Potty Training in the First Year

Dirty diapers are never anyone's favorite part of parenting, but how do you know "how to" and "when to" potty train?

Some of my friends have been potty training their little ones since birth with a method called Elimination Communication.  This is popular in Eastern cultures, where little ones are often trained by cues such as sounds while being held over a potty.  Other friends have waited until their children showed interest in getting out of diapers, and then struggled to get their children near the potty for the first few years.

We decided to take a middle-of-the-road approach!  

When my son was about six months old, we bought him his first potty and put it in the bathroom next to ours.  He got familiar with seeing it and I even began putting him on it at least once a day.  He never did anything on it that early, but he liked sitting on his own potty and often laughed and played with the sides as he was sitting there.

At about ten months something just "clicked" for him and he began peeing and pooping almost every time we put him on the potty.  The best part is that he still really likes sitting on his own potty and gets excited every time he goes.  If all continues to go as well as it has, we plan to put him into "big boy" cloth pull-ups by his first birthday!  We will keep a cloth liner insert in the pull-ups for the first few months in case he has accidents here and there, and as he continues to learn how to either indicate that he has to use the potty or control his ability to wait until potty times.   

Here is the method we used:

1. When your child is about 6 mo old, buy a potty chair and place it in a bathroom that your child regularly goes into.
2. Begin putting your child on the potty at least once a day just to get him/her used to sitting on it.  You can sing songs, clap, get excited - make it a positive experience.  I always sit right in front on my child on the floor in order to both support him and make him feel comfortable.
3. When your child starts becoming very vocal at each bowel movement (9-10 mo) you can begin putting him/her on the potty after every snack and meal, or if there is a regular time that you notice your child has a daily bowel movement.
4. Begin a routine.  
• We bring our son into the bathroom and sing a "potty song" into the mirror.  
• Then we put him down in front of the potty and let him look at it for a minute.  
• We put him on the potty, sitting on the floor right in front of him.   
• (This is the fun part): Make sounds mimicking your child's sounds when making a bowel movement, as well as ssssss-ing sounds.  (Children this young understand and respond to sounds and mimicking.  They do not necessarily understand when you say something like, "okay go to the bathroom.")
• He quickly begins making the same sounds we are making and begins going to the bathroom.
• He puts his hands up when he is ready to get up and he always wants to turn around to see what he has left behind!  We celebrate this when he looks in (weird what happens to you when you become a parent.)
• Lastly we do another celebration song looking in the mirror.  He looks forward to going every time!    

*Every child is of course different and not every child will be ready at the same time.  This is why it is great to begin sitting your child on the potty at least once a day when mom feels that she is able to swing it.  As well, mom needs to wait for her child's vocal cues when making bowel movements.  Lastly, never put your little one on the potty if he/she is upset or screaming or gets noticeably upset when on the potty.  This should be an exciting thing for your child, but also takes time and discipline on the part of the parents.  I can tell you that we have been so happy to not have to change as many poopy diapers, and all within year one!