A reader asks:
"I have a question about early potty training. My 20-month-old son is in daycare. Each day, his providers put him on the potty just to show him what it's all about. They do not ask him to potty, but since the other children in his room are using the potty, they wanted him to know what it was. Do you think that is going to confuse my child? I've heard that if you try and potty train too early, it will take him longer to be successful."
I would not worry about this at all as long as your child care providers are not pressuring your son to use the bathroom or reprimanding him when he goes in his diaper.
Even though a child isn't ready to begin potty training in earnest, you can still introduce the concepts and help usher in readiness. Reading books, letting your toddler look at underwear at the store or even buying a few pairs to check out, looking at potty chairs, talking about poop and pee during diaper changes and announcing when you are going to the bathroom and talking about what you are doing -- "I'm flushing the toilet now, I'm washing my hands now" -- are just a few ways you can help prepare your child for what's to come.
One of the wonderful things that working with a group of young children gives your son is a bit of positive peer pressure and added awareness. Your child care providers are helping this along by allowing your child to become familiar with the toilet, the bathroom in general and the routine that they follow during bathroom breaks. He's going to see what the other kids are doing and as he becomes aware of what they are doing, he will start to make this connection in his own body. He will also learn about good habits like washing hands and flushing the toilet if he sees his peers do it and is encouraged by his caregivers to participate in these tasks.
So again, as long as everything is progressing in a positive manner and no one is telling him he has to go when he may not even realize what "going" is, then I wouldn't worry at all. Be sure to ask your caregiver to let you know if he's showing any signs of readiness as time goes on and be sure you share any of those signs yourself so you'll know when to really get started.
Do you have a question you'd like to see answered? You can send your questions to me at babyparenting.guide@about.com and I will answer them here on the site.
