Pottery Training

[Amelie]

Most of the articles that i've read mentioned that pottery training should only be taught when the kid is ready. However i 've heard from some of my friends that they 've already started training their kids even before they turn one, one even as young as 6 months old.  What they do is putting their kids on the pottery when they show signs that they 're making a "poo".  
Could anyone advise?  Thanks

[potty]

Don't you mean potty training?

[potty?]

Putting a 6 month old on a potty(!) when they show obvious signs of doing a poo is just catching it and saving a bit of mess in the nappy - not any real training at all, as the kid has no idea what's going on. This is partly a cultural thing - when I lived in France, friends "potted" their very small babies regularly and were thrilled when they caught something. Where I'm from, we don't see the point until the kid can cooperate and is ready to go without nappies completely. Just choose whichever version fits your culture and wishes.

[Going potty]

I've heard of people doing this, but it's quite an old fashioned thing.  My parents and other people of their age and older, who had to use toweling nappies, used to try and get their kids potty trained as soon as possible to save on the laundry (and I can hardly blame them!), but even they didn't do it as young as six months.

I read an article once when my kids were babies and was quite shocked by it, because it said that years ago (the 1930s, 40s etc), they would do this thing called 'tethering', whereby they would sit the child on the potty next to a table leg and tie a scarf of something around their waist to keep them there until they performed (presumably to stop them crawling off).  I'm not sure exactly how common this was to do (I shouldn't imagine it was too popular!), but experts now say that there is absolutely no mileage in trying to potty train your kids too early.  I think that at about 18-24 months would be the right time to start.  Of course, there's nothing wrong with having a potty around so the child gets used to it, and they might even start to sit on it early of their own accord.

I would have thought that at 6 months, alot of babies are still having trouble sitting up on their own for long, so to sit them on a potty and wait for them to perform isn't going to do their backs a whole lot of good.

[no potty yet]

Me thinks some people exagerate.  How many babies can sit up with enough stability at six months !   Why bother at this age, just enjoy them being little as they grow up very quickly.

[lish]

It is so funny to come across this because the maid started doing this with my daughter 2 days ago.  My daughter is 9 mos old, and goes pretty regularly so now the maid holds her over the toilet - she is rather proud of it, I must say.  I am not sure how I feel about it yet.  I mean, in 3rd world countries, when I was traveling, I saw kids without diapers all the time - just a slit in the bottom - and the mother would hold the baby over the gutter to go... So really my maid is sort of doing a modified version - but should I let her?   Will it really matter?  I thought I had at least another 9 months grace period before I could even start thinking about potty training. My goal is not to have my infant (who can barely walk yet) potty trained that quickly - but I am not sure it is harming her per se?  Any thoughts?  

[potty]

I put my baby on the potty before she turned 1. But it was just so I don't have to clean up the mess. Not sure if it helped. Anyway, I was prepared to put her in diapers all the way to age 3 but luckily she became toilet trained by 20 months. Saved us a lot of diapers.

[mom too]

In our family (and we have a lot of babies among us siblings), thanks to my parents advice, we start the kids on the potty as soon as they are able to sit ...i.e, around 7-8 mos. By the time they are 13-15 mos, they learn not to go anywhere except a potty. my daughter was fully potty trained at 18 mos, without any potty training aids like books, videos, blah or crying bouts.

The maid's idea is a good one. You can potty train early without the usual fear of potties that sets in if u leave it too long. PLus save a lot in diapers and washing up!

[potty?]

Or if you prefer, wait until your child can understand and co-operate and training will probably only take a week or so without spending months sitting him/her on a potty. I don't think either way is better, just depends what fits with your life. We just used nappies until children showed some awareness of what was going on when they peed or pooed. Then they were trained very quickly at 24/18/24 months respectively with very few "accidents".

[too potty]

One at 20 months, the other at 28 months. Different kids, different times.  What ever suits you, just make it an easy thing for you and your kids.  But there are enough things to do with them and to say than to start at nine months going poo poo and putting them on potties.  I'd rather play with them............... do some people just want to rush through these early years??

[Strange]

My almost three year old isn't the slightest bit interested in being potty trained and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to persuade her otherwise - so I'm just going along with it until there are signs that she's ready.  
However, my problem is that everytime I take her swimming she poo's in her swim nappy.  And I mean 'EVERYTIME'.  It doesn't matter if she's been three times before swimming sure as eggs are eggs she'll do it again.  I'm getting frustrated at this as I'm on tender hooks and slightly concerned as this has developed into a pattern.  Help?!

[she is cold eh?]

Well, mine 2 yo is in nappy yet, and she poo's on cold places, such as some supermarkets, or sometimes while playing at the poolside with wet cosy. There is nothing strange about it, it's just the cold.

[YC]

Hi Mom Too

Many older generation mums successfully did what u did and their kids r potty trained at very young age . What I cant understand is that it's said that kids only start to 've muscle control (anus?) at abt 18 mths. Do ur kids tell u when they need to poo or pee? Or do u put them on the potty by habit eg. first thing in the morning? And does anyone 've any explanations as to y boys seem to be slower in potty training?

Thanks!

[mytitagirl]

just in the process of potty training...have been at it for almost a month now.  am not strict, so am in the forgiving mode all the time when baby makes "mistakes" on the floor.  but, with due time, i'm sure we'll be doing well.  wears briefs in the morning and diapers at night now.

[Why hurry]

I think you need to be careful that you are not treating potty training as some sort of badge of honour of good motherhood. Not sure if sitting them on the potty early, for weeks or months and overemphasising the importance of it all is necessarily a good thing...although it is very environmentally friendly! When they are ready they are ready - just like most things really. My personal opinion is that putting your little one in undies before they are ready and having accidents all over the place is not a nice thing for anyone (especially your hosts). I am not talking about the odd acccident here - that happens, but I have had friends who have to clean up accidents a couple of times a day for months....So if you want to start early, feel free, just be considerate.