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Potty training babies
Is this even possible?.
Potty training infants is often considered controversial. In the western world, the usual potty training age begins between the years of 2 and 3. My own children (2 boys and 2 girls) starting training between 2 and 3 years and each took varying amounts of time practicing their newfound potty skills until they were confidently trained.
My own experience has taught me that babies certainly have physical rhythms that a mom can tune into and use to facilitate the toilet training process. However, for me, that did not completely qualify as potty training. My babies could not physically use the toilet on their own or use the potty independently as infants. Introducing them to the potty as babies would, of course, mean that they were comfortable with the process by toddlerhood, but not necessarily speed up their actual toilet training habits. It would also have meant mothering in a different way.
Potty training infants - what you can expect.
Potty training babies involves learning the physical cues surrounding their times of urination and elimination and holding the babies over a toilet or potty right before they "go" so that all pee and poop ends up in the potty, not in their diapers.
Certainly there can be less mess involved in this method than continually changing diapers. But there is about the same amount of work involved, as a mom (or dad) must be watching them continuously for their physical cues and getting them over the potty chair in time.
Interpreting an infant's physical and emotional cues is what the first year of life is all about, to be sure. Most parents soon notice that dreamy, faraway look in their baby's eyes right before the grunting of a bowel movement begins.
Urinating cues are more subtle and require more careful watching.
In some ways, potty training babies involves the parent being more trained than the baby!
Potty training infants - just the facts, please.
Hard and measureable "facts" are hard to come by in the world of potty training. Guidelines, ranges and averages are more plausible. So everything must be taken with a grain of salt.
Studies have shown that infants who have been potty trained early on (beginning before the first birthday) will likely experience potty training regression in their toddler years.
On the other hand, regression happens to almost all children, at some point and to some degree. It does seem to be a normal part of the learning curve for toilet training.
Potty training infants - summing up.
Okay, let's get down to it. As a mom who has potty trained 4 children over the last 30 years (and changed the diapers to get there), I think that children are receptive to many different forms of training.
What's more important is you, mom or dad, and what kind of relationship you want with your child. Baby potty training means you need EXTRA patience and the ability to spend every day, all day long with your baby.
You will need to view potty training babies (or toddlers) as a long term project (which it truly is, despite the "potty training in a day" methods of toilet training.) It helps if you can work towards feeling comfortable viewing natural bodily functions in a matter-of-fact way.
And you need to be fine with knowing when to back off, too. Potty training an infant is a no-pressure process. At no time would you want to chastise your sweet baby for not "performing" properly. That would absolutely defeat the purpose of this gentle method.
So is potty training YOUR baby right for you? I don't know. If you've read this far you might be a likely candidate, however. I recommend you head to your local library or do some Google research.
One way or another, your infant is going to get potty trained. And you're going to be there to help. You just have to decide what that's going to look like for both of you.
Popular potty training topics.
Potty Training Child
A list of all of our articles to help you while potty training your child.
Toilet Training Tips
Many times just one new piece of toilet training advice that I hadn't considered before was just the help I needed to help my child over a potty training hump.
Potty Training Boy
Additional tips to help if you are potty training a boy (I've trained two boys myself).
Potty Training Girls
Specific tips to help potty training for girls move smoothly (I've trained two girls myself).
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