Comments on: Adventures in pottying

By: Charndra

Charndra — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:55:32 +0000

Hi,
that’s funny about all the abbreviations for diapers / nappies. It’s just to abbreviate really, not a secret code language for the esoteric, LOL, I’d never thought of it like that.

It does take ages to work out all the codes and variations of nappies though. We did EC, so nappies were gone before I really got to know them all!

Like you said, your baby will simply have more and more ‘business’ go into the potty, and less in their diaper. Then they gradually take over one skill at a time until you realise you only empty a potty and don’t have any wet pants to throw in the wash.

It is a lovely way to go, and so flexible. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Charndra at Tribal Baby.

By: Blogless Missie

Blogless Missie — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:08:41 +0000

I think I still have The Joy of Signing from elementary school if you want it.

babysigns.com has a book, though I don’t know if it has any pottytraining stuff. Their quick reference guide doesn’t include it, and I’m guessing they assume you won’t need signs by the time you pottytrain.

If you want any other Baby Signs info, my dance teacher is certified in the program.

By: Auntie M

Auntie M — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:41:16 +0000

I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to begin the baby sign language at about 4 months, so you’re heading into the right time frame.

The Baby Whisperer suggests talking them through the potty thing. She’s really into communicating clearly using real words to explain whatever you’re doing. Whether it be pottying or not. I suggest hitting a bookstore and sneaking a peek at “The Joy of Signing” to find the sign you need.

By: elf

elf — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:30:26 +0000

The books suggest sounds like “pssst psssst” for pee and “pbthhhht” or grunting noises for poop. I was concerned about that though because it seemed like people might inadvertently make those noises while making baby talk or playing with him. So you guys aren’t far off Instead, I use something more like the words themselves than sound effects.

I was thinking of doing baby sign language as well. He’s still not quite coordinated enough to do that, I think, but I should start soon. I was kind of bummed that the main ASL website has a section for baby signs, but the only bathroom-related one is “wet.” That’s all well and good to teach him for when he’s already gone, but not for when he has to go. So I’ll have to keep delving to find a sign for “potty.”

By: Blogless Missie

Blogless Missie — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:38:02 +0000

Karan, that sounds like some sort of Pavlovian experiment. “Mommy, why does the doorbell make me want to pee?”

By: Karan

Karan — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:19:29 +0000

Cool. I suppose you have to make sure you use a potty sound that isn’t regularly replicated like a doorbell. Considering how often commercials use that particular sound effect, the results might be pretty messy.

By: Blogless Missie

Blogless Missie — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 21:32:56 +0000

It’s great to hear that it’s working. The psychological reasoning certainly seems to make a lot of sense.

Is there a method for teaching a pre-lingual baby to signal to you that he needs to go? Or do you expect that by the time he learns that he can tell you, “I need to go”, he’ll be starting on his first words anyway?
(I thought about this because my dance teacher used Baby Signs with her daughter who was slow in starting to talk.)

By: Auntie M

Auntie M — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:13:54 +0000

When I was looking at cloth diaper sites, I spent a solid afternoon looking up all the stupid abbreviations. Hey, I had the time. I get most of the code now. It’s a secret language that they can use to try and trip you up. They know who’s in the club and who isn’t.

By: elf

elf — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:08:45 +0000

Hey, it doesn’t hurt my feelings. I’m not one of the moms hanging out on parenting message boards flinging dozens of initialisms around for baby-raising jargon. “BF” struck me as an especially strange one since it’s meaningless if you think about it. They’ve just sort of agreed that that’s what it means.

I practically needed a codebook to read diaper reviews…

By: Auntie M

Auntie M — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 00:03:30 +0000

Hey, you, it looks like I’m going to have to bottle feed, dammit. I won’t abbreviate it BF.

The Baby Whisperer, my go-to lady, points out that you can start “pre-potty training” way earlier than recent tradition would dictate. Sounds like a nifty idea. I was concerned about newborns and their floppy heads, too. Glad you waited until now to try it! Good luck!