Katherine Ryan reckons her eight month old is toilet trained

[WheelieBinPrincess]

Now, if I held my baby over the loo for a couple of hours for want of something better to do on a rainy Sunday, I reckon eventually he’d use it. I could then clap and proclaim I had started toilet training

AIBU to think she’s off her rocker? Apparently, putting your baby in a nappy means you are teaching them to always go in a nappy.

I know she has a nanny to deal with all this as well, who Im sure rolls her eyes at the proclamation that her baby is fully potty trained at 8mo.

Reminds me of a friend of mine who claimed her newborn learnt to use a hand signal for hunger from day 2 or 3 so she didn’t need to cry. She was apparently fluent in baby sign from two months old.

I always think that the people who do EC must just watch their babies like a hawk all day and not do that much else.

You’d have to always be in reach of a toilet or potty I presume which just sounds totally impractical for most people, unless her baby never really leaves the house.

I think potty training or toilet training is a legitimate way of describing elimination communication- it's exactly that, training a child to use particular signals which could include a cold circle under the bum.

Clement Freud's wife wrote about starting the training for all hers from day 3. If you read between the lines in old novels you can sometimes spot descriptions of young babies being trained like this (eg On the Beach by Nevil Shute).

She can do whatever suits her but it sounds like a lot of hassle. Putting a nappy on a baby isn't training them to go in one, they just go, whatever they are wearing/not wearing. My dc all potty trained very easily between 2 and 2.5, expect my youngest (no 5) who was slightly developmently delayed and even she was out of nappies well before her third birthday. No big deal.

Of course it can be done, what do you think mothers did when there were no disposable nappies?

You can house train a dog in two weeks flat, why not a child?

I love how you are digging in OP rather than just admitting that you didn't know about this practice; you don't understand how people in other countries live and then going off to read up about it.
It's ok not to know everything but it's lazy to continue in your ignorance when the internet is right here ! Especially when your ignorance is starting to tip into racism about other cultures and their infrastructure.

I always think that the people who do EC must just watch their babies like a hawk all day and not do that much else.

Yes, hard to see how you’d get anything done - not even the most basic housework or cooking.

A lot of the stuff she says about child rearing makes me either shudder or roll my eyes.

No I don’t believe it. The piss and poo has to come out and go somewhere. If the parent believes that catching it in a vessel that isn’t a nappy is “potty trained” then let them. Only if the child has the cognitive skill and physical capacity to activity choose the toilet over whatever you are holding them over, are they potty trained.

I remember a mum telling me her one year old was potty trained. Whilst the child stood there in wellies full of wee. Chick, she’s not trained, the wee is just in her shoes instead of a nappy.

@WheelieBinPrincess

I have no idea how you would tell when your baby needed a wee though. When my baby needs a wee I presume he just…has a wee. Could you tell if your baby needed a wee?

The theory is that the baby does learn a way to communicate it.

I only knew one person who even tried it-and she was very successful at it. The baby used to make this really distinctive circle with his hand when he needed to go. She didn't have an accident from about 6 weeks onwards. Really was amazing, but I don't think I would have had the dedication to do it.

However what surprised her was that the baby actually didn't automatically become toilet trained. She still had to go through teaching them to go and use the potty etc. They were early to do that, but still had to do it.

You are showing your ignorance here Op.

Are you saying she's lying?

Just because it's not something you did, or something you instinctively think can be done, doesn't mean it can't happen.

I did elimination communication. Fairly reliable with poo from about 6 months, much later completely dry but there would have been spells where nappies were dry. I wouldn’t have called it potty trained but neither do I disbelieve it is possible.

Clement Freud's wife wrote about starting the training for all hers from day 3.

But that’s not actually training them to do anything! If you leave a newborn’s nappy offfor more than a minute, they’ll invariably wee. The trick was always to get the clean nappy out and ready before they weed on the changing mat.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

Of course it can be done, what do you think mothers did when there were no disposable nappies?

You can house train a dog in two weeks flat, why not a child?

Lol. You seriously compared the maturity rate of a puppy to that of a baby?

I did it with my DD. There's literally no need to be horrible. I'm sure there's a thread about her on tattle if you want some likeminded company.

You can house train a dog in two weeks flat, why not a child?

Many dog breeds develop quickly, and reach the physical stage of development where they can understand whats wanted and consciously hold it within weeks; but a child doesn't. The technique really depends on regular elimination and timing.

The problems start when they can understand whats wanted and not hold it in. How do you react? If you put any pressure or shame on them, you can create behavioural problems that last into adulthood.

I know a few people who did that very successfully, my DS wasn't bad he was 2.5 and then dry at night at 3. He was a heavy sleeper so had the odd nightime accident.
I worked full time but the childminder was on board with it.
Better than going to school in nappies.

@SisterAgatha

No I don’t believe it. The piss and poo has to come out and go somewhere. If the parent believes that catching it in a vessel that isn’t a nappy is “potty trained” then let them. Only if the child has the cognitive skill and physical capacity to activity choose the toilet over whatever you are holding them over, are they potty trained.

I remember a mum telling me her one year old was potty trained. Whilst the child stood there in wellies full of wee. Chick, she’s not trained, the wee is just in her shoes instead of a nappy.

Exactly this. ^ Anyone who thinks - or believes that an EIGHT MONTH old BABY is potty trained is utterly deluded. NO eight month old baby is bloody potty trained FGS.

@GettingThemFromHereToThere

Are you saying she's lying?

Just because it's not something you did, or something you instinctively think can be done, doesn't mean it can't happen.

PMSL. You're serious aren't you?

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

I know a few people who did that very successfully, my DS wasn't bad he was 2.5 and then dry at night at 3. He was a heavy sleeper so had the odd nightime accident. I worked full time but the childminder was on board with it. Better than going to school in nappies.

That's not 8 months though is it?

@WheelieBinPrincess

You’d have to always be in reach of a toilet or potty I presume which just sounds totally impractical for most people, unless her baby never really leaves the house.

My grandma did it with all her children (5) including twins. She told me about it when I was pg with my first. She would lay a Terry nappy on the floor and hold baby over it, so no toilet or potty used in all instances.

It wasn't for me and it made my grandma laugh when I later told her it was called Elimination Conditioning, she thought it was daft as it is an age old way to do things and was just how it was done in rural Hampshire in the 40s and 50s.

@Totalwasteofpaper

My grandma had 9!!!! And did this.

All her children were toilet trained by 1
I will prob be too lazy

Is that what she told you? That ALL 9 of her children were potty trained by the age of 1?

And you believed her?!

I heard about this! Watching this thread as I'm intrigued to hear views

The elimination method, whilst perfectly valid, is not potty training in the sense that most people in the UK know it. A very young baby could probably (!) not know they needed the toilet, communicate this, hold it in long enough to find a toilet, and then pull down their own clothes and sit on the toilet independently, all of which is usually how a potty trained child is recognised in the UK.