So, I have a 17 month old son who I desperately want to potty train! I am 21 weeks pregnant with a girl and really don't want to have two in diapers at the same time. Am I crazy for thinking I can potty train him so early?! What is the earliest you should try to potty train?

I hate to discourage you, but 17 months is awfully early to try to potty train any child, and boys are tough. I have two boys, 4 and 2-1/2, and even the 4-year-old is spotty at best. It really depends on your son's personality. A very pliant child who is motivated by your approval is going to do better, but many children your son's age don't have the bowel control, predictability and motor skill to potty train.

He's got to be motivated, but he also has to have reached certain developmental milestones:

- Poops at roughly the same time each day
- Knows and can communicate when he has to go to the bathroom
- Has the motor skills to Able pull down and pull up his pants by himself

There's more to it, but these are some of the big ones.


 

Thanks Rudolphia! I knew it was early, but was hoping for the best! I think I will still try and show him the potty and teach him little by little. At least this way he can get familiar with it and hopefully potty train earlier than normal!!!

We have an almost 20-month-old son and he's NOT EVEN CLOSE to being ready.

Our first DD trained at about 2.5 and our second daughter was a walking miracle who trained herself at 22 months. But that 22 months is almost unheard of.

If you try to train him at 17 months, it'd more likely be training yourself to recognize his signs and rushing him to the bathroom. I agree that he doesn't have all of the readiness milestones at only 17 months.

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

If it helps, my first two children were 22 months apart (about the difference that yours will be) and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
 

Thanks Dopey406! And thanks! I'm super excited. I took out the potty chair today and he wants to climb all over it and have fun. But now I'm nervous if I have it out without training him to potty in it that he will think of it as a toy and not want to potty in it later!! So, I'm thinking I should put it away until I think he's ready and he is showing signs.