Update: Transitioning pottys & EC While Traveling

[howeberry]

My DS is nearly 6 months and we've been PT ECing since he was 6 weeks. I always hold him over a sink to go. With starting solids I want to move away from the sink to his little potty or the toilet for ease of disposing of more solid poop, but I'm not sure how to transition.

DS is a skinny baby, so his little butt just barely fits on the Baby Bjorn Little Potty seat without falling in. He also likes to kick/stand and the potty slides out from under him. I've somehow managed to get him to pee in the toilet once...

Any advice? Thanks!

[goldenwillow]

Sounds very familiar.  We actually just continued using the baby bjorn little potty and the regular potty, held him over it as we did at the sink.  My son is a kicker too, just let his legs rest on the sides.  I was not able to find any alternatives at the time, interested to see if anyone has other ideas. 

[nstewart]

Hmmm, DS still does not like his BBLP and we've had it since January.  Well, actually, he really likes it but he thinks it is a toy!  He never uses it for its intended purpose.

We bought a Bumbo potty insert about a month and a half ago and really like that and so does DS.  You could also try different potty inserts, but I liked that the Bumbo was small enough for DS to sit on and also offers more support so I don't need to hold him on the insert (although I sit in the bathroom with him while he is on the potty). The other alternative is just to hold him over the toilet.

[howeberry]

I just checked out the Bumbo and it looks like it'll help transition him from the squat hold over the sink to going in the toilet. Thanks for the suggestion!

Another question, do you bring the insert with you when you travel (if you have) or have you found holding your LO over a strange toilet usually works fine?

[goldenwillow]

Sorry for the major delayed response!

Traveling... ugh.  We do have him in a diaper still.  I offer him to go when he gets out in a travel BBLP.  He has not been at all weirded out by going in a strange potty.  I usually go first or after him to show that is what you do out and about. 

[CaliforniaKetus]

My LO is six moths old.  When we started about a month ago we held her out over the sink, which she like but killed my back.  We now hold her over the toilet this way - We squat down with a knee on each side of the toilet facing the tank.  My LO is facing me with her feet pointing towards my stomach.  I then lower her down into the ring of the toilet and rest my elbows on the toilet.  It turns into a deep squat for her, but there is no pressure on my lower back because all her weight is on my forearms and her lower legs (which are hooked around the front of the toilet seat).  This might also work for a public potty without an insert, but it seems like a whole lot of contact with a strange toilet.

[howeberry]

Update:

We just returned from a 2 week road trip that took us from NJ to Iowa and back again. I was impressed how well DS responded to going in public bathrooms. Not only did he pee in rest area toilets, but pooped in one as well! I approached it like changes at home: remove diaper, offer potty, replace/new diaper. It didn't take long to get over EC'ing in public when it was the only option. Loud hand dryers were the scariest thing for him.

If a bathroom floor looked clean (like at Grandma's), I'd sometimes kneel in front of the toilet and hold him in a squat above the seat. Otherwise I'd squat or stand (bending at the hips) while holding him. He stretches his legs out straight when pushing a BM out, so I watch to make sure his feet don't go into the bowl.

Overall, I was surprised how easily it was to transition to the toilet. Basically, I just started holding him over the toilet, cue, and he'd go. No complaints about the new location. He will still go in the sink and sometimes I prefer it because he is fascinated by the faucet, rather him play with that than the toilet paper when I want him to focus. 

I still have not got him to use his little potty. Not complaining since it is MUCH easier to simply flush than to rinse out a potty.