Potty training at 4 months? From TODAY Show...

[Tracey1974]

I have a 3 month old and I just can't seem to get why moms would want to potty train so young. One mom on the show said she started training when her baby was born! I know it saves on diapers but maybe this is a tad early?When did your little one(s) start training? I thought maybe around 2 1/2ish?

 

[MsLeFever]

About 2 1/2 or 3 for my kids. I agree with you - what's the rush?

 

[kaylajr]

I let my kids be the guide

DD 2 was 2 1/2

DD one always the overacheiver potty trained herself at 14 months old
she hated being messy

she did however wear pullups until 2 cause accidents happen

 

[maps]

This is ridiculous. The reason most children don't potty train as infants is because their brains haven't developed enough to foster this developmental milestone. There is no way you can potty train an infant, I don't care what they say.

Oh wait, I just thought of something else. Let's have them learn to feed themselves at 4 mths too. Just think of all the money you'd save with no bottles!

 

[MsLeFever]

There is no way you can potty train an infant, I don't care what they say.

I agree - at that point you are just potty training the parent to dangle the poor thing over a potty every hour or whatever. Sheesh - sounds like a waste of time to me.

 

[swilphil]

I've read about infant potty training, and it isn't really potty training at all. You basically end up holding your kid over the toilet 20 times a day.

My kids were both 3 before we started potty training. I tried to do it earlier, but the boys didn't have much interest.

 

[clarabelle]

As swilphil said -its not really child training -its parent training
Many other cultures do something similar. The do not use diapers like Americans do

 

[Barb D]

DH was watching this and talking like it was a good idea...

I told him he was welcome to try it, but since it will be with his 2nd wife I won't be involved!

 

[Tracey1974]

That was what they were doing, holding the baby over a little potty! I'd rather not have pressure like that on a baby plus who has time to hold them over a little potty? I'd rather change diapers than have to clean up poopie messes all over the place.

 

[NMAmy]

That was what they were doing, holding the baby over a little potty! I'd rather not have pressure like that on a baby plus who has time to hold them over a little potty? I'd rather change diapers than have to clean up poopie messes all over the place.

It seems like you'd have to hold them over the potty all day long because it's pretty difficult to predict when an infant that age is going to go. With toddlers, it's easier to recognize the signs. That's just crazy.

DD potty trained herself at 18 months. Peer pressure, you know. All the other kids in her daycare class were about 6 months older and had to be potty trained before they went into the 2 year old room. She saw that all the cool kids were doing it, so she came home one day and told me she was not a baby and she wanted Pull-Ups. All righty, then.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I've seen stuff on this--it really isn't potty training...it is sensing when baby is going to go and then doing something so that the baby associates going with that (like a clicking sound or something). Almost like training an animal which is very sad.

It still takes a year or more to train the baby. The baby isn't potty trained at all.

I'll take diapers and then a few weeks of commando training over 1-2 years or more of "potty training".

 

[flminivanmama]

what everyone else already said... it's not "potty training" it's just following your babies' cues...

c'mon LOL you know the face your baby makes before they poop


and there's no pressure - if you catch some - YAY!... if you don't, you don't....

 

[Rachie0507]

As everyone else has said, what's the point? It seems as though it would just create another routine to break when it is time for real potty training. My first thought when I read the first post was how does a child go potty when they can't even sit by themselves?? That dangling scenario seems much more inconvenient to me then changing a diaper. My children both potty trained between 2 1/2 and 3, since the OP did ask. I think those are pretty average ages.

 

[flminivanmama]

oh and I did not do this and probably never would... but I have a lot of friends who do so I've seen it in action. It's actually pretty cool.


we did the opposite - we waited till they actually said "mommy, I'm done with diapers" (3 y 3 m, 3 y 9 m, 2 y 11m for each of my three kids) - but the point that the mom made on the Today Show was that you wouldn't wait till they said "mom I'm ready for food"... although I do that with everything - I wait till they are ready & they tell me so (with words or not) - solids, walking, weaning, pottying, reading, etc.

 

[ReneeA]

I started training DD a month ago or so...she turned two in June. I didn't even seriously start training DS until he turned 3...he only took 3 days, but he was ready in every way.

I started earlier with DD because she has an interest in the potty, and announces, "I peeing in my diaper!" or "I pooping in my diaper!" everytime she goes. I thought she would be really easy to train, but she's easily distracted and won't always cooperate.

I think it's the age difference, and I'm not going to push her until she's a bit older.

As for training infants, I think it's ridiculous, and I would rather spend quality time with a new baby than spend it dangling them over a potty. They are only babies once, why rush something like that?

ReneeA

 

[scanne]

I have to agree with the general concensus of "what's the point?"

My DS is 3. He is just starting to be able to recognize the sensation of having to go to the bathroom. He is going potty regularly at day care - just #1. At home, it's much harder to get him to go, but he does about 2-3x a day. I'm not about to pressure him, either. He wears pull-up (except at bedtime) and he is doing what he can. He was a late crawler and a late walker, why should potty training come early?

My DD is 1 and I think the process may be easier with her because she fusses as soon as her diaper is wet or dirty. But time will tell.

On a side note, I remember an episode of Dr. Phil where he potty trained kids in 1 day. Now THAT'S pressure! I would never do that.

 

[Kermit]

I have some friends who do this. The goal isn't to "train" the child. They watch their children for signs that they need to go, and then they hold them over the potty. It takes quite a bit of work in the beginning, but after a while, it doesn't seem to take much more time than changing diapers. The appeal is that the child is never wearing a soggy, wet diaper next to his skin. As a mom of a baby who's allergic to disposible diapers and many types of cloth diapers, I can see the benefits. It wouldn't really work for our family, though, because we like to spend a lot of time out of the house and in the car.

 

[minkydog]

I saw this bit about "elimination communication." It's not my cuppa tea, but it reminded me of when we did mission work in the mountains of Jamaica. All the ladies were astonished that my then-3yo still wore diapers. They do a form of elimination training there out of necessity--they don't have diapers and they had to haul water in 5-gallon buckets on their heads for drinking and bathing. No way would they use it to wash out nappies!

I was amazed to see how they did it. Much like the ladies on the Today show explained, the moms would feel their little ones wiggling(they carry their babies almost all the time), quickly whip off their pants and hold the baby over the nearest bush(no indoor plumbing either.) By and large their kids were totally trained by 18 months!

Not sure i want to go that route, but it does work.

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay...have to ask the question..how can a child, of any age, be potty trained unless they can get themselves to the toilet on their own?? I'm sorry but if you are trying to tell me that a 6 mo old child is potty trained, then I'm going to tell you that that parent is trained, not the child. I have better things to do than watch for signs that my child 'may' need to poop/pee and then run them off to hold them over the toilet!!! Nope, 3 kids...all made it to kindergarten using the toilet by themselves!!! Until that child has the muscular ability to 'hold' their poop/pee until they can get to the toilet, it isn't ready. And there is no child that can know they are in need of a toilet at the age of 6 months. And no way is a 1 y/o going to be able to 'hold it' for the minute, at the very least, they will need in order to get to a toilet. They just aren't ready.

I fail to understand the eagerness of today's society to deny our children their childhood. It's rush, rush, rush to get them to be more grown-up. Sorry, but poop happens to little kids. You'll have better luck training your cat to use the toilet!!!

 

[bgirldeb]

That sounds like a lot of work to me. I'm curious, though as to how effective it is with ALL kids. Since the average time for their muscles to mature is 18 months. Some don't until 3 years.