When did you start to potty train your kid?

My daughter was about 1 and a half when she was trained. It was very easy, so I may have just been lucky. I started with a "Potty Chart" We made it together. I just put the days of the week on the top and every time she used the toilet she got to put a sticker on for that day. We did this everytime and she wanted to use the potty just to get the stickers. It worked out great. I don't have any boys but my mother told me about when she was potty training my brother. She put dish soap in the toilet bowl and told him to make bubbles. So, when he went it would make bubbles in the potty, which he thought was totally cool. These are just some first hand experiences. Every child is different, but I think the most important thing is not to rush or push it on the child. They will be ready in their own time. Hope this helps.:)

My daughter is 13 months so I have been wondering the same thing cuz I really have no clue when to start & with the price of diapers! I know she is not ready now cuz she has a hard time concentrating on one thing for very long, but I was thinking maybe around 15 months or so?? I really don't know...how do you even start??

I think that it is ok to start training as soon as they are comfortable walking. By this time children have a vocabulary and potty can be a good word for them.

My sister was given a potty clock. It is a wrist watch that goes off every 30-45 minutes. When it goes off just take your child to the bathroom and sit on the potty and try to go.

Make it fun. Take a short little book and read it to them (2 or 3 minuets long) so that they are not bored sitting there.

I do not think that parents should punish their child for having accidents in the middle of the night or even during the day until the child is at least 3 years old and even then the parent should still be asking the child every hours or so if they need to go potty; and should get up in the middle of the night to take the child to the bathroom if accidents are a problem.

This is one of those things that it really is up to the parent to have some sense about it. To many people have 4 year olds who are still in diapers because they are too lazy to take the child to the bathroom.

The best advice I can give you, or anyone for that matter, is to not start too late. I really believe there is a window in which your child will be the most receptive and is not yet interested in turning potty training into a power struggle. You sound like you're doing a fabulous job and I think 18 months is a good age to start. Definitely keep the training going when you feel they are very interested in the whole process. I waited far too long to get "serious" with my daughter, and since that was such a nightmare, I proceeded to start even later with my son. BAD DECISION!
The most important thing I can say is to remind everyone that it WILL happen, sooner or later. My daughter took about a year to really get trained and she is now 8 with dry pants:) My son is 3 and 1/2 and it's still a day to day struggle, but I know eventually he will really "get it". Lastly, try with every fiber of your being to stay calm. I know, I know, MUCH easier said than done. But really, getting frustrated and angry simply will not help children progress. Good luck and I hope I could help a little.