Has Elmo heard about this?
By dad2twins on Aug 28, 2007 in What was I thinking?
Today I was reading the morning newspaper. Our rag is the Sacramento Bee, a worthless paper if you ask me. Especially coming from the Bay Area were we had the Mercury News. I digress. Anyway, the Bee recycles all kinds of stories from the major news services. This was an AP story about potting training that caught my eye.
Here at the Farty Pants headquarters we are in the throws of potty training right now with the Farty Pants Twins. My usual morning stupor swiftly changed to unbridled excitement when I saw this story. I would try to glean any possible potty tips for use with our girls. I would find the answers to all our potty problems. As you know, this is what fathers do. To my shock, the story was about parents who start potty training at birth. BIRTH People! Who the hell starts potty training their kids at birth? Isn’t this child abuse? Has anyone out there actually done this successfully? Am I just freaking out over nothing?
So after I wipe up the coffee that dripped unconsciously out of my mouth onto my fresh white shirt. (Dammit, the dry cleaning bill is going to get larger.) I dig deeper into the story. It appears that some mothers believe with the proper training, any parent can teach their kids to be potty trained in half the time as it takes us “regular, loving” parents. This particular mother had her kid sleeping through the night dry by six months. (So she says.) She also taught the kid to use sign language to tell her when he needed to go. (Over achiever.)
I wish our kids were potty trained already. A typical day in our house is rife with accidents, freak outs, and some success. We are doing our best to show the girls what they need to be doing when they have to go. We watch Elmo’s Potty Time non-stop around here. I figure a little brain washing at 28 months is okay. But at birth? I don’t know. Call me old fashioned, but I think a kid needs a little time get a grasp on what the heck is going on around him/her before you through them into all the stresses that life has to offer. I mean jeez, at birth? That just blow my mind.
I mean, what would Elmo have to say about this?
No tag for this post.
Okay, now MY dry-cleaning bill just got larger!!! Holy-friggin’-cow! It’s unbelievable and, you’re right, it IS a form of child abuse. ‘Why, why, why?’ would any parent in their right mind even think that this is okay? Completely selfish and own-agenda driven if you ask me. That’s basis for child abuse.
Mama's Moon | Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
I think those people that claim to potty train their children at 6 months are wacko. Literally.
My almost three year old boy has only recently started starting peeing in the potty and I wouldn’t call it a regular occurance. But if that’s the biggest stress he causes me, then I am thankful.
Valerie | Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
First of all, I think this is total BS. I am in the midst of potty-training my third kids (almost 26 months). My other two got the hang of it fairly quickly without me hovering them, and I certainly don’t fret over a little pee on the floor. That’s why we have wood floors, right? Well, maybe not . . .
Parents like that really get under my skin. Any kid will go pee on the toilet if it sits there long enough. And my youngest is definitely aware of when she has to go - uh, she tells me. And yet she is still reluctant (hence the pee on the floor).
Personally, I’ve got bigger fish to fry than trying to potty train an infant. What the??
Melissa R. Garrett | Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
It seems my sinus infection has impaired my ability to proofread before hitting “submit comment.” I’m really not so ignorant
Melissa R. Garrett | Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
Everybody knows you should begind potty training begins in the womb.
Grant Miller, Esq. | Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
Everybody knows potty training begins in the womb. That’s better.
Grant Miller, Esq. | Aug 28, 2007 | Reply
Well, I don’t call it abuse unless the parent is literally putting their kid on the pot all day or getting all out mean, but my understanding of the method is that it isn’t really the child who is potty trained, but the parent.
This is actually a common practice in many countries (Russia included). However I know from experience that, in the Russian orphanages, the children are often just left on the potty until they go.
In other cultures, it has more to do with the mother being *extremely* in tune with the child’s body rhythms. If you really watch a kid (especially an infant), you will find their little body is often like clockwork, as far as functions. Eat—30 mins later–potty. Once they are a little older, they can be taught to release at a certain signal (at least somewhat reliably). While, yes, it sounds crazy, I’ve seen it done before. It was really the Mom who was trained, though, not the kid.
The amount of time and constant watching it would take to do this, especially when you have more than one kid *coughtwinscough* would be INSANE for me. Not my style… My daughter trained REALLY easily–almost on her own–just before her 2nd birthday. I can only hope I’ll be so lucky with the boys… (yah right…)
~Crystal | Aug 29, 2007 | Reply
My mother-in-law went to China. Apparently, they don’t use diapers there. She sent me a picture of a very young toddler wearing shorts with a split in the back. They teach them to squat and go at a very young age. I still haven’t figured out if she just found it interesting - or if she thinks I’m not potty training soon enough and is giving me a “hint”.
Cindy | Aug 30, 2007 | Reply