babies are smart!
The philosophy of infant potty training recognizes how very intelligent babies are! As many care takers around the world can attest to, babies are indeed aware of eliminations. To us, it makes sense that babies are aware of the physical discomfort and feelings surrounding their elimination needs. It feels uncomfortable when your bladder or bowels are full, and it can feel good to relieve yourself of this fullness.
Infant potty training is often considered to be an element of the attachment parenting (“AP”) philosophy. AP is a parenting philosophy popularized by the pediatrician and author William Sears that encourages care givers to develop a secure and trusting attachment during childhood by being physically and emotionally close with their child. Proponents of AP encourage parents to practice the elements of attachment parenting through breastfeeding, baby wearing and co-sleeping (Attachment Parenting International, 2011). Since infant potty training relies on a care taker recognizing cues from the baby and responding accordingly, IPT can be a natural extension of this type of close proximity style parenting.
Communication is an integral part of IPT/EC. This type of potty philosophy believes that babies are born aware of elimination functions and focuses on encouraging this awareness through communication between baby and parents. Furthermore, while a result of infant potty training is becoming potty trained, the philosophy of IPT is centered around meeting and responding to your child’s needs.
