Did I just type those words – potty training?
I know the technical term is actual potty learning but I’m old school! More importantly am I actually entering the early potty training age with my daughter? She’s 18 months and spent a week with Grandma in early June where she was introduced to the potty seat. We’ve actually had 2 on hand for several months (one for 7 yrs – from my son) but she hasn’t really wanted to go near it. Thanks to Grandma (who trained my son ironically) she now wants to sit on the potty ALL the time!
Did you know that babies who use cloth diapers actually enter potty training earlier than babies in disposables? It makes logical sense – babies can feel when they are wet (or dirty) in cloth diapers. I can actually tell when she is going to the bathroom now because she stops what she’s doing and squats. She doesn’t like to be wet or dirty so she usually tells me (i.e. pitches a fit) when she’s had enough. She still isn’t talking much but she communicates quite well. I ask her is she wants to go change her diaper (or go potty) and she runs to the bathroom door trying to strip her diaper off in the process.
Grandma uses old fashioned techniques to get the wee ones excited about the potty – she bribes them with candy! In Lil’ B’s case it’s mini-marshmallows – she has a small sealed bowl of them sitting above the potty – and she KNOWS where they are! She gets one for sitting on the potty and another one if she actually pee’s or poops on the potty. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to read her signs and she’s gone pee and poo once for me. And she demands to sit on the potty a few times a day.
Anyways – I can’t believe we’ve entered this stage already. I’m just now getting fully buried in cloth diapers and loving it so much that I can’t imagine life without them. I’m pretty confident (based on my son potty training at 25-26mo) that she’ll be out of diapers in the next 6-8 months. Of course there are a few things I won’t miss – like the toddler ammonia battles!
Here’s a cute pic of Lil’ B at Grandma’s – she’s quite the pro!
congrats, calley! it's quite nice to supplement cloth diapers with lots of pottying. we've ec'ed our boys part-time so i haven't seen a poopy diaper in the past 3 months (ds2 is now 22 months) – he tells me when he has to go and can even hold it (i can attest after a frantic drive home the other day!) if need be. pee on the other hand seems to be taking longer. he loves to leak ANYWHERE and is just as excited if it's on the floor as if it's in the potty. ds1 was done by 25 months, so i'm hoping we're getting close… i'll tell you it's really nice not to have to wash poopy diapers, though! 🙂
You must have read my mind! Just last night I was searching for cloth training pants for my little boy (22 months). He hasn't actually gone on the potty but he loves sitting on it! He likes twizzler mini bites as his reward.
Do you think I should invest in cloth training pants and if so what's your brand of choice?
Lindsay – my son was too small for the undies they sold at the stores. At 24mo he was a tiny, skinny, little thing (still is). I wish I had known about EC'ing back then. The EC Store (http://www.theecstore.com/) has training pants and small sized undies! I haven't purchased any for Lil B yet – but when the time comes I'll be shopping here!
Thanks Heather! It's really cute to see her face light up when she sits on the big girl potty! You'll have to share your tips with me on incorporating EC'ing into our cloth diaper routine. I can handle it ok when we are at home – but she spends her days with a sitter who is very hesitant to begin training her (even though she has 3 yr olds she's already working with). Good luck with your little one! XO!
This is so interested! Where can I find more like this?
This is so interested! Where can I find more like this?