Another potty training question

[clementine]

Hello! I have a 19 month old DS who recently transitioned to the toddler room at daycare, which is kids age 18 months-3 years. A few of the 10 kids in his class are fully potty trained, a few of the younger kids are not at all, but most of the kids are in the process. The teachers have started putting DS on the potty usually once a day when all the kids take a bathroom break. They said he cried at first. He had never sat on the potty before and I’m sure he was a little scared. It’s been a little over 2 weeks and he still is very hesitant about it, but I don’t think he’s crying anymore. I was initially okay with this because they weren’t expecting him to actually go on the potty, just wanted to start getting him used to it I guess.
Yesterday, one teacher told me he woke up early from his nap because he pooped. It sounded like maybe he had just started and she put him on the potty really quickly to finish. Does that seem weird? Like he’s so young, I feel bad if they interrupted him. They said he didn’t go at all in the potty and actually laid his head down on the chair they set in front for him to hold onto. To me, this instance seemed a little more than just exposure, like they were trying to get him to actually go.
I wasn’t even thinking about PT yet. It’s too early right? Do you think it’s okay that they’re introducing it at his age? I feel like I’m cool with exposure, but since he’s not at all ready, I don’t want him to start having negative/scary potty associations if they’re expecting him to do more than he’s ready to do. Maybe I should just let them KOKO... they’ve clearly done it with a bunch of toddlers. He’s my first so I still have all the questions.

[piratecat]

If you feel he is resistant to it and developing negative feelings toward it, I would ask them to stop. It's great that they are proactive about potty training but they should also follow your lead and respect your wishes. Seeing other kids use the potty around him may be plenty exposure for him for now. We got a potty and sat my kid on it occasionally a little after he turned 1 so I don't think it's too early for that kind of light exposure IF the kid is willing.

[cmb]

With the caveat that this is how we pooped trained DS1, yes, it does sound like they are actively trying to train him. I would ask them
to stop- he’s too young IMO

[clementine]

Thanks piratecat! He doesn’t seem to be scared of the potty at home. I haven’t set him on it, but he is interested in it. I think I just need to have another conversation with his teacher to get a better idea of what his reaction is when they try. Like when they say crying, is it just fussing a little or super upset. It’s only been 2 weeks since he switched rooms, so maybe I need to give it a little more time and make sure they’re focusing of gentle exposure and not putting any pressure on him at this age.

cmb thanks for the reassurance! I don’t think I’d mind that method if we were actively trying to PT and he knew what was expected of him. But it does just seem to early to be doing that.

[tgrimes]

My daycare started putting both of my kids on the potty at 18 months, so I don't have an issue with it. It just gets them used to the potty. If they were scared or started crying, they wouldn't force them to do it.  When they see other kids going/sitting on the potty, they usually want to do it, too.

[mintyblueair]

Hi! N (18 months) is showing interest in the potty and I put her on it before her bath, and whenever she asks or shows interest in it throughout the day. She doesn't always go, but sometimes she does and I make a big deal of it with praise. My 3 year old started showing interest at 18 months, too, and was PT before 2. I haven't put N on the potty mid-poop yet but that's really only because I don't notice when she's pooping. I don't personally think it's too early to introduce it or encourage it, and in my mind that's kind of training (admittedly I didn't read any books or follow any specific method). But I do think it's very important not to make the potty negative, so yeah, clarifying with them what his reaction actually is is a good idea.