Few things in life are more of a milestone for a child than to learn how to use the toilet. There’s tons of advice about when and how to begin. “Most children show signs of readiness to begin using the toilet as toddlers, usually between 18 months and 3 years of age,” writes one site. It continues,
These signs include staying dry for at least 2 hours at a time, having regular bowel movements, being able to follow simple instructions, being uncomfortable with dirty diapers and wanting them to be changed, asking to use the potty chair, or asking to wear regular underwear. You should also be able to tell when your child is about to urinate or have a bowel movement by his facial expressions, posture or by what he says. If your child has begun to tell you about having a dirty diaper you should praise him for telling you and encourage him to tell you in advance next time.
Well, L can’t communicate yet, and in fact she’s just learned how to sit up on her own. That doesn’t mean she can’t use a potty chair already. How do we know? Because she’s successfully used the chair several times.
Is this real “potty training”? I do indeed think so — we’re giving her an alternative to dirty diapers from an early age, and we’re showing her how “grownups” do it.
The key is knowing when she usually relieves herself. BMs are the easiest, because she announces it clearly and well in advance. But at least two times, we’ve sat her on the potty chair after eating when she wasn’t showing any signs, and within a few moments, she made use of the chair.
Our hope is that this will make “real” potty training more manageable. We’ll see in a few months…
Amazing! Elf and I have been looking into this ourselves. It seems the US is one of the few cultures that wait this long before starting. We have a book called “Diaper Free Baby” that we’re working our way through, and it sounds like L is just at the right age to give it a try.
I read an article about the diaperless babies, but I don’t think we’ll be trying it. The BMs are predictable; urination is a little more sporadic. A diaperless
But still — we’re catching it more and more often. Today, one BM and two Number-1s. We’ll see.
You’re right about the late start here in the States. In Polska, it usually starts when the child can sit, which is what we’re doing with L.
When I told J and K about the article I quote here, they were shocked. “A year and a half!?! That’s a bit of an exaggeration!” Then J pointed out that here we’ve had good diapers much longer than in Poland. Perhaps that’s why — a question of comfort for the parent.
I don’t think it’s a question of comfort. Personally, the thought of having to constantly monitor, change, and lug about changing paraphernalia for several years doesn’t sound like convenience. I suspect cunning marketing has encouraged the sales and extended use of diapers more than anything else.
Interestingly, one of the arguments against early toilet training is “you’re putting too much stress on the child just for your own convenience.”
I guess I was using comfort and convenience interchangeably — you’re saying what I was getting at.
I think we’re also talking about two different things. I’m all for potty training at the earliest possible age — else I would have posted this. Still, there are those who take it to another level. The article I was originally referring to in my first comment dealt with the idea of not using diapers, period. It even told of parents who will hold their kids over toilets before the child learns how to sit. I would say before a certain age — when the child can communicate, at least — it’s an unrealistic prospect to have a truly “diaperless” baby, accidents being what they are.
I think you’re dead on about the marketing, though.
As for the argument about the stress of early potty training, I just don’t see where the stress on the child could be coming from unless it’s poor parenting. We put L on the potty chair with only the hope that she’ll get used to sitting there to do her business, and I suspect we’ll be doing that for some time. Once communication becomes possible, we’re going to be using a positive reinforcement system as opposed to making L feel she must use the potty chair. If a child feels guilty for crapping in its pants, then the source of stress is not the potty chair itself, but how the parents are introducing it — or, even, forcing it on the child.
Potty chairs available on the market in US are bigger than what we have in Poland, they are made for bigger kids, they are higher and usually don’t have back support. They are fancy though, they have all kinds of toys attached and very often play melodies. We were looking hard to get something simple with back support. L’s legs are still to short to reach the floor, but she has the back support.
I think it is all about routine, babies love routines and if they are healthy their BM are more or less about the same time. All we do is put L at the potty chair about that time or even a few more times a day if only she doesn’t protest. I feel it would be good to force something like that that early, but she seams to like it :), so we continue.
Such, such are the joys! Thanks for the fun update.
I’d love to see you sometime when you’re in Bristol.
Carol P.