What is the EARLIEST you've had success potty training a boy?

DH and I are so ready to be done with diapers for good. We are going away later this fall and would LOVE for DS to be out of diapers. (We are going on a cruise so it would be great if he could use the pool with us).

Thing is, he will JUST be turning 2 when we go away. He's very smart and communicates much better than DC1 did at the same age. But he doesn't yet seem to show all that much interest in the potty, and doesn't even mind sitting in a dirty diaper.

So I guess I'm wondering if anyone has had success training an under 2yr old boy and how you decided he was ready?

And if DS is not ready, he's not ready and I'll just wait. But we're also willing to put in the hard work to make it happen if we have a chance.

Any advice? Am I completely crazy?

Re: What is the EARLIEST you've had success potty training a boy?

My first is a girl, so I haven't trained my boy yet, but I swear by the 3 day method for toddlers between 20-30 months! Dd was 26 months, and the only reason we didn't start earlier is because I was working and i couldn't be bothered. She had not much interest in it either and had no problem with dirty diapers. But she did it within 3 days! If my DS communicates like she did, I will be starting earlier with him this time. I've seen many times people waiting until after 30 months with boys and then they have a hard time. I'm sure it works for some though. So my advice is to try it! Go all in with the 3 day!

Eta: do they not allow babies in diapers in the pool on cruises?

Message edited 8/31/2015 11:26:33 AM.

Re: What is the EARLIEST you've had success potty training a boy?

My son was pee trained the day after his second birthday, and poop trained about 8 months later (but we didn't try very hard with the poop training.) The idea of waiting to train until the child "is ready" is a very US cultural practice and a recent one at that (developed as disposable diapers became cheaper). In many other cultures (and in the US back in the days of rubber pants and cloth diapers), training around 1-1.5 (or even before 1) is the norm, so "early" training is definitely doable, but I think the expectation is different. Like, the younger a child is, the less you expect him to hold it in for the rest of a long car ride. More like he tells you when he has to go, and you go find a potty RIGHT away, bc of tiny bladders and less bladder control. So my point is, all over the world, ppl train when the parents are ready, vs waiting for some determination of when the child is ready. I think it's totally doable as long as your expectations adjusted. In some ways, I hear it's easier to do it earlier bc kids haven't gotten into a defiant stage yet. So might as well give it a try!

Eta an interesting article http://www.salon.com/2010/07/09/extreme_potty_training/
Note that Dr. Brazelton does research funded by Pampers.

And according to a NY Times article:
In 1957, 92 percent of children were toilet-trained by the age of 18 months, studies found. Today the figure for 2-year-olds is just 4 percent, according to a large-scale Philadelphia study. Only 60 percent of children have achieved mastery of the toilet by 36 months, the study found, and 2 percent remain untrained at the age of 4 years.

Message edited 8/31/2015 11:59:57 AM.

Re: What is the EARLIEST you've had success potty training a boy?

Re: What is the EARLIEST you've had success potty training a boy?

Re: What is the EARLIEST you've had success potty training a boy?

I trained DS at 26 mo.
Trained DD at 22 mo... She was my second & I knew what I was doing.
3 day method for both.

What is the EARLIEST you've had success potty training a boy?

My DS was just past 2. Pee and poop in 3 days