Article about potty training

Here's a good read if any of you are interested smile

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-hodges-md/potty-training_b_1424826.html

I will say this I agree with potty training your toddler when they are ready and showing signs and not before
From my experience so far it's so much easier as they are already aware of when they are pooping and doing a wee even when they are wearing a nappy and you take it from their

I think we are in such a rush to have babies grow up that we don't just enjoy them and all what comes with them
Also to add iv always been from when I could remember as a young kid to hold giong to the Tiolet I don't now if it's due to being Tiolet trained early or not

I loved that article! My 3 year old isnt toilet trained. I have been toilet training for over a year now. The past few weeks i havent, i have to admit because i just got frustrated and didnt want to make a thing over it to/at her (i hope that made sense).

Im interested in the constipation factor, dd1 seems to always be constipated.

Couldn't agree more with that article. I am trying to get my 2.5 year old trained but I know he is not ready. We shouldn't be in such a hurry for our kids to grow up! Let them do it when they are ready smile

ohhh I am so torn......

It was a very interesting article and I totally agree with it.

My problem is that he is essentially saying that the problem isn't early potty training, but the wrong type of early potty training and the modern lifestyle. However people will read this and take from it that early potty training is bad. Whereas its not. Its normal. What isn't normal is that kids are eating processed foods, are in situations where they have to hold it in, or where they aren't comfortable in going to the toilet. (day care etc) This is what causes the problem. So as a consequence of the lifestyle, early potty training is bad and instead kids aren't trained until 3,4, and it is even common up to around 7 especially with the night time stuff.
This is why I feel torn.....I am troubled saying kids should stay in nappies because they aren't eating the right foods and are with people that the kids aren't comfortable enough with. That, to me is what should be addressed by our society. But I can totally understand where he is coming from.

I didn't have to TT dd... she did it by herself. She watched me in the toilet and I showed her what I was doing, and when she was holding onto herself and showing signs of being aware of what she was doing (hiding behind the couch to Poo! Lol) I bought 2 pottys. I put one in the toilet and put one in her playroom. We played with a doll or two occasionally to show her the potty was for wees and poos, and one day she started taking her nappy off herself and she just did it from that day on. She was 2 and a half, and I never made her sit on pottys or a toilet.

It was fun for her, and I'm sure that's why we had no issues.

My sil started 'training' her dd at 9 months old, insisting that she would be trained by 1 yo. She turned it into a horrible experience by holding her on the potty and telling her off for soiling her nappy... she still wasnt Tt by age 3 after nearly 2 years of 'tt', and it became a huge issue.... I felt sad for her...

I will just add, I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that early potty training is making a kid grow up too fast. You probably have all heard my take on tt - where its not tt as such, but a gradual exposure from the start. Its a learned process that happens naturally - like talking. The only thing we do is give them a spot to aim for if you like.

Nappies are something parents associate with babies, but that doesn't make them an essential part of being a baby. If your baby didn't have nappies at all - that wouldn't make them less of a baby, nor would it speed up their development or independence. All it would mean is they aren't wearing nappies. To save the parent doing extra work, you might put in measures to keep it practical. A mat on the floor maybe, or hold them over a sink. As they get older, they will gradually and naturally follow what the adults or people around them do.

People holding the "let babies be babies" banner claim that early potty training is rushing them through childhood and making them be independent too early. I would have to totally disagree. On its own, it doesn't. However if you couple it with making them sleep independently early, putting them in care/kindy/school based on parental needs or age rather then development, then yeah I would agree. I think these things are absolutely rushing their independence. Whereas I think potty training is a normal thing to learn at an early age and I think the current lifestyle means people miss the window and have to do an entirely different type of learning. At that point it would be training instead of just a gradual natural learning process. If you applied general potty training principles to an under 2 eg rewards, bribes etc then I think that is wrong anyway.

I didn't have to TT dd... she did it by herself. She watched me in the toilet and I showed her what I was doing, and when she was holding onto herself and showing signs of being aware of what she was doing (hiding behind the couch to Poo! Lol) I bought 2 pottys. I put one in the toilet and put one in her playroom. We played with a doll or two occasionally to show her the pottys was for wees and poos, and one day she started taking her happy off herself and she just did it from that day on. She was 2 and a half, and I never made her sit on a pottys or a toilet.

It was fun for her, and I'm sure that's why we had no issues.

My sil started 'training' her dd at 9 months old, insisting that she would be trained by 1 yo. She turned it into a horrible experience by holding her on the potty and telling her off for soiling her nappy... she still wasnt Tt by age 3 after nearly 2 years of 'tt', and it became a huge issue.... I felt sad for her...

That is exactly what I am talking about!

I didn't have to TT dd... she did it by herself. She watched me in the toilet and I showed her what I was doing, and when she was holding onto herself and showing signs of being aware of what she was doing (hiding behind the couch to Poo! Lol) I bought 2 pottys. I put one in the toilet and put one in her playroom. We played with a doll or two occasionally to show her the pottys was for wees and poos, and one day she started taking her happy off herself and she just did it from that day on. She was 2 and a half, and I never made her sit on a pottys or a toilet.

It was fun for her, and I'm sure that's why we had no issues.

My sil started 'training' her dd at 9 months old, insisting that she would be trained by 1 yo. She turned it into a horrible experience by holding her on the potty and telling her off for soiling her nappy... she still wasnt Tt by age 3 after nearly 2 years of 'tt', and it became a huge issue.... I felt sad for her...

See that's what I plan to do, wait until he shows interest and then help him along. How sad about your sil's dd.. must have been hard for her. I'd rather my DS have fun with it.

I will just add, I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that early potty training is making a kid grow up too fast. You probably have all heard my take on tt - where its not tt as such, but a gradual exposure from the start. Its a learned process that happens naturally - like talking. The only thing we do is give them a spot to aim for if you like.

Nappies are something parents associate with babies, but that doesn't make them an essential part of being a baby. If your baby didn't have nappies at all - that wouldn't make them less of a baby, nor would it speed up their development or independence. All it would mean is they aren't wearing nappies. To save the parent doing extra work, you might put in measures to keep it practical. A mat on the floor maybe, or hold them over a sink. As they get older, they will gradually and naturally follow what the adults or people around them do.

People holding the "let babies be babies" banner claim that early potty training is rushing them through childhood and making them be independent too early. I would have to totally disagree. On its own, it doesn't. However if you couple it with making them sleep independently early, putting them in care/kindy/school based on parental needs or age rather then development, then yeah I would agree. I think these things are absolutely rushing their independence. Whereas I think potty training is a normal thing to learn at an early age and I think the current lifestyle means people miss the window and have to do an entirely different type of learning. At that point it would be training instead of just a gradual natural learning process. If you applied general potty training principles to an under 2 eg rewards, bribes etc then I think that is wrong anyway.

I agree with everything you said. I'd like to just let my son get interested and then help him learn to use the toilet. We're doing everything according to what he wants to do and what he shows us he is ready for. But then what would you do if your child doesn't show an interest in TT? Would you have to just push them to do it? And if so then how long do you wait until you do that.. I've still got a while to figure all this out smile

I have always approached toilet 'training' similarly to chalys. It's just been a natural part of life and the girls have been able to see that. Thankfully dd2 is responding to it and already showing an interest in using the potty/toilet. I say ive been 'toilet training for over a year' with dd1 because i started to take a more step by step approach back then because of people telling me that if i started being more firm with her (knickers on, taking her to the toilet every forty five minutes, use rewards, etc) she would 'get it'. That made me sound like a mean mum, I promise thats not the case lol.

Then we discovered she has a few sensory issues and developmental delays and it all makes sense now. She doesnt care if she's wearing wet knickers but heaven forbid she touches a watermelon with her fingers.

So with that in mind (and we are going to Oc therapy now so hopefully they will help us out) do any of you ladies have any advice?

I found that to be really interesting and I agree with everything he is saying.

My son trained himself at 2 yrs 8 mths. He asked to wear undies as he saw a close friend of his doing this so we went with the flow and he was into undies with minimal accidents within a week or so. Night time dryness came fairly soon after. As he was our first we had been wondering how to start "training" as such and were glad that he asked as it gave us something to work with!! (also to add he has spent plenty of time watching us go to the toilet and we let him sit of the toilet seat etc heaps before hand but ever pushed the issue)

DD1 - for some strange reason I decided she was ready earlier (she was 2 years and 2months) and put her into undies etc just the way we did with my son. It was a huge mistake as in hindsight she obviously wasnt ready but once I had started I didnt think I could go back!! She got the hang of it initially fairly quickly but for over a year we went through good stages and backwards stages until I could fairly confidently say she was TT. Even now (and she has just turned 5) she still wears a nappy at night and I am not sure how to tackle this. I am thinking it may be because I forced the issue with her when she wasnt ready so her body hasnt learned to read the cues at night? She is also a deep sleeper which doesnt help. anyway - thats a whole different topic -lol

DD2 currently 18mths - I will wait til she is ready. So much less stress for everyone!!!