Development FAQ: 24+ months – Potty Training

My son is 2 years and 3 months and seems ready to potty train. I’m expecting a new baby in a few weeks’ time. Should I try to potty train before the baby arrives?

The arrival of a new baby is one of the biggest upheavals possible in a toddler’s life and it could affect his behaviour in any number of ways. I would advise you forget about potty training for a little while and focus on helping your son adjust to his new brother or sister. It would be worse for him to be trained now and then possibly regress and need nappies again. This would feel like a failure to him and would make training later a lot harder. When you feel things have settled down at home then you can begin in earnest. In the meantime, you can keep the potty around and encourage him to sit on it in the morning before he gets dressed and again in the evening before his bath. Don’t force the issue though, let him take the lead.