Infant Potty Training – My Potty Training Experiences With My Son

I always thought that infant potty training was going to be difficult. I started to feel anxious about it with my son when he was around 1! I did lots of reading and figured that I could get on top of this as soon as possible. Luckily all my worries were unfounded and I have a fantastic son I love and should be trusting more than what a supposive developmental stage tells me. I have always tried to let my son lead in everything but wasn’t sure this would work with potty training and didn’t consider it anyway like I had with him eating. However I didn’t have to consider it because my son showed me J

Just before I write about my potty training experience, I just wanted to give some background information on what I used for nappies etc, as there is something research that suggests a child will potty train sooner and easier if they are in cloth nappies.

Well my son did wear cloth nappies until he was about 1. Then I started using pull-up eco-disposables. I chose to use the disposables because I did not have the money for cloth pull-ups (they seem to be about 10-15 pounds EACH and ebay wasn’t helping) and my son would always fight me when I had to change him. He is a heavy wetter so struggling like 10 times a day was making things miserable and so I went with the disposables which my son was happy about putting on because he could stand up. I hope to be able to get cloth pull-ups for my next child or to try out elimination communication! I did use cloth nappies at night though until around 1 and a half.

I thought that putting him in disposables would be a detriment because I had always read that cloth nappies make potty training easier as a child can feel the wetness. I now believe, from my experience, that cloth or disposable doesn’t really matter in how easy potty training will be.

Anyway, when I changed him over I started reading lots about infant potty training and came across elimination communication in my research. I think that it would be something to consider with my next child but it did lead me to try out a potty with my son very soon. He didn’t really show an interest in the potty though and instead of fighting him I took my usual route of being relaxed and leaving it.

I am so glad I left it, because when he turned 2 he just started showing an interest in the toilet without me or his dad really doing anything. He has always seen us go though so maybe this helped. He picked and chose when he used it but also started telling us he had gone or was going in his nappy. He is now 2 and a half and uses the potty all day. He still needs to go through the night and use it but that will come in time I am sure. He has to wear little pants now and has to use the potty or preferably the toilet.

I am so happy about this and wished I hadn’t have gotten stressed about the idea of potty training. I let my son eat solids in his own time and am letting him wean himself off the breast in his own time, so why I didn’t consider letting my son dictate the potty is beyond me. Well at least my son showed me J

I think as parents we really need to have more faith and trust in our children. They can pick things up and will when they are ready. I have always been laidback with my son and I think this has been to my advantage. I have also seen others get really stressed and flustered trying to force their child to do something they aren’t ready for because they are worried about developmental progress and what others think. I am glad that I haven’t let those things get to me and am so happy that my son potty trained himself! Life is easy with him J