Seeking advice on potty training

**DISCLAIMER** if you do not want to read about potty issues or bodily functions (which probably applies to most people without young children), do NOT read this blog.  Thanks! :)

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I'm looking for advice on potty training - mostly on two topics.  #1) How did you know that your child was ready to be potty trained? #2) What's the best way to potty train a child? Anything different for boys?

Let me first say that I am NOT in a rush to potty train Sam.  We have had so much change in our lives over the last 2 months with the new baby, so I am not exactly looking to take on this new challenge of potty training Sam.  Diapers seem easier right now since I already have to carry a diaper bag with me everywhere I go for Noah. 

However, over the past few weeks Sam has done a number of things that have practically shouted to me that he is ready to be potty trained so I'm beginning to wonder if we should embark on this new challenge?  Personally, I think he's a bit young for this, he JUST turned two on March 24th.  I was planning on potty training late in the summer when he's closer to 2.5.  But...he seems to have other plans.

We bought a toddler potty about a month ago and every night before bath time he practices sitting on the potty before bath time.  Occasionally he pees on the potty and we get very excited and cheer and he helps us dump the potty into the big toilet and he loves to flush the toilet.  He also loves to put toilet paper in the toilet - I don't think he has any idea what toilet paper is actually for, but whatever. 

Anyway, so this past weekend, my Mom and I did the normal pre-bath potty routine and he sat on the toddler potty, peed, we cheered, he stood up and dumped the pee into the big toilet, flushed - and repeated the entire process...over and over again.  VERY intentionally, he was controlling when he was peeing and would sit on the toddler potty and pee and then excitedly flush it down the big toilet, over and over again.  We repeated this cycle about 8 or 9 times.

Then, he told us that he needed to poop.  So he sat on the toddler potty and pooped!  We cheered and then he flushed it into the big toilet.  He then said he had to poop again, so he sat on the toddler potty and pooped again!  He then wanted to try to keep peeing so he started to squeeze himself trying to make himself pee some more (does this actually work?? I have no idea!).  This  process of peeing on the potty 10 times in a row has now become part of our nightly routine which makes me think he knows when he needs to go and is able to control when/where he goes.  Last night he peed about 14 times in a row. 


On Sunday he woke up from a nap and was playing in his crib.  I heard him saying "poo poo" on the monitor and then I watched him on the video monitor.  He took off his pants and then took off his diaper too - which is when I went into his room.  As I opened the door, he practically shouted "Mommy, I went poo poo" and handed me his very full dirty diaper with the poop in it. He didn't make a mess or anything, he just didn't want to be wearing the dirty diaper anymore!

Soooo, it seems like he's telling me that he's ready to be potty trained, right? I'm thinking we will just take an entire weekend in early June to go cold turkey from diapers to underwear.  I've been advised to dress him in underwear and use the pull-ups diaper OVER the underwear so that he feels wet from the underwear but it won't make a huge mess when he has accidents.  Anyone have thoughts on this?

We also have a big book of stickers that I plan to use as rewards for properly using the potty. 

I'm also looking for advice about what to do during naptime and night time.  Do we put a diaper on him during sleeping times?  Or just stick with the underwear and he'll learn? 

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions, I appreciate it!