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Help please! my 8 month old is grabbing (and eating) toilet paper

1.1K views 6 replies 6 participants last post by  Vortexing  
#1 ·
Hi mamas,

I need your help
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:. I have an almost 8 month old babe who eliminates in the toilet and/or sink. When she was tiny she was a sink only baby but as she became more able to hold herself up I moved her to the toilet with no problem. Recently, with her arms growing and her need to explore everything, she has started reaching out and grabbing (and eating!!
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the toilet paper on the toilet or grabbing between her legs and reaching for the faucet if I hold her over the sink.

In an effort to avoid the bathroom completely (and save myself trips away from my 3 year old) I bought a baby bjorn potty for her yesterday for the living room. Since it came home she has refused to pee or poo in anything other than a diaper except first thing this morning when she did go in the toilet with dh. After that first catch I tried her on the potty and she refused ever since. I am not pushy with the potty and she will sit there happily unless she really needs to go then she gets upset and wants off
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What am I to do? Let her just eat the toilet paper and live with it? She gets so distracted in the sink that that isn't an option at all.

Please help me!!
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#3 ·
I've given in and let DS eat it- as long as it's not dangerous clumps. We get unbleached stuff and I figure it's pretty benign. Since not fighting over it, he just kinda teases but doesn't actually eat it anymore- he'll offer me some and I'll refuse and I make a 'yucky' or 'what are you doing???' face when he eats it, so he knows it's something I don't approve of, but it's not a battle i'm going to fight anymore.
 
#5 ·
Thank you for the posts
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!

I tried out the toy on the toilet idea. It sure distracted her from the paper, unfortunately, it also distracted her from peeing
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Any suggestions about getting her to use that potty? She has peed in it once. I would just really like to have another option and also thought it would be good for in the car if we are travelling.

Thanks again
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#6 ·
Can you move the TP to where she can't reach it? Maybe just set the roll on the back of the toilet or on a shelf nearby. My ds went through a phase where he would eat it if I let him have a piece, though he's getting better about it now. I just made sure he couldn't reach it and distracted him with a toy.

And if a toy makes him too distracted to pee, even with cueing, I just turn the sink on a little. The sound of the water works every time, if he needs to go. (Yes, we have very small bathrooms and I can reach the sink while standing next to the toilet.)
 
#7 ·
Did you offer the BBLP to her next to her normal potty (aka the toilet, or anywhere else where she'll consistently go)? Sometimes if the environment is all the same, except the potty is different, she might be ok with that. Then once she gets used to the little potty, then maybe you could try having her use it elsewhere?

It's surprising how particular LOs can be about pottying!!!