Potty Training
If Freud taught us anything, it was that early missteps in matters toilet-related can have repercussions later in life. Perhaps that explains the anxiety and multitude of theories on the subject. Dr. Sears is of the "better late than early" school. His take is that as kids' nerves and muscles aren't ready for bladder control and stool retention until nearly two years of age; any attempt to impose earlier toilet-training will likely be futile. Dr. Cohen seconds not fretting over when to toilet-train; he says your child will eventually tire of dirty diapers.
Yet there is a growing movement toward "infant potty-training," or "elimination communication." The idea of a six-month-old using the john may sound nuts to you, but practitioners swear by it. The basic premise is that there are windows of possible potty-training; if a baby doesn't get too used to the concept of going in his diapers, it is easier to stop using them. The method requires you to listen to baby's cues and to be cool with the occasional poop-on-floor mishap. One guide cautions that it will be "three steps back for every step forward." Clearly infant potty-training isn't for everyone, especially not for those with wall-to-wall carpeting or white couches, but if you like the sound of a toilet-trained one-year-old you might want to give it a shot.
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