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E started potty training about 3 months ago. Now, she can pull her pants down and go by herself, but she cant wipe properly or pull her pants back up without help, and forget hand washing! Of course that doesn't mean she *does* go by herself - she frequently uses "needing a wee" as a way of getting attention, and wets/craps herself as a means of protest. My hands are red raw from all the washing I need to do to manage this and a newborn. And don't get me started on the trips to the toilet when we're out and about, with a newborn in a pram that doesn't fit in the toilet cubicle, and yes she does wait until S is eating or crying before announcing her need to wee. Its a nightmare, keep C in nappies as long as you can!

Our son was 2.5 when he trained. He mostly used the potty at daycare, but they'd ask him to go every 2 hours and he'd do most of it on his own with minimal supervision. At home he was able to put the little seat on the potty and climb up using a stool when he was 3. He's 3.5 now and we "check" him after a BM and usually end up helping him wipe, but he only poops 1x a day. I think with the right routine it won't be too bad. I will say that our son's Twos teacher told is that missing the window really sucks in the long run because it's harder to train after the fact, so if she's ready it might be worth it to just bite the bullet.

I still help my 4 yr old wash her hands because she can't reach the faucet.

With LO1, we started around 26 months. He's 30 months now and does sometimes use the toilet independently at home, except for handwashing. (I think he always uses it independently at daycare.)

But we had a rough couple of months of potty training, and we still have moments where he wants help but requests that his sister not be in the bathroom, which--if there is only one parent home--generally means there is a sobbing LO2 outside the bathroom door.

Good luck figuring out what to do!

LO is 3.5 and we still help with wiping and washing hands but he is capable of doing it by himself at school. We don't have a stool in the bathroom because they tend to be used for causing trouble but otherwise would be fine 100% of the time for just peeing.

@Foodnerd81: it sounds scary, but if you catch her at the right time, it could be relatively painless! This is anecdotal, but I was talking to my neighbors yesterday and they had decided to wait on potty training their older child because they had a newborn and thought it'd be easier to do diapers. But now baby is 6 months and the son is 3 next month and they are struggling hard to train him. He just doesn't care if he's in a dirty diaper and has a hard time "listening to his body" about when he needs to poop. The mom told me she regrets waiting. I think it can be hard no matter when you do it!

E will be 4 in Aug and I need to help him wipe still (he tries, but constant skid marks). I also sometimes need to remind him to try to go, but he's pretty good about knowing when he needs to go and going.

I agree with @JoyfulKiwi: training LO when they are ready is the biggest key to success. Everyone I know that waited ended up having a really hard time potty training.

We potty trained LO1 when LO2 was 5 months. To make it easier, first I focused on making sure LO could pull up/down her pants by herself and could wash her hands. Wiping won't be perfect for a long time (3-3.5ish??), but don't let that deter you.

Just to give you another positive expierence:
My DS trained at 2.5 and was going by himself mostly about a month after first starting. I still need to wipe when it's poop but pee he manages himself. Also he flushes and washes hands himself. We also use a step stool just like @looch mentioned and have used showers and bidgets for handwashing. We stick to "no button" pants so he can pull them up himself.

@Foodnerd81: she is super particular about picking up her skirt. She pulls it tight in the back, gathers it in the front and pulls it up. I can't remember having a wet skirt, she did have trouble not pulling her pants down far enough a few times.

My kid is 3, and she has been potty trained for about 6 months. She needs help wiping after number two, but she's otherwise self sufficient. We have a stool she uses to wash her hands and one of those two-in-one seats on the regular toilet. Every now and then she has to be reminded to wash her hands or I notice she skips wiping to get back to playing, but usually she takes care of it all. She wears dresses a lot and has never had a problem keeping them out of the way. Stretchy pants/shorts are key too. It's a crapshoot (ha) whenever you do it. I hope it goes smoothly for you!