For the most part, parents and pediatricians usually recommend starting potty training anywhere between 18 months and three years old. But this mom Amber Hatch figured out a technique that starts when your baby is only 5 weeks old!
It's all about knowing the signs
The technique that she used is based on elimination communication, which is basically using timing, signals, cues, and intuition in order to help an infant relieve themselves in an appropriate place. Surprisingly, this practice has been used since ancient times in order to keep babies clean without the use of diapers.
She shares, "I was so tired I was willing to try. I found an old ice-cream tub and crossed my legs around it. I stripped off my baby’s nappy and held her above the tub, with her wobbly back resting against my chest. I didn’t have to wait long; after a few seconds I could feel the tension in her body peak and then the unmistakeable sound of a wee trickling into the tub. Wow! Then another grunt, and another peak of tension, and a minor explosion of poo vibrated through the tub."
It made me feel much more confident as a mom
Ever since that moment, Amber started to pay more attention to the different signs that her child is about to relieve herself, and it's surprisingly worked!
She adds, "She really seemed to prefer going on the potty! Nappy rash and nappy leaks (both kinds) disappeared entirely.
She slept better and seemed generally calmer. But the best thing was that it was really fun. We were really communicating about her bodily needs, and that made me feel so much more confident as a mom."
The amount of diapers that she used was also drastically reduced ever since she started using this method to potty train her baby. She shares that by the time her baby was 14 months old, she wasn't wearing diapers anymore since she was already potty trained.
How can parents get started?
Thankfully, getting started with diaper free potty training is pretty easy. Here are some steps to get started:
- Know how often your baby pees or poos, and try to know the signs that your infant will relieve themselves. Signs include fussiness, grunting, and heavy breathing.
- When you think that your baby is about to pee or poo, place them on top of a bucket so that you can catch the waste.
- It's encouraged to make a sound, like 'pssssss' or a grunt when your baby starts pooing or peeing so that it acts as a cue so that they know when to pee or poo. This helps establish a connection between the potty, as well as peeing and pooing.
- Keep it up! Consistency is key, so make sure to be consistent when it comes to using this type of potty training method. It's hard work, but it really does pay off, and you'll also save a lot of money on diapers!
Sources: sciencedaily.com, babycentre.co.uk
READ: Things that you need to know before you start potty training
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