When is the proper time to begin potty training? Ask that question anywhere parents are gathered and you will get a different response from each couple and likely a heated debate will ensue! There really is no correct answer to this question. The most important factor in considering when to begin potty training is to trust your parental instincts. Every child is different and develops differently. Only you, as parent, can recognize the signs and be able to intuitively understand when the time is right to begin potty training. There are several indicators that you should watch for however and some conditions that will make it easier to potty train. Your child should be able to communicate using a few basic words; “potty”, “pee” “poo” etc.. They should also be able to understand the difference between wet and dry, so that you can reinforce the notion that wet is wrong and dry is good. In defense of early potty training, parents should keep in mind that the older your child gets the harder it may be for them to break the diaper habit. Also, bear in mind the realities of child development; your sweet baby soon becomes a terrible toddler past the age of two and a half. The opinionated, loud and demonstrative toddler who answers every question with an emphatic “NO” is going to be more difficult to potty train. Early potty training has its historical precedents. In 1957, 92% of children were toilet trained by the age of eighteen months. In the age before disposable diapers, when mothers had to wash dirty diapers by hand, parents were much more motivated to potty train early. Things changed with the advent of the disposable diaper, supported by the numerous studies advocating the “child-centric” approach to potty training. It’s important to point out, at the risk of sounding cynical, that many of these studies were commissioned by the companies who make disposable diapers. The most well-known is one published by Dr. Brazelton in 1961 that drew the conclusion that parents should wait “until the child is ready” to begin toilet training. The study was paid for by Proctor and Gamble, the largest manufacture of disposable diapers. Once you can answer these three questions with a “Yes!” then you are ready to begin potty training: 1. Can he or she go two to three hours with a dry diaper? 2. Can your child respond to basic commands? 3. Are either you or your child able to tell when he or she is about to urinate or poop?