I love E.C.

This morning I was getting dressed and I heard the baby walk down the hall from his room. I called to him to see where he was and then found him holding onto the toilet seat. He looked up at me and signed for "more" and then I got him undressed and set him on his seat reducer and he proceeded to have a big poop. Yeah for no poopy diapers! Yeah for baby!

The no poopy diapers is pretty commonplace but the baby initiated trips to the bathroom are still relatively new. We invested in a second toilet seat reducer and a foldable seat for use when we are out. The foldable seat has come in handy and the second seat means that we are totally ready whenever he is.

We have a sitter come help care for the baby a few afternoons a week now as I need to get more work done and baby is ready for more than just hanging with mom and dad at the office. He will potty for her as well which is super and great for her as well as no one likes to change a poopy diaper.

Using a Potty Seat

Jonah grew really fast and was getting a bit heavy to hold, particularly as I've got tendonitis in one wrist from lifting him (since last April, sigh). I decided to try out the Baby Bjorn Little Potty. He liked using that potty for a while (4-6 months), though I noticed that he really did need to have the ability to sit upright with some support to use it -- so I don't think it would work that well before then.

Now that he's gotten even bigger (wearing 18 month sizes at 7.5 months!) he has decided that he doesn't want to use that little potty anymore. Now I keep it by the bed and use it to stash wet diapers from changes overnight so I don't have to get up and don't wake him with rustling plastic.

We bought a toilet insert at Fred Meyer on a whim in August as we thought he was large enough for one and he likes that a lot. In fact, he won't really go now if I try holding him over the toilet by the thighs -- except when we are out.

With the toilet seat insert, a cushioned vinyl covered on with Blues Clues pattern, its not as cold as the baby bjorn potty was. Also, we don't have to clean it up -- everything just goes in the toilet which is a plus. We have some light up ducks that we use in the bath next to the toilet, on the edge of the tub which help keep him interested in sitting there. He also is liking learning how to turn the tap on the tub off and on -- usually if he's that distracted he's done or didn't have to go in the first place.

We keep his bouncer seat in the bathroom so often I will set him down in it and then go potty myself afterwards which seems to please him as well -- everybody goes potty dontcha know?

I think talking to him about pottying and introducing hands signs early on has helped out a lot. Also, anticipating when he will need to go next. He tends to signal more when he's sleepy, and less so when he's playing.

A recent development is that he doesn't want to pee in his diaper when we are out and often makes a fuss, which takes us a bit to figure out of course. My partner thinks its some sort of social behavior learning -- to not want to wet himself when he's in social settings.

He's only pooping every other day or so, which was a little harder to keep track of. He ended up soiling himself a couple times in the mornings and since then I think he and I have realized we need to make a better effort -- as he doesn't like it as much as I don't when he's got that kind of dirty diaper.

Pottying at 5 months

It's been a while so I thought I would give an update on my almost 5
month old. He did an amazing 9 potties in one day last week out of
the blue. We used almost no diapers. My parents were visiting and
were amazed.

My mom was telling me how they used to have highchairs with cut outs
in the seat and a shelf for a bowl beneath so that the baby could
relieve herself while eating. That seems so degrading to me, almost
like there's no communication involved at all. Perhaps some parents
used them like we do when we EC though.

It took Jonah a week or so before he adjusted to the Baby Bjorn
Little Potty -- plus some trial and error until I figured out how to
best help him use it. I have it on the floor in his bedroom and I
wrap my arm around him and let him rest his chin on it as he needs
to. I also help steady his head against mine and hold one of his
hands with my free one as he wants to. He's pretty into it and when
we are at home he seems to prefer it over the toilet. I keep a box
of tissues and a burp rap nearby to help wipe his bum/face -- he
often spits up while toileting (anyone else notice this?) My partner
is cool with using the little potty as well, but he just helps him
balance on it while holding his shoulders.

The toilet position is still good if he's totally sleepy though as
he can rest against me. He will wake me up if he needs to go while
sleeping. Not all the time but often enough. The frequency of that
has gone down from back at the start of May when I was mucho pooped
out after having my sleep disrupted so much.

In the past couple of weeks he's gotten the knack for standing up
while supported. If he's done on the potty and hasn't communicated
clearly (he's been talking while sticking his tongue out so I have
no idea if he's saying "all done" or what sometimes) he now will put
his feet down and try to stand up.