We're doing what now?
You read that right! I see no feasible reason why the average potty training age in America is 3 years old. Perhaps because we use cloth diapers and I am soooooo over washing laundry every other day, but I think it is reasonable for a baby to be trained by 1-1.5 years old. In fact a few ladies I know had their little ones going on the toilet by 7-8 months…Though it’s technically called “elimination communication” when they’re too young to go all on their own I think.
From Wikipedia: Elimination communication (EC) is a toilet training practice in which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant’s need to eliminate waste. Caregivers try to recognize and respond to babies’ bodily needs and enable them to urinate and defecate in an appropriate place (e.g. a toilet). Caregivers either use diapers (nappies) as a back-up in case of misses, avoid the use of them altogether, or do a mixture of the two. EC emphasizes communication between the caregiver and child, helping them both become more attuned to the child’s innate rhythms and control of urination and defecation. The practice can be done full time, part time, or just occasionally. The term “elimination communication” was inspired by traditional practices of diaper-less baby care in less industrialized countries and hunter-gatherer cultures.[1] Some practitioners of EC begin soon after birth, the optimum window being zero to four months[2], although it can be started with babies of any age.
Yesterday I started with Zamorah. I had tried in the past, but she hates the hard toilet seat, so I bought a cushy baby one for her yesterday that sits on the big seat. I already know when she has to poop since she makes a funny noise right before, and have discovered when she has to pee she has a different fussy sound. Most of the time. Another trick my mom showed me is to run the water when I set her on the toilet. I thought she was joking, but it seems to be working. Also, LOTS of praise and excitement when she goes. She gets all excited and happy when I’m excited and happy 
Since yesterday afternoon we’ve had 1 dirty and 4 wet diapers, compared to 6 times on the toilet. Success! A little more than 50/50 is a win in my book for trying less than 48 hours.
I know some people are probably rolling their eyes at me for starting so “soon” and others are probably jealous they don’t have the time between work and whatnot, but it works for us. I’m home all day with her, and she never leaves my sight for more than a few minutes (unless T watches her after work so I can run to the store, but that’s rare), so I have all the time in the world to help her learn.
And hey, if the end result is that we don’t have to wash diapers 24/7 anymore…that. is. awesome.
