Recently I attended a teleconference with two potty training experts , Dr. Alberto Andres Cotton and Jeannette Kaplun {shown above} thanks to Pull-Ups and Latina Mom Bloggers. I really learned a lot and I want to share some of the tips with you but first let me give you a little background on Dr. Cotton and Jeannette.
Dr. Alberto Andres Cotton is a well-respected Miami based pediatrician with 17 years of experience. His career began in Bueno Aires, Argentina where he graduated and started his own private practice. He divides in time Miami between working at his own practice and at the emergency center at Miami’s Children’s Hospital. Dr. cotton teamed up with the Pull-Ups Every Flush program to share his expertise with Hispanic moms by offering his advice and tips.
Jeannette Kaplun is an award-winning journalist and internationally recognized parenting expert. Jeannette is truly bilingual being born in Texas and raised in Chile. She won LATISM’s Best Parenting Blogger award in 2011 and was named one of the most influential Hispanic journalists by the Hispanic Media 100 in 2002.
With credentials like both of theirs why would not listen to them? Like I said I really learned a lot and even had one of my questions answered. I asked how normal regression was and Dr. Cotton said it was very normal. He said that you not get mad at your child that things like stress can trigger a regression. Jeannette added that if a sibling is on the way then regression is very normal.
Another great tip is that no is no age in particular when you should worry that your child is not potty trained. Dr. Cotton said that you wouldn’t ask your 5 month to walk because they are not mentally ready so the same applies to potty training. Wait until your child is mentally ready roughly around age 3 and half. I did not know that boys cannot control themselves at night completely for example at age 10. It explains so much with Daniel and I can relax some now.
Potty training is easier when it is a family affair. So make sure you share the tips and your routine with other family members (grandma,cousins, aunts, uncles, etc) so they can all help your child make the smoothest transition into using the potty. Also remember that training pants, like Pull-Ups, help make potty training a fun and easy bonding between you and your child. You can learn more about potty training by visiting Pull-Ups or Pull-Ups in Spanish. Also be sure to check out the Pull-Ups Facebook page and the great video on YouTube.
Disclosure: This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Pull Ups. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
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Very interesting stuff. Especially the age of when you should potty train. We have some friends that had the kid potty-trained by age 1. I wonder what that means, when the doctor’s say, “mentally ready”.
Thanks for sharing this. Every little kid is different. I let my little ones decide when they are ready. It is more of a chore if I forced them…it was not worth it.
My two older boys where potty trained by 2 1/2 and my 2 1/2 yr old now doesnt want anything to do with potty training, now i dont feel soo bad i keep feeling like he should be
I remember being so stressed about potty training with my first and second…then relaxed a WHOLE lot about it. These guys are right…they are ready when they are ready! ALL six kids were exactly 2 years and 2 months…I had nothing to do with it really except for letting them see the bath area so they were not scared. It was pretty easy. I was lucky!
My son is trained during the day but not I night. I had never heard that boys can take until they are 10 that is crazy.
I too wonder what “mentally ready” means… my 20 month old is trying to train herself right now… she wants to go every time I do and she tells me when she has gone in her “dopper” she will whine and say “pa-ee in dopper.” My son started at about 2 1/2 -3 but now reading this makes me worried that she is starting too early :/ My DSS is 10 and still has night time accidents, and before I was worried, but reading this puts me at ease a little concerning him.
I used to teach Montessori Primary (3-6 YO’s) and spent a good bit of time with the younger toddlers who would eventually be in my class. They were mostly 2 with a few older 1 YO’s–a lot of potty training. The key to potty training is consistency. One great thing I learned was not to ask the child whether he needed to go potty, but to simply announce every hour or so that it is time to go.
Thank you for sharing this informative article! My 2 boys started at around 2 1/2. I started potty training when they started telling me that they want to go pee or poo. I looked for hints and waited for them to initiate before I started the training. I also agree that consistency is the key especially when combined with patience. 🙂
Well what I got from this post is that it’s really quite transitory when your child is ready and willing to use the toilet by himself/herself. There isn’t a right age and if you have concerns it is best to talk to your child’s doctor about your concerns. Rushing and worrying is not going to solve anything and will only make it more stressful upon yourself and probably indirectly, your child. Good post! It’s nice to read or hear things like this that can ease parents.
I think it boils down to each child is ready when they are ready. My son was so easy to potty train and my daughter was so tough. I do like the tip about not getting mad. It doesn’t do anyone any good.
A family member thought that 3 1/2 years old to potty train a boy is too late. I believe that this is a good time to potty train. And it was an eye opener to learn that boys are not completely dry until 10 years old. These are great tips that I am going to share with my sister who has a son that is 6 months old.
We are in the early stages of potty training a 27 month old boy. He totally gets the concept and knows what all is going on. However, the big potty scares him to pieces AND he only likes to sit on certain trainers for certain things. I know that he will do it when he is good and ready. I am just ready to be done with diapers! 🙂
My 4 year old was night trained before he was day trained. Then he had pee down, but took forever to finally poop on the potty. He had a really hard time, would even tell me he had to go, but wanted a diaper. If I refused he would just hold it.. for days! Finally got everything going and he was doing great. But this week it has been a little regression and he wants diapers again. Not sure why.
Wow – how things have changed! Twenty plus years ago when my son was going through potty training, we still used cloth training underwear and all you got were some words of encouragement and a pat on the back from your mom! Luckily, my son was trained in a matter of a week or so! I think it was because at a young age he hated to be dirty! Glad to know that times have gotten better for moms of toddlers
Interesting to read but I feel kids are ready when they are ready.
My daughter in law started talking to trevor about potty training about 9 mons. before they actually started. It was so funny to see him in his diaper and having him say ‘I potty training”. He was about 3.5 y/o when he potty trained, so I guess it was about the right time. Thank you Vicki
Thank you for sharing. People try pressuring me to train my nearly two year old little girl. She just isn’t ready and I refuse to push her!