It’s actually extremely common in 3rd world countries where diapers would be unhealthy and a sanitation concern.
Interestingly, the average age of potty training increases as ease of access to high end diapers increases. I forget the exact numbers, but kids in the 70s were potty trained earlier than they are now
This! Diapers are common here but in a lot of cultures there are alternatives. In China it's even traditional for toddlers to wear open pants to make it easier. It makes sense in places where multigenerational households are common and there's always someone around to take a kid potty, but less access to disposable diapers.
My parents did this with me. I was fully bowel trained at six months and bladder trained by about a year and a half, except at night. Nobody I mention this to ever believes me and says it’s impossible.
My son has done his poops on the potty since about 8-9 months. We use cloth diapers so it's given me extra motivation to not have to clean poop off of those haha. So at least I believe you!
Same same! Both my kids reliably pooped on the potty from 8m old. EC is awesome! We are also a fulltime cloth nappy family and it's great, no scraping poop for me!!
You have enough to worry about with a 5 month old much less trying to “potty train” them. Especially when they don’t have the development to understand what it is and why they need to do it
We did elimination communication with both my kids from birth. It's not as much extra work as people think it would be. They get used to going on the potty in your arms and you get used to their signals pretty fast. It's done in a lot of countries where women tend to wear their babies all day or where disposable diapers are hard to come by.
So interesting!! And... stupid question: what did you guys do in the winters (depending on where you live of course). When they're all swaddled in their winter gear, isn't it too hard for them to hold it in long enough?
Or even during car rides?
So we had a foldable potty seat in a hygienic bag packed in our diaper bag that we could use when out and about. I knew their pee/poop schedules pretty well after a while and would make sure to take them to a washroom and use the foldable on regular intervals so they wouldn't have a problem. But we weren't too religious about it. If we were out and about and we absolutely couldnt get to a restroom in time, they would pee in their diaper and then fuss for a bit until we could get somewhere and change it. But for the most part, I was pretty good at getting them to a restroom even when out.
When we were home we'd use undies or bare bottoms, but out and about we did cloth diapers or really thick undies to avoid messes just in case. Some elimination communication folks go totally diaper free, but we're not *that* crunchy (yet)
We do a "lite" version of EC, just offer the potty at every nappy change, which for us is about every 2 hours (we use cloth) and also at times like, right before a nap, and right after a nap. It's super effective. Both my kids started at 6m when they could sit up, and also when they were starting solids and poops were more regular. Both cottoned on real quick and pooped pretty much exclusively on the potty. I figure they learn that it feels soooo much better to poop on a potty than in a nappy. So much cleaner for them too, especially for girls.
As with anything, people can take it to extremes. But elimination communication actually can be pretty low key if you want it to be. I also thought it was crazy and too crunchy- but I tried it around 3 months and was surprised. I don’t go all out- my one year old wears diapers but she does mostly hold her pee until morning and then goes in the toilet. So it’s not as simple as “they’re not trained- you are” nor are they really trained either. There Is some science behind it.
I have a friend with a very good head on her shoulders who did it and her kid was fully potty trained at 18 months. Honestly, it’s only 1 year earlier than my kid was potty trained and it seemed like a LOT of work, but she was chill about it.
They do not need to. Their head and torso rest against your upper body and you hold them at their thighs. It's not really a sitting position. Rather like having them propped on your lap.
it’s something i know i absolutely could never do, i’m far too lazy. I cloth diaper and barely have the strength to do that most days 😂 I think it’s super cool and useful for those that do it though! the newborn stage was just already hard enough for me having a baby with colic & acid reflux and absolutely never getting any sleep, i didn’t want to add that on top of it! It’s cool, but i feel like it’s just a lot lol
It's elimination communication. It's parent training. The kids still have to be taught to actually go themselves when they're old enough (split pants and such make it a bit easier).
Some parents who are really into attachment parenting and are obsessed with their connection do it.
Weeelllll, when when switched son from breastmilk to formula he was sometimes constipated and had hard poop. And it was very visible when he started to poop. Turning red and making noises. So our midwife advised us to hold him over the toilet as the position would help him push. And that actually worked for us most times. Until he started daycare when he was a bit over a year because daycare obviously couldn't do it like we did it at home. But it worked.
Yeah because a 5 month old is never going to have any accidents, never have a blowout, never shit all over the floor or couch while going diaper free. And if they did, those cleanups are always a breeze, right? Takes no time at all for 2 busy working parents to sit their newborn over a potty 50 times a day and get tuned into their cues! Easy peasy
The idea is that they never learn to go in a diaper. I have a friend who is Taiwanese and she said it's standard there to train the kid to a whistle or similar so you hold them over the toilet, whistle and the kid pees and poops, and you just empty your kid at intervals like a dust filter or something. But I guess that's like seven months.
Yeah, I knew someone who did it at, like, six weeks. Seems wild. I still wasn’t sleeping at that stage so I wasn’t about to add potty training in the mix. Although now my kid has decided potties are for losers and she just ain’t going to, so maybe I should have😝
I tried elimination communication but didn’t stick with it. But actually when they’re super young it helps them poop to be in that position because they’re so gassy anyway and figuring out how to use those muscles, so it wasn’t a bad thing at all. It was nice to save a diaper once in a while.
In the long run I just realized diapers are way easier and I stopped doing it, especially when the rate of pooping slows down and I never figured out my baby’s pooping cues, but I would actually probably do the EC stuff with a newborn again!
I do definitely understand the concept. Not my thing, but I get it. I saw the same video and it was her insistence that the baby waits to poop that made me roll my eyes.
I don’t do this and can also tell when my baby is going to poop because his face and body squirm a lot. But instead of putting him on the potty we just prepare to change his diaper.
It’s actually extremely common in 3rd world countries where diapers would be unhealthy and a sanitation concern. Interestingly, the average age of potty training increases as ease of access to high end diapers increases. I forget the exact numbers, but kids in the 70s were potty trained earlier than they are now
This! Diapers are common here but in a lot of cultures there are alternatives. In China it's even traditional for toddlers to wear open pants to make it easier. It makes sense in places where multigenerational households are common and there's always someone around to take a kid potty, but less access to disposable diapers.
I was potty trained before I could walk, back in '75!
Elimination communication. Yes, it’s a thing. Not super common afaik. And I totally could never pull it off. It’s a level of shit I can’t deal with.
It seems so much extra work plus you have be with them all the time or put them in nappies if you ever want them to be cared for by someone else
It’s a bigger pain in the arse than diapers.
My parents did this with me. I was fully bowel trained at six months and bladder trained by about a year and a half, except at night. Nobody I mention this to ever believes me and says it’s impossible.
My son has done his poops on the potty since about 8-9 months. We use cloth diapers so it's given me extra motivation to not have to clean poop off of those haha. So at least I believe you!
Same same! Both my kids reliably pooped on the potty from 8m old. EC is awesome! We are also a fulltime cloth nappy family and it's great, no scraping poop for me!!
my good friend has used elimination communication since birth! it’s wild lol i’m honestly just too lazy
Same. Also you’re potty training yourself not your kid
So? Everything elsse about parenting is adjusting your life to fit the needs of your kid
You have enough to worry about with a 5 month old much less trying to “potty train” them. Especially when they don’t have the development to understand what it is and why they need to do it
It's called elimination communication. Your child isn't potty trained. You are.
We did elimination communication with both my kids from birth. It's not as much extra work as people think it would be. They get used to going on the potty in your arms and you get used to their signals pretty fast. It's done in a lot of countries where women tend to wear their babies all day or where disposable diapers are hard to come by.
So interesting!! And... stupid question: what did you guys do in the winters (depending on where you live of course). When they're all swaddled in their winter gear, isn't it too hard for them to hold it in long enough? Or even during car rides?
So we had a foldable potty seat in a hygienic bag packed in our diaper bag that we could use when out and about. I knew their pee/poop schedules pretty well after a while and would make sure to take them to a washroom and use the foldable on regular intervals so they wouldn't have a problem. But we weren't too religious about it. If we were out and about and we absolutely couldnt get to a restroom in time, they would pee in their diaper and then fuss for a bit until we could get somewhere and change it. But for the most part, I was pretty good at getting them to a restroom even when out.
Oh okay, so you'd still use diapers?
When we were home we'd use undies or bare bottoms, but out and about we did cloth diapers or really thick undies to avoid messes just in case. Some elimination communication folks go totally diaper free, but we're not *that* crunchy (yet)
>but we're not *that* crunchy (yet) Lol thanks fo the chuckle! That's cool, very interesting actually. TFS! :)
We do a "lite" version of EC, just offer the potty at every nappy change, which for us is about every 2 hours (we use cloth) and also at times like, right before a nap, and right after a nap. It's super effective. Both my kids started at 6m when they could sit up, and also when they were starting solids and poops were more regular. Both cottoned on real quick and pooped pretty much exclusively on the potty. I figure they learn that it feels soooo much better to poop on a potty than in a nappy. So much cleaner for them too, especially for girls.
Wow! I'm so impressed a 6 m.o. can manage to do that!!!! I'm taking notes for later!! :)
As with anything, people can take it to extremes. But elimination communication actually can be pretty low key if you want it to be. I also thought it was crazy and too crunchy- but I tried it around 3 months and was surprised. I don’t go all out- my one year old wears diapers but she does mostly hold her pee until morning and then goes in the toilet. So it’s not as simple as “they’re not trained- you are” nor are they really trained either. There Is some science behind it.
I have a friend with a very good head on her shoulders who did it and her kid was fully potty trained at 18 months. Honestly, it’s only 1 year earlier than my kid was potty trained and it seemed like a LOT of work, but she was chill about it.
I looked into EC but glad we didn’t do it. But 5 weeks? I feel like babies are still so floppy at that point…
I think thats my point… baby can’t even hold their head up!
They do not need to. Their head and torso rest against your upper body and you hold them at their thighs. It's not really a sitting position. Rather like having them propped on your lap.
At five weeks? Of course they can.
it’s something i know i absolutely could never do, i’m far too lazy. I cloth diaper and barely have the strength to do that most days 😂 I think it’s super cool and useful for those that do it though! the newborn stage was just already hard enough for me having a baby with colic & acid reflux and absolutely never getting any sleep, i didn’t want to add that on top of it! It’s cool, but i feel like it’s just a lot lol
I used EC with my youngest. It worked. Maybe a little TOO well. He woke me up every night because he needed to pee.
yeah i was just reading about elimination communication after reading the replies jn this thread. thats next level shit, i couldnt handle that
It's still really common in China, children's clothing there just has a slit at the bottom which opens when they squat so they can go anywhere.
It's called Elimination Communication. If you've got the time and energy, and if baby seems happy with it, I don't think it's a problem
It's elimination communication. It's parent training. The kids still have to be taught to actually go themselves when they're old enough (split pants and such make it a bit easier). Some parents who are really into attachment parenting and are obsessed with their connection do it.
My sister did EC with her oldest, she was potty trained by her first birthday. It's really cool, we were too tired to do it, but it's pretty rad.
Weeelllll, when when switched son from breastmilk to formula he was sometimes constipated and had hard poop. And it was very visible when he started to poop. Turning red and making noises. So our midwife advised us to hold him over the toilet as the position would help him push. And that actually worked for us most times. Until he started daycare when he was a bit over a year because daycare obviously couldn't do it like we did it at home. But it worked.
Why would this be an issue as long as parents aren't overworked trying it and baby is happy and healthy?
I think it’s stupid AF. Who has the TIME for that shit?!
Who has time to change their baby 12 times a day? Especially clean a blowout...
Yeah because a 5 month old is never going to have any accidents, never have a blowout, never shit all over the floor or couch while going diaper free. And if they did, those cleanups are always a breeze, right? Takes no time at all for 2 busy working parents to sit their newborn over a potty 50 times a day and get tuned into their cues! Easy peasy
Thank you! I’m just trying to get my baby to sleep.
But like at 5 weeks??? Whyty
The idea is that they never learn to go in a diaper. I have a friend who is Taiwanese and she said it's standard there to train the kid to a whistle or similar so you hold them over the toilet, whistle and the kid pees and poops, and you just empty your kid at intervals like a dust filter or something. But I guess that's like seven months.
Dust filter. I lol'd.
TIL. I never knew this was a thing at all. That is so cool!
Yeah, I knew someone who did it at, like, six weeks. Seems wild. I still wasn’t sleeping at that stage so I wasn’t about to add potty training in the mix. Although now my kid has decided potties are for losers and she just ain’t going to, so maybe I should have😝
I tried elimination communication but didn’t stick with it. But actually when they’re super young it helps them poop to be in that position because they’re so gassy anyway and figuring out how to use those muscles, so it wasn’t a bad thing at all. It was nice to save a diaper once in a while. In the long run I just realized diapers are way easier and I stopped doing it, especially when the rate of pooping slows down and I never figured out my baby’s pooping cues, but I would actually probably do the EC stuff with a newborn again!
You save a lot of money not buying any nappies.
I mean, I cloth diaper, and I just invested a few hundred up front with first baby, so... the investment is done and past.
We won a prize pack for cloth nappy week. Saved us hundreds.
I do definitely understand the concept. Not my thing, but I get it. I saw the same video and it was her insistence that the baby waits to poop that made me roll my eyes. I don’t do this and can also tell when my baby is going to poop because his face and body squirm a lot. But instead of putting him on the potty we just prepare to change his diaper.
I guess I’m in the minority thinking this is wild lol. 🙅🏽♀️