Potty Trained Before 2!
February 3, 2009 by Caryn
This giveaway is now closed. Thanks so much for joining the Potty Party. The winner is 3boyzmom. Congratulations!
In the short time I’ve been a mom, I have come to realize that every parent/child situation is unique. I have a very good friend who has a daughter about the same age as my son. When my son was a baby, I would constantly compare her daughter’s development with my son’s. I felt like she was the standard I should look to, since she already had two older children. If anyone knew how to do this parenting thing “right,” it was her. She is an outstanding mom and one of my best friends and I find myself always trying to glean from her wisdom and experience. But the constant comparison of why my son had not slept through the night, or said his first word was really frustrating and of course concerning to me as a new mom. Despite the fact that our children are the same age, they’re different genders, with different parents and different life and family situations. For the record, my son walks and talks and does everything he’s supposed to do!
I share this with you because, throughout this series, I will be talking to you about a few different methods of potty training. There is no single way to parent and that holds true for potty training. Some parents will use EC (elimination communication) to potty train their child before they complete their first year of life. Others will wait as long as possible until their child shows “interest” or they have to start preschool. Still others will be somewhere in the middle. Every parent and every child is different…even within the same family. Some of the suggestions will work for you and your child and some won’t. I’m not easily offended so please feel free to disagree or share something that I may not know. I welcome your opinions and feedback.
I recently wrote about the struggles we experienced while teaching my son to sleep and nap. It took a long time and I recognize my own part in not always providing consistency. Many aspects of parenting take time and commitment (i.e. breastfeeding) but in the end the rewards are immeasurable. So it is with potty training. Potty training, regardless of the method used, takes consistency and commitment (and patience and a willingness to get dirty and…) There is a lot of talk about when a child is ready. And while there is much debate about the subject (i.e. EC) first decide if YOU are ready to commit.
When I was pregnant with my son, lying in bed eating bon bons and surfing the internet, I stumbled upon some information and research regarding baby sign language. You can imagine the jokes that ensued from my family. Even Jason was skeptical. But I was determined. I was going to teach our baby to sign, even if no one else followed suit. I started at 4 months (yes…4 months) and for months and months and months…nothing. He would look at me and I think he probably thought I was crazy (I felt a little that way anyway). And then one day, my mom was watching my son while my husband and I had a much needed day together. She called me on the phone to ask me what my son was doing with his hand. He was signing “milk” to her. At present, he speaks and signs the words he can’t say. For the record, there was no delay in the development of his speech. My husband is always asking me what sign I’m going to teach him next…funny how life is!
When we went to visit my in-laws in November, my mother-in-law gave me the Baby Signs Potty Training Kit. I actually never thought about using sign language to potty train my son, but it’s ingenious because it allows parents to start the process before children are verbal (as early as 12 months). The less diapers I have to change, purchase, and throw into landfills, the better! If you’re not familiar with the benefits of signing with your child, here are a few from the site:
Reduces tears, tantrums, and frustration
Makes learning to talk easier
Boosts self-esteem and self-confidence
Stimulates intellectual development
Strengthens the parent-child bond
The Baby Signs Potty Traning Kit includes a Parent Guide, which gives you instructions on how to integrate signing with potty training, the All Aboard the Potty Train Lift-the-Flap Book which includes the steps and accompanying potty-time signs, the All Aboard the Potty Train DVD which teaches and reinforces the potty-time signs and routine, Job Well-Done Stickers, and an All Aboard the Potty Train Conductor’s Whistle. I have to digress for just a moment. I have no idea if the whistle was devised as a way to help children go potty or simply for fun. What is interesting is that the physical act of blowing helps to relax the muscles necessary to go to the bathroom (specifically to urinate). When I worked in Obstetrics, I had new moms blow through a straw when they sat on the toilet. Ok…back to the review!
This is a program that will take some time (as opposed to a program where your child will be potty-trained in one day). Your child will need to learn and be comfortable with signing and the time it takes for your child to learn the signs will vary. If you are a parent who’d like to start the potty training process early (before your child is verbal), this is an excellent program.
I decided to start potty training my son early (he’s 19 months old) because I anticipated that it would take some time, and my goal is to be completely trained by two (the best laid plans….). The program is fun and something I’m comfortable with because I’ve been signing with my son for over a year now. We are working on teaching him the potty signs (he knows 3 of the 5 well) and have started putting him on the potty every day (in the morning like the book suggests). I’ll keep you updated on our progress!
If you’d like to see all of the potty signs, check out Parents.com.
The Baby Signs Potty Training Kit retails for $39.95 and is available for purchase on the site or on Amazon.com.
Win It! One of you will win a Baby Signs Complete Starter Kit ($39.95) to help you on your way to signing with your baby. Head on over to the site and take a look around. Come back here and leave me a comment with something you learned (please include something NOT mentioned in my review) or a product you liked (other than the two mentioned here). Comments will close on February 17, 2009 at 10 pm PST. One comment per person, please. US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.
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Looking for more giveaways?
Potty Training Series and Giveaways:
Let’s Get This Potty Party Started
Positive Reinforcement and Potty Training
Potty Training Accidents? We’ve Got Ya Covered!
Potty Train the Fun Way With the Potty Tots!
A Neat Solution for Potty Training on The Go
Sustainable (Potty) Training Pants by Seventh Generation
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tonyamcrain [at] aol [dot] com
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tonyamcrain [at] aol [dot] com
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tonyamcrain [at] aol [dot] com
I like spread the word 2 !
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I’d love to see if it works – my mil is always talking about how she potty trained her kids before seven months (my husband was late at nine months) and how her OTHER grandchildren were potty trained early too. So I’d like this because we’re running late compared to them.
I like the night time dvd for signs. So cute.
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Baby Signs: How to Talk to Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk, was published in 1996 and quickly became a bestseller (over 400,000 copies sold in the U.S. alone and translated into 14 foreign languages).
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this giveaway!
Thanks so much for this fabulous give~away! : )))
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