Lara and I have started our journey into the realms of potty training! I know, I know, she's young and her brain can't yet control her bladder. And yes, it takes longer if you start early. I know these things. But Lara is ready to start to learn about the potty so I'm ready to let her learn. It is nothing serious at present but we're taking our first tentative steps towards potty training.
I know Lara is ready to start learning because:-
And so, I decided to get a potty. My plan is to just leave it there for her to see and use when she wants to. So far, each evening she has sat on the potty (with a good book) and has been happy to spend a little while just sitting there. There has only been once success so far and she wasn't really aware of what she had done but that's cool. There is no pressure.
We have a Becopotty that we got from JoJo Maman Bebe. It is much bigger than many of the potties I have seen which is good for Lara as it means she can just sit there comfortably and watch the world go by. The Becopotty is made from plant waste and I was really surprised at how heavy and sturdy it was - I was expecting it to be a bit cardboardy! The potty has a very high back for Lara to lean back on and a good area for me to grab hold of. The genius of the Becopotty is that in many years time when all of my family are potty trained (yes, including Mr. B.), I can bury the potty in the garden and it will quickly begin to biodegrade.
In just a few weeks I have learned that potty training is best performed in the bathroom and not in the nursery where there is a very pale coloured carpet. In the bathroom I have a packet of bathroom wipes on hand (biodegradable, flushable bathroom wipes of course thanks to the very lovely Method who I have raved about many times on Mellow Mummy).
I have also learned that if we are going to make this a success then Lara needs to learn some independence when it comes to nappy changes. My first step to giving her control is to introduce a pull-up nappy. I haven't yet invested in a re-usable pull up nappy (although I am sure there are some on the market – any suggestions are very welcome). I have bought Lara some Huggies 'Little Walkers' and some 'Pull-Ups'. Both are stretchy around the hips and can be pulled-up or opened and closed with a re-sealable fastening at the hips. I put one on Lara each evening as her last nappy of the day (if I remember) and encourage her to get involved pulling it up and then down again before she goes to bed. It is early days yet but I think she's slowly getting the idea.
I'm sure there are lots of people who would frown at our approach but hey, I'm mellow about these things... I'll see how to goes and if it REALLY doesn't work, I'll put it off and try again when she's a little older. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has made early potty training work, what tips do you have for me and Lara?
I know Lara is ready to start learning because:-
- she was copying the other children at the childminder by getting onto the potty
- she crouches down when she is doing a wee
- she gives a me a 'look' when she is going to the toilet in her nappy
- she regularly fetches me a nappy or the changing mat and sits down in anticipation of a nappy change
- she attempts to undo her own nappy and help me wipe
And so, I decided to get a potty. My plan is to just leave it there for her to see and use when she wants to. So far, each evening she has sat on the potty (with a good book) and has been happy to spend a little while just sitting there. There has only been once success so far and she wasn't really aware of what she had done but that's cool. There is no pressure.
We have a Becopotty that we got from JoJo Maman Bebe. It is much bigger than many of the potties I have seen which is good for Lara as it means she can just sit there comfortably and watch the world go by. The Becopotty is made from plant waste and I was really surprised at how heavy and sturdy it was - I was expecting it to be a bit cardboardy! The potty has a very high back for Lara to lean back on and a good area for me to grab hold of. The genius of the Becopotty is that in many years time when all of my family are potty trained (yes, including Mr. B.), I can bury the potty in the garden and it will quickly begin to biodegrade.
In just a few weeks I have learned that potty training is best performed in the bathroom and not in the nursery where there is a very pale coloured carpet. In the bathroom I have a packet of bathroom wipes on hand (biodegradable, flushable bathroom wipes of course thanks to the very lovely Method who I have raved about many times on Mellow Mummy).
I have also learned that if we are going to make this a success then Lara needs to learn some independence when it comes to nappy changes. My first step to giving her control is to introduce a pull-up nappy. I haven't yet invested in a re-usable pull up nappy (although I am sure there are some on the market – any suggestions are very welcome). I have bought Lara some Huggies 'Little Walkers' and some 'Pull-Ups'. Both are stretchy around the hips and can be pulled-up or opened and closed with a re-sealable fastening at the hips. I put one on Lara each evening as her last nappy of the day (if I remember) and encourage her to get involved pulling it up and then down again before she goes to bed. It is early days yet but I think she's slowly getting the idea.
I'm sure there are lots of people who would frown at our approach but hey, I'm mellow about these things... I'll see how to goes and if it REALLY doesn't work, I'll put it off and try again when she's a little older. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has made early potty training work, what tips do you have for me and Lara?
