Potty Training Books

DS and I hit a lull in potty training--I kept missing cues--so I headed to the library to find some books for guidance. I borrowed two books about potty training at a young age and a general book on potty training. The latter was not particularly useful to me, though it did include a chapter about how older children can be potty-trained in one day, which makes me wistful until I remember it would suck to be a baby stuck in a lumpy diaper for several years.

The other books gave me the boost I needed - Potty Training Your Baby by Katie Warren did not rate high on Amazon but I appreciated the author's positive attitude towards potty training and parenting. It was also refreshing to read a non-EC account of how you can potty train your child early (potty training secrets have been passed down in her family from generation to generation). Unlike EC, however, Warren says that babies should wait until they can sit on their own before getting started.

The Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh is great for anyone going the EC route. Gross-Loh has suggestions for EC-ers starting out at different stages - newborn, middle infancy, mobile baby and toddler. She also elaborates on what it means to be a full-time, part-time or occasional EC-er, which helps to take the pressure off of parents who think they need to be practicing EC 24-7. She reviews concepts like EC "on-the-go" and how to EC at night, and also lets parents off the hook if they don't want to EC at those times. Finally, the book includes a helpful resource section listing online retailers selling EC (and babywearing) gear, potty training and parenting support groups on Yahoo and elsewhere online, and publications about EC.

So I'm reinvigorated and have launched back into part-time EC-ing with a vengeance. Takeaways from both books: don't stress, keep it fun, and go with the flow. Another added benefit of early potty training which both authors mention is that it makes you more attuned to your child and creates a unique bond between parent and child, similar to teaching him/her any new skill. It's creating a bond between Grandma and grandson as well!