Is three years too old to be potty trained?

I very much agree with the other two posts. I come from the ‘old school’ of things that more or less demanded that a child be potty trained as early as possible. Well….at least that was the attitude ‘back then’. It took me some years to ‘get my mind right’ myself (and wish I had far earlier than I did), and now believe that a child ‘will potty train’, when a child is ‘ready to potty train’! However, I do also believe that a lot of ‘very gentle’ coaxing isn’t a bad thing. But….NOT ‘pushing’. NOT making a gigantic ‘big deal’ of it with ‘pressure pressure pressure’. The one and ‘only’ concern I think ‘I’ would have is, that they are at least potty trained by the time they begin regular school. Otherwise, I see no panic for a three year old not having been potty trained yet. And for those that may try to pressure me otherwise, well, bahhumbug on them, lol.

Gee, I think it is a matter of the child. My grandson’s doctor says he’s doing fine even though he just turned 3 and not potty trained yet. The doctor said some children need more time and others will do better if they have a brother or other children that are potty trained to watch them using the toilet . It makes it easier for them to learn.

A lot of the day care places say the child has to be at least 3 and potty trained so it would seem you are doing great! As long as they are healthy and happy, why worry? Too early can cause way too much stress on both children and parents.

Waiting till the child is ready always seems to work out the best. It did with the two of mine any way :)

Dear thedude, The problem is getting them to use the potty. We do this with rewards; if there is something in it for them they are more likely to want to use it. This technique usually works in only a few days. You place the child on the seat at regular intervals when the child successfully uses the potty you have a party with balloons, dancing and a few treats. Make the biggest fuss possible. This gives the child something to look forward too with each potty use. You slowly decrease the reward giving till you are using only praise for their efforts. Be consistent with this technique and you will see your reward in no time flat. Sue…good luck

Believe you me it is far easier to potty train a child who is ready. If you force the mater early it will be a long and messy experience.

For some reason black children seem to be ready to potty train earlier than white and oriental children. It isn’t uncommon for black kids to be potty trained at 18 months though most white and oriental children are not ready until after 2.

In my case we waited until our daughter expressed interest in using the potty. By waiting until she was ready it only took 2 weeks. It takes a lot longer if you start too early.