Potty Training

Well, I swore I would not rush Leah into potty training, and truthfully, I haven't give it much thought until today. She's only 18 months old and I'm OK with not rushing her to do anything grown up! :)  I know that pushing potty training too early can lead to many negative side effects so I've always said I would just follow her lead and when the time is right, we'll work at it!

Well, several times over the past few days, she has pointed to her diaper and sort of whined "ehh ehh."  Almost every time, someone had just given her a clean diaper.  So, when she whined, I felt her diaper and realized that it needed to be changed.  My thought was that she recognized that she had gone to the bathroom and wanted a clean diaper.  Naturally, this made me start thinking that perhaps she is ready for potty training. 

She has exhibited some of the "readiness" signs:  staying dry for a few hours, demonstrating a desire for independence, and she can follow simple directions.  There a couple of readiness signs she hasn't mastered yet: she can't pull her pants up and down completely on her own (oh she tries, though), she doesn't ask to use the potty or wear underwear, and she can't verbalize her toileting needs.  

I'm new at this. Yes, I remember helping to potty train the children I babysat in college. I remember watching my niece learn how to use the potty last year while she lived with me.  However, what I don't remember is how the parents knew to begin potty training. I don't want to make any mistakes with starting before she is reading. I found a couple of articles that offers suggestions for beginning potty training:

Babies Today: Potty Training Readiness

Baby Center: Potty Training Readiness

Nothing beats hands-on experience and suggestions from other moms.  What are your experiences? When did you know your child was officially ready to potty train?