Saying 'Pot-pot'

[Racheldigger]

Well, Part 1 of our potty-training plan has worked spectacularly well: Little One is now saying 'Pot-pot!" whenever she wants her nappy changed. As far as we can tell, she says it immediately she does a poo, possibly even while she's still doing it, and sometimes she also says it when she's done a widdle; she pats her nappy for emphasis, too. She says it to us, to Grandma when Grandma's looking after her, and, as of this week, to the nursery staff, which has doubled her consumption of nappies at the nursery as she asks to be changed so frequently! Her record so far was set while still on the changing mat: I was still doing up the clean nappy when she patted it and said "Pot-pot!", and sure enough, she'd widdled in it! If only for the sake of the nappy budget, I think we ought to be looking at introducing the actual potty now. However, looking at all the other potty-related threads on here, 17 months seems preposterously young to start serious potty training; also, I'm not quite sure how we go from her telling us that her nappy's full to her using the potty. Has anyone any thoughts?

 

[Tacey]

I've been using a potty with Alice since she was 11 months, and she's fine with it. Have you tried her sitting on it? Alice will strain to do a wee as soon as she's on it, and has pooed 3 day in a row on it now. I say 'psss' for wee and 'hmmm' for poo, and she makes the noise when she's about to do it, so I take off her nappy and sit her on. It's been working for us so far, although I'm not trying to ditch the nappies completely just yet. It sounds like Rowan is definitely ready!

 

[Racheldigger]

Yes, I bought a potty a couple of days ago, and Rowan was delighted and sat down on it at once. Every time I go to the toilet, if she comes with me, as she often does, particularly if I'm alone in the house and daren't take my eyes off her, I bare her bottom and suggests she uses her potty while Mummy uses her potty. The first time I tried this, I sat her down and Rowan gave me a reproachful look, got up, turned round and sat down again the correct way round: I'd put her on back to front! So far, she hasn't actually done anything in it, but with any luck it'll happen one day and then the penny will drop.