12-month old is just not getting it...

[jasmonal]

We've been EC since she was 6 months, and while we have occasional success, my DD just doesn't seem to get it. We use disposable diapers, but I line them in a small washcloth so she can feel when she is wet, and she won't tolerate having a poopy diaper.  She poops on a fairly regular schedule, but basically refuses to do it on the toilet. For example, we just sat on the potty for more than 20 minutes before her afternoon nap, and I knew she needed to poop, but nothing happened. Then, 3 minutes after she went in for her nap, she pooped, cried, and I changed her diaper. She clearly doesn't like having a dirty diaper, but doesn't get that using the potty will avoid that. I'm desperate for some advice!  We spend so much time on the potty everyday and I still don't think this is working.  Thanks!

[Momasauras]

Does she pee on the potty?  We started at 6 months and my DD is now 12 months as well.  We were most successful with timing... basically will offer the potty as soon as she gets up from a nap (sometimes she has already peed, but if I watch the monitor closely and get her when she is fidgeting, we make it) and also she is typically successful for the first morning pee.

My daughter loves to read on the potty and that is sometimes distracting... 20-30 minutes of reading and doing nothing on the potty is not uncommon for us, either.  Just as a recently as a couple of days ago, I tried making the sound of water... had a water glass and a little creamer pitcher and poured water back and forth between these (you could just use two cups, too)... it worked like a charm!  I have tried this a few times with success - so might be worth at least trying?

And also know that from what I read and even in talking to my pediatrician... 12 months is a very difficult time to get these little ones to focus on anything as their brains are like huge sponges and are picking up and learning new sights, sounds, behaviors everyday.  So my advice would be to continue to offer and not scold for when she goes on the floor or in the diaper.  She will get it eventually!  And at least you are aware of her pottying so that she doesn't sit in her pee/poop for long!  I try to take comfort in the fact that it's still communication and eventually she will put it together that she is supposed to go in the potty.

Also, I assume you use cue-ing sounds??

[Marissamom]

do you take her with you when you go to the bathroom? that's what really cemented the idea for my DD when she was about 12 months. she's 20 months now, and still uses her diaper more often than not, but it's more that she has a hard time telling when she has to go, because she does know what her potty is for and how to use it. 

[HappyMonkey]

Have hope.. my daughter just had a pause from 11-13 months. She decided she wanted to pee and po when and where she wanted standing around the house and was fascinated with it. She would often proudly bring us a poo carefully cradled in her hands! We had to start keeping a really close eye on her.

Now at just over 13 months suddenly she tells us when she needs to go. She',ll hold a hand between her legs and go OH OH or OOOHHHH and if we take her pees and poos in the toilet now (we still hold her in a squat in the air). I haven't had any luck with sitting her on it to go yet (only once months ago on her BBLP).

Anyhow we went from only catching middle of the night or morning pees, to almost all of them.

The other sign she'll give us is to go to the toilet and try top open the lid while going OH OH, That's always a sign too,.