Is it possible to potty train your baby from birth?
Who said you have to wait until your baby is a toddler to potty train them. Potty training from birth is becoming very popular, but is it possible?
Can you imagine not having to spend money on buying nappies? The great news is that it’s apparently possible to go nappy free. The process is called Elimination Communication and it seems to be rising in popularity in many countries, including China.
According to Andrea Olson, the author of 'Go Diaper Free', babies are born with an ability to communicate when they need to eliminate poop or pee. All that’s needed is for parents to pay a little bit more attention and be aware of the signals the baby communicates when they want to pee or poop.
“EC works because this is how nature created us. Babies are extremely instinctual, and when we parents zoom out, we can see that they are trying to tell us what they want - beyond eating, sleeping, and staying warm,” godiaperfree.com states.
Although EC seems like a new thing, Baby Center reports that it’s been done for centuries.
Christine Gross-Loh, author of ‘The Diaper-Free Baby’, told dirtydiaperlaundry.com "EC is an age-old practice born of a human wisdom that we all possess and can tap into if we choose to."
She recommends that the best time to start EC is from birth. "I think it’s nice to start when your baby is a new-born or a young infant because they eliminate so frequently that you have many opportunities to get in tune with each other and develop a rhythm. It’s amazing how quickly you and your young baby will catch on to each other. And you can begin very part time if you want to and then ramp up later on as you gain more experience and confidence," she told the publication.
EC also has a few benefits. Apart from not having to spend money on buying nappies, it’s also eco-friendly and reduces waste.
However, Mark L. Wolraich, a paediatrician and professor at the University of Oklahoma told Baby Center that "toilet training is more likely to be a positive experience if done when your child is developmentally ready. It doesn't need to be a competition, and early potty training doesn't mean your child will develop earlier in other ways."
Olson says EC doesn't rush babies. "It is a natural process. It is empowering. If you're ‘baby-led’ and you don't want to ‘rush’ them to stop using diapers, I'd invite you to really look at this choice you've made. You teach them to go in diapers, or you teach them to go in the potty. It's not baby's choice...it's yours", she wrote on godiaperfree.com.
Below she shares the most common signals and how to effectively train your baby.
ALSO READ: Tips from moms on how to potty train your toddler
Would you be willing to give EC a try? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.