Early Potty Training

Hi! New here? This post should give you a good idea of what I do.

If you have a toddler, you’ve probably heard that potty training should wait until your child is “ready.”

You've almost certainly been told to look for a long list of signs: asking to use the potty, hiding to p**p, waking up dry, disliking a wet diaper, or showing an interest in the potty, etc.

And if your child is only 15, 18, or even 22 months old? Potty training may feel very far away.

It may even feel a little risky or even ridiculous to consider starting so young.

I understand why.

Today’s mothers are surrounded by warnings about what can happen if we get parenting wrong. We’re told: don't push, don't pressure, don't rush development, and don't turn ordinary childhood experiences into power struggles.

Those are good instincts.

But what if teaching your child to use the potty earlier doesn’t require any of those things?

What if early potty training can be calm, respectful, and completely free of punishment, shame, pressure, bribery, or reward charts?

And what if your toddler is far more capable than you’ve been led to believe?

Kids weren’t always potty trained this late.

For generations, children were routinely taught to use the potty well before age two. In many parts of the world, they still are. Our children didn’t suddenly lose that ability. What changed was the advice parents were given.

I discovered this for myself in 2006.

My son was 16-months-old, and diaper changes had become a wrestling match. He genuinely thought I was torturing him when I changed his diaper.

I knew children had once been potty trained much earlier, but I couldn’t find anyone who could tell me how to do it. So I drew from Montessori principles and figured it out for myself.

He became fully daytime potty trained within a month.

After that, I spent almost a decade helping other mothers do the same. I learned what works, what creates unnecessary problems, and what parents need to know before they begin.

That knowledge ultimately became my course: Potty Trained Before Two.

My method is designed for toddlers approximately 15–23 months old who are walking steadily and can follow a few simple directions. They do not need to speak, ask to use the potty, show an interest in underwear, or check every box on a modern readiness list.

This is a parent-led method - but parent-led does not mean forceful.

It means you calmly decide that it is time to teach a new skill, just as you did when you decided it was time for them to learn to use a spoon, wash their hands, or get dressed.

You provide the structure. Your child does the learning.

I also want to be completely honest: this is not a magical three-day trick.

The beginning can be physically demanding and messy. It requires consistency, close attention, and a willingness to stay with the process while your child learns.

But you are not signing up to battle over the potty for the next two years.

Most families who follow my method are fully diaper-free during the day in about a month. They get through the concentrated learning period while their toddlers are still eager to imitate, practice, and accept their parents’ guidance -before potty training becomes another place to say no.

This isn’t a competition, and an earlier age is not a parenting trophy. If your child is already older, there is no judgment here.

I simply want parents to know they have another option.

You do not have to wait until diapers become a source of resistance, withholding, fear, or daily power struggles.

You do not need to pressure your child.

You do not need to make them perform for treats or praise.

And you do not have to piece together conflicting advice and hope you’re doing it correctly.

Your child can do this.

And you don’t have to figure it out alone.

I host a free webinar explaining why children are capable of potty training much earlier than most parents realize, why our potty-training timeline changed so dramatically, and why beginning earlier can make the process simpler - not necessarily effortless, but far less likely to become a battle of wills.

You can learn more and register here:

earlypottytraining.com

—Sorcha
The Independent Child Company

Early Potty Training Workshops | Sorcha Cavanaugh Join Sorcha Cavanaugh's early potty training workshops to discover a gentle, no-pressure method that has successfully assisted over 100 families in achieving diaper freedom for their children before age two. Learn clear expectations and consistency for effective potty training.

Join me for a FREE webinar where I explain why I'm confident your little one can potty train before 2! Click on the link to my website to register!