Infant Potty Training

Potty Training Method Four (4)
Infant Potty Training



Working as a nanny you have probably used many of the toilet training methods listed over the past few days. But, most nannies have never heard of Infant Potty Training.

Author Laurie Boucke's book,Infant Potty Training, reports a surge in interest in gentle, natural methods of potty training used for centuries in Asia and Africa. Mothers in many societies around the world use relatively few diapers. Their approach is baby-led, simple, natural, logical, good for the environment, frugal, and an enhancement to bonding and communication.

She explains that in India, children start around one-month-old and usually finish before their babies walk. Of course, at that age babies still need some assistance, but mothers there don’t consider this a big deal.

The author says attentive parents usually discover that their infants are instinctively aware of “going.” They attempt to communicate, but we don’t watch and listen since no one has taught us how to do so. Instead, we train babies to use a diaper as their toilet, and they have to unlearn this behavior later. Granted, some unlearn the diaper quickly, but many do not and continue using diapers for years.

She suggests spending a little time observing the baby over the course of a few days to get a feel for when she needs to go in relation to sleeping and meals. For example, does the infant urinate every 20 minutes for three times after nursing? With infants, the baby will be lying down as you observe the timing. If you start later with a mobile baby or toddler, you can still watch for the child’s elimination timing. Then either make a mental note of the timing and patterns or keep a potty log for a few days.

Next, start to offer the potty at likely times while using one or more cues. This will help create an association between your cues and “going.” For example, use a watery sound such as “sssss” or any words you want. Infants quickly make the association. Toddlers tend to take longer as they need to unlearn some things first.There are many different ways a baby can communicate the need to go, including body language (twisting and grimacing), vocalizations (grunting or a special whimper), imploring looks, pointing, sign language, and eventually words. Some babies may give obvious signals for one kind of elimination but not the other. In situations where your infant’s signals are not clear, you may need to rely on timing, patterns, intuition or a combination of these.



In her book, Infant Potty Basics, Laurie Boucke lists Benefits of Infant Potty Training as:

-- Enhances bonding through closeness, natural communication and loving patience.
-- Responds to infants' natural elimination communication and timing.
-- Taps into first window of learning (sensitivity period) for toilet learning.
-- Keeps babies in touch with their own bodies.
-- Helps environment by conserving/saving trees, water, petroleum and landfill space.
-- Cuts diaper use.
-- Allows babies to achieve good control by 12-15 months.
-- Lets babies complete potty training at a relatively young age (around 24-months).
-- Frees babies from diapers and all negative associations (bulk between legs, chemicals, etc.)
-- Reduces risk of urinary tract infections.
-- Avoids/eliminates enuresis (bed wetting).
-- Prevents diaper rash.
-- Provides hygienic respect for babies by freeing them from their waste.
-- Eliminates embarrassing "accidents" for toddlers.
-- Allows fathers or other close, trusted ones to bond and communicate with babies.
-- Yields big savings on diapers and laundry costs.

Would you be willing to try Infant Potty Training?