potty strike in 5.5 month old

[Kenna8]

Hi everyone,

I've been ECing part time since my little girl was a week old. It was ALWAYs easy to tell when she was about to pee or poop and I had great success. Even if she didn't really have to go, she would always squeeze out a little pee at least, if I held her in her position and cued with "sssssssss..." Then, suddenly, at around 4.5 or 5 months, she completely and totally quit going when i took her to the bathroom. She would just arch her back and smile at me, like "What are we doing here?" So I got more consistent and figured I would get her eventually. It's been weeks and I've only caught a pee ONCE. (She did it really grudgingly, too!) She doesn't squirm beforehand, holds it for hours, and seems to wait until I leave her alone for two minutes!!!!

I still EC only part-time, so I know she's getting bad reinforcement from the time she spends in (mostly cloth) diapers...But it didn't matter before, and now it does...So is part-time EC harder as they get older? Any advice?

Thanks in advance!

Kenna

[seraf]

My kids are full time ECed, they wear cloth backup. There is a whole lot going on developmentally around 5 months. Just keep offering. Cool toys, songs or books may encourage her to relax and go.

[Kenna8]

True...Thanks :)  Good ideas.

[Ma Cactus]

Around this timeframe novelty became a big deal for us.  We had to try every toilet, potty, tub, sink, and shrub in the vicinity!  Anything new usually worked for a few times, then the novelty wore off and we'd be wandering around again looking for something new and improved.  Anywhere outdoors was always acceptable.  Sinks with mirrors had a bit more staying power. It passed eventually, probably around 12 mos or so.

[flyrabbitfly]

Ditto to Ma Cactus. We actually bought some stick-on mirrors and put them on the inside of the toilet seat for the novelty and "look at me" factor. (I think we shared some with Ma C too, actually). We kept a little basket of odd items that weren't usually for playing with too, so that DS would have something interesting to distract him from "this boring old potty business, again!" Also he was big into books, so whatever one was the fave of the day would come with us to potty breaks.

Another point is that their timing changes and sometimes cues may change too. We would have mini potty strikes or just alot more resistance when he was making gains in bladder holding and I was still offering on the old frequency. Baby is thinking, "this again? seriously?" Whenever I got a few refusals in a row, I would try to re-calibrate (we mostly used timing).  A trial of nakie-day might help you figure out if you have been offering too much... or just try backing way off and letting her reestablish the communication with you.

[EchoSoul]

I agree with above.Usually emerging developmental milestones interrupt the normal flow. Is she crawling? Showing signs of getting ready to? That'd do it. My son had a potty strike just before he started crawling and walking. I also agree she could just be strengthening her muscles and doesn't have to go. Can you try a belt and prefold so you can see how often(or not) she's wetting?