I want to preface this with, we are not one of those people who do "elimination communication" from birth. We didn't go around holding a bowl under our baby's bottom. If that is what you did, more power to you, we had way too much going on after birth to even think of doing this. I was simply tired of buying (4 $15 boxes a month) diapers, and changing diapers.
We didn't want to stress about it; mainly because we had enough stresses in our house. So I decided to try it out. I didn't want to do the "all or nothing" diaper free all day every day, because I didn't want to clean up that much poop and pee. I knew I would get stressed and agitated and that would rub off on Liam. So I started to try and "catch" only poop. I knew when Liam was pooping, so if I never had to clean a dirty diaper again, and only had to wipe an hiney (by the way a wipe after going in the potty is a MILLION times less gorse) every now and then, I thought that was wonderful. So I started that. I knew when he typically went and I stated putting him on the potty then. I worked! Not only that, but I was catching a couple pees too. So after he went he would crawl around with no dipe for a while. The first week, this only lasted a few hours. After he peed on the floor, I would usually put a dipe on him, just cause I wasn't able to watch him every second (it only takes a second for a baby to start and finish peeing). Then I noticed that every morning he had to pee. Every time he bathed he peed. Every hour or so after drinking he peed. So I occasionally set him on the potty. I worked.
I started to realize he was realizing what that little plastic box was for. Then I stated with the "new mom potty training chant". "Show me your potty, show me, look, look, potty potty, show me!" All this, of course, was said in a very annoying high pitched voice. When I know he has to poop I make grunty noises and he makes them back. He finally figured out what it was I was trying to tell him to do. It's kinda funny, but when I said it, he would do a little baby kegel to try to go. Since we had been doing sign language, we stated to sign "potty" every time he went. Now, like he did with all the other action signs (eat, milk, more) we would ask him, and then he would sign potty, and then go. He is smarter than I thought. I think most kids are, we as moms try to keep our babies babies, and never want them to grow up.
We now, go diaper less all day, usually only one mess or so, which is easy to clean up. And only use diapers at night, and when we go out. I have noticed though, when we are out, I can do the same at the store potty and he goes. I am also sure to put him on the potty as soon as we get home and before we leave.
It has actually been a lot of fun. The first couple days are really good bonding because you follow them around everywhere and play with them constantly in order to get to know their "about to go" signs. You almost get a kind of sixth (or seventh or eighth) sense about it. Kinda like you do when you know they are awake, or when you know they are hungry.
I think it's as stressful as one makes it. Kinda like making your own baby food. If it's too stressful, do it later, or don't do it. Do it only some of the time. I don't think Liam got confused by going back and forth from diaper to potty.
We never got mad when he had an accident. I think if you are about to start potty training, you have to accept a few messes. We did a lot of cheering and praise when he went and he was given a potty treat (frosted mini wheats) when finished.
Phillip calls him "nature boy" because he is usually naked. I think when it gets colder, we will. use pants more often, but for now it's easier this way. I think some company may be a little wierded out by it, but if they would like to take over, sure, go for it.
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