I potty trained my newborn – she’s only done one poo in her nappy since she was a baby… it was easier than I thought
POTTY training can be tricky for parents and can take months or years to crack.
However, one mum claims to have potty trained her newborn from birth and says she has only done one poo in her nappy since she was a baby.
Birth photographer and doula Meagan, who posts under @meaganjoycreative, said she thought the process would be hard to do, but it’s been “so easy.”
This comes as one in four children are due to start school next September wearing nappies, according to a new charity report.
Kindred claims that pupils are losing, on average, a third of their learning time in school but teachers having to change nappies and support children who are not toilet trained.
American-based Meagan uploaded a post on Instagram explaining exactly how she potty trained her daughter from birth.
She wrote: “Did I just potty train my newborn?
“Babies don’t want to sit in their own poop or pee! I believe in America we’re diaper trained.
“It’s called elimination communication and I first heard about it through a few friends who have done it! “
The method, favoured by comedian Katherine Ryan, sees the child learn how to use a potty from an extremely early age.
Parents watch out for signals that their child needs to go to the toilet and give them the chance to use the potty, rather than get used to doing it in their nappy.
Meagan added: “I thought it was genius but truly thought it would be harder to do.
“It’s so easy and I’d much rather do this than change poopy diapers all day!
“She never poops in diapers.. a gift.”
Her post has racked up over 157,000 likes and clearly struck a chord with other parents.
According to the NHS website: “You may want to introduce sitting on the potty as part of your child’s normal day when they’re around 18 months to 2 years. Some people choose to start earlier.
“Encourage your child to sit on the potty after meals, because digesting food often leads to an urge to do a poo.
“Having a book to look at or toys to play with can help your child sit still on the potty.
“Some children start using the toilet instead of the potty earlier than others.”
It’s important to accept that each child is different and to understand their own individual needs and timings.
NHS potty training timeline
“If they’re not ready, you will not be able to make them use it.
“Most parents start thinking about potty training when their child is between 2 and 2 and a half, but there’s no perfect time.”
By age 1, most babies have stopped doing poos at night
By age 2, some children will be dry during the day, but this is still quite early
By age 3, 9 out of 10 children are dry most days – even then, all children have the odd accident, especially when they’re excited, upset or absorbed in something else
By age 4, most children are reliably dry during the day