How long does potty training take?
In The Comprehensive Guide To Potty Training, we touched on how to know when to start potty training a child and discussed various methods to use. While each method has its' own guidelines and expectations in regards to the length of time to complete the process, parents are always interested in knowing the general length of time potty training takes most children to complete regardless of method. As with all things when potty training, the answer is it varies greatly since every experience is different from one child to the next, but for reference here are some experiences reported by other parents.
In a 1200-person survey madeformums.com in 2013, less than a third of parents (28%) successfully potty train their child the first time around,. That's right 72% of parents reported it took more than one attempt to train their child successfully. So if you're finding it tough going, don't worry. The majority of parents reported having to try more than once before getting it right.
How long did potty training take (for 72% this was the second attempt or more)?
Don’t expect your child to take to it straight away. Between 2-3 weeks is the most common period to complete potty training- which is encouraging! But remember, 72% have stopped and started at least once before this successful period...
- 11% took under 1 week
- 11% took 1 week
- 21% took 2-3 weeks
- 14% took a month
- 6% 6-12 months
At what point should a parent (give up) stop potty training and take a break?
If your child is not catching on to potty training and seems to be making little or no progress or is regressing and it has gone on for more than a couple of weeks and it is not an isolated event or rough patch. If it has been another difficult day with a lot of accidents, little progress and the trend seems to be heading in the wrong direction. Stop, and take a moment to consider the facts and evaluate the entire experience thus far.
First consider your child's readiness to ensure that you have not prematurely started training.
The following study indicated that starting potty training before 27 months does not lead to children that are trained earlier than if it started at 27 months. So there is no advantage to potty training earlier than 27 months. A study by Johns Hopkins indicated that 27 months is the average age for potty training success as children can not fully control their bowels and bladder until 24 to 30 months.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12671117/
What is the reason you initiated potty training?
Reconsider the reason you started training. Did you possibly start the potty training process prematurely? Was it because the child reached a certain age, a family member suggested it was time, there was a target date of completion you needed to meet (such as having the child potty trained to start school), or did your child exhibit the readiness signs recommended by an expert or the method you are using?
Did you start because signs of readiness were present or was there some other reasoning?
If the reason you started potty training when you did was because of the child's chronological age, a family member or someone else suggested it was time to start or you are trying to meet a future completion date, you may very well have a readiness issue. You need to stop your current efforts and put the diapers back on your child and take a break from training for at least a couple of weeks to a month.
At this point you need to consider the potty training readiness signs, click on this link for a comprehensive list of 21 readiness signs. Also revisit the details on the specific method you have decided to use and make an informed decision of whether or not your child is truly showing signs of readiness. Also, at this time you might want to consider the method and whether or not you still have confidence that its the best method for your child based upon your earlier experiences.
How long should I take a break from potty training before starting again?
After a 2 to 4 week break, ensure that your child is showing the primary readiness signs such as:1- able to communicate the need to go potty 2- shows signs of discomfort or pulling at dirty diapers 3-is interested in the potty from sibling or parent 4- stays dry for 2 hours or more 5- hides when having BM and they are over 27 months its time to potty train again. Do not start the process over unless your child is showing signs of readiness.
Are you using the method that gives your child the best chance of success?
If during your first potty training experience you discover aspects of the method you chose are not compatible or for any other reason, consider other methods and determine whether or not a different method makes sense. You are not bound to keep using the same method if in fact there is anything that you do not feel comfortable with or you don't have confidence the method is best for your child by all means change the method. Starting over after a break is the perfect time to evaluate and make changes to your potty training protocol. It may very well lead to a greater likelihood of success.
How long does it take until a child is night time potty trained?
The previously mentioned study did not indicate whether it considered night time potty training or not. Most likely it only considered daytime potty training for the survey since night training takes quite a bit longer to occur. Johns Hopkins research indicated that a child is able to potty trained for the night time on average 7 months after being daytime trained. Once a child produces ADH, Anti-Diuretic Hormone, also known as Desmopressin, in ample levels to stay dry during the day, it takes on average 7 months to produce it in ample, levels to stay dry at night which requires higher levels. ADH is the hormone that regulates the flow of water in the body and must be present at a sufficient level to inhibit the urine production at night.