At What Age Should Toilet Training Begin?

While there's no magic age at which a child is ready to start using the potty, most toddlers will develop the necessary physical and cognitive skills between 18 and 24 months of age (though some aren't ready to start until they're as old as 4).

Doctors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia recently completed a study of 378 parents of toddlers. They found that the optimal time for toilet training was when toddlers started training just shy of their third birthdays.

For those toddlers starting toilet training before 27 months, the process took a year or more, but if they were started between 27 and 36 months, it took five to 10 months. The research appeared in the April 2003 issue of Pediatrics.

What Signs Should I Look For?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends looking for the following signs that your toddler is ready to begin toilet training:

• Your toddler stays dry at least 2 hours at a time during the day or is dry after naps.
• Bowel movements become regular and predictable.
• Facial expressions, posture, or words reveal that your child is about to urinate or have a bowel movement.
• Your toddler can follow simple instructions.
• Your toddler can walk to and from the bathroom and help undress.
• Your toddler seems uncomfortable with soiled diapers and wants to be changed.
• Your toddler asks to use the toilet or potty chair.
• Your toddler asks to wear grown-up underwear.