Months 3-6 or Fifth Trimester
6m, Pyrex Baking Dish, One of our First Potty's
Months 3-6 are actually a bit fuzzy. I remember being a little frustrated, because I missed a lot of pees and poops. But really, I was also sleep deprived. So much so, that my resting heart rate was 48 bpm, even though I wasn’t doing hardly any cardio exercise. I had an EKG, blood taken to check vitamins and such. Nada! I’m healthy. I just needed to get more deep sleep.
Zachary was, and still is, breastfeeding in the night (about 3 times or so). I am getting a little bit more sleep, but am still underslept. Though I wake up in the night, I do not put him over “the potty”; however, I do change his diaper at least once each night. This was a matter of convenience. I am too tired to wake all the way up and put him over “the potty” or in “potty position”, yet, I can change a diaper half-asleep. Go figure!
It was at around 5 months that my diapering system evolved again.
During the day (my chosen time to dedicate to potty training) we would use mainly flatfolds. He finally fit into them properly! No doublers, no covers. just the oragami fold and a Snappi. I changed alot of diapers, especially in the morning, sometimes 2 an hour, maybe more. The more often Zach’s diaper was changed, the less he would get diaper rash. At the same time, the more I wanted to catch his pees.
Not to mention I became an expert at the oragami fold!
Oragami Fold with Snappi
Months 6-9 or Sixth Trimester
7m Our First Sit-Down Potty
We used all sorts of “potty’s” as you can guess by the pictures. It wasn’t until 7 months that I actually purchased a potty. I think I was waiting for Zach to hold himself up sitting before I got him a potty to sit on. I purchased both BabyBjorn potty’s, the small and the large that was offered at BabysRus, along with another one that you put on a toilette seat.
At night, we would use a prefold, fleece/microfiber doubler, and Snappi (dark colored ones are easier to find in dim light), with a couple extra diapers next to the bed ready to grab.
Any experience we got with disposables, at this time, created rashes and allergic reactions. We mainly used non-chlorinated,yet, still, rash was inevitable. (We took a road trip at 5 months.)
Now at the end of 9 months, we’ve become even more regular. I’ve learned to “catch” his poop/pee directly upon waking from sleep/naps. This is the easiest. He tends to poop twice a day on average, so I know to look for that, too.
Around his eighth month, Zachary and I seemed to be working better together. Particulary after 1 week at the beach (car trip), and another trip to Grandpa’s funeral (by airplane), we’re even more confident. I was able to focus more on Zachary at these times, and without his cloth diapers, I wanted to protect him from diaper rash since we were using disposables. To do this, I brought his potty with us everywhere we traveled, and challenged myself to keep him dry throughout the day. At night, though, I only changed his diaper-still no potty training in the night…
Potty Time at the Beach
A couple things that helped me get a handle on Potty Training are:
- Having the time to focus on Zachary’s potty rhythm.
- Use a signal for potty time, hand signing, “pss-pss” sounds, or anything that comes to mind to initiate potty time.
- When I go “potty”, Zach tries, too! Many times (60% ish) he does pee.
- Praise baby for going potty, sitting on potty, trying to potty. Do not give any positive or negative comments when baby goes in his diaper-just change the diaper, like changing a shirt, normally.
- Make notes after baby sleep, eats, last time they went potty, illnesses, or other factors that may arise.
Some questions that I ask to help find his rhythm:
- When was the last time he went potty? More than an hour?
- Did he just eat a meal? Or what did I eat today, that got in my breastmilk (milk, beans, etc.)
- Is he feeling good? Tummy ache, tooth ache, illness, etc.?
- Is he trying to verbalize, any familiar sounds, sign language, flapping arms?
An Example:
Zach wakes up in the morning. I pick him up and directly take put him on his potty seat. I make the “potty?” sign and say “pss-pss, uh-uh” sounds then give him a toy or 2 to play with. He’s happy to be awake, and refreshed from a good nights sleep. Let him sit for 5 minutes or so. I keep an eye on him as I make my breakfast or get dressed for the day (I don’t want him to crawl/fall off the potty). After I think he’s finished going poopy (he usually poops first thing in the morning) I make the “all done?” sign, the “up” sign, then lift him off and wipe him with a warm cloth wipe. I let him crawl around diaper free for a moment as collect his clothes and new diaper.
We are beginning his tenth month, and I cannot wait to see what growth comes about. He is communicating more each day, and is so curious about his environment. Next we’re trying training pants !
Technorati Tags: 3-6 months, 6-9 months, breastfeeding, Cloth Diaper Bucket, diaper rash, elimination communication, Fifth Trimester, infant potty training, Sixth Trimester, training pants
