Early Potty Training

“I would suggest meeting with someone
who had done it successfully, visiting websites that might offer information,
and having a very open mind. Realizing that it may not be the perfect
answer in every family, but in some families this may be something worth
trying.”

– Dr. Karen Dewling, pediatrician

A new child-raising trend has
been in the news lately. It seems some experts are saying you don’t
have to wait years before you potty train your young child. But
is this good for the baby or is it just another fad?

It seems that for the Young family it’s working. “Psss.
You need to go bud? Do you need to go?” Diana asks her seven-month-old
son, Dorian, while he’s sitting on his infant potty seat.

When he has to go, Diana taught him to make a sign. “See,” she
points, “now he’s doing the potty sign. Do you see
his right hand there like that?”

But is he really potty trained?

“Children, when they’re toilet trained as young infants
are not truly toilet trained,” explains pediatrician Dr.
Karen Dewling, “Their parents become trained, their caregivers
become trained to recognize the infants cues that they need to
void or defecate.”

She explains that the biggest problem is young babies can’t
do very much. “Toilet training is a very complex skill that
requires the child to recognize the need to go, to control the
need to go, to be able to get to the bathroom, remove their clothing,
do what they need to do, flush, wash their hands, very complicated
language and motor skills are required for the true process.”

So, should you try to potty train a child before the age or two
or three? She says it may not work, but there’s no harm in
trying. “I think that a caregiver who’s able to recognize
a baby’s cues is very in tune with that baby, and that’s
probably a very good thing.”

“My friend’s say, ‘I have never seen a happier
baby,’ and I think it’s because he knows that I’ll
meet his needs,” says Diana, “He doesn’t need
to cry to get my attention, cause he has my attention all the time.”

All that attention may seem like a lot of work, but Diana says it’s
worth it. “The biggest benefit has been the connection between
us. I just feel like I’m a good mother. I feel like I’m
doing something for him that he appreciates, and that he needs, and
it’s the right thing.”

On average, children begin potty training around age 2, and girls generally
potty train faster than boys. Experts at Southern Cloth Baby recommend looking
for the following signs that may mean your child is ready to begin potty
training:

• Able to stay dry for an hour or two
• Awareness of bodily functions
• Interest in being clean and dry
• Able to understand and follow simple instructions
• Interest in wearing training pants instead of diapers
• Simple self-dressing
• Interest or curiosity about bathroom habits

However, the experts recommend not to start potty training if
the child will be experiencing big changes in the near future such
as:

• A new baby in the family
• Moving to a new house or school
• A parent starting work
• The holiday season

Potty training can be one of the most daunting tasks faced by you and your
child during the early years. Dr. Claire Albright, psychologist and parenting
coach, offers the following tips that may make the transition easier:

• Dress your child in underwear at about 28 months of age when the
  child is at home. Today’s disposable diapers provide almost no feedback
  to the child about when they are wet. Your child will feel uncomfortable
  in their “big kid” pants when they are wet and may therefore
  feel motivated to try using the toilet.
• Allow your child to run around naked when you are at home. Having
  to deal with the urge to eliminate will be much more noticeable to
  your child when there is nothing to catch it in but the potty-seat.
• Look for signs of potty training readiness in your child. These
  signs of readiness may include telling you when they are using the
  bathroom in their diaper, requesting that you change a messy diaper,
  keeping their diaper dry for hours at a time, showing enthusiasm
  after going to the bathroom, etc.
• Begin potty training at an appropriate age. Potty training becomes
  less difficult as your child gets older. Potty training prematurely
  can make a child feel misunderstood, alone and rebellious. It is
  often best to wait until the child is three years old to focus on
  potty training.
• Make potty training fun by giving your child little rewards for
  sitting on the toilet with no diaper.
  You could use stickers, crackers, small, inexpensive toys, etc. Using candy
  could produce sugar cravings and tooth decay, however.
• Purchase a couple of potty training videos designed for toddler
  viewing. The research shows that the best way to teach any behavior
  is to have role models demonstrating the behavior. (Live models are
  more effective than video modeling.)
• Pour cheerios or crackers into the toilet for little boys to take
  ‘aim’ at. This challenge taps into a little boy’s natural interest
  in hitting targets.
• Purchase several toddler-level books about children being potty
  trained. Potty training feels more natural and less stressful to
  a child who has been exposed to the process at “storybook time.”
• Consider allowing other trusted adults to help you to potty train
  your child. Many preschoolers respond more quickly to input from
  grandparents, aunts and trusted babysitters than they do to input
  from their parents in the area of potty training. Some parents report
  that a grandparent was able to potty train their child during one
  weekend away.
• Make potty training a top priority on a consistent
  basis when you have the emotional and physical energy to do it.

Southern Cloth
Baby
Shemrock International
About
Potty Training Your Toddler