My son, Haiden, picked up the sign for potty at daycare a few months ago. Since then, he’s occasionally wanted to sit on his potty chair or the regular toilet just for fun. Not wanting to hamper any future potty training efforts, I’ve been indulging him by bringing him to the bathroom every time he asks. Now, I feel really silly because I didn’t think he’d actually go!

Last night, Haiden was fussing right before bed and I asked him if he wanted to go potty, because sometimes that makes him happy (is that weird?). He stopped crying, sat down on the toilet and pooped almost immediately! I called for my husband to bring a treat for him, gave him a few chocolate chips and showered him with kisses and praise.

I was very excited last night, but I didn’t do anything different today because I’m not sure what to do from here! Should I start putting him on the potty more often? Should I wait until he asks to use it again? He’s 19 months old. My mom claims that I, along with my brother and sister, were all potty trained before we were 2 years old, but I’m reading a lot of current articles that are saying wait until the child is ready. What do you think “ready” means? Is 19 months really too early to start potty training? Did you potty train a toddler under 2?

I’m feeling like I brought this on myself, and now I’m desperately in need of advice! Do you have any tips for my husband and I?

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