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I wish I knew, my son is nowhere near ready to potty train yet, he's 2.5 so we need to work on this SOON!

We tried to potty train our little dude when he was about 2.5 but to say he was not feeling it would be the understatement of the century. Instead we laid off all the millions of potty training methods and just went with the "he'll do it when he's ready" approach. He potty-trained himself which was nice. Not so nice? He did it two weeks after his fourth birthday.

I tried to potty train my oldest when he was 3 years old and his brother was about to be born. He was having none of it. I tried all the tricks in the book. Finally I gave up and figured I'd be changing diapers for the rest of my life. On our cross-country move (we drove) three months later, my spunky kid just decided on his own that it was time. I got the joy of stopping at every. single. disgusting. pit stop along Route 66. Like Jess, I came to believe they'll just do it when they're ready. It might mean an extra six months or a year in diapers but in the grand scheme of things, your sanity (and theirs) is probably well worth that.

I just PT'd my 2.5 year old! Just last week. (That said, I fully believe they are ready when they are ready--in my case, he has a 5 yr old brother and wants to be just like him!)

I put him in undies at home. I put him on the potty every few minutes and celebrated anything that went into the bowl---even just a few drops! Did this all day long and gave him lots of fluids.

Then, when we left the house, I kept reminding him he was wearing big boy pants. I put towels under him in his carseat. When we got to where we were going we went straight to the potty!

First day went well--1 or 2 accidents, which I think is ok because the diapers are so good these days that they never feel wet and wetting the undies was just the negative reinforcement he needed.

Second day went better because HE was asking to go or even going by himself.

It's been a week now and he is in undies full-time and goes to school in them too.

Good luck!

My daughter was almost 3 years old. My husband decided he was done buying diapers, so when she ran out, potty training got serious. It took three days for her to become completely potty trained. That was three days of washing panties and clothes and sheets and floors, but she eventually got the hang of it.

I started at 3 months. Only I don't call it potty training so much as elimination communication. This technique can also be used for regular potty training. Right now she is only going in the toilet sometimes but I found it pretty easy, probably since she hasn't learned how to say no yet!

I think it totally depends on the child. My daughter potty trained in one day - she was 2.5 and I was pregnant - we sat her down and explained she wasn't a baby anymore and the baby would wear diapers. She was sold on the whole idea. Our son was potty trained around 3, when he realized he wanted to be older like his big sister and not like his new little sister. And our last one has literally just potty trained herself. I tried potty training my last two earlier, but they just weren't interested. It is really easier on everyone to just relax, leave the potty chair in a place he/she will see it often (ours started in the living room where their toys are - eventually moving it back to the bathroom where it belongs!) and they just started using it. Relax and it will happen!! :)

I put a little potty in our bathroom at 15 months, to just start introducing it. At 18 months he was very interested...but then like a week later wanted nothing to do with it. I got a lot of potty books to read together, and always talked about it, i never pushed anything. He just turned two, and is now completely potty trained as of yesterday! My son's favorite potty books are Once Upon a Potty and The Potty Book for boys. Good luck!

My oldest daughter was a piece of cake (and spoiled me rotten). One day, we put panties on her. She had one accident and that was the end of that. She hated the wet feeling and just kind of potty-trained herself.

My youngest daughter, however, was a lesson in patience and allowing your child to find their own time. We tried to potty train her when she was almost 3 and she was just not interested. After months of frustration and trying everything we could think of, we gave up and figured she would do it in her own time. It wasn't more than a few months after that when she decided she was ready and just started doing it.