Infant Potty Training - What, Why, How, and When

Infant potty training.  Sounds crazy, right?  
What - Infant potty training encourages your infant to poop in the toilet rather than a diaper. It's main focus is not to catch pees in the toilet.  You will get some.  If you become really interested and desire to also catch pees, you certainly can.

Why -  How would you like to never change a messy diaper again?  That in itself was enough for me!  Infant potty training is especially  helpful in preventing toddler fear and aversion to using the toilet.  The toilet is big and seems to have an even bigger hole!  Imagine a proportional toilet for an adult.  That gives a different perspective, huh?  Infant potty training gets baby comfortable with the toilet.  Another way to encourage familiarity is to take your baby to the bathroom with you.  I have always placed my babies on the carpet of our bedroom while I use the toilet so I could talk to them and get them accustomed to the sounds of the bathroom.

How - Infant potty training is easy.  Set your baby on the toilet for a few minutes every day.  That's it. No need to make it more complicated than it is.  In the photo above, Caitlyn was just under 5 months old.  You can start as early as you are ready.  I've started earlier with Sean and have had even better success.  The first day, he peed twice and pooped once.  However, you can still start even if your baby is older.  Ten months is still easier than thirty-six months!

I used a Bumbo potty seat with Caitlyn.   I hold Sean on the seat as an adult would sit but with his bottom down in the hole of the seat.  The key is that baby's bottom needs to be lower than his legs.  See Caitlyn's?  This is what you must look for if you choose to buy a seat.  This squat position encourages elimination.  You can also sit on the seat with baby or hold baby against your body in the squat position.

When baby pees or poops, make a big deal out of it.  "You're peeing in the potty!  Way to go!  What a great job you're doing!  You pooped!  Yes!"  Make sure your expression an tone convey your pleasure to them as well.

When - As much as you like.  If you notice that baby is trying to have a bowel movement, go!  I try to take Sean for a minute or two every time I change his diaper.  Before bath is a very natural time to put baby on the toilet.  You don't need to stay there long. You are simply getting baby comfortable with the toilet.  Don't expect any elimination at first.

Infant potty training has been an enriching part of our lives.  I truly enjoy cloth diapering and find that infant potty training is a natural extension for us.  Unfortunately, Caitlyn had  a "falling out" with her potty seat.  Look for a post on toddler potty training soon!