Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know a lot of kids who weren't fully potty trained at 3. I didnt start potty training until my sons was 2 1/2 but he was fully potty trained very quickly because I waited until he meet all of the milestones on the "checklist".
One of my daughters still wore diapers when she was 3. When they need them, they need them, and sometimes you just can't make a child toilet train on your schedule. You have to wait until they're ready.
IMHO, it is a lot more common than people realize, especially for boys. I remember a co-worker who constantly bragged that her son was "completely toilet trained at age 2 1/2". But, when you questioned her about the details she would back track and say "Well, of course, he wears diapers at night and during long car trips."
And, during a different conversation she would mention, "The bathrooms are too far away when we watch his older sister plan soccer so he wears diapers then."
And, then another time she would say, "Well, he does wear diapers when we are shopping in the mall as it is too big a hassle to stop shopping to take him to the bathroom."
Yeah, sure he is "completely toilet trained." NOT!
More common now than it used to be, for several reasons:
Disposable diapers don't feel as uncomfortable when wet as cloth diapers.
Many toddlers are in full-time or part-time daycare. This environment makes it hard to be consistent in focusing on potty training for the couple of weeks it typically takes.
Many parents are uneasy about initiating potty training, either because they think it will be scarily difficult, that it will be useless because their child may not be "ready," or they are afraid of psychologically damaging the child.
ETA: All three of my children were trained between 2 and 2.5. I took the lead. I'm sure if I had waited for them to take the initiative, it would have been much later.
You use them until you don't need them. It is pretty common for some kids not to potty train until 3. Some older.
If my daughter had been my first kid, I would have thought I was an amazing potty trainer. She was potty trained in 1 day (no accidents) when she was 2. She was going by herself the first day. She was super ready.
My son was 3.5y. Not delayed, just not at all interested in it. He was quite happy to wear a diaper, but finally gave in to bribery.
IMHO, it is a lot more common than people realize, especially for boys. I remember a co-worker who constantly bragged that her son was "completely toilet trained at age 2 1/2". But, when you questioned her about the details she would back track and say "Well, of course, he wears diapers at night and during long car trips."
The long car trip thing is iffy, but it is very, very, very common for toddlers, and preschoolers up to age 6 or so, to need a diaper at night even though they are completely reliable during the daytime. Their bodies have just not matured enough to stay dry while they sleep. It's not fair to say a child is not toilet trained because they wear a diaper or Pull-Up at night.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
