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Toilet training for infants should be approached in a gentle, natural and loving way. This is characteristic of many societies where attachment parenting has been practiced. After breastfeeding, babywearing, bonding, co-sleeping and responding to baby’s needs, bladder and bowel communication learning naturally follow suit.

In toilet training, mothers need to read and respond to their baby’s signals. In natural or attachment parenting, this is known as “elimination body language,” and involves tuning into your baby’s timing, patterns of feeding/sleeping/waking and baby’s vocalizations. It’s intuitive.

Better early than late

Because of flawed research and teachings on infant bowel movement and waste elimination, the Western world has come to look down on all forms of early toilet learning. But through the years, it has not been uncommon to find potty-trained infants between the ages of 12 to 18 months. Unfortunately, many doubts stem from this early form of potty training; a lot of it can be blamed on “medlore,” or maturational readiness theories based on medical opinions rather than sound scientific proof.

A natural parent, however, believes that babies have amazing capabilities, even at an early age.  Dr. Laura Boucke, a noted doctor of natural pediatrics, refers to this method of natural toilet training as “infant potty training” (IPT) or “infant pottying.” It has been called other names, such as “elimination communication” and “natural infant hygiene.”

Natural infant hygiene

Infants are, in fact, aware of their bodily functions of elimination very early on. They are capable of learning to respond to these functions from infancy. Unfortunately, using disposable diapers conditions and trains babies to go in them. Because they know to “go” in their nappies, children who wear diapers must unlearn this training, which can often be a traumatic experience for the child.

Dr. Boucke believes that parents need to listen to how infants communicate their awareness of their elimination functions. If parents fail to stop and listen to these natural signals, babies will naturally stop communicating and gradually ignore their natural elimination functions. Thus, he will learn that the parent wants him to use his diaper as a toilet.

Thankfully, it is never too late to start potty training. However, parents who begin later than earlier will need to use a modified version of IPT. While it is more difficult to start potty training with an older baby who has been “conditioned” to go in disposables (He naturally does not associate the feeling of wetness with elimination), IPT has worked. The important thing is that the child takes to the method.

There is not a fixed cutoff age at which infants or even toddlers lose their connection with their elimination functions. Parents who began doing IPT or other methods of toilet learning when their babies were beyond 12 months, 2 years or even older have seen successes in their children. These kids were ready and communicative about toileting. No matter what age a baby is when he first begins to learn IPT, Dr. Boucke recommends that parents remain gentle and nurturing during the training method.

Tip: Using cloth diapers is more beneficial to you and your baby when you want to begin practicing elimination communication. It’s easier to wean your baby from diapers when he can feel or sense that uncomfy feeling in his pants! Sure, you’ll be catching pees and poops for some time, but do it positively. Sing a song, or make a game out of it. This way, your baby will feel happy and relaxed about using a proper toilet.