When Should You Start Potty Training?

One of the questions we get asked most often at Little Starlings is "when is the right time to start potty training?" The honest answer is that there is no single right age - it is very individual to each child.

As a rough guide, parents typically start to think about potty training when children are around two to three years old, with the average age of a successfully potty-trained child being around 27 months. But these are averages, not targets.

The Most Important Principle

If potty training is taking weeks and feels like a battle, your child is probably not ready yet. It is almost always worth waiting those extra few weeks to get it right in half the time and with far less stress for everyone.

Signs Your Child Might Be Ready

• Is your child dry for stretches of two hours or more?
• Do they tell you when they have a wet nappy?
• Do they ask to use the potty or toilet?
• Are their poos fairly regular?
• Do they ask to wear pants?
• Can they follow simple instructions?
• Can they pull their own pants up and down?
• Are they showing awareness or discomfort about a soiled nappy?

The key is how well your child understands what is happening and how much they can communicate. Starting too early can create unnecessary anxiety and setbacks for both of you.

Practical Tips

Choose your timing carefully. A longer holiday period or half term is ideal - you have more time at home, which makes it easier for children to reach the potty quickly in a familiar environment. Car journeys and busy routines make early potty training much harder.

Stay close to home for the first few days. The more accessible a potty is, the more successful early attempts tend to be.

Stock up on pants. You will get through a lot in the early days, so buying in bulk saves repeated washing panic.

Stay calm if it does not go to plan. Accidents are completely normal and part of the process. A relaxed, matter-of-fact response from parents makes an enormous difference to how children feel about the whole experience.

At Little Starlings we work closely with families through the potty-training transition and are happy to talk through timing and strategies at any point. Book a tour to come and meet us.