When friends and family members discover that I put my babies on the potty, they express surprise that I have time for such endeavors. The truth is, if early potty training cost me much more time than just changing diapers, I'm not sure I'd still be doing it. My goal is to make early potty training as easy as possible for myself, and one of the ways I do this is by dressing my babies to make taking off and putting back on a diaper quick and easy.
Most of the time this means that at home the baby is wearing a shirt (really, a onesie with the snaps undone and folded up) with a fitted diaper on the bottom. No waterproof cover, which does mean I occasionally deal with a damp lap or floor -- not a big deal for me as I have wood and tile floors and don't care too much about a little pee on my clothing. With just a cotton diaper on the bottom, I can easily tell if the baby is wet or dry, and it's also very fast to take the fitted diaper off, plop the baby on the potty, and then put the diaper back on. No need to deal with pants.
Unless it's cold. Temperatures have dipped lower this week and my tile and wood floors can get pretty chilly. Am I dressing my crawling 10-month-old baby in a diaper with a waterproof cover so she can wear pants? No. I busted out the Baby Legs. Baby Legs are an early potty training mom's best friend because they keep the baby's legs warm and protected but do not have to be taken on and off for diaper changes. Baby Legs are basically glorified leg warmers (my 3yo loves to wear them). They are also great for added warmth under pants, to help keep socks on and prevent a gap between socks and pants when babywearing, or for extra knee padding for new crawlers. And they make diaper changes extra fast and easy even if you aren't interested in early potty training.
When we leave the house, I put on a waterproof cover (usually a prefold inside the cover), snap up the onesie, and maybe put on some pants and/or socks.
P.S. The other way I make early potty training really easy for myself is by choosing the easiest and most promising times to put my baby on the potty.
For more tips, tricks, and tales from early potty training, visit my Early Potty Training page.
How do you dress your baby for easy potty use/ diaper changes?
i wish we could use baby legs... eden's legs are soo chunky! baby girl wears them and she ends up with a red ring around her thighs!! any other suggestions??
ReplyDeletealso, we are a cloth diaper family, only one baby now, but i have been looking at ec'ing and im sooo intrigued, but know no one who is doing it around me for some advice or encouragement... any tips??
My baby's legs are pretty darn chunky as well -- I've found the elastic stretches out and eventually doesn't leave marks. As for encouragement, put your baby on the potty one time a day (first time in the morning or right after a nap works well for me) for a while and see how it goes. It's really as simple as taking off the diaper and plopping the baby on the potty.
DeleteP.S. Browse more potty training posts here: http://www.eco-novice.com/search/label/potty%20training
Deletethank you so much! i was starting to get nervous i would have to have her in pants all the time!! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! My daughter is 17 months, and we have done a little with the potty, but she has yet to actually go on it. I like the legwarmer idea since we keep our temp low.
ReplyDeleteI would love if you stopped over and shared some of your posts at my new Eco Kids link up: http://organicaspirations.blogspot.com/2012/11/eco-kids-link-up.html?showComment=1352257044336#c1308777814800188891