Q. I've been reading about toilet training babies as young as six or eight months old. Does this new method work?

A. Everything we've learned and experienced has taught us that toilet training can be different for every child but we've found that asking three basic questions can help determine whether a child is ready.

1. Is the child able to communicate her need to use the bathroom? During training, frustrated parents sometimes say, "Why didn't you tell me?" Often it's because the child either didn't understand or couldn't express the correlation between needing to go and using the potty.

2. Have you developed a schedule that limits your child's liquid intake to regular intervals during the day? If a child is still carrying around a bottle or a sippy cup and drinking fluids throughout the day, it's not time to train.

3. Is the child at the developmental stage to achieve the skill? Does she understand cause and effect? Wet and dry? Can she follow multi-step directions? If not, it may be wise to postpone training.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that most children are ready to train when they're between 20 and 30 months and that's been our experience, too. When you and your child are ready to begin the process, here are a few suggestions.

Purchase a potty chair or a toilet adapter seat, and let your child become familiar with it. Give your child the opportunity to observe you or a same-gender family member using the bathroom.

Create a potty chart to note the times your child stays dry, and plan special rewards, such as a shopping trip for "big girl" underwear, after specific numbers of dry times.

Plan your schedule accordingly, because training requires both time and consistency.

You might also want to get some of the wonderful children's books on toilet training. Most importantly, have realistic expectations. Happily, you've already succeeded once at this, so you're a veteran!

Nationally accredited, 4 Kids Early Learning Network serves children and families throughout the Mon Valley; its staff members answer reader questions about raising children in the critical early years. Email questions to: questions@4kidsearlyed.org, or mail to: 4 Kids Questions, 445 Fourth St., Braddock PA 15104.