how to get DD to tell me BEFORE she goes?

[sosurreal09]

DD is 5.5 m/o now and starting to tell me when she is going to the bathroom! very exciting!! but the timing is off...she will tell me while shes going or after shes gone usually....anything i can do to encourage her to tell me beforehand?


also i noticed (even if i just took her and she went to the potty) she will make the "potty sound" when shes bored and sometimes when shes tired. its hilarious when i put her in the crib to take a nap and shes crying and stopping to make the potty noise and crying again. (she will ONLY sleep in her crib, but i dont let her cry by herself btw) i think she does it b/c shes ass. it with mommy will take me potty then we will do another activity...how do i discourage this without discouraging the communication?
well i mean i dont take her to the potty when she does this put i dont want her to then disassociate the noise with the potty KWIM?

[Positana]

She might be young for this, but here's what I did when my little guy wasn't signaling at all, or would "complain" after the fact: explain to him what he should do, and why he should do it (because it's much more sanitary, more comfortable for him and makes life easier for mommy!!!). I also showed him what daddy and I do on the potty (preceded by noises, signs) He now signals beforehand most of the time. Good luck!

[Positana]

forgot to add that my little guy is now 16 months, and only got the hang of signaling (tap on diaper) about a month ago. When he was your daughter's age he would only fuss... at about 8 or 9 months he would do the elvis.

[hrsmom]

I think communication is important. I can tell you that my 23-month-old only sometimes tells me ahead of time. Maybe babies are different in this regard? My babe signalled a ton up to about 6 months of age, and then stopped! Or maybe she stopped sooner, I don't remember! So I don't have any ideas for how to do it, but wanted to mention that it's normal if they don't!