Potty Training

I guess one of the trickiest things in parenting is potty training and may the most toughest too.. since the kids do not have bladder control nor can they let us know when they feel uncomfortable, it is up to us to keep that in mind and take care of them.

There is this question/debate as to when to start the kid on training and I would say the Indian way is the best, as soon as the baby is standing on her feet or able to balance herself on feet when we prop her up.. In my case, 7 months. The baby is sitting up on her own and can stand a little when I give her my hand support. So, I decided to put her to training gradually with tips from my friends. Thank you Jaya, my buddy from office who helps me a great deal in everything I am unsure of... This would work out well for babies in India, am not aware as to how you can put it to practice abroad.

The procedure I am practicing as of now is

***As and when she wakes up, make sure to pick her up and make her stand in the bathroom and then she pees.. :).. sounds simple, but we might need to take some time to sit patiently until she does that, but once she gets in to the habit, it is really easy. So, after each nap and sleep, repeat the same. Maybe some prompting like making sounds like iiissss would be given as a cue and taking that cue, they would just pee.

***Similarly, by around 6 to 7 months, we would be aware of the time pattern of poop and make them sit on the trainer. Like say early morning after waking up is the time or say after each feed or twice a day or after a large meal (whatever it be, depending on the kid), then prop her up in the trainer and keep talking to her or playing with her on the trainer. It might take some time but eventually they would find it comfortable and it becomes a routine. Seems to be painstaking at the outset but if we start early, we would be like saving ourselves a lot of headache later on. But make sure that the kid is sitting up, balancing herself completely on her own before we head to this potty training.

***Also, if we closely observe the kid's face during poop times, there would be some change like maybe staring into space, making faces with irritation, making sounds (mukkadam) or maybe just fidgeting uncomfortably.. some cue or the other would be given if you just observe the kid closely, we can be aware of the facial feelings/moans etc and then set about bringing out the trainer initially.

Accidents do happen like they might have a sudden urge and all but by and large, regulating and establishing a routine earlier on saves us a lot of training tension later on.

The types of trainers are showing in the picture above.. one is sitting upright like in a chair and the other is sitting on the piggy back, we can choose whatever is comfortable for the baby.

I personally prefer the chair-like one as it has an engaging game rod to keep her from getting up as well as good support to sit when we are waiting for it to happen :). Also, the detachable bowl with a lid is very easy to clean up rather than the piggy back style which needs complete cleaning. Since it takes a lot of time initially to get used to, keeping them sitting in piggy back style wouldnt just work :(( as the kid just wants to get up, roll over, or play games out of boredom.



The chair-like trainer costs about 200 to 250 rs/-, is made of plastic which is easy on the baby's bottom as well as easy to wash and clean, is strong to carry up to 15 kgs (say around 2-year-olds can also use it).

Tip: Just pour a little water in the bottom vessel so that is easier to clean and flush..

Good luck and happy training!!!!

by the way, the problem with my method currently is... the kid pees whenever propped up with hands under her shoulders without any motivation ;), hope this is just the starting trouble.

Edited to Add:


http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Pooh-Soft-Potty-Seat/dp/B00064MULM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1265409287&sr=8-4

Courtesy: Lavanya.

The model above is easy to clean and more specifically useful for boys as it has a cup - Pee deflector.

In this process of potty training however the baby needs to undergo a 2-step transition, like learn it once in the trainer and then in the actual commode/Indian Style whatever. Especially if the training is started after the baby is walking around or sitting up on her/his own, it would be a great idea to use this one.

However, if it is early training session like mine, the trainer is the best, considering the kid is just about learning to sit or stand. An adult commode certainly is not a good idea 'cos a moment of distraction/lapse could mean a fall from height on a hard floor.

PS:- However, the downside to early training is that as the kid grows and starts walking around and learning stuff, he might just forget it.. so make sure that you do not take a break from these habits.. like using the potty regularly no matter what even if the kid is sick.. just do not give him/her a one off chance, if he/she gets used to doing it anywhere, it is really tough to get it back on track.