When Can Babies Begin Potty Training?

Question: When Can Babies Begin Potty Training?

Answer: David asks, "When can babies begin potty training?"

I'm going to guess that since you specifically mention "babies" in your question, that you do mean babies and not toddlers. Just to make sure, though, if your child is over six months and you haven't been using an infant potty training method, chances are you're going to have to wait until he's a toddler and shows signs of readiness before even beginning.

For infants between birth and six months, however, there is a method that falls outside the "Western World" notion of toddler potty training that some parents find a lot of success with. It's called infant potty training and it works by learning certain signs your child exhibits and creating an association between sounds and eliminating.

Keep in mind, this method requires a lot of effort on the part of the parent, since you will be required to take your child to the toilet each time he needs to go. It can work, for sure, but you have to be able to pay very close attention to your child's potty needs and accept that there will be many accidents in the learning process. After all, it's a gentle, non-punitive method (although, really, all potty training should be without punishment of any kind).

I'd recommend that you read more about it through the link above, or if you're interested in hearing what others have to say about it, do some research at the following sites before giving it a try:

A Kind Look at Infant Potty Training
My Encounter with Infant Potty Training
Laurie Boucke's site (she "wrote the book" on it)
The Diaper Change

And, of course, if your baby is outside the ages mentioned here, do not try to potty train unless your child is truly ready.

Do you have a question you'd like to see answered? You can send your questions to me at babyparenting.guide@about.com and I will answer them here on the site.