From time to time we pick a question from our Facebook community to answer. You can access the collection by visiting our FAQ’s page.
My 15 mo old son is acting very interested, is it too early to start?
That depends on who you ask! Many leading medical sources today, such as those on WebMD, follow a developmental model that says you should wait until your child has certain signs of readiness, which often appear between ages of 2 and 3.
But, there are also many parents, and other cultures, who swear by infant training, saying children are perfectly capable of learning much earlier.
Here’s our take: sign language gives children the power to communicate their wants and needs at a much younger age than a child who relies solely on speaking might have. If you can harness that and begin potty training early, that’s fantastic. It may take a little longer than trying with an older child, but then again, starting in “the terrible twos” has drawbacks of it’s own. In the end, reading your child’s cues and responding in a supportive manner is most important.
So, if you think he’s very interested, let him try it out. The worst that happens is you discover you have to wait a little longer. And the best that happens is you are a lucky parent who gets to be rid of diapers that much sooner!