Pre-Potty Training

You know how some mothers claim they managed to potty train their children since x-months old? I can never agree that you can potty train a 'baby'. A toddler yes, but not a baby. To me, a child is potty/toilet trained when they can:

1. Go to the potty themselves (Yes, that means walking to the potty and plopping themselves on it).
2. Pulling down their own pants (Well... sometimes they need help).
3. Going poo or pee in the potty.

HOWEVER, I do believe you can PRE-POTTY train a baby. My definition of pre-potty training includes:

1. Getting babies to poo at around the same time everyday.
2. Baby poos or pees when you hold them over the potty.

The reason why I am writing about pre-potty training is because I managed to get babyD to poo into the toilet bowl. For the past few weeks, I would try to catch him doing his "big business." You know how they always put on a "poo-poo" face when trying to do it? Yea, so whenever he gives that signal, I rush him to the toilet. AND amazingly, he would poo into the toilet (if he hadn't already finished doing it into his diaper).

My main motivation for doing this is not so I can potty train him early. Actually, I do this because I am lazy to wash his dirty diapers (I'm using the modern cloth diapers - BumGenius to be exact).

Anyway, back to the pre-potty story. I've read and heard stories about how children have problem sitting on the potty or toilet bowl when it comes time to potty train. They resist and seem to have an aversion towards it. I wondered how come babyD didn't have a problem sitting on the toilet? Then it occurred to me, that maybe, it was because I had often put him on the toilet bowl to wash poo off his butt. So now, he has learned to associate poo-toilet bowl.

Anyway, only a mother feels excited talking about poo in the toilet bowl :) Well, just thought I'd share this little pre-potty trick with you.

MAMAS BAG OF TRICKS:
Don't wait until you want to potty train before getting your child to sit on the potty/toilet. When baby have learned how to sit, you can start putting baby on the toilet (with the help of those child toilet-aid thingys). Do it when you want to clean his bottom. Hopefully baby will soon associated poo - toilet and you will have a hassle free time when actually potty training later.

Other past potty training posts:
1. Can potty training be fun?
2. Potty training problems? Try this.
3. The many uses of a kitchen timer.