How do I know if my child is ready for potty training? Parents constantly wonder how early is too early? Does age matter? Is there such a thing as too late? When will I know it is time to start?

Good news! Potty training doesn’t need to be a struggle and knowing when your child is ready is the first step. Let’s get into it!

 5) Your child is at least 18-months old.

18-months tends to be approximately the age where some children begin to show signs of readiness. Some may appear ready a tad sooner and many others won’t be ready until after their second birthday. Don’t put too much stock into your child’s age though. If anything, I would say age is the least important factor in determining readiness. Keeping a rough figure in mind helps, but continue reading to see just how ready your toddler is!

4) Your child understands and can use “potty lingo”

Does your child understand what you mean when you discuss bodily functions? Are they familiar with the names of body parts? Do they understand what a toilet is and what it is for? Better yet, can they use them functionally as part of their vocabulary? Understanding is the baseline, but if your child can express his or herself regarding potty-usage then you’ve got a big advantage!

3) Your child is interested in using the potty

This is, of course, crucial. If your child just isn’t interested, no amount of candy or stickers is likely to get them to sit their little bums on the potty and actually do anything.

Does your child seem to be curious about what big siblings are doing in the bathroom, or what you are up to? Do they imitate use of toilet paper or try to flush the toilet for you? Do you have a small potty they can explore?

If you said yes to some of the above, then keep reading!

2) Your child can “hold it” for at least two hours

This. Is. Important.

If your child cannot keep a diaper dry for at least two hours, it is very unlikely that they are physiologically ready for potty training. There is simply not much you can do if your little one’s bladder isn’t mature enough to practice managing urine flow.

You’ll notice they may start to wake from naps with a dry diaper, or need less frequent changes throughout the day. You may see that they go from dry for a spell and then soak a diaper all at once. This all means that they are beginning to control the bladder and is a good sign!

More practically, two hours is approximately the length of most children’s naps and ideally, you will not be putting them in a diaper for their nap when you are potty training. A child who is ready to commit to potty training will void before nap and after, but won’t need to “go” while they sleep.

1) Your child “tells” you when they need to potty

Tells is in quotation marks for a reason. Your child does not need to be able to verbally articulate to you that they need to or have gone pee and poop. “Telling” you can come in any form! It can be verbal, of course. It can be asking you to change them right after they go. It can be sign language. It could be that your kiddo runs off and hides in the same place every time they feel they need to poop. It could also be that they subconsciously indicate the need by crossing their legs, reaching for their privates, wiggling, squatting, or otherwise physically responding to the sensation of urgency.

 If your child is checks some of these boxes but not others, I suggest waiting a few weeks and then reevaluating. The more you see of these signs, the better and more likely you are to have potty training success on the first try!

Is your child ready? Grab my potty training handbook here and get started!