Potty Training?

So, I was looking at Goody Blog, which I peruse from time to time and I noticed a post on Potty Training that intrigued me. Goody Blog linked to another blog, Motherhood, Marriage, and Other Wild Rides, which has a chronicle of Potty Training their infant son. After reading their account I am convinced this is what I want to do with Willow.

Honestly, I had heard about mothers "training" their children to use the potty from birth and I have to laugh at that. I kind of have to laugh at my own willingness to start with Willow too. I mean, how can a baby know about bowel movements and using the potty? But I figure that since Willow is old enough to be crawling around (and pulling up on everything) and since I am actively signing with her, maybe this is a time to start thinking about potty training early. And by early, I mean probably after she is actually walking around which will be soon knowing her.

My sister has four children. Her one bit of advice when it comes to toilet training is to make a big deal out of poop, the sooner the better. She said it makes potty training a heck of a lot easier if the kids are more comfortable with poop. So, every time Willow poops we have a mini party..."YAY POOP!! GOOD JOB!" And the other day, David even showed Willow where poop and pee live (in the potty). She had no idea what he was talking about but her seeing what the potty does is a beginning step.

I found an old article (2005) from the NY Times called: A Fast Track to Toilet Training for Those at the Crawling Stage. From the article, "For many parents in the United States, the idea of potty training before a baby is able to walk, or even before age 2, is not just horrifying but reprehensible - a sure nightmare for parents and baby, not to mention a direct route from the crib to the psychiatrist's couch. But a growing number of parents are experimenting with infant potty training, seeing it as more sanitary, ecologically correct and likely to strengthen bonds between parent and child.

"Once, however, breastfeeding also was a rarity.

"With early toilet training, there is a broad body of knowledge and experience to draw on. Parents in at least 75 countries, including India, Kenya and Greenland, embrace the practice, with Chinese babies often wearing pants with split bottoms for easy squatting (available for $1 in Chinatown, according to savvy mothers in New York).

"Some parents who adopt children from other countries say they are startled to find that their babies arrive ready to use the toilet. More than 50 percent of the world's children are toilet trained by the time they turn 1, according to Contemporary Pediatrics magazine."

So, why not start now (well, not NOW now, but soon)? I know I would LOVE to be finished with diapers. And how can a little independence at this early stage be a bad thing? The only thing I am a little concerned about is daycare. I am not sure that they will be willing to work with Willow at this early stage. But then I figure that if they can change her diaper once an hour, they can certainly take her to the potty just as easily. I have ordered my DVD signing kit and Potty. On the advice of a friend's wife (who is pregnant with #3), I looked into getting the Fisher-Price Fun To Learn Potty but the reviews convinced me not to. I don't want her thinking the potty is a toy.

Hopefully we'll get started in another 3-4 months and when Willow is 18 months old, she too will be potty trained (like 95% of children that age in the 1960's were) and maybe not.

Is this the right thing to do? Am I going to scar Willow for life? Don't worry...you'll be kept apprised of our progress when we do finally start.

Isn't parenting fun?