Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Diaper-Free Baby Movement

This strikes me as insane. These folks believe that it is possible to potty train a child from birth if one properly reads the intentional, non-verbal cues that a child expresses when it wishes to eliminate.
My experience is limited to one child, which may not be a representative sample, but I do not see how it is possible for an infant to be aware of and control its excretions, let alone communicate them.

6 comments:

doodlebugmom said...

(I have to admit, I did not read the article. I bet I can get the just of it from your post.)

Its not the child that's trained, its the parent. When my kids were babies, sure I spent all my time with them, but I had better things to do than sit them of the pot all day long.

Even if a child knows they are going to go, that doesn't mean they have the muscle or the mental development to control it.

A wise doctor once told me: You do what you can, but the child is the only one that decides when he will eat, poop, and sleep. Don't stress about things you can't control.

I thought about that advice many times over the years. And I think my kids turned out really well :)

Anonymous said...

One doctor told us that he spent time in the caribbean and they had their children trained by six months. He said that the economy was the key factor. They couldn't afford diapers, so they were forced to learn. Most Americans can afford diapers that keep babies feeling comfortable and dry so that there is little need to learn. In fact, we train them to only feel comfortable going in their diaper.

While I think that is all technically true, we have waited until our two year old expressed an interest in potty training, and now we have begun the process. I sure hope he catches on quick :)

James R. Rummel said...

Good post.

James

The Ironic Catholic said...

I agree with Doodlebugmom--but I can't see doing it myself unless I had no other choice. Esp since my husband treats kiddie urine like radioactive waste, I cant see this going well.

John said...

Hmm. Good point about developing nations. The disposable diaper -- shoot, even the reusable diaper -- is a fairly recent invention in world history.

My parents have talked about their time in Venezuela when babies simply wandered about bottomless, eliminating the need for diapers.

Unknown said...

great post
keep it up!!

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