It just happens!

[hrsmom]

I'd like your thoughts on this... So Hannah has been almost completely dry (3 misses/week roughly) and consistently pooping in the potty for about 5 weeks or so. It feels like it "just happened" in that I didn't do anything other than keep her dry and clean and offer her potty-tunities throughout the day... but it really feels like I didn't do anything. It's pretty amazing!

So I'm realizing that one of the many benefits of EC is that you get to skip having to potty train your kid. Does that sound right? Is this another "duh" question?

[emiLy]

This is how it happens for many, many people. I wouldn't say it's how it happens most of the time, but it's awesome when it does! Woo hoo for you!

I completely agree on the skipping potty training thing -- it's totally a non-issue because it happens so gradually and naturally all along.

[hrsmom]

Hi emiLy- yeah, that's what is- gradual and natural! I hadn't appreciated that aspect of it until now!

[pixiepunk]

for my older two this is exactly how it was - it was a very natural process where they started to take more control and as i result i started offering less until one day i thought to myself "i can't remember the last time i had to offer the potty." really it's that way with Elowyn too, though i feel like perhaps we're not 100% done (though really really close)

i love that EC is such a gentle, respectful process. i've been wondering about my little Elowyn lately, and about the semantics of graduating and such. I realized this past week that I considered my DS a grad when he had a similar number of misses (usually fewer than 3 per week, there are some weeks when we have no misses at all). but he was about 24 months at that time, and he was huge for his age, so i guess he seemed older to me than Elowyn does. I guess it's just hard for me to believe that she could really be a grad when she's not even 18 months old (especially when i realize that this pattern we're in has been the case for several months). but then i remind myself that it really doesn't matter, we just are where we are, kwim? and that's one of the most awesome things about EC for me. i just don't even care about whether she's a grad or not. we're just doing what we do, enjoying the ride.

[Carlyle]

Yes! It was great, and I never felt like I had to "learn" how to potty train. Pretty funny Just keep challenging yourself to offer less and less so that she starts to take control more and more--or even tell her hey, it's going so well, I'll wait for you to tell me if you need to go. And then just offer whenever you're going out or will be in the car for a long time or stuff like that. How COOL that it's going so well for you!!!

[emiLy]

pixie, I had the same experience. My daughter was first and I put her in underwear around 17-18 months. My son moved from trainers to underwear at 24 months, but he had fewer misses by that point. The main difference was that his misses included poop so I think that is why I held on to the trainers longer! Undies don't have snap sides! LOL

[dogretro]

I always think of how many poopy diapers other parents have to change for years and years and our daughter could have been considered a poop pre-graduate at four months old! I say pre-grad b/c she could not actually say out loud that she had to poop, haha! She has been a grad there since 14 months old w/ just a couple accidents, usually when she has been sick.

I was putting away all of the diapers I had washed months ago for the last time (they've been sitting in a laundry basket, lol) & thinking how we barely need diapers anymore. DD only wears them for sleeping & is in trainers all day. Granted, she only pees in the potty about once per day right now :eyeroll but we are back to moving forward