In the realm of parenting, some ideas are worth a chuckle. Take the case of Australian mother, Jenna Thompson, who claims to have been potty training her son since he was just three weeks old. Now nearing his first birthday, she says he communicates his bathroom needs with various sounds. An “uh-oh” indicates a bowel movement is imminent, while a nighttime “eh eh” signals he needs to go. Really? I’d say “LOL” translates to “potty training a newborn is a pointless endeavor.”
As reported in the Daily Gazette, Jenna acknowledged that the toughest months were between two and four. During this time, her enthusiasm to catch every little accident turned the process into more of a personal project. She mentioned that her son has adapted to using a special potty that costs around $100, though her husband has opted out of participating in this unusual training method due to work commitments.
If you find yourself timing your baby’s potty breaks, searching for signals, and holding them over the toilet, you’re not really potty training them. You’re merely demonstrating that you have trained yourself to look for cues. Jenna explains that she learned to recognize her baby’s signs after breastfeeding, noting that due to the sheer volume of intake, something had to come out. Babies do tend to follow an adult’s rhythm but at a much faster pace — meaning it’s more of an accident if he ends up wetting his diaper.
If you want to spend your days watching your infant, claiming that they are potty trained, then go for it. However, the reality is that staring at a baby and intermittently holding them over a potty for months isn’t training; it’s a significant time commitment that could be spent on more fulfilling activities. Consider all the books you could read, the crafts you could create, or the shows you could binge-watch.
The concept of potty training infants isn’t entirely new — known as Elimination Communication, it suggests that babies are inherently potty trained and that we inadvertently teach them to tolerate sitting in dirty diapers. That’s one perspective. On the flip side, cloth and disposable diapers give parents the freedom to not be glued to their child, anxiously awaiting the moment they can rush to the toilet.
If you attempt to potty train a child before they can independently reach a toilet, they aren’t truly potty trained. They are simply being rushed to the bathroom by a vigilant parent. If I keep a close watch on my child, believing she needs to go, and dash her to the bathroom day after day, she isn’t potty trained. There’s no judgment here for those who have the time and desire to engage in this practice, but calling it “potty training” feels like a considerable stretch.
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In summary, while some parents like Jenna may pursue early potty training, the reality is that it often involves more observation than actual training. The practice can be time-consuming, and the term “potty training” may not apply in the traditional sense.