Potty training with a newborn

[pipnchops]

Am I crazy to consider starting potty training with my 26 mo DD1 when I have an 8 week old who is either constantly on my boob or wanting to be held? I think she's ready as she just did her first wee in her potty without me even encouraging it, she was naked after her bath and just grabbed her potty, sat on it and did a wee!

[pipnchops]

Sorry just realised that the title of this suggests I want to potty train my newborn!! Sorry to disappoint anyone who thought I meant that. I'm definitely not that crazy!

[Artandco]

Go for it, 2-3 days of maybe missing and you then have just one to change nappies so life so much easier.

We did the same . 8 week old and ds1 was 17 months but wanted to. Worked well. Use toilet small seat not potty, then no pissy potties to clean out either or be kicked over. Small step so they can get up and down

Just take her to toilet to try, before sitting down to feed baby so you know if she goes she should be good at least an hour after.

[Artandco]

Ps newborn potty training is hard core even for us, but we did put both on toilet from 6ish months at bath time, then at every nappy change, which I think def helped with early and easy training of both if you fancy trying with younger one

[Doje]

It's actually ideal to do it before the newborn starts moving. It gets more difficult then!

I set up the potty in the lounge for a day or two and that worked for us.

[pipnchops]

Thank you, hadn't thought of it being harder when DD2 starts moving, good point! I've got a seat and step for the toilet so I can try that too, would like not to have to clean out the potty. Is it OK to switch between the two, or too confusing? I think the potty in the living room would be good for when I'm in the middle of feeding and can't take her to the toilet.

[TronaldDump]

I potty trained DS1 when DS2 was 5 months old. Unfortunately DS2 decided to start crawling just before he turned 6 months and I had several situations over the next couple of months where DS1 had pissed all over the floor and was upset and DS2 was utterly intent on crawling through it! So a non mover is good.

The only thing you might want to consider is whether DD1 is really emotionally ready - getting a new sibling is very unstabilising and potty training is heavy on expectations and new demands, more so than the odd wee in a potty. But I'm a believer in there being no shame in stopping for a bit if it's not working anyway. DS1 was dry for wees in 3 days - never would have predicted it!

[LynetteScavo]

DS2 decided to stop using nappies the day DD was born, because he was no longer a baby.

I wasn't too impressed, but it actually worked out really well as we were at home and not out and about.

I think if they seem ready you just have to go for it...a crawling baby and a fully potty are not the best mix...

[pipnchops]

Thanks! A quick question, I have no idea how to do this but to minimise accidents shall I keep her in pull ups and just ask her to let me know when she wants to go? I've done this so far this morning and she hasn't asked yet!

[Artandco]

I went straight to pants and took them to toilet every hour the first day for them to try, didn't wait for them to say they needed.

[LynetteScavo]

No, go straight to pants!

[Blossomdeary]

It is a difficult combination - small baby and winter weather and potty training - it is much easier to potty train in the summer when they can rattle about with no pants on and be out in the garden.

If it were me I would wait for the main training till the summer; but respond appropriately to any clues she gives you that she might want to sit on the toilet. Let it come from her till the summer when you need to be guiding it.

Interestingly my mother potty trained us all from birth. Every time we had a feed she would then hold us over the pot - often she managed to catch something and then took it from there. I can vividly remember her holding my baby sister over the pot days after she was born. It seemed to work!