter (turned 3 in July) is fully potty trained during the day. We still have to wear a pull up at night and she pees in the diaper. How can we help get her out of pull ups at night if she’s still peeing in them?
I have a feeling this was recorded while there were children sleeping 😅
The secret lives of doctors with young children and a RUclips channel. 🤫
I thought the same thing!! (As I watch while children are sleeping 😂)
Our kid is ready, we are ready, but daycare won't help until after age 2. It's so frustrating. Almost everything else is great abt the daycare though.
Great tips 😊
My mother all be it has a degree in child development in the 1980s believes EC is harmful and would create anxious and neurotic children. I feel like it wouldn't but I'm not sure how to go about giving her the scientific evidence its not but I'm guessing from this video and the comments that it's only right if you feel your child is capable. How would I recognize that kind of capability? Should I talk to my pediatrician about it regardless?
Question: how do you address the "fear" of pooping on the potty?
We will talk about this a bit next week. You really can’t force it. Try to stay positive. Positive reinforcement and positive associations with the potty are key.
Dude I wasn’t potty trained until I was almost 4, my first memory was getting up at night and asking my mother to change me
Do you go diaper free for naps too for a two year old?
My 24month old poops in his crib before I even know he woke up or maybe in the middle of the night. I’m not sure. He refuses to poop in the potty no matter what but will pee. I just started potty training him but he mostly doesn’t stay dry for a long time. It always depends and sometimes it can be as short as 45min interval. So that has been tricky. He also doesn’t show me cues for peeing. But I mostly struggle with his poop. I can’t get him to stop pooping during bedtime, when we sleep together he can hold it for up to 3 days and I have to let him be and the moment he is on his own, in his bed, he’ll go 😭
Mine prefers to stand to do her #2 (poop), so she refuses to use the potty for that purpose. There is no straining or constipation. She can easily walk to the potty for #1 (pee) since age 1, but as of now (3 years old), she is still in diapers, because she does not want to sit down to poop. What can be done about it?
Doug Demuro
What about oosh baby training pants do you recommend?
We will cover this more next week, but don’t recommend any pants to get started at home, and then something loose fitting for the first month or so at least.
@@TheDoctorsBjorkman how do you teach to put pants back on a toddler because taking clothes off is very easy
can't wait for the next video!
I read diaper free baby but once I had the small, pooping angel in my arms all my grand plans went out the window. I did pull the diaper off for a few hours one day and managed to miss 2/3 pees. Seeing how many times she peed in such a short period of time with no noticeable indicators discouraged me, but maybe it's time to try again. She's 4 months. 😅 She also only poops every 2-3 days. No clue how I'll practice seeing the signs for that!
Your experience with that “small pooping angel” sounds a lot like what we experienced. For us, EC at that early age just wasn’t feasible and we had so much trouble trying to understand the pee cues too! Our only success at that you age was with scheduled times (waking up from nap, bath time, etc) and then we gave up and decided to wait until she was older. Keep up the great work and know that
it’s okay to be human. ☺️
Just go for part time you'll gradually get there dont try to catch everything, its impossible. Traditional EC cultures dont try catch everything, As westerns we try do everything the perfect way. 4mo is actually a hard age to start I think 6mo probs will be easier once they have poo face
Misses are normal you cant catch everything best to stick to scheduled times at that age, waking after eating before and after coming out of sling/baby carrier. I think because we don't come from EC culture we try treat EC like potty training, but its not, you miss some you catch some, do easy catches and with time it comes together gradually every time you catch something you have saved a nappy and thats fantastic. I was the same when I first started then I saw this woman from southern india where they do EC as a norm saying YOU CANT CATCH EVERYTHING stop trying to be perfectionist which is how she saw EC being done in western culture, and then I realised and stopped stressing so much
Most people have to work
So helpful! Looking forward to the day my 7 month old is out of diapers 😅
It comes fast! Good luck for when you get there.
My 1 year old cant even walk or talk. Theres no way people are potty training 8 month olds.
If a 1 year old can pickup and eat food, there is no reason why they cannot identify bowel movements.
203 head turns
There is excessive nodding going on on the left
The way the guy keeps looking at her and back to the camera was so distracting LOL
Actually, getting potty trained by 1 has shown some negative effects. Sitting too long and too eraly on potty has negative effect on women and bladder muscles and bad toilet habits! I'm sometimes surprised that you deny so many things that become "the new norm" now in my country, like that sleep training is cruel etc...
There have been some studies showing an association between early potty training and symptoms such as bladder dysfunction and constipation. However, the studies showing this that we have seen have multiple confounders for this result and do not clearly show causation. Other larger population based studies have not found these negative effects, which is what made us feel very comfortable with early training for our kiddos.
One key factor in dysfunctional bladder function in children seems to be high-stress environments, which goes back to our key point that early training isn’t the right decision for every child/family, but it most certainly is possible for many.
Hopefully this helps!
Training your baby to use a toilet by six months is absolutely ridiculous. Please do not do this! They don't have the physical or cognitive capabilities and it can result in a lot of problems for them such as constipation, UTI, and smaller bladders.
biggest mistake. thats why kids are pooping and peeing in preschool
Could you please just cut to the chase, Jesus
You talk to much and say to little get tot the point
OMG! My tod is ready! 🎉🥹💕
My eldest son was #2 potty trained by a year old. We cloth diapered and had him in training underwear as we worked on #1 and bedtime. Our younger daughter is 19 months now and much harder to train. She doesn’t care if she’s wet or dirty. She’s got a shorter attention span and doesn’t want to stop to potty. They are such opposites that she is best at nighttime potty and worst for day time. Go figure. 🫠