Potty Training an Infant??

Your boss is a deluded! Seriously...you poor thing. As if you don't have enough to do!

I wish you buckets of luck...maybe you can spend your bathroom time teaching him advanced physics and developing a cure for Cancer. Nothing like setting the bar high. That kid is mere moments away from some serious qulaity time with Dr. Phil.

Added: Anne-Marie F - It isn't that I don't think it is possible...I think there are much better ways a nanny can be spending ther time enhancing a child's life. If I had to bet...nanny's have a pretty full plate without added the expectations of "certain" parents. I am more of the disposition that children need do things on thier own time...not when it is conveinent for mom and dad, or prescribed by a book. Just because it is possible, doesn't mean it is right.

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Sorry, but that's the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Why are people so eager for their babies to be doing things that most preschoolers have issues with??

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Google 'Elimination Communication' and see what you come up with. It's actually more common than people think and it can be very successful.
Good luck!
Oh, and boys aren't necessarily harder to train. My son potty trained in 3 days while my friend's daughter (same age as my son) took a year and a half to potty train.

I am glad to hear that you are open to the idea and don't dismiss it as stupid. Keep an open mind!

EDIT......I would pass by the ignorant responses by those who have no experience with early potty training. It's too bad that people aren't more educated in alternative practices. Why do elimination communication? Well, what is "stupid, moronic and dumb" about not wanting to pay through the nose for diapers for years on end?
I am grateful for what I have learned on Mamapedia about EC. I never practiced it, but I learned not to look like an idiot by bashing something that I didn't previously have a clue about.

Kudos to you for wanting to think outside the box, AHEM.....I mean *diaper*! :)

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Potty training a 10 1/2 month old boy? Good Luck with that one. Your boss is nuts and completely out of touch with reality. Sorry to be Sally Sour Puss here. It's not going to happen.

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As a halth care professional and a person with a developmental child psychology degree in addition; I PERSONALLY do not believe in it; but it can be done. Many other cultures potty train by 12/18 months. I have friends born in India and when they came here they were just amazed that we have 2 and 3 year olds walking around with diapers. They asked "how lazy are Americans". Now my personal belief is; yes it can be done, just like a puppy is trained. Potty training at one year though, I truly believe is training the parent not the child. A parent can be trained to read the cues and then toliet the child. So it can be done. Would I do my own children; no. What would I do for my "boss" if I were you; go along with their program and if it works then so be it; if not you tried. You can research abit to see the ways other cultures do this. Better yet, you need to talk with your employers and get on the same "plan". Ask them what actions do they want you to take and just follow that plan. Good luck.

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well I never did this. but I remember watching a special on it once on t.v. They said what you are really doing is just training yourself to watch your baby's cues and patterns so you know when they need to go and therefore put them on the potty in time to catch it. They said that no infant is going to walk over to the toilet, pull down their pants, sit, pee or poo, wipe and flush by themselves. Instead you are just doing it all for them and having them do it in the toilet instead of in a diaper. So they said yes in theory there are no more diapers but instead you are constantly on guard to catch it in time. They also said the hard thing at this age is that babies lack the ability to hold their pee for long periods of time. A 2 1/2 or 3 year old can go all night and hours during the day without going to the bathroom but a baby will have to go as soon as they feel the need and can't hold it. So say you are out at the store....you probably won't make it to the public bathroom before that 10 month old goes in his/her pants. Again I have never tried it so I have no idea how it all really works but that is what I remember watching from that special.

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My friend did this, so you can. It's actually harder to potty train the older they get. I've read a lot about it and potty training a 3 year old would probably be much harder then a 10 1/2 month old. My generation was potty trained by 2. Anything later then that was not common.

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I haven't done it myself, but did meet a couple that was European that had a sweet 9 month old that was potty trained. It was amazing to think that this small baby would let them know when he needed to go!They said there was some sort of book they followed...maybe go to amazon.com and type in "infant potty training". Good luck!

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I used to nanny and frankly, I feel your pain. Too many folks (who have the luxury of a nanny) want their nanny to be the to be the parent and it's simply unfair, mostly to the child! If this training happens at all,which I'm not advocating, not because it's not possible because I am familiar with EC, but because this situation is going to be fraught with mixed signals for this kiddo. Any potty training takes time for any & EVERY adult in the picture. My guess is if this "mom" wants you to do it, she's not willing to take the time herself. At the very least, a very BIG pow-wow is in order to get everyone on board.

Much luck to you & your charge,
Airie

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my grandmother potty trained all her kids at one year, but she spanked them...if your boss would like to come to one of my family functions to see how well these people turned out let me know...she may then change her tune....

honestly ask her how shed like you to accomplish this exactly? tell her you have never heard of starting this early and youd love to if she thinks he is ready ...ask her what she does at home to do this????sounds to me shes hoping for a miracle and i doubt shell stick to it on the weekends...

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I was a nanny for twenty years and I had never potty trained a child that young, but I read enough books to know you can. I was potty trained when I was 13 months old along with most of the kids that were born around the same time. I think you should check out some books from the library read about it and search the internet for "the best ways". Then sit down with your boss and ask which method or way you should go. That is what a professional nanny does, reserach, discuss and act.

As to everyone bashing your employer, I always say, every family has their own priorities, it doesn't make them better or worse than other parents, just different priorities. As a nanny, you need to work with your boss to help them raise their children they way they want them to be raise, not how other people or yourself want them to be raised. It's just like working in an office sometimes you have to do what your boss tells you do even if you can do it differntly or better, they want it done they way they want it done.

Good luck!

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I'm guessing she isn't trying to do potty training but more of EC. We have used EC (elimination communication) since my son was 4 weeks old, learned about it while working as a Nurse on an L&D floor. When they are that little its reading his cues that he needs to go, which once you learn are as easy to read as his cues he is hungry or tired! We just don't do it in the USA so its odd to people. We haven't had a poopy diapers since 4 months old. He was able to hold it about 6 hrs at about 6 months old (with a dip when he became mobile) My son was able to make the potty sign language sign at about 10 months when he was ON the potty but didn't give it to me BEFORE hand till closer to 12 months. He has been in trainers since 1 yr old during the day and trainers at night starting 13 months old. At 14 months when he started taking off his clothes we got him his own little potty chair.....he can pull his pants off and go by himself now (16 months) but needs help re-dressing and wiping still. So I don't considered him potty trained because he can't finish dressing or wiping.
So in a way at first it is training the parents....its training us to find baby's cues and respond to them. We get trained to respond/find their hunger cues and their uncomfortable cue and their hunger cue...they also have a need to go cue--we just don't pass that one down generation to generation in the USA. No you don't have to hover over the child, or at least I don't. After a bit you just kind of get this feeling and know they have to go (wow that sounds hipity-dipity LOL) but its true.
30 yrs ago (before disposable diapers) most kids were P.T. by18months/ 2 yrs old, I don't think that our kids are getting dumber thats for sure.

I don't get why people on this board feel the need to not really state anything useful but just bash another mama's choice.... its so sad.

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I don't believe EC is potty training a child it is training a person to take the child to the toilet when they see their cues.

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Thank you Becky W! YES!!! EC is great. I began implementing this technique with my 14 mo. old cloth-diapered son when he was six months old and he's been pooping in the toilet regularly for several months now. I highly recommend it (of course, he still has to be put on there, but he KNOWS exactly what the toilet is for). My mom insists my sister & I were potty trained by 18 months and she says it has always been very common to start right away (she was not born here). Please look into this and don't let the diaper companies tell you any different. Soon they will some out with size 7 diapers if they haven't already! And don't get me started on the chemicals...I'll leave that for another post. Don't give up, A.. Especially with #2 on the way you'll be glad you didn't!

P.S. I also have a middle schooler and to answer your actual question, yes, I was able to successfully potty train him at such a young age. ;)

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Yes it's possible. More than 50% of the world's kids are trained by a year of age (NY Times ran an article a few years ago). And there are huge ecological advantages (whether you use disposables or cloth) and certainly huge aesthetic advantages. Give it a try.

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I had a daycare mom that started sitting her 6 mos old. I thought, whatever, do it at home all you want. By 8 mos the mom told me that the girl would pee every time she was sat now. So, I gave it a shot. Sure enough, put her on the potty, she peed. Pretty cool. By a year old she had consistently dry diapers except after nap time. Peeing and pooping in the potty. I sat her consistently, but no more then I would have changed her diaper. Just instead of changing her, I sat her. By 15 mos she had started walking and I was ready to put her in undies once she got confident at walking. But sadly, the mom's job changed and they left my daycare. The next daycare refused to have her in undies and she reverted back to using a diaper because she was never sat on the potty all day. She didn't get out of diapers till 3 1/2 yrs old.

So, that decided me, I will start my next batch of infants sitting on the potty as early as they can sit up solidly.

Oh, and *I* was not trained. Just like I normally would check her diaper and change it if wet at set times (before and after nap for instance) I changed her and put her on the potty. THERE WAS NO OTHER STEPS, no making noises, no watching for signs, nothing. I would have to pull down her pants and sit her but so, no different then changing her diaper, either way *I* am doing the work.

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Not only does a child have to be able to go to the bathroom and pull pants down, but to communicate that he has to go. I'm guessing this child doesn't say more than a few words. Also, can he even reach the toilet? You may be able to start potty training now, but if it takes a year and a half, is it really worth it?? If you wait til he's physiologically ready, it could take 2 weeks. that seems much easier to me!

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Well, I believe in earlier rather than later for potty training, but a 10 1/2 month old?? Usually you want them to be able to walk to the potty and pull down their own pants. Is he walking and can he do this?

My daughter started walking at 13 months and we started potty training at 14 months. But we took it slow and not stressful. So by the time she was truly able to be at daycare in underpants she was 26 months old.

My mother claims all four of us were trained by 14-16 months (when the next one arrived, lol) and I don't doubt her. But she also said she never left the house, and she watched us constantly so she could put us on the potty at the slightest indication.

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My daughter used her potty on her first birthday...it was her Nani's idea. It took about six months to be completely potty trained though.

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The RESPOND button is working now.
I have read the answers.
I withdraw my suggestion that you ask your employer
to read ALL the answers here.
PLEASE let us know how this works out.

WHAT??? Best of luck to you! You can teach a child anything if they have the right temperment for it. What exactly is the "boss/MOM" going to do to help?

Can he walk or communicate that he needs to go potty?

People in China do it all the time -- many of the babies are trained by 12 months. You have to treat it just like you're housebreaking a dog. Put the baby over the potty and have him learn a cue for when to pee, and then reward with praise. It will take consistency.

Good luck,
D.

no it will only fustrate him.