Potty Training That Works For Us

When Zilla was little I tried infant potty training with him. For the most part it worked but I was more relaxed about it than I could have been. We should have moved him out of diapers before he turned two. I learned with him that it is much easier before kids become super active toddlers!
During the past few months some of the kids in my Baby Signing Time class have learned
to use the potty. They are just a few months older than Mega so it was a good reminder for me to get serious about having her use the potty too.

Today we reached a milestone! Mega, 14 months old, came tonight to tell us that she needed to go potty. She did the sign, pointed to the bathroom and then then went down the hall. I followed her, helped her get undressed and she pointed to the big toilet. After helping her up she went pee in the toilet! This is the first time she has told us she needed to do and actually gone. All she needs is 3 simple signs - potty, more, and all done!
I hope that this will soon mean the end of dirty diapers for us!

If you have yet to potty train a child you may be wondering about when to start and how to go about it. You can start from the day the baby is born with Elimination Communication or Infant Potty Training. Basically, you watch carefully for signals that the babe needs to go and then give the babe a chance to go on/over a potty of some kind. Over time the babe will learn his/her signals as well as yours. Some parents make a "psss" sound when the baby goes pee so that the babe will learn to go when he/she hears that sound.

I didn't have the energy to start so early. With both kids I waited until they could sit on their own. By that point I could pretty much tell when they were going to poop. They both would freeze and get an uncomfortable look on their faces. When the signs were noticed I sat them on the toilet as soon as I could.
We started out with a kiddie toilet in the living room and another in the kitchen. As the babe caught onto the idea of the toilet it was moved closer the bathroom. After a month or two they ended up near the big toilet.
Around 1 year old the kids were placed on the toilet a few times a day and asked to go. Good times for this include first thing in the morning, before and after meals, before and after going out, and last thing before bed at night. Mega has an older brother whom she loves to imitate so that has helped a lot. Any time he goes potty she sits on the potty near him. She has also started doing the same with us, the parents.

From the start we have always used signs (sign language - ASL) to communicate with Mega. Whenever we go to the bathroom we say and sign "potty". She has begun to do the same when she needs to go. Even if we don't make it to the toilet on time Mega still sits on the toilet and tries to go. At first there may be a lot of the toilet sitting after the fact but eventually kids catch on and try to get to the toilet before things start to come out. It also helps if they can see mom and dad or other kids using the toilet so they know what is supposed to happen.

Another helpful tip is to use cloth diapers. Disposable diapers have become too good at wicking away wetness. Feeling the uncomfortable wet diaper is helpful as babies and toddlers prefer to stay dry and therefore would prefer to go potty in a toilet rather than a diaper. Cloth diapers come in many easy to use forms, are economical and environmentally friendly as well as being a great option for babies with sensitive skin. I am not exclusively a cloth diaperer. I try to use cloth for at least the first 5-7 diapers of the day when we are home.

My one piece of advice to parents and students who haven't started potty training yet is to do it sooner rather than later. It is much easier with a 14 month old who will willingly try most anything than with a 24 month old who is too busy to care!

Something to think about...
Different cultures handle potty training in different ways but one recent trend is delaying it until kids are nearly preschoolers... This seems to be the trend in countries where disposable diapers are priced low enough for most families to afford them...

Diaper Tester

As we prepare for baby # 2 I've had the chance to "improve" on some of the things that we used with the Little Guy. One of the biggest/funnest (diapers - fun??) things to look into has been cloth diapers. It is amazing to see how much the options have improved in just the past 3 years! You can read about cloth diapering in an earlier post here.

One of the biggest improvements has been availability. While many stores in Japan still have the old-fashioned cloth diapers as the only kind sold, there are places online where you can get your hands on the newer styles.

One such site is the Comfy Baby Store.

This is one of the "trial packs" that they offer on the website. For about 10,000 yen ($100) you get 4 diapers and some special detergent. Since I really am interested in seeing options I thought this would be a good way to go. Keep in mind that we already have a basic set of diapers from when the Little Guy was a baby so these are to add on to what we already have.

The set came with 3 newborn size diapers - 1 Fuzzibunz (red), 2 different types of LoveyBums, and a free-size (one size fits most) Blueberry deluxe.

After I placed my order I was asked to give a baby size and color choice (boy / girl) so I asked for small since that is what we'll be using first.
Here is what the inside of the diapers look like. 3 came with inserts to increase absorbency as needed. You can also see the different fastening styles. From what my friends have told me the Velcro is preferred for ease of use but as the babies get bigger they figure out how to "help" with the Velcro making the snaps a better option to guarantee the diaper stays on!
On of my friends pointed out that my son should still fit into the Blueberry one-size diaper. I actually hadn't thought about that. So, when he was in a good mood I had to give it a try!
This is the Blueberry on a 2.5 year old. He weighs about 15.5 kilos (34 lbs.) and yes, the diaper fits! He actually wore it for an entire morning and had no complaints about the size or fit. As you can see there are many snap options and this is the largest setting. We tried the diaper on a stuffed animal too and I think a newborn should also be able to fit without a problem.

So, to sum it all up there are a lot of choices and thankfully more and more of them are becoming available in Japan. I'm leaning towards the one-size diapers as the diapers of choice. While they may cost a little bit extra to start with, they don't need to be replaced as the baby grows into a toddler. Of course you'll have to check back to see if I like them as much after the baby is born!!!

Just something to consider...

If you use even just 5 cloth diapers a day it makes a big impact of the diaper buying budget without creating tons of extra laundry.

Use them as the first five of the day, wash them right away and they should be dry and ready to use again by morning!

Cloth Diapers 布おむつ

This week in Baby Signing Time classes we had some great discussions. One was about shoe size for 1-2 yr. olds and the other about cloth diapers.

As far as shoes go we decided that since the feet grow faster than the shoes wear out it is better to get cheap shoes at Nishimatsuya than to invest in designer ones.

Cloth diapers, on the other hand, are something worth investing in. In Japan when you talk about cloth diapers the only thing people know are the old, traditional cloths that you fold and pin. They've never seen or heard of the other options. So, here isa simple and quick education.

All in One (AIO) オールインワン布おむつ

These look like "regular" diapers. The outer layer is often waterproof to prevent leaking while the inside is soft, absorbent cloth. They have build in fasteners and don't require special folding so anyone can use them.

Blueberry is a popular but expensive brand but when you think about how much you'll spend in a month on diapers the price really doesn't look that bad!

Pocket ポケット布おむつ

These have a pocket where you can add extra layers of cloth for absorption

FuzziBunz can be bought through Japanese Amazon.

Covers and Liners 布おむつ カバー ライナー

If you are using the traditional fold it yourself cloth diapers a cover can help provide the protection that you'd get with an All in One diaper. Liners can be added to any cloth diaper. Some companies make special liners that will snap into their brand of diapers. Personally, I love the paper liners from kushies. They can save you a lot of trouble with messy diapers!

http://www.nuno-omutsu.jp/ has great information on using cloth diapers.

ComfyBabyStore offers a great selection of cloth diapers. They even offer a starter set including a sampling of 4 different brands of diapers. I'm thinking of ordering a set for the next baby. ☺

The recommendation for a cloth diaper starter is generally to have 24 diapers on hand. Also, have a bucket to put the dirty diapers in. Keep in mind that some companies offer diapers in various sizes while others have a one-size-fits-all approach.

With the Little Guy I did a combination of cloth and disposable diapers. We were on a pretty tight budget so I bought 12 Kushies Diapers (クーシーズ) in Infant size. At home during the day I used the Kushies and when we went out or at night switched to disposable diapers. Since Little Guy was a big baby he fit the infant size almost from the start. He outgrew them around his first birthday. By that point we were using training pants and pull-up disposable diapers for potty training purposes so I never bought the larger size of cloth diapers.

One final advantage of cloth diapers is that they can be reused. Save them for the 2nd child, pass them on a friend or even re-sell them on an auction site. A bargain shopper can find good, used cloth diapers at very reasonable prices.