Are You Potty Training Too Early?

I have been very busy this month, organizing, cleaning, making  a plan for a year, not to mention beginning the introduction of the "potty" with my almost three-year-old.  My doctor has been harping for me to start potty training since before my daughter was even 2 1/2.  I had read this article by Dr. Steve Hodges, when my daughter was very young and had decided to follow his recommendations regarding potty training. 

However, my doctor (who I typically love very much) made me feel like I wasn't being a good mother, because I wasn't already trying to potty train.  Don't get me wrong, we had a little potty and offer for her to try it, but we weren't forcing the subject.  Well, finally he made me feel neglectful, so I tried hard core potty training for a week and it made both my daughter and I feel like failures, and our success rate decreased.  I decided it wasn't right for her to be potty training yet.  She didn't even have words for "poop" and "pee" yet for goodness sake!

A quick summary of Dr. Hodges' research:  Dr. Hodges is a urologist and he has done extensive research, including x-rays of children's bladders.  Dr. Hodges states, " I believe in potty training when kids are ready -- when they show an interest and can tell you when they are peeing or pooping -- and I believe that few kids are genuinely ready before age three."  My daughter cannot actually tell me when she is going, which tells me she isn't quite ready to successfully potty train.

Furthermore, Dr. Hodges stated, "Kids hold their pee and poop because they simply don't understand how essential it is to get themselves to the bathroom when nature calls. Kids think you only go to the bathroom only when you desperately need to, or when your mom threatens to withhold treats if you don't. The most seriously constipated kids I treat are those who trained earliest and with ease. In other words, they've been deciding for the longest period of time when they should pee or poop. But even kids who train later can develop problems, especially if Mom and Dad aren't keeping tabs on them. Parents cringe when I say this, but getting your child out of diapers is the easy part!" His point here is that children don't understand the importance of going to the restroom, instead they are more concerned with playing, which may result in accidents or even worse over the long term, true medical issues with toileting.  It is our responsibility as parents to make sure our young children go to the restroom enough, so that they aren't "holding it" too long.

I plan to ask my doctor next time we visit, what exactly are the benefits of potty training early. The only things I can think of are less diaper rash (which my daughter never has) and not having to change diapers (which don't really bother me).

 Hopefully you take the time to read Dr. Hodges' insight on potty training.  He does not define a specific age that is "perfect" for training your child.  Instead he simple reminds us that our child knows when they are physically ready to use the potty. He also explains that accidents (once potty trained) are not normal and that the child may have urinary problems or be severely constipated.  I wish you luck with potty training your child. I know (from experience) that it's not all rainbows and butterflies!  Just remember to celebrate your child's successes and expect a few accidents.