Experts say that the earlier you start potty training your baby, the better it is. Dr. Mahesh Balsekar, honorary pediatrician at Breach Candy hospital and author of the best-seller, 0 to 2 BABY AND YOU – A Pediatrician’s Handbook for Practical Parenting, says: “Training should begin as soon as a baby can be made to sit on a pot or potty seat – around 6 to 9 months of age”. If you start with an older baby, he might be more resistant as he has already got comfortable with using a diaper and may not be willing to “unlearn” this behaviour. Allow us to give you the download on potty training:
Read the signs.
Babies are creatures of habit. Many babies poop and pee at a particular time of the day. Most infants, for example, pass urine after a feed or after waking up from a nap, making it easier to anticipate when they need to go.
Watch your baby and get to know the tell-tale signs. A puckered-up face, deep concentration or some particular gestures are usually signs that your baby’s diaper is soon going to be a whole lot heavier. And smellier.
Once you have understood what the typical ‘need-to-go’ signs are, remove your baby’s diaper before he does potty and make him sit on a potty seat until he goes. Start doing this on a daily basis. This, dear mum, is the start of your baby’s journey towards getting potty trained.
A sound suggestion.
Babies have an attraction to distraction. Once you have started using a potty seat to train your baby, you will notice that ever so often he will threaten to go but then he’ll get distracted and stop mid-poop. You need to do away with all distractions and coin a phrase or sound which cues potty instantly to your little one. A sort of toilet version of ‘Khulja Sim Sim’. And every time you hold him over the pot, repeat this sound or phrase so he’ll learn to associate it with potty time. Most mums will tell you that there are few sounds more joyous than that elusive ‘plop’. That’s Plop Music for you!
Accidents will happen.
Babies can’t hold their potty or pee. When they gotto go, they truly gotto go. So be prepared for messes. Since potty training is a journey, a mum’s reaction to messes is very important. If you get annoyed, your baby will get cranky and this will definitely slow down your attempts at getting him potty-trained. If on the other hand, you don’t make a much of a fuss about the mess, your baby too will be more relaxed.
Nappy Nights. Happy Nights.
Some mums don’t mind using diapers at night; others insist on keeping a mobile potty seat by the bed and making their babies pee and poop before they droop. We are partial to diapers at night because we think that babies should sleep undisturbed. If you decide to make your baby sleep sans a diaper, make sure you use a waterproof mattress just in case … Here’s a fast dry mat that you might like. https://www.morisonsbabydreams.com/health-and-hygiene/mat.html
Sometimes even parents need to be potty trained.
Well, what we mean is that potty training isn’t easy. It takes tons of patience and is particularly difficult for working parents. Also remember that daytime bladder control and bowel control are usually achieved only by the age of 3. So you might get pooped by the time your baby learns to poop on her own. But however long it takes, you need to stay positive and avoid using pressure or punishment. A sense of humour definitely helps. So smile when things go right and laugh when they go a bit wonky. And never forget that the ultimate aim after all is to help your baby get in tune with his body and feel comfortable using the potty.
Dear #SmartMums, we’d love to hear from you. Have any funny stories from your baby’s Potty Training journey that you’d like to share? Do write in. We’re all ears. And eyes.
