Infant potty training is supposed to be one of those stressful parenting jobs you have to do and as a parent to a 2 and a half year, I was always worried about this aspect of parenting. Luckily though my son was absolutely fantastic, and with every decision I have made with my son, it was very easy going to get him to use the potty, in fact he chose to himself.

Just before I go into my potty training experience, I just wanted to give some background to it all. My son wore cloth diapers until he was about 1 years old. I really enjoyed using the cloth diapers, but I couldn’t afford to get pull-up cloth diapers in order to continue using them and as my son started walking at 10 months he was just getting annoyed with me laying him down to change. I decided to use cloth at night and then eco disposables during the day, which was a hard decision for me, but my son was happy to throw on a pull-up and not happy to have to lay down and wait for a diaper to be put on him. I wish I could have found the money to buy pull-up reusables but even ebay didn’t have any. I was using prefolds which are extremely cheap and pull-up styles are about 10 pounds/15 dollars just for one and my son is a heavy wetter – having lots of changes a day.

I thought changing to disposables during the day would be a bad thing in terms of potty training because I had read a lot about cloth diapers being better for potty training because your child has already experienced the wetness and this will help. I now believe that this doesn’t really mean anything when it comes to potty training.

Anyway I did some reading and discovered elimination communication, which I think I may try with my next child. With what I read I decided to introduce the potty but my son showed no interest and I decided that it was too much trouble to try and force it. I am glad I did because when he turned 2, he suddenly got this interest in using the toilet. From that moment on he has initiated using it and uses it all the time now (at 2 and half). At first he would pick and choose when using it but I didn’t mind I just let him get on with what he wanted to do, and now he HAS to use it. He isn’t trained at night yet but he is completely trained during the day and I didn’t do it he did it himself.

I think that we need to take more cues from our children and have faith in their ability to pick things up on their own. I have always been really laidback with my son and I think this has been to my advantage. While I have seen others getting stressed and flustered over making sure their child is doing something by a certain age, I haven’t worried and now my son is potty trained but because he chose to not because I decided it was time.

When our baby won’t stop crying it can cause us to feel anxious, frustrated and even make us angry. We can feel utterly helpless and guilty that we are doing something wrong. In times like this, when you feel utterly helpless and your child won’t stop crying you need to develop some strategies in order to take care of yourself.

Helping calm and soothe yourself will help center you so you can figure out what is going on with your baby and what to do.

Things to consider when coping with a crying, colicky baby:

Recognize your limits and accept them – You are only human and we all have limits. Recognizing the warning signs for when you are feeling overwhelmed and are about to be pushed over the edge will help you to plan ahead for extra help or a break before it is too late! Planning and being able to give yourself five minutes because you recognized signs will help you be a better mother. Sometimes you may only need five minutes, other times it may be a talk from your loved ones. Recognizing when you need it is important in ensuring you don’t freak out and you maintain a healthy relationship with your baby.

Reach out for support – Enlist as many family members as you can in helping to look after your new baby. Years ago most people lived close to their families and often were still living together under one roof. Everyone helped each other. Today we have all become very isolated, so if you are fortunate enough to have family about you who are willing to help take advantage of it. It is great for your baby to become accustomed to grandparents, aunts, uncles etc. It will also help you get the rest you need and to get on with other things that need your attention. Just knowing you have some help is enough to help you relax a little and realize you are not alone.

You don’t have to be Little Miss Perfect – Being a parent will show you that trying to be perfect is impossible. We are human, we make mistakes and we can’t be perfect at being a parent all the time. We need our own space too and you shouldn’t feel guilty for it. Realize that part and parcel of parenting is the fact that you will fail sometimes and that’s ok.

With these few things in your mind, you should be able to cope better with your new bundle of joy because you recognize your limitations and help at hand. Babies are all different and it can take time to recognize their cues and own little signals. While you are working it out, it is good to get the support you need.