Early Potty Training

I wonder about following practices just because they are popular as opposed to logical. That's one of the main reasons I chose to give birth naturally, without the drugs. I can understand why this seems strange to the majority of the country, because of its popular and its been working then it must be the right way.

While I was pregnant I came across this website about elimination communication. At the time, S and I had a good laugh. On the surface it seemed that the practice was to have your infant without diapers and clean up after him. The whole idea of "sensing" when he has to go to the bathroom and getting him there in time seemed a little ridiculous.

After Z was born I came across this idea once again. This time I did more research. In the US, children are potty trained after the age of 2, and 1/3 of children are not trained by age 3. Disposable diapers are now made to accommodate children up to 125 pounds. In contrast, the rest of the world's children are trained soon after they learn how to walk. This used to be the same in the US, until a paid spokesperson for the diaper industry "recommended" that disposable diapers should be used until the child was "ready" for the potty. These days, they say it's psychologically damaging to try to train your child too early. I say, what's really damaging is having your child, who at this point is able to walk, talk, and eat by himself, in a dirty diaper. To me it seems logical that if your child is able to communicate with you, and able to sit by himself, he is able to eliminate waste. At a certain point in a child's development, you're either teaching them to go in their diapers or you are teaching them to go in a toilet. I think that waiting to potty train only benefits the diaper industry.
All this was just research until I talked to my mom. I was walking, talking, and potty trained by age 1. Her method? Taking me into the bathroom with her. She recommends starting around seven months, and I am inclined to agree.

Links are below. I really think it's worth taking a quick look.
http://www.pottytraining.com.au/early_potty_training
http://diaperfreebaby.com/

3 months and change

Well baby checkup today:

Weight: 13.5 pounds

Height: 25 inches

Got a shot in his butt.

I'm excited b/c we get to start him on solids at 4 months, starting with rice cereal. Yummy!

He's giggling and rolling over these days. Love him.

2010

New Year's Resolution: Get Shit Done.

I feel like a new person every time I'm even a little bit productive. I finally, finally have a finished resume, at least if I was pursuing a job/career in the accounting field. The "Teaching/Tutoring" resume still needs works. As in, still needs to be created. Been slowly sending out the accounting resume to contacts and networks. Though I do so with a heavy hand.

The question remains the same. Did I really quit my job and career and go traipsing around the world just so that I could come right back to everything I ran away from?

No.

My sleeper

One day Z decided that he wouldn't bother his mommy during the night anymore. He decided that he would go to sleep at 10 and not wake up until the sun came up. At first I thought we'd have to train him to do such a thing. S and I read 12 hours sleep by 12 weeks old. In it they talk about taking it step by step, gradually decreasing the amount you give him at nighttime feedings, while increasing the amount of time he does between feedings. It made sense.

But before we could even try out the techniques outlined in the book, Z skipped ahead of us and started sleeping through the night with no prompting from us. At this point, all we do is put him in his crib around 10, kiss him goodnight, turn on the mobile and night light, and walk away.

And this is how it has been with everything. He's a perfectly content baby, only unhappy when he's got a dirty diaper or needs to be fed. This has allowed S and I to regain a somewhat active social life. We can take him with us anywhere, because he doesn't get fussy. He's also just as calm at his grandparents houses, so we get to leave him when we are going to have a late night out.

Bliss

I try not to be completely unreasonable. The disagreements between S and I are so few and far between (I think this was the second) that we don't even know what each other's fighting styles are. I tend to clam up. I gain a lot of perspective by writing, much more than by talking, when I can easily say things I don't mean. Usually after some time alone I'm ready to forgive or apologize. Or both.

I spent last Tuesday in the Bronx with baby Z. Came home and forgave and forgot. Co-habitational bliss once more.

Z is 8 weeks tomorrow. He's becoming more and more aware of his surroundings. He's awake for longer periods throughout the day and sleeping longer and longer at night. This morning I went to his crib at 9am and found him staring with great interest at his mobile. I turned it on and he was fascinated by the music and movement.

Yesterday I took the subway into the city solo. It was the first time in months and months. Got a haircut. Actually, chopped about 10 inches off. It was damn liberating. Am also in the process of updating my resume and starting a hardcore job hunt. It's been five years since I interviewed for a job and I'm excited. It's nice to have something else on my plate besides dirty diapers.