The Diaper-Free Baby_ The Natural Toilet Training Alternative - Christine Gross-Loh [65]
—MARIE, MOM TO AIDAN, 29 MONTHS
Recently I took my son, Zane (who was fourteen months at the time), to do some grocery shopping. Zane had been sleeping during the ride over but woke up when we arrived at the store. As soon as I took him out of the car seat, he made the potty sign. I wasn’t sure we’d make it all the way to the bathroom (we were still far and I didn’t know where the bathroom was), but I told him I’d try. I took him there, but just as we were about to go inside, someone stepped in ahead of us. We waited and got bored. Just as we started wandering away, Zane started making the sign again, so we tried again—and again someone got in line before us. I was sure he would have just given up and gone in his pants, but no; when he finally went, he happily peed!
—KAREN, MOM TO ZANE, 16 MONTHS
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EC’ing a Toddler in a Public Restroom
With toddlers, sometimes a new issue with public restrooms will rear its head. Toddlers may be getting heavy for the in-arms position, but may not be willing to sit on a strange toilet. Here are some things you can do:
Take your child into public restrooms frequently so he gets used to them
Have your child pee in a Potty Bowl or container in the restroom
If your child is a boy, start cueing him to pee standing up into the toilet (if he’s too short, you can lift him up a few inches) or else into a little bottle or cup near the toilet (again, while standing)
Bring along your own portable toilet seat reducer insert or a portable potty that your child is comfortable with
Have a stash of seat covers or wipes in your bag to clean off and cover the toilet seat before your child sits down
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EC AND TRAVEL
When traveling with your toddler, EC may fall into place even better—or it may not. Many parents do find that having some free time to focus on their children makes EC proceed more smoothly, but children can be thrown off course by travel, planes, time changes, new bathrooms, and so forth. Consider bringing your child’s favorite toilet insert or potty along.
I also want to note that sometimes jet lag or a time change, especially if it’s a considerable difference, can cause a change in your child’s patterns. As his body adjusts to the new time, there can be temporary bed-wetting when there was none previously. This is normal, and you should plan for the possibility accordingly.
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EC’ing Your Toddler at Night
Some of you may notice that your toddler is now dry for longer stretches (being dry for most or all of the night is not that uncommon). On the other hand, others of you may find that your child is wetting heavily at night or waking up to go to the bathroom. As I’ve said in previous chapters, how you choose to handle nighttime EC is up to you. Some parents prefer to diaper their babies and toddlers at night in order to prioritize long stretches of sleep, whereas other parents may keep their children in training pants or underwear and take them to the bathroom to assist them in staying dry. Some parents find that their toddlers stay dry at night if they potty them once late in the evening (several hours after their child has gone to sleep; perhaps right before you are about to go to bed). Amazingly, some children can be taken to the toilet or potty in their sleep without waking up at all (one of my sons was this way), whereas other children will wake up completely if their parents disturb them (my other son was like this!). I found that with both of my children, the period of time when I needed to assist them at night was relatively brief, since they became dry at night fairly early on, although there were periods during both of their second years when they would again need to pee at night. If your baby happens to be