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Potty training

Is your child ready for potty training at nursery? Here's the place for all your toilet training questions.

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Original poster

I'm starting EC with a 10 month old.

52 replies

iamanewmum31 · 13/08/2010 20:26

Any tips/advice. My Mother used this technique with me (but it didn't have a name then and my Mother is not English). Why do people generally leave potty training untill children are two? When I have mentioned this to a friend she looked as me though I was mad! Anyway I have decided to follow my Mother's advice as I was trained by the age of two. I started today. My baby did a poo and wee whilst I held her over the potty! I gave her lots of praise. Any tips? Thanks

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Lionstar · 24/08/2010 10:49

Agree just after nap time is a good time for a catch. Mine often wake dry from a nap (even when 2+ hours), have to be quick to get them on the potty though to catch the flood!

My DS never weed during changing times (apart from when very little), so I don't think that's a good indicator of whether he would perform on the potty. When he does wee (or poo) on the potty we talk about it and make cueing noises (ssssss, pah pah). It didn't take long before he simply associated sitting on the potty with relaxing bladder/bowels. When we notice him doing stuff in his nappy we also talk about it, just so that he is familiar with the feelings. We also change him immediately and have a little sit on the potty then. As I said before he has started to make the potty sign when he is pooing - which in time hopefully will become a sign before he starts

Just a quick mention of potty types. Neither of mine liked the small chaepy potty I picked up - it seemed uncomfortable for little butts to sit on. So I got a big potty/step with a removeable seat for putting on the loo. The seat is therefore wider and moulded more like a loo seat, this one they are happy to sit on for up to 10 minutes, even though they can't get on and off themselves when they are this small. It has the advantage of making trying to loo easier. We also took just the seat part on holiday so we could continue our routine - much more compact than a full potty

I'll stop going on now - at risk of becoming an evangelist for this. And I know how wierd that makes me on MN!!

ShrimpOnTheBarbie · 24/08/2010 11:59

I'm interested in trying this with my 10 month old too. My DD1 potty trained at two, within a week and I thought I would do that with DD2 as well but she seems to do a tiny nugget and then fuss to let me know. When I go to change her she then completes the motion in the open, so to speak. She has low muscle tone and so is quite delayed physically (not sitting for eg) so the idea that she would be 'advanced' in this area is bizarre, but she seems to dislike soiling her nappy. Would holding her over the toilet to complete her business be a good idea?

AngelDog · 24/08/2010 13:29

Lionstar, thanks for that. Is this the sort of potty you use?

I like the idea of signing. We sign with DS and although I've no idea whether he understands anything yet, he seems to really enjoy signs like 'all gone' and 'nappy' (although for some strange reason, 'Mummy milk' is just not interesting ).

Shrimp, I reckon it's certainly worth giving it a go.

Today DS pooed during breakfast and it was far too difficult to hold him with one hand while removing the nappy with the other. In fact, the poo fell out of the nappy onto the floor and smeared on his vest. He was distinctly unimpressed by the whole thing.

Mind you, he was equally unhappy about a normal nappy change for the second poo a few minutes after he'd gone back into his high chair, so I don't think it's just a potty dislike.

I think I'll make sure I popper his vest over his shoulder and sit him in his chair with bare bottom on a nappy / disposable liner to catch any accidents, then I don't have to fiddle with his nappy in a hurry!

Lionstar · 24/08/2010 14:37

LOL that's exactly the potty we have!

Yes that one-in-one-out method of pooing whilst eating is a tricky one. We tried doing a change/potty before meals, but often resorted to hoiking DD out of the high chair too, fortunately she fairly quickly learnt to hold on for just a bit, so the seeing the poo-face still gave us enough time to get her there. To be honest she still gets caught short during meal times, even though we ask her to go to the loo beforehand . Sitting bare-bummed is one way of dealing with it (watch out for excessive 'fiddling' though - DS loves a good grope, probably not too appetising during meals!

Shrimp - you wouldn't be the first to hold an infant over the loo. There was someone on here the other day with (I think) a 10 week old who would not poo in a nappy. She held the baby over the loo too. They are clever things those babies, and know what they don't like (and who would blame them when it comes to sitting in your own sh*t)

AngelDog · 24/08/2010 20:04

DS played on the potty twice today very happily. He had a 'ring round the moon' on his bottom afterwards, though!

reallytired · 31/08/2010 22:13

My daughter at 16 months is coming round to the idea of the potty again. We had a long potty pause when my daugher did not want to sit on potty as walking was so exciting.

She can say when she is actually weeing, but she tells us after the event rather than before. We put her on the potty on waking and before her bath and she does wee.

I still think we are long way off being properly potty trained.

MoonFaceMama · 01/09/2010 17:47

Hi reallytired. I'm glad your dd is moving on from her potty pause! My ds recently started solids and we had a few poo misses, having had hardly any since starting ec (you posted on a thread when i started) but i think we are back on track again

You may know but there is a new ec forum called born ready (it comes up if you google "born ready forum" sorry can't link from phone). May be of interest to you.

AngelDog · 11/09/2010 09:48

Glad this thread's stilll about. I wanted to ask what you dress your LOs in, especially for sleeping. DS is enjoying his 'potty play' on waking but by the time I've turned him onto his front (he sleeps on his stomach), undone his sleeping bag & taken off his nappy, he's already gone.

We have spells in the day when he is nappyless with legwarmers which is easier.

Presumably if you're doing this, you'd put them in a normal t-shirt rather than a poppered vest? We've had a couple of unpleasant poo-in-highchair-and-over-vest incidents.

MoonFaceMama · 11/09/2010 16:43

Hi angeldog. I dress ds in a baby grow and growbag thing to sleep in. We cosleep so when he shuffles around i wake up. It might be that he goes before i get him up (nappies are normally wet) he is able to go again when i offer the potty.

I'm not sure what to suggest other than going as quick as you can (if he's napping i pick him up as he stirs) and continuing to offer the potty when he wakes up and hope he realises there will be a consistant potty opportunity on waking.

How's it going otherwise? Getting catches?

Do try the born ready forum aswell. Very usefull imo.

AngelDog · 11/09/2010 22:12

Well, no catches at all so far but he's having fun playing on the potty which is better than when I first tried it. He did fall off backwards earlier though so I need to make sure I keep an eye on him!

He has gone on the kitchen floor a couple of times and I was able to tell him what he was doing. DH complains that he's always faced with a half-naked baby when he comes home from work. :)

Haven't had time to look through the forum yet but I've got it bookmarked.

MoonFaceMama · 11/09/2010 22:55

Just re read your earlier post, sorry. You're aiming to catch poos when eating yes? Then I would just go for a t shirt and nappy. Then you can whip off the nappy.
I think a lot of our parents, as babies, were sat on a potty routinely after meals, or at nappy changes. My nana was delighted to hear i started pottying ds at 3m. Much to my suprise. I think what you are doing is very much how potty training has been done historically. I've heard people on here say you shouldn't even begini training till dc can take themself to the loo, undress self, wipe self, wash hands etc. Crazy!

Sorry i don't have much practical help to offer, but hope it goes well for you...let me know how you get on!

AngelDog · 13/09/2010 20:26

Thanks, MFM. I've been putting him on the potty after some naps and at some nappy changes as well as during straining at mealtimes. I need to get another potty so I can have one in the kitchen and one downstairs.

He managed to pass wind into the potty earlier which was the closest I've got to a catch. I was rather pleased at putting him on there so fast (he was a bit stunned at being got out of bed so quickly!) but typically, he didn't do a post-nap wee, and even his nappy was dry.

DH's grandma was saying how some of the nurses in the hospital where she worked pottied tiny babies after feeding. "Of course, it didn't mean anything," she said, "but they went in the potty instead of in their nappy".

MoonFaceMama · 13/09/2010 20:44

Yes i have heard people say, as a criticism of ec, that it's more parent training than potty training, ie all reliant on timing. There is an element of truth to this, but my ds definatly started choosing to poo in the potty when we started ec. I certainly wasn't timing that! Also the dc learns that they don't always have to go in their clothes, there is an alternative. Your ds will learn this too. And yes, it does save a nappy.

Good work on catching the fart! It's a good sign that he's relaxing the right muscles at least!

AngelDog · 13/09/2010 22:25

I think even if it is just a case of parent training, it's nicer than having your DC poo in their nappy. :)

My MIL was very interested and positive which was nice. I daredn't mention it to my mum yet - she thinks I'm a raving hippy already...

I must read some of the EC sites, but I'm struggling to fit everything in.

AngelDog · 13/09/2010 22:29

If we have another DC (I hope we will - just not quite yet :)) I'd really like to start doing EC from an earlier age.

MoonFaceMama · 13/09/2010 22:33

My mum's pro now that she's seen it in action. My mil is still a bit but slowly getting there. Glad your mil is interested.

AngelDog · 16/09/2010 10:39

First proper catch this morning!

It's so much easier to deal with poo in the potty than in the nappy. :)

MoonFaceMama · 16/09/2010 11:32

Yay! I am very for you! It's so much easier isn't it!

First of many i hope. At least you know it can be done, as does your ds.

AngelDog · 18/09/2010 21:30

Caught post-nap wee & wind today. :)

DS pulled a face / made some sign while doing it - which I wasn't paying attention to at the time, but I sense the possibility of an interpretable cue IYSWIM.

I need to persuade him that sitting on the potty is not the best time to indulge his current fascination with his feet. I'm waiting for him to somersault off it. :)

MoonFaceMama · 18/09/2010 22:12

That's great!

Yes "playing" on the potty can be a bit of a problem for ds now. When he was little i could just hold him over it. Now i sit him on and he trys to grab anything in reach. Now often when he sits down though i can tell if anything will happen cos he does this really cute thing of stamping one foot while he waits for the wee or poo to come!

I think that's the adventage as they get older and a bit easier to read. When we started i was still working out all of his signals for anything.

We use a bsl "t" (for toilet) sign as dh has a deaf cousain so bsl is used by some of the family anyway. I also make a pss sound. Tbh i don't know if it's the cue or the potty/hold he responds to but it works so who cares!

AngelDog · 24/09/2010 08:28

MFM, thought I'd drop in to say we've had quite a few catches of both types in the last couple of days. :) DS seems to be enjoying himself and I'm pretty chuffed.

I've taken to sitting him on the potty while I do things like cleaning his teeth / changing clothes, as well as using it after meals. It means he's on it long enough to make catches more likely, and it doesn't take any more time for me than doing those things while he sits on my lap.

He fell off yesterday though and banged his head on the stone tiles. I had put some mats around him, but he fell onto the one bit with no mats, of course.

MoonFaceMama · 24/09/2010 21:34

lol at the poor lad diving for the one unprotected bit of floor, my ds always did this when he was practicing sitting and flopped. It's almost like a homeing instinct!

Glad you are having some catches! Sounds like you are both laid back and enjoying it which is great.

I check in on here fairly regularly so give me a shout if you need any more advice. Though you might be better off on the born ready forum where there are some ec old hands (i post there under moondawn). Or give me a wave when we cross paths on blw or bf/ff.

AngelDog · 25/09/2010 19:06

Thanks! :)

I've decided today to do a bit less nappy-free time and actually watch him when he's nekkid. He's been happily weeing on the floor - and all his clothes - repeatedly, while I'm busy cooking / sorting laundry etc. Good for airing his backside, but not for helping me learn any of his signals! :)

MoonFaceMama · 25/09/2010 19:55

lol! Tbh i still struggle to spot ds's signals though he often grumbles if in the high chair, and reliably if he's held, more so for a son. But seems quite happy to wee on the floor. we just offer regularly and he most often takes the opportunity to go then.

AngelDog · 27/09/2010 20:36

That's quite cheering to know, actually. I can manage to offer regular potty opportunities when we're at home, but I just don't think I can put enough time in to follow his signals well.

I did have a catch today when I just offered about 45 minutes after a previous catch - not sure if it was coincidence or him getting the idea of going on the potty. And I only used 2 nappies today!

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