Potty Training

I said I'd give an update on our potty training saga. Let me start out by saying that it comes from The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems (By teaching you how to ask the right questions) by Tracy Hogg. I love this book. Her real focus is getting to know and understand your baby. His/her wants, needs, desires, etc. by really paying attention to your child. All of her advice about sleeping, eating and everything worked great with Katelyn. When I stumbled upon her potty training advice in the back I found it to be very different from anything else I'd heard of, but I thought, "What is the worst that will happen...it won't work and we try again when she's 2?" We're obviously not completely there yet. However, Katelyn has pooped in the toilet consistently for months, and now she has started having days where her diaper stays completely dry all day (including during her naps...nighttime is a different story for now).


Feel free to stop reading there unless you are really interested in what we are doing...

The Theory

Her theory is...Isn't acquiring a skill all about practice? We wait until at least age 2 when a child is accustomed to eliminating in a diaper...then suddenly we decide the day he/she should be willing and ready to release waste into a toilet. With walking we don't leave a child in their crib until we think it is "time" to walk. We let them scoot, crawl, walk while holding things, etc. to practice. They should have practice eliminating in toilet, not just in their diaper. This made some sense to me, so I decided to just give it a shot.

Getting Started

The baby whisperer recommends the ideal potty training age of...9-15 months! Yes, you read it right. I was skeptical, but started Katelyn a little after 9 months. Because of this, it is really training the parents to watch the signals of the child. You can tell when your child is pooping, right? If you watch and observe enough you'll be able to tell when she's about to pee too.

Get one of those cushioned seats that sits on top of the toilet. This makes for an easier transition to the real toilet. It also means you'll need a stool eventually. We don't have one yet, because Katelyn can't get on the toilet by herself yet.

Consistently sit them on the toilet...they may go, they may not. I watched Katelyn closely, so the first time I put her on the toilet she pooped. This makes it easier to do the next part. PRAISE. Kids at this age respond incredibly well to praise. (They aren't defiant quite yet.) When we started out I put Katelyn on probably 10+ times a day. (I always put Kate on first thing after waking up AND right before a bath. Most kids tend to let loose in the bath, so prepare by trying before you put them in.) I'd let her sit a couple minutes (never more than 5). If she went I'd praise her like crazy. Make sure they have something to play with or a book to read. You could also sing songs with your child. Just make sure it is a good experience to sit on the potty.

Also, be sure to talk about it. (We use the sign language sign for toilet each time we took her, so she learned how to tell us when she needed to go.) Say, "Do you need to go potty?" Tell your child, "Mom (or Dad) needs to go potty." Explain what is going on with them. It helps.

After several months

We have been at it for several months. Being consistent is the hardest thing. There have been plenty of times when I thought, "Is this even working?" However, the work pays off. Recently Katelyn has demonstrated an ability to hold pee in. The first day her diaper stayed dry all day was very exciting. I can now take her every couple hours or so and she holds it pretty well in between. Once she stays dry every day for a week I am supposed to try putting her in underwear (and a diaper still at night). I think we're getting close to that point.

The order kids typically gain control is
1. Nighttime bowel control
2. Daytime bowel control
3. Daytime bladder control
4. Nighttime bladder control

Other Questions

She addresses many other situations (your child is older, problems you may be having, etc.). Feel free to leave me a message if you have other questions. I'll try to answer them if I can. I honestly think Katelyn was just very easy to train. We'll see with other kids.

The book also tells of a story of a pediatrician asking an anxious mother (that her 3 year old was not potty trained), "Do you know any adults still in diapers?" He was correct. Most children are trained...eventually. Some catch on quickly in a few days. Others take longer. There are thousands of experts and thousands of opinions, because all kids are different. Find out what works for your child and you!