Toilet to therapist's couch

In my quest to start potty training (or at least learning more about it), I have come across very, very strange ideas. One of those is that being potty training before two is a sure fire why to send your child into emotional distress and thus leading to mental therapy later in life. Another (and obviously my favorite) is that diapers are made better and better nowadays and thus we should take advantage of them until the child is entering school (approximately 4-5 years old) and must be potty trained in order to attend. Umm... no.

Now I realize that I have never, ever potty trained someone. I imagine it is difficult and trying on both the mother and child's patience. I can only think that there is a level of self-discipline that moms are called to (in taking the child every 20-30 minutes all day, every day) that I have never known. I am also realistic that potty training doesn't just "happen", especially if the child is very young, and that some children take longer to "get it".

But saying that Julia will be emotionally scarred from the experience, or that I should just let her decide when she is ready, seems bogus to me. I mean, sure, if you are pushing them, making it a horrible experience, I can see the downfall in that. However, if, like all parenting should be, you act in love, patience, gentleness, I would see the experience as enjoyable and even fun. Well, as fun as pooping and peeing can be.

I am currently planning on starting potty training come the spring. I thought that we could start sooner, but that would mean keep the house really warm during the day, and for me to have my act together. I am a little doubtful on that last part. Seriously, if I can let my clean laundry sit in a basket for nearly a week, I don't think I'm ready for a new adventure.

Potty training

More and more lately I have considered potty training Julia over the next 6+ months so as to have her out of diapers by the time Dubya Dos arrives. In all reality this is a long shot, but some part of me is hopeful that it could be done. And here's why... gory details and all.

A couple of weeks ago Julia was taking a bath. I was sitting next to the tub reading, when she stood up along the side to start interacting with me. I was still half reading, half playing when I realized she was acting a little, well, strained. Immediately I asked "Are you pooping?". Obviously, she gave no answer but a grunt was enough to confirm what I expected. I picked her up, sat her on the toilet where she did her business. A few days later, during a diaper change I caught her pre-poo and dashed off to the bathroom.

Then again tonight we had another random success. We allow Julia to have naked time sometimes after she's just had a diaper change. So tonight during NT I noticed that she was needing to using the bathroom. I sat her on the toilet and she did her thing. Pretty impressive for a 11 1/2 month old. At least I think so.

With these "victories" under my belt, I can't help but wonder if I could feasibly potty train a 1 year old. I've heard about elimination communication, but mostly viewed it with an upturned nose. Now I'm starting to reconsider my stance on EC and toying with the idea of having a few diaper free days, to assess the situation. Hmmm... This might require laying down some plastic all over the floors, or scheduling for Robert to come clean our carpets the following day! We'll see. I always have grandiose ideas that don't pan out exactly as I imagine, and this could just be one of those.