Potty Training/EC with 12-month-old boy (XP)

OhioBobcat

(I've also posted this on 12-24 just in case)

We've purchased DS a potty for Christmas and I want to start at least introducing him to the concept, but without pressure or negatives if he doesn't go. I guess part of me would like to consider the EC route, but I don't know if he's too old for that now that he's a year.

We've done BLW since he was 5.5 mos and he has "brushed" his own teeth since about 6 mos with his first tooth. He also likes to "brush" his hair if you give him his brush...so he's really big on doing things himself and I like encouraging this.

MIL says SIL was potty trained by 18 mos so I know that it is possible. I also have heard it's a bit of a struggle with boys...which is partly why I'd like to start early. My aunt tells me my mom had my older brother trained in just one day...but I think her method at the time was to not let him off the potty until he went...so not really a method I want to consider.

Can anyone give me a rundown on how they've done it or how they do it with their boys and any tips on the best way to go about it? Has anyone had success starting young around 12-18 mos? How long did it take from the time you began introducing it?

TIA. x

Libbey15

We just recently purchased a potty for DS. I put him on it about three times a day. I started doing this last Monday. I wanted him to get used to the potty without any kind of pressure. On Saturday he went in his potty 6 times! He is starting to just go and sit on it by himself. I have also been leaving him diaper free a lot. I just praise him when he goes, and he's been doing really well with that. We are not putting pressure on him and are just going to follow his lead. 

It is totally possible to potty train at this age. DH was potty trained by 12 months. The daycare he went to had a policy that all kids had to be potty trained by 15 months old (he's from Europe). It made sense to them since they only had cloth diapers when he was a baby and they were not the cloth diapers we have now. MIL said she had to change him 30-40 times a day.

Good luck! 

LittleEgypt

Wow, that seems really early, and I would ask the following questions (of yourself, I mean - I don't need to know!):

1) What is your motivation for wanting to potty train so soon? How is this related to your parenting philosophy, and how is it related to attachment parenting? Is it consistent with how you approach other bodily needs, like sleeping or eating? Doing potty training like you do BLW would be, IMO, letting him watch you on your potty and giving him a chance to imitate you. If it requires a "method", then it's not really the same.

2) Has your DS shown signs of readiness for potty training? Here are the ones from Dr. Sears' site - I think most parenting/potty training books have mostly the same list.

• Imitates your toileting
• Verbally communicates other sensations, such as hunger
• Understands simple requests, such as "go get ball"
• Begins to pull diapers off when wet or soiled, or comes to tell you he's dirty
• Follows you to the bathroom
• Able to pull clothes off
• Climbs onto the potty-chair or toilet
• Has dry spells: stays dry at least three hours
• Investigates his or her body equipment

I think a more typical age range for potty training with boys is 2-3 years, and it really helps if they are verbal. When my LO was a year old, he still went all the time, and he never really communicated whether he was wet or dirty (even in a plain prefold!). Now, he goes a few times a day, and tells me when he's going. If I'm lucky, he tells me ahead of time, but even at two he is still getting that figured out. It's clear to me that he doesn't have control or full awareness of his muscles, and would not be able to use the potty in a non-EC type of way.

Whether you could start EC so late is a different issue, and I don't have much advice. If you do that, though, be clear with yourself that you are not potty training, and that the expectations should be different. I think it goes back to motivation - if you are looking for convenience, I don't think you're going to get it with a one year old.

OhioBobcat

Not looking for convenience...just looking for...well...looking for what I'm looking for. I know that makes no sense. Just putting my feelers out to see what steps I can/should take so that he's not being pressured to go, per se.

My motivation isn't to expect results straight away. Much like with him brushing his teeth...I put the toothpaste on, hand him the brush, and leave the rest to him. If I brush my teeth at the same time I try to really amplify my motions and he will copy me most of the time. But I'm making it so that he is in control for the most part of when he starts and stops as I'm not fussing if he's brushing properly. I want him to get used to the motions so that when it comes time for me to communicate further on how to do it properly, it won't be a big deal because he's been doing it nearly the whole time...if you get what I mean?

There are many of the signs you mentioned that he exhibits...like trying to pull off his nappy, following instructions, and he does have long periods where he stays dry.

I guess I'm just looking to make a long/slow transition so that there isn't any pressure to do it in 3 days...3 weeks...3 months. It's a no-time-limit kind of thing and just an experience I'm trying to give him some exposure to without pressure.

LittleEgypt

I get what you're saying. We've had a potty for a long time, and I ask DS to sit on it after bath time while I put lotion on him, because otherwise he pees on the floor. I tell him he can have a diaper right away or sit on the froggy potty. It's not really moving us in any direction toward potty training in general, but it keeps the pee off the floor .

 Just curious - Is giving toothpaste so young recommended in the UK? Here, it is not recommended until at least age 2, because the kids usually swallow it. Is it non-fluoride toothpaste then?