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Getting Ready: Potty Training Resources

Support and ideas for families working toward this milestone before their child starts school

Why this matters

Children must be fully toilet trained before their first day in our Primary program. South Hills is a licensed child care center, and Oregon licensing does not permit us to care for children in diapers or pull-ups. In practice, "trained" means your child:

uses the toilet independently and can recognize when they need to go,
wears regular underwear — not pull-ups or diapers (training pants are okay),
and is accident-free for at least 30 days before the start date.

We know this milestone can feel daunting, and every child gets there on their own timeline. Many families also find that the excitement of starting school gives potty training a real boost, and teachers work compassionately with families through small setbacks during the first 30-day adjustment period.

If you're not sure where your child is at, reach out or call us at (541) 335-1632 — we're glad to talk it through.

You can start earlier than you think

A lot of parents are told to wait until age 2 or later. In the Montessori tradition, there's a "sensitive period" for toilet learning roughly between 12 and 18 months, when children are naturally receptive and cooperative. Many children can learn well before their second birthday — it mostly takes consistency from the adults. Three things tend to make early learning click:

A sign for "potty." Teach a simple hand sign (from baby sign language or ASL) and use it every time, well before formal training. It gives your child a way to tell you they need to go before they can say the words.
Regular potty sits. Offer the potty at predictable moments — on waking, before and after going outside, after meals, before the bath — rather than waiting for your child to ask. This builds the habit and the body connection.
Something to focus on while sitting. A short potty song or video (or a book) helps your child stay on the potty long enough to relax and go — and over time they start to connect the feeling in their body with the trip to the bathroom.

Switching out of absorbent diapers into cloth training pants or underwear also helps a lot — modern diapers keep children so dry that they never feel the "uh oh" that teaches awareness.

From a South Hills parent

“The “Potty Time” video potty trained my daughter. I used it alongside sitting her on a little potty at regular intervals and switching straight to real underwear — no pull-ups. She was potty trained by 13 months.”

— A South Hills Montessori parent

Every child is different — this is one family's experience, shared to encourage you.

📚 Starting Early (12–24 Months)

Guides on the Montessori sensitive period, elimination communication, and signing

A Montessori Approach to Toilet Training ↗

The Montessori Notebook · Simone Davies

From an AMI-trained Montessori educator: the 12–18 month "sensitive period," using cloth training pants instead of diapers so children feel wetness, offering the toilet at natural times (waking, before/after outside, after meals), and matter-of-fact language.

Toileting the Montessori Way ↗

The Montessori Foundation

Why Montessori encourages starting before age 2 — the readiness window that opens around 18 months and narrows by 24, and how underwear (not disposables) builds body awareness.

A Guide to Elimination Communication ↗

WonderBaby.org

A practical how-to for infant potty training from birth to 18 months: reading your baby’s cues, using a "sss" cue sound, timing potty sits around feeds and naps, and using backup diapers while you learn.

How to Use Sign Language for Potty Training ↗

WonderBaby.org

How to make and teach the signs for "potty," "toilet," "more," and "all done" — starting as early as 12 months by modeling the sign during diaper changes, long before formal training.

Simple Potty Training Under 2: The Full Guide ↗

Lauren Nicole Jones

A detailed parent-tested plan for roughly 18–24 months: a day-by-day schedule of potty sits (wake-up, pre-nap, bedtime), diapers off from day one, and watching for the wiggle-and-pause body signals.

Yes, You Can Start EC at 12–18 Months ↗

Go Diaper Free · Andrea Olson

Encouragement and framing for families starting in the toddler window. Olson’s books go deeper: Go Diaper Free (0–18 months) and The Tiny Potty Training Book (18 months and up).

📖 General Guides & Readiness

Broader resources on readiness signs, methods, and handling accidents at any age

The Right Age to Toilet Train ↗

American Academy of Pediatrics · HealthyChildren.org

Readiness signs and why readiness matters more than the calendar. Note: the AAP leans toward waiting for clear signs, often around age 2 — a more cautious view than the Montessori resources above.