Want to start potty training but am fairly clueless. Have some stupid questions...

[PipocaThePedantic]

Hello,

DS is 2yrs 2mo and goes to nursery come September. I'd like to start potty training this month and see how it goes, but I'm a bit lost.
I've got a couple of Ikea potties (one for upstairs, one for downstairs as recommended on a potty thread). i was planning to clear a week to just stay in and have him nappyless stick him on the pot every half hour or so, as I've also read on here.
So...stupid question number one..Do I need to buy him pants or should I buy pull ups?
I've heard about those seats that go over the toilet so they can use the loo too. When do you use them? Immediately or do you get them to master the concept of potty first?
Which of the loo seat things are best?
For boys, when do you teach them to wee standing up? I've seen those little plastic steps to go against the loo, when would you use one of them?
Probably getting way ahead of myself here.... any advice at all would be greatly received.

Thanks

[notnowbernard]

I would wait until he's showing real signs of being ready

'Training' didn't work for me. Them telling ME they were ready worked much better

[NumptyMum]

For a boy, re seat on loo, I read somewhere to make sure that the 'splash guard' isn't TOO high, otherwise if they bang their bits when climbing on it will put them right off! I've not ventured into potty training yet, DS is 2yrs 10mo and I don't think he's ready - although part of it is that I'm not ready given new baby is due at the end of the month... I did get Elizabeth Pantley's potty training book and have found it quite useful. She has a 'potty training readiness quiz', if that helps...

[RhinestoneCowgirl]

To add to the chorus really - wait until they are ready, it will be much much easier. DS told me one morning that he didn't want a nappy on, he promptly did a wee on the floor half an hour later. I then introduced him to the potty and told him that wees/poos went in there if he didn't want nappies. He had v few accidents after that.

[RhinestoneCowgirl]

NumptyMum - by coincidence, DS trained a couple of weeks before DD was born. Like you I hadn't planned to do anything about it, and got little tired of pegging up and downstairs emptying potties at 9 months pg...

[NumptyMum]

Rhinestone - poor you rushing about with potty at 9months pg! Actually I WAS wondering about encouraging DS a bit more now that my mat leave has actually started; he is certainly more aware of his functions (hides to do a poo etc) and is very into talking about poo and wee, so I think he IS approaching being ready. Will continue to ask him if he wants to use the potty/loo and see how it goes...

[PipocaThePedantic]

Thanks for the readiness quiz, Numpty, it was hugely helpful...puts him between the ready to train and ready to "pre-train".
The complication is that we live in Spain and at nursery in Sept I think they'll expect him to be train or be being trained. I thought I would give it a go and if it's totally disastrous leave it a little longer.

He LOVES the Ikea potty...he goes and sits on it and makes a pssss sound and puts his teddy on it. Since we've bought it he goes into the toilet too sometimes, lifts the lid and makes a psss sound.

It's complicated as well as he's bilingual Spanish/English and, although he has superb comprehension, only says about 15 words. (Poo is one of the words).

[NumptyMum]

Re sitting on the loo we got a Baby Bjorn seat as this can be adjusted to fit any toilet seat securely (ie no wobbling when sitting on it). But it does not have handles, so I tend to lift DS onto it when he wants to try it out. He's never done anything on the loo yet, just likes the idea of being on it and wiping his bottom with toilet paper.

Re weeing, prob best to sit DS on potty or loo and get him to point his willy down. You can introduce standing to pee later (I'm guessing he won't be tall enough yet; standing on step while holding willy won't be very easy/steady).

Re pants and pull ups, I think pants give sensation of wetness/make accidents obvious, whereas pull ups you might use to introduce idea of being more 'grown up', moving towards pants. You can also buy trainer pants, which have a bit of towelling inside to stop the worst of 'accidents' for out and about. I know a nanny whose charge is potty training, and she swaps between nappy and pants during the day depending on where they are (eg at public library); the little girl doesn't seem to be confused by this swapping about so perhaps you can try it and see what works for you, in due course...

[grapesandmoregrapes]

that quiz is rubbish - sorry! - according to that my 2yo is not ready for potty training, however, she has been out of nappys (apart from sleeping and long car journeys) for nearly 2 months. yes she has the occasional accident, but I have no doubt she is ready and fully understands the concept of using a potty. Only you know when your child is ready,and if you think he is then go for it. It called training for a reason, its bloody hard work and very stressful, but IMHO if you leave it too long then the child gets stuck in the habit of wearing nappies, which can be hard to break.