Need info re: toilet learning

[GodChick]

Okay, I'm embarrassed to admit this, because it seems like one of those things all good mothers just instinctively know. :blush But I'm a bit clueless about how to go about toilet learning for my two and a half year old. I think she's ready, or nearly ready, but I don't know how to go about it. She's been wearing sposies, and we didn't do EC, because I had never even heard of EC or the benefits of cloth diapers when she was born. The only people I have to go to for advice here are in the "sit on the pot until you do something on it!" camp, which I don't want any part of. Soooo, can someone guide me on how to get her started on a more gentle path to toilet learning? Am I right in thinking I can't do EC now because we didn't start off doing it? She is HN/spirited, and has some sensitivity issues which she seems to be outgrowing, but she still acts intimidated about sitting on the pot while she's actually GOING. She will sit on it, but not while she's GOING. How do I go about getting started with the toilet learning? Right now, all we're doing is this: she has her own little potty, and sometimes, if she feels like it, she sits on it when I go to the bathroom. What do I do? Take her to the potty and try to encourage her to sit on it every two hours? Just sit in there with her for long periods of time until she just happens to go? (I've got a two-month-old to take care of too.)

I don't want to force the issue if she's not really ready, but it would be beneficial if she could toilet learn, because as I mentioned in another thread, she has labial adhesions (labia fuse together) and it would help them resolve, and decrease her chances of developing more, if she could get out of diapers. TIA for ANY help you can give me!

[LauraK]

What I did is got "The Potty book for girls" and a couple others but this was her favorite. When I went potty I would let dd sit on her potty and I would read her this book. I think one day she went and I sang a happy song and praised her. I never had her sit on there for very long. Then I would start the day trying her in the gerber training pants and expecting accidents. I did not shame accidents and she would tell me often as she was going "I am peeing in my pants". I said "uh oh" the pee pee needs to go in the potty. I made up some potty songs...and would sing them. If she had too many accidents I switched her back in diapers for the day or I would ask her if she wanted to go back in diapers but mostly she did Ok once I switched her and slowly started making it to the potty more and more with each passing day. Anyway she did essentially trained herself once she got the connection of peeing. She actually never had any poo accidents and got that right away. I feel clueless about how to do it because it really seemed like she did do it herself there was just the 1. Reading her the potty books. 2. Putting her in training pants (cotton ones were she really got wet) 3. Cleaning up messes quickly and with nononsense or shaming. and 4. Staying close to home for a week. I also felt like I just had to sort of let go a bit and not keep reminding her or badgering her. She would go into the potty and take her own training pants off, if your dd is in a do it herself mode I think you can take advantage of it. My dd seemed to really love it once she got it.

Hope that helps....I was thinking of switching her into cloth and she trained herself. My dd had the adhesions too when she was a baby and rash issues. My dd#2 is in cloth and is doing better thann dd#1 in that regard. I really love pocket diapers.

[LauraK]

One other thing...since your daughter is close to potty learning and you are thinking of switching to cloth. Someone on here recommended to me the Nap-EZ pocket trainer.
http://www.snap-ez.com/PocketTrainers.html

maybe those would be a good choice because she could pull them up and down and you could stuff them for absorbancy and after she trains they could be used for naps and bedtime?