WARNING: This post contains talk of pooping. Potty training talk might detail more bathroom words than you care to read about...
I have been scared I would jinx myself if I ever bragged about my potty trained child, I haven't really tooted my own horn about my method I used and how super awesome I am. (oh, and my wonderfuly smart Little Lady Bug who is the real star here)
First, my Bug will turn 3 this month. She was fully potty trained wearing big girl panties at 19 months old. No bullcrap. Even at night. We went cold turkey on the pull-ups and braved it with panties and never looked back, BEFORE she turned 2. The average age most parents START potty training.
Change the world people, don't buy diapers forever.
WHAT WE DID:
I put her little pooping butt on the toilet at SIX MONTHS OLD! Now, I can't take credit for the initial idea, my friend had put her daughter, who is around the same age as mine on the toilet and it got me thinking how it could work.
Bug was an OBVIOUS pooper, bright red face, scrunched eyes, grown man sounding grunts, typical baby. I was thinking I was stupid, watching her sit wherever she was pooping herself, then having to change her, then deal with the dirty diaper once again when it was time to take out the diaper pail. No sir, that was not gonna fly with me. I knew wet diapers were still going to be in my life until she could talk and was able to KNOW when she had to pee, but nope, we were gonna start potty training at six months old. crazy.
At the first sign of the "poop face" I would swoop her up, be unbuttoning the onesie on the way and put her chubby butt on a toilet topper potty chair. To her, it was fun running down the hallway and she would smile as we sang on the toilet and flushed and waved bye. DONE.
By the time she was walking she didn't know any different. Yes, wherever we were, she would as-loud-as-she-could-yell, "POOOP", and off we would have to run. And Yep, She went through a phase where she was known as "The Girl Who Cried Poop" I think either because she had so much fun running down the hallway, and being in her bathroom singing, she faked it. Or maybe that she was trying to go when she didn't have to because she wanted a treat. Or maybe because when you attempt to potty train a baby, they think they are going to poop even if they only are going to fart. So, be prepared for multiple trips to toilet just for farts. Hey, at least she's a lady and won't be farting in public... maybe.
WHY IT WORKED:
Consistency and EFFORT. You really have to absolutely drop everything in one second and hurry to the closest bathroom because a six month old is just gonna go.
Treats. I know, I know, there are many people with their opinions about giving your child treats like an animal. Also to not reward them with sweets for behavior so you're not encouraging poor eating habits.
1) My baby is NOT an animal, she does though really like to get special surprises and have things that aren't always allowed. I love how excited she always got, and still does, when we were/are so proud of her for doing a good job.
2) The first treats she started getting was when she could chew food and old enough to know the treat was for going on the potty. Gerber makes awesome whole fruit roll ups, yogurt puffs, juice fruit snacks, crispy wheels, etc. As she grew older she started wanting the gerber fruit roll ups, along with fresh fruit like raspberries or blueberries, or Popsicles. Always had to make sure I had treats with me when we went out of the house just in case. Treats were only, and have always been only for going number two.
OH MY GOSH THIS IS TURNING INTO A NOVEL BLOG POST I'M SO SORRY:
We had a very easy first six months of me carrying her to the toilet. Then another pretty easy six months of learning to run to the bathroom and we started trying to pee on the toilet. I was lucky in that at this point she would wake up in the middle of the night and I would sit her on the toilet until she peed. That helped get the routine down for her going at night, and also helped assure me when we went to panties as long as we woke up we could avoid accidents.
BUT, Accidents do happen. And, it has to be AN ACCIDENT TO YOU too, we never got mad. She was never punished for accidents in the middle of the night. She was never punished for accidents at all.
TWO BUMPS IN THE ROAD WE ENCOUNTERED:
We BOTH got Food Poisoning. BLEH. Unavoidable necessity of pull-ups. Four days of a grumpy toddler not liking wearing a "baby diaper" and wanting her panties back on. Then Once we were well there was a small few days of rough transition back to normal bathroom habits.
AND THEN- Baby Sister was born when she was 2 and half years old... She wanted to be like her little sister and started pooping in her pants like a baby. This was the frustrating part, to have been so successful and gone so long being completely potty trained it was hard to get through to my stubborn toddler, I mean, precious child. I couldn't imagine STARTING potty training at this age.
The first thing that worked, using the Gramy as leverage in my dealings with pants pooper. Every kid who adores and has the most amazing-super-love for their grandparents normally respond when they think they will upset them. In my case, I told her Gramy was getting mad at ME and I was getting in trouble because it was MY JOB to TEACH HER how to poop on the toilet.
Holy crap, it worked. So much so, she almost made my mom cry when she said, "Gramy please don't be mad at mom... I'm gonna poop on the toilet."
The second thing we did different we hadn't tried before was I bought her a real her size potty chair. This eliminated needing me to lift her up on the toilet allowing her to be more of a big girl and sit and go by herself. This resulted in a need for her "priBacy" but actually worked. The best potty chair I found, was the sturdy Baby Bjorn model, I found it at Target. She does have to get completely naked and sit there for about 20 minutes. BUT, what a big girl I have to not yet be three and on her own go poop and pee. :)
(with help with washing hands and cleaning up of course)
So, another six months of normalcy and this way too long of a blog post.
DON'T WAIT TO START POTTY TRAINING. Good habits start early. Don't expect success, then you'll be even more excited when it does work.
Yes, this was successful with ONE child. Little Sister Bear is now six months old but NOT the OBVIOUS pooper like big sister was we've made it twice... So, here we go again, I'm gonna have to watch this one closer I think!
Goodluck!
Update: January 2013 thank you for all the traffic from Pinterest this post gets and I apologize for it being such a LONG WORDY MINI NOVEL. Go figure the longest written post on the whole blog bores the most people to death! But I welcome any attention.
Bug is now almost 4 and my perfect big girl, her little sister Bear is 17 months old and loves to use the toilet at her Gramy's but NOT at home, and more recently given its winter time, seems terrified of the ice cold toilet... definitely more of a challenge than her sister but we will do it, and you can too!
Same with my boy! Started at 10 months though! began with poop... fully potty trained by 16 months! it's hard work for the parents! babies are so willing to learn!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard work but so worth it to not have to buy diapers or pull-ups! Congratulations on potty training early! People think I'm crazy when I tell them she was toilet trained so early, now I know we have never been alone!
DeleteDid this with my daughter thats now 5. People were shocked and some disapproved of the method but it work for us. My son was a lil harder but now at age 2 he got it down :)
ReplyDeleteI received so many stares from people in public restrooms as we exited the stall and washed her hands! Every comment from she's too little, to not sanitary. But when you gotta go you gotta go and I was not about to let being in public hinder our progress! I have always heard boys are harder to train than girls!
Deletemy first daughter was very easy too she was in big girl panties at 1 year but my second one is 18months and very stubburn refuses to sit on the potty period
ReplyDeleteI am glad I am not alone with the second one being stubborn! I blame the differences in the seasons as trying to potty train mid-winter, even with the heater on, makes for a cold toilet seat for their little butts! Good luck!
DeleteMy grandma always had a cushioned toilet seat. Don't know where she got it, but it was so much warmer.
DeleteWould this work if your kid was in daycare? Without your daycare provider having to commit to this type of activity? I'd be willing to do this with my kids but I work outside the home.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea! I know on the rare occasion my daughter was being babysat my mom would try to run her to the toilet as well! I would think if your daycare provider was willing to change a poopy diaper he/she would be willing to try to run your child to the toilet as well!? Even if you start at home trying to catch your child in the act every time I'm sure you'll still have success enough to be starting off on the right foot?! Every child is different, that being said my middle daughter is all about hiding and pooping and so far my success with my oldest has not translated onto middle one no matter what we do! Good luck!!
DeleteI don't mean this to sound rude but I work in a child care. This would not work in a childcare. What would happen if all the children had to be ran to the toilet at once? In a childcare there is more than one child to think about. This would be impossible unless it was one on one care. Also to potty train your child starting at 5 or 6 months old is very inappropriate for their age. I am a year away from having a bachelors in early childhood. After reading this I was a little taken back, it does not focus on the needs of your child is focuses on your need to not want to buy diapers and change them.
DeleteApparently your Bachelor's in child care didn't educate you on the fact that in China, it's absolutely normal for children to be potty trained by 1 year old, with not detriment. It also didn't tell you that as mammals, baby's naturally don't want to urinate or defecate on themselves starting at day one. That's why parents lament the well-known fact that babies tend to go during the middle of a diaper change. Diapers are bulky, uncomfortable, unsanitary, and create a host of problems (not the least of which are diaper rash and yeast infections) and if you don't have to use them for very long, your child will thank you. The most important thing your Bachelor's didn't teach you is that the best thing for a child is for the parent to do what they think is best for their family. Your Bachelor's degree doesn't give you the right or the knowledge to tell anyone anything, because individual children don't mold to textbook averages, and the only way to parent a child is to do so from the trenches, not researching them from the sidelines. Some kids will be potty trained after 2. Some earlier. None of them are going to be scarred for life. Get used to the idea that your Bachelor's degree always takes a back seat to a parent's prerogative.
DeleteI work in child care as well & agree that this may not work, but for different reasons than Anon. Most infant rooms do not have a bathroom located in them because generally children 1 & under don't need a toilet - they just have changing tables and sinks. & as a daycare staff has to be in ratio at all times per DHS, this means they would have to take that child and others with them to the a bathroom that is probably not conveniently located enough for your child to even have a remote chance of making it in time. If you were someone who went through an in home daycare, it could be a different story, but center wise, at least centers that separate by age, I'm not sure you'd be able to persuade them to stick with it for you. Or they may not even be allowed to - DHS can be picky about somethings & I'm not sure how they would rule on that. I know that where I work, DHS rules that we can't do cloth diapers for sanitation reasons. So who knows how they would rule on a potty training baby. Good luck to anyone who tries it though!
DeleteGotta say that I read your blog with interest. I didn't have any trouble training 5 of my 6 kids using similar methods. My mother SWEARS she never had two kids in diapers at once, even though I am only 11 months older than one of my brothers. Mom said this was because she used cloth diapers and that there was no such thing as "pull ups". She simply used cloth training pants and was very observant about eating and potty habits. I took that info and used it myself on my kids and, viola, Mom had a point. So, I agree with you that if you can be patient and kind and very observant, you CAN train your child at a relatively early age. I might add that, in addition to potty training, children can be helpful with chores at an early age and can be learn so much more than we give them credit for. So, start early, it's worth a try.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and your interest! Your mom has got to be supermom! I'm due with baby number3 literally any day now and I know my big ole belly and slow moving legs are one of the reasons it's been so hard to catch Bear and get her on the toilet as fast as I did with Bug!
DeleteI did start potty training my first daughter at 11 months, i bought a kid toliet and each time i went potty so did she. It work great. By 18 months she was fully potty trained. Now on to my second daughter and i started little late with her, she is 15 months but will go potty in morning, after nap and before bed. I am trying to watch for sign, but she want to be like her big sister so it does help. Hopefully by 18 months she will be fully potty trained as well.
ReplyDeleteI've got until the 26th of this month to have my 2nd "Bear" in big girl panties only to have her trained at the same age as my "Bug" the baby in the picture in this post. Sadly, it does not look like we'll get there! Bear is a little more stubborn and I don't think I'm so in a hurry to be washing sheets every morning! Every child is different just gotta keep at it and we'll be there soon! Goodluck!
DeleteI really enjoyed this blog. There was a lot of useful information here. I'm a new mom and my daughter just had her 7 month birthday 2 days ago and of course she is the love of my life. This definitely got me thinking.... and I think I'll start trying this, since she's an obvious pooper as well. She has this nickname that's sort of stuck since she was born... Poo Poo.. I know it might sound stupid but its grown her name's Novalee, but sometimes we go as far as calling her Poopie Lee. Lol Just thought i'd share with all the poo talk. Thanks so much for the great tips and ideas. <3
ReplyDeleteObvious poopers are the best for this! That's what made it so much easier instead of watching her poop, waiting for her to finish, and then changing her, taking it out, it was more work than scooping her up and running to the toilet! Goodluck! Hope your Poopie Lee loves the toilet!
DeleteMy mother (now 89) said that she trained both of my sisters while they were babies. As a nurse, she said that kids usually go after they eat. She was very motivated since she had only cloth diapers..
DeleteSounds like you did a great job! I do want to mention, your younger daughter is not stubborn; she is determined. Doesn't that sound better.
I am so glad to see so many young families starting potty training early. I did that with both my girls and they were totally potty trained at just a little over a year old. I didn't start with the pooping, I started with peeing. Whenever they would get up from a nap or up in the morning, I would run them to the toilet because I knew they were going to be going soon. Sometimes a little running water helps encourage a bashful bladder, then lots of praises and smiles and they do think its a big game. I probably started "preliminary" potty training at about 3 months old. Like you said, no pressure, just capturing opportunities. The sad thing is this really only works for stay-at-home moms or someone lucky enough to have a really dedicated babysitter. Good luck to everyone and I would once again like to say, This really does work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for comment and reassurance to others this really does work!
DeleteI want so badly to read this as the topic interests me but this font is giving me a headache :( Do you have a regular version?
ReplyDeleteThere should be a "reader" button in the address bar to click and make it larger regular type. Sorry :( Hope that works!
DeleteI did the same thing with my son. I would rather have him go in the potty than in a cloth diaper. My friends thought I was crazy but he was wearing undies before the age of 2. He has been hopeless at night since he sneaks water before bed. BOYS!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter Bug is always dying of thirst all night long she says! I am so thankful we started early with her she's the baby in the picture and now my big 4 year old! She will get up, go pee by herself, wash her hands using the entire water supply of a small town, and go back to bed!
DeleteBut about the friends thinking you're crazy, mine did too! But I would rather be called crazy than lazy and its hard work potty training! So here's to us "crazies!" Lol
DeleteThis is stinking brilliant. E is 27m and goes pee on the potty, but not so much for the poopie. A 7m is sometimes pretty obvious at what's going on so I might be able to try this with her. I'm hoping I can! We also CD and poopie diapers are the worst! (Thank goodness for my diaper sprayer)
ReplyDeleteGoodluck! We cloth diapered our Bear for about four months we thought she was allergic to most of the disposables we bought but she slept so long through the night no matter how many inserts I stuck in the cloth diapers she would be still be soaked and rashy!
Deleteim the same way all my kids have been potty trainned well before 2 years. i start early.. and they learn and understand. even at 6 month even though i normaly just start when they are around 1.
ReplyDeletebut here is the other thing parent love bring me there 2 year who are having a hard time potty trainng cause i can garenty that they ar potty trained in a week. out of pull up in to underwair. I love it people just dont believe until they see my 2 year go potty on her own.
my little one is 10 months and if love to start this. I think it's a great idea. but I'll be honest, I never know when she's pooping. she used to grunt and push and I wish I had read this 4 months ago. can you give me some advice on how to start if I can't tell when she's pooping??
ReplyDeleteMy little bear is 20 months old now and has started this super special thing where she'll lay in her crib and poop before making a noise :( if only the monitor had special powers to alert us of her new stealthy Stinkyness! Unfortunately I'm at a loss as well with this second one :(
DeleteHi Tiffani,
ReplyDeleteThis post was really interesting. I, like many others, found it on pinterest. I think it is amazing what things our kids can do if we help them! Congrats on your little Bug, you must be a very proud mother. I recently read this article (http://www.babble.com/toddler/toddler-health-safety/dangers-potty-training-early/) and hope you will read it too when you have some free time. Just thought of this when I was reading your post, and wanted to spread the knowledge. I know you said your second child wasn't responding to the potty method as well as Bug, so I just thought there is an alternative to consider for some kids.
Hope your spring is warming up! :)
Awesome post!! But the font was extremely difficult to read :(
ReplyDeletesorry-but too hard to read script
ReplyDeleteI like it, and I know many will disagree. Maybe not expecting to be fully potty trained but I like the idea of getting the child used to at least sitting on the potty. I see a lot of 3 year olds who are terrified of the toilet or don't even understand why they go on it when they have a diaper. I think being up front with children about "mommy and daddy go potty on the toilet" and making sure the child isn't afraid of it is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I started to potty train my son at 14 months and he was totally done at 18 months; and my daughter trained herself at 12 months (all it took was pretty panties!). I think it's CRAZY that people wait til their kids are 2, 3, or even 4 before they even START training them! I've gotten plenty of dirty looks when I'd walk out of a restroom stall with a 3 year old and a 1 year old from moms who had their gigantic 4 year old up on the changing table trying to wrestle a poopy pull-up off of them. I'm currently pregnant with #3 and will for sure be starting long before he/she turns 2 ;)
ReplyDeletetips for babies that aren't obvious poopers? I have no warning at all. He doesn't change body language or make a sound at all until he is actually going then I just hear him poppy
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post, so funny :D
I will start doing this with my 8 month old, starting tomorrow. I absolutely hate putting diapers on her, filled with chemicals. I'm also ordering cloth diapers now!
thanks for this post!
So my little girl is 9 months. I have no idea when she poops or pees. So I would just sit her on the potty?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement. I told my husband that we needed to start potty training soon and he thought I was crazy. My baby just turned 8 months old. The question I have for you... what happens if my little one is pooping at "bad times"?? For instance, while having a bottle or before we get her out of bed in the morning? Do I interrupt her feeding to go to the toilet? What about the night time poops?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
I worked in a couple of childcare facilities. At one, we had a beautiful one year old who could potty by herself. As long as the facility has the resources it's is easily manageable. Anytime she needed to go we would take her down the hall to the bathroom, no problems.
ReplyDeleteThe issue you run into is the location of the nearest bathroom. Children under certain ages can't be sent to the bathroom without someone attending them. That's assuming the facility doesn't have a potty located directly in the toddler classroom.
If a teacher has to take a child down the hall to potty then the remaining babies in the class with need someone there to watch them. But if the facility your child attends can maintain the teacher/child ratio, even after one teacher leaves the room, there shouldn't be a problem.
However, one facility I worked at liked to max out the teacher/child ratio. *I* couldn't leave to potty unless someone else stepped in my class. It turned out to be a real issue because the other teachers couldn't leave there classes either.
Part of managing a child care facility is maintaining comfortable work environments for the teachers. If the teachers are too overwhelmed and can't even step out of the classroom to breathe for 5 mins (or to take your baby to the potty) it's time to look for a new day care.
This is great! People think I'm crazy when I tell them my mother potty trained me before I could walk...at 10 months old. Glad to know it's become somewhat of a "norm"
ReplyDeleteMy mother insists that potty training is more about training the parents than the child. This is awesome, and something I will be doing when my kids hit several months of age.
ReplyDeleteAm so glad i came across your post. I started potty training my 17 month old girl after reading your post and just a few days into the week, she has started going to her potty when she wants to pee! The only problem is she hasn't understood how to bring her pants down so we have to be on hand to help her. But it's such surprising progress in so short a time. Thank you so much. We have a little dance each time she gets it right. It's so funny to hear her shouting "yea!" With her arms up, running up and down the corridor. She even empties the potty afterwards. Its incredible. Funniest part is I just got a big box of diapers delivered. Lol. I ordered before I read the post. But no looking back now. Working on the night one too. So grateful to you. It's just amazing!
ReplyDeleteIts never to late to start! I started potty training my daughter a month ago. She just turned 9 months. We go through about 2-3 diapers a day now. Starting to save lots of money on diapers. As soon as she wakes up in the morning or naps we put her right on the potty and a little while after food and drink. She normally goes within a couple min. Pees and poops. I'm pretty proud and its only been a month. I have several friends with children the same age and they think I'm crazy to train a 8-9 month old already. You just have to be consistent and they will get it. We use the same words; pee pee and poopy every time she goes. She like to see the potty after she goes. We cheer for the accomplishment. She's putting it together. I have a box of toys that she goes through while she is on the potty next to it. We have a frog potty that has a couple buttons on it that tells a story she likes to listen to and it has a book that follows along with the story. So far as long as we make it fun for her she is doing good. We also bought a potty seat that we put on a big toilette when we are out and about(IKEA $7). So good luck to everyone trying this. Kids don't want to sit in their filth I figure. As for my daughter she always cries when she has a wet/ dirty diaper. So I'm glad we started early.
ReplyDeletethats what i did with my first he was potty trained at 19 m also. then my daughter just can't get it we have been doing this since 17 m she will be 3. she still pees her pants a little every time we go through sooooooo many pairs of pants a day but no diapers!!! then my baby i started at 17 m went great pee and poop in potty no problem..... for a month now she is terrified of the potty. any ideas?
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like you got mommy trained...not baby.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your mini novel. ;) Our oldest we introduced to the potty at 18 months, but because he doesn't like change he would revert to a diaper (practically beg me) and absolutely refuse to go potty on the toilet. Our daughter is a very independent child and decided to potty train at 14 or 15 months. So we got panties and bought a potty chair at IKEA ( they have two sizes and the smallest is perfect for the very little potty-ers) because she insisted on doing it all herself. She was completely trained in a week. You do have to drop everything to take them, but it's so worth it. It is so worth it to train them before they are two.
ReplyDeleteThis was so cute! Thanks for sharing! Let's get pooping! :P
ReplyDeleteMiten saisi vauva kakkamaan pytylle pitääkö kaivaa pyllyä
ReplyDeleteMiten saisi vauva kakkamaan
ReplyDelete