16-Month-Old Toddler: Your Little Potty Trainer (Almost!)
Signs that your 16-month-old toddler may be ready for a tiny toilet.
Your Little Potty Trainer (Almost!)
It’s not likely your little one is ready to graduate from diapers just yet: most children begin potty training between 18 months and 3 years (a huge range!). But in the interest of getting ahead, we thought it’d be a good time to share the early signs that your toddler is physically and emotionally ready, so you know what to watch for:
- Stays dry for periods of two hours or more
- Is able to pull their pants up and down
- Can easily sit down on a potty chair and get up again
- Can climb up a step stool to the big potty
- Is able to follow basic directions
- Is showing interest and curiosity in underwear or toilets
- Is complaining about dirty diapers and finding them unpleasant
- Lets you know when they need to go
As for what to do at Go Time, we’ve got a guide for that.
Did You Know?
When it comes to learning how to pee or poop in the potty, a lot can go sideways (including regressions!). Bookmark these 6 solutions for common problems just in case.
Editors' Picks: Encouraging Books
From reassuring them that everyone poops to cheering them along, these 9 titles were written with curious toddlers in mind.
Editors' Picks: Tiny Thrones
Learn the difference between a free-standing potty chair and a kid-size seat that fits into your standard toilet—and see our favorites.
This Month: Prepare the Bathroom
Ideas for encouraging independence on and around the toilet.
Parenting Toolkit: Potty Talk
Try this: Dr. Becky, the parent whisperer behind Good Inside, explains how talking about poop impacts kids’ bathroom behavior.
Babylist Staff
Editor
Babylist editors and writers are parents themselves and have years of experience writing and researching, coming from media outlets like Motherly, the SF Chronicle, the New York Times and the Daily Beast, and the fields of early childhood education and publishing. We research and test hundreds of products, survey real Babylist parents and consult reviews in order to recommend the best products and gear for your growing family.
