Did you know you can start potty training shortly after birth? There’s a method called elimination communication, EC, or what some refer to as infant potty training. Some babies are good at communicating that they need to go, while others either don’t communicate well or we are unable to understand. What you can do instead is use natural timing to start potty training.
Here are the times that we have success on the potty with our baby. When toileting her we used a cue like pssss when she was younger, and as she got older we just say “go eh, eh, on the toilet”. “Eh, eh” was one of her first “words” so we wanted to help her communicate. We started by using a baby potty which is smaller and shorter before moving unto a bigger potty and now the toilet with a reducer.
Disclaimer: This is what works well for me, my baby, and my family. This may not be an option for all families.
After waking
We all have to use the bathroom when we first wake up and babies are no different. Put the baby on the baby potty, top hat potty, or hold over a receptacle after waking in the morning and after a nap. Even if their diaper is wet you will usually have success, but even if you don’t get a “catch” you are still teaching good habits. After waking was when we had our first ever “catch” on the potty.
When taking out of a car seat, carrier, swing, high chair, or stroller
This is another great time to potty. Some babies get restless all of the sudden when sitting in something and this can often be due to them wanting to pee or poop. We will hear them cry and take them out to check their diaper and see they are dry. Then shortly after they wet their diaper. That’s because human babies, like most mammals (cats, dogs, alpacas) instinctively don’t like to soil where they are laying. They may be crying to you to be let out so they can potty somewhere else.
During diaper changes
Did you ever hear this “hack” to rub a baby’s belly with a wet wipe before changing the diaper to cue them to pee? If you know your baby is going to pee as soon as you take off the diaper wouldn’t it make more sense to put them on a potty to pee than to teach them that a diaper is a potty? This was a big one when she was not mobile.
Poops
Now the gross stuff. Yes, everybody poops. Babies, like adults, often have a poop schedule. Wouldn’t it be great to have less poopy diapers? Catching poops was such a game changer. Other than timing of the day, you can tell when your baby needs to go if they grimace or grunt (you know your baby’s poop face) or if you smell a poop but when you check there is nothing there. Trust me, it’s coming. Put them on the potty or hold in a squat over a toilet. The baby potty was great for this because it is lower to the ground so it puts them in a great squat that naturally causes them to go.
If they start going in a diaper take it off and still put them on the potty. Likely, more is coming and if not at least you are showing them this is where you should poop.
Communication
When changing them don’t make them feel bad for peeing or pooping in the diaper. After all it is there for a backup and babies have small bladders. We call these “misses”. Misses will happen and that is totally ok. It does not set potty training back. Unlike tradition potty training for toddlers this is not a linear process. Things will get better and worse, there will be potty strikes when things like teething, developmental milestones, or sickness happen. The goal is to get them use to sitting on the potty early on and work on communication.
