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[~Demeter~]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Definitely the method I prefer (and am doing), but I know not everyone agrees with it. 

LOL I find that for some reason I'm quite passionate about the potty learning topic... I don't know if it's because I've done it so many times or what. With both girls I practiced EC very loosely (I have too many others to devote myself entirely to just one that way) and while I think it's awesome to introduce the potty when they are little I think it's terrible to push potty learning before they are ready... more work for you and more stress for the little one.

[Knitting Mama]

Most ECers are pretty adamant that EC does not equal PL/PT. I'm not deep enough in my research of it to be able to tell you why, but they are very vocal on that.

[ilovetchotchkes]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Most ECers are pretty adamant that EC does not equal PL/PT. I'm not deep enough in my research of it to be able to tell you why, but they are very vocal on that.

I think its because with EC the parents are the ones "trained" to recognize the kid's signals not for the kids to hold it until mom takes em to the toilet. 

EC would have been a flaming disaster with my son. He's the stealth pooper. Its like it apparates into his diaper. One minute its there, one minute its not. O_O

[LeAnn A Doula]

The fam I nannied for potty trained over a summer. Just ran around in shirts and undies in the yard. We'd take them every half hour to try. It probably took them about a month to start telling us when they had to go. It was really laid back, low stress, worked great for them at 2 (boy) and 3.5 (girl) years old. But I think it was mostly led by the little girl and her brother always wanted to do everything she did.

I've been having headaches, too. I think it might have to do w the big increase in estrogen at this point. I also notice that I have to be really careful about getting more than enough water. I seem to feel dehydrated so quickly.

[~Demeter~]

Originally Posted by Cecilia's Mama 

Most ECers are pretty adamant that EC does not equal PL/PT. I'm not deep enough in my research of it to be able to tell you why, but they are very vocal on that.

Actually most of the EC'ers I've know do equate EC'ing with EARLY potty learning. Not equating it to potty training because that would mean instead of paying attention to your child's cues you are just placing them on the potty at prescribed intervals. In my experience though... EC'ing did lead to an earlier interest in the potty (or perhaps it's just girls? <shrug>).

We were never successful at catching poops... both of my daughters are very much against being moved when they are starting to go, lol. They stop going completely and I'm pretty adamant that I don't want to mess with their rhythms and cause constipation issues because they decided to hold it. When they're ready they'll use the potty.

I still greatly feel that if you are having to take your child (or one you nanny for) to the bathroom at prescribed intervals you are overriding their natural sense of self/sensation to use the bathroom. You are training them to go at those intervals instead of following their own cues. I may throw out a small reminder occasionally (it's been awhile since you've gone potty, do you have to go? do you want me to come with you?) but never took them on a schedule.

[sallyrae17]

I don't know...I don't agree with the "forcing potty training = bringing them at intervals." I did the weekend method with my son and brought him to the potty every 20 minutes to half hour and after the first day he was signalling when he had to go. By the third day, he would just go and sit on the potty whenever he had to pee or poop. Kids get really involved in what they are doing and need to be reminded. I always see my son doing the "potty dance" and I have to sometimes make him go to the bathroom because he's afraid he's going to miss out on something fun. I don't think there's a right or a wrong way to do it - you just do what makes sense for your kid. 

I should also add that my son has been out of daytime diapers since 20 months and out of nighttime diapers by 22 months. He will be 3 in May, so we've been out of diapers for a year.

[LeAnn A Doula]

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~ 

I still greatly feel that if you are having to take your child (or one you nanny for) to the bathroom at prescribed intervals you are overriding their natural sense of self/sensation to use the bathroom. You are training them to go at those intervals instead of following their own cues. I may throw out a small reminder occasionally (it's been awhile since you've gone potty, do you have to go? do you want me to come with you?) but never took them on a schedule.

In our situation, I think it was more about helping them be concious of when they needed to go. We'd suggest a trip to the potty about every 30 mins. They weren't forced if they said they didn't have to go. We simply made it a regular part of the day. They did try if we were going out for a while. It really helped them to have the reminder when they were having a great time playing and might be tempted to wait too long. They hated the few accidents that they experienced! "Yucky! Messy!" We had fun w it. Stories on the potty, etc. I think they sometimes used potty time as alone time, too. They'd just hang out in there. :) I think if there had been resistance or tension, we would have shifted the approach. It was a very child-led household in general.

[~Demeter~]

When I hear of the taking them at certain times/intervals I think of how my grandma did it... and it wasn't gentle. She expected you to go. I was potty trained before I was 15 mos though supposedly of my own accord. I kind of doubt that though. I just prefer a relaxed approach with it being their decision to go... the latest I had one potty learn by this method was my 3rd son at 3.5. He's just got a very relaxed attitude in general and would prefer if the world did everything for him, lol. Just about everything he's done has taken a bit of persuading to get him to realize he could be successful.

[Tizzy]

I think the due date thing with my midwife bothers me more because she didn't listen to me. Not so much the specific date.

Besides, I've never gone near the 42wk point (when everyone starts to panic), so I don't see the reasoning to give me extra time. Especially when my 2nd was 38 weeks - that difference of a few days on my chart would cause them to push a transfer, thinking he was "too early".

For potty training/learning/EC'ing, we EC'd our oldest until he was around 8-9 months, he got roseola, weaned and went on a strike. It was a lot to take in in one week.   But he was fully trained (aside from overnight, but that's a different issue) before 24 months.

I didn't EC the second because it was too much to stay on top of, and he too was out of diapers before 24 months.

And now with our third (a girl), she started voluntarily going to the toilet around 15 months, it was just such a novel concept to her :) But until it's a little warmer out (and inside our house!) I've been keeping her in diapers, it's not that she's not ready to advance, it's that I haven't put the time aside to follow up. I know I know, bad parenting. She's capable of going by herself, pulling her tights down and up and making a decent attempt at wiping so I have no doubt she'll catch on within a couple days once I make a point of helping her along :)

[Ninetales]

I'm pretty much expecting regression if she's trained by August.  I wanted to get it started because she's been flooding out her diapers during the day and it was annoying me, so I thought maybe that was a sign she was ready.  But I don't think she makes the connection between having to go and going.  She doesn't even seem to notice when she's peeing, even when it's running down her leg.  And she gives absolutely no indication when she has to poop, and has no schedule for it, it's random.

I can't really get her to try because she won't stay on the potty.  She thinks it's fun to sit for a second but then she's up and doing something else.  The other day I kept it in the living room with us and had her sit every so often just because I figured at some point she would go, but she went two hours.  And when I finally had to do something else and couldn't watch her I put a diaper on and she peed right away.  So I think I need to start small, and just practice every few hours with a diaper between.  Get her some stickers or something to get her to sit for longer and longer intervals. 

It's not a huge priority for me, just something I thought I'd start planting seeds in her mind about.

[LeAnn A Doula]

Originally Posted by ~Demeter~ 

When I hear of the taking them at certain times/intervals I think of how my grandma did it... and it wasn't gentle. She expected you to go. I was potty trained before I was 15 mos though supposedly of my own accord. I kind of doubt that though. I just prefer a relaxed approach with it being their decision to go... the latest I had one potty learn by this method was my 3rd son at 3.5. He's just got a very relaxed attitude in general and would prefer if the world did everything for him, lol. Just about everything he's done has taken a bit of persuading to get him to realize he could be successful.

Each kid really does need a little different approach. My brother sounds a lot like your son. Very relaxed, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' kind of guy. My mom swore he'd have worn diapers forever, if she let him. :) He was like that w his passy, too. He refused to give that thing up until he finally lost the last one and Mom wouldn't buy him another.

[~Demeter~]

Originally Posted by Ninetales 

I'm pretty much expecting regression if she's trained by August.  I wanted to get it started because she's been flooding out her diapers during the day and it was annoying me, so I thought maybe that was a sign she was ready.  But I don't think she makes the connection between having to go and going.  She doesn't even seem to notice when she's peeing, even when it's running down her leg.  And she gives absolutely no indication when she has to poop, and has no schedule for it, it's random.

I can't really get her to try because she won't stay on the potty.  She thinks it's fun to sit for a second but then she's up and doing something else.  The other day I kept it in the living room with us and had her sit every so often just because I figured at some point she would go, but she went two hours.  And when I finally had to do something else and couldn't watch her I put a diaper on and she peed right away.  So I think I need to start small, and just practice every few hours with a diaper between.  Get her some stickers or something to get her to sit for longer and longer intervals. 

It's not a huge priority for me, just something I thought I'd start planting seeds in her mind about.

Try when she first wakes in the morning and after a nap... she's (generally) guaranteed to go successfully at those times and then you can clap and be all enthusiastic about her being successful without doing the whole schedule thing.

[Knitting Mama]

That's how we've done our casual EC since Cece was about 4 months old. After any sleep she went on the potty, and now, even though we're not pushing potty training at all, she loves to strip herself and hang out on the potty for a good 20 minutes every morning when she wakes up. The potty is just in the living room, so she gets books and games and sits on the potty herself.

[intime0]

Demeter, that is EXACTLY how my son is.  Once he was potty trained (3.5), no accidents.  In fact, he just had his first accident a few days ago.  Big sissy flew in from America and we can barely get the room.  So he had accidents all day and night.  Weird.

For my 2 year old, she likes to sit and run and get M and M's.  She has only actually gone once or twice.  We try to let her run naked in the mornings, with panties and a shirt. Her sisters tempt her onto the potty with M and M's.  LOL  THey LOVE getting her to go.  Now my daughter is here with my granddaughter and they are 6 months apart.  So we'll see if they spur each other on to potty training.