Potty training my baby started way too early. My mother always say that if I want to have a happy life toilet train my son the moment he is born. It may sound foolish for how could a newly born baby do so?Or better how would a tiny baby know when to poop or pee let alone control it?I started on a simple technique using sound association. I'm kinda having difficulty catching my son when he is having a pee though is wearing diapers the whole time. Instead I observe him closely when he is having a poop. I have observed that whenever my son is about to poo or is doing it he has this expression on his face. When he is doing it I made a gentle humming sound as though I'm helping him push his poop out. When he was about four months the technique paid off. Whenever he is about to poop he would make a humming sound signaling that he is going to poop. Then I would tell him that its best to do it in the toilet and quickly carry him towards the toilet. It was a herculean feat considering that I have tons of housework to do. When he got used to the routine, he would inform me that he wants to poop. Then I would help him out in the toilet. I was certainly happy about my son learning proper toilet habits.
By the time he was six months old, able to walk and run on his own, he would automatically goes to the toilet to pee and poop. I just make sure that the toilet door is open, the floor is dry and clean so he won't slip and the potty chair is just near the entrance. Furthermore with the toilet training, he gained independence from wearing diapers and is more aware of his body. I am able to save money because I dont have to buy too many diapers as before. He only uses nappy when we travel.
For a year and a half he did just fine. Going to the toilet on his own whenever he pees and poops and I just help him out in cleaning himself and the toilet. When he was about to turn to Two he somehow developed a phoebia for the potty chair. He doesn't like to sit on his potty chair to poop but he still continues to pee on it. So I bought an adapter seat so he has a choice between his potty chair and the regular toilet with the adpter seat. At first the adapter seat terrifies him. I made trips to the toilet fun that way it wont be a scary moment for him. Whenever I see that he is about to poop I encourage him to go to the toilet.
One time I asked my 5 year old niece to accompany us to the toilet and to sit on the potty chair to show to my son that it is not that scary. My wonderful niece is gladly helped me out. She sat on the potty chair with a cheerful attitude, smiling from ear to ear and giggles from time to time and I sat on the toilet seat. Seeing that were are having fun my son asked if he could also sit on the adapter seat. So I placed him gently on the toilet seat (with the adapter seat on) and did not make a big fuzz about. I pretended that it was not a big thing. Then I proceeded to give a gentle humming sound to help him push. Once it was over I helped him clean up. With that he loses his phoebia about the toilet seat or the potty chair. Though he prefers to poop on the regular toilet seat and only pees on his potty chair.
The next big step is bedwetting. I dreaded the day that he would eventually give up wearing diapers at night. When he got the hang of going to the toilet on his own he does not want to wear diapers anymore even when he goes to bed. Preventing him from drinking fluids two hours before he goes to sleep is not a great idea. My son loves to drink a lot of water and milk especially when its almost bedtime and he wakes up in the middle of the night to drink milk. Thus preventing any fluid intake before bedtime is not possible. I just simply encourage him to pee before he goes to sleep even if he doesnt feel like peeing. I made a humming sound as though he was peeing to encourage him to pee. The first week was great. He did not have an accident. I thank him for keeping himself dry during the night and inform him he is mommy's big helper. But one night he had an accident. He peed during his sleep. He was not able to wake himself up to go to the bathroom. He was too tired and the night was really cold at that time. I did not scold him. But gave him an encouragement that he can keep himself dry. we still practice going to the toilet before he goes to sleep. As I tuck him in I would ask him if he wants to wear a diaper or if he will just wake up later to go to the toilet. It made him feel more in charge of himself and he usually chooses not to wear diaper and will just wake mommy or daddy to accompany him to the bathroom later on.
There are days that he would ask to wear a diaper when he goes to sleep at night and we dont make a big fuss about it. We show him that we respect his decision. the next morning, we found out that he did not wet his diaper. It was really amazing seeing my son grow up so fast and become independent. The most important thing I learned about toilet training my son is respect. I did not belittle my son because of his young age. He made me learn to think out of the box, to pause and reflect and have fun. This is a humbling experience for me. Whenever I think up of ways to teach him somethings I would encourage him to help me out since this involves him. That way he would enjoy what I am trying to teach him and not be traumatized.
For new parents, don't get pressured that your son or daughter is not toilet trained yet and force him or her to do toilet training. You are waging a losing battle. Always keep in mind that parents should provide a happy childhood to their child toilet training included. Patience and humility is key to every endeavor that you in teaching your child. If you feel that your child is not ready for such training then don't force it. You may gradually train but be open to mistakes and accidents that happen along the way. Always provide emotional support and encouragement to your child. never forget to put fun in every activity that you do with your child.
Good luck with your toilet training!
