Introduction: I'm not weird or crazy, I swear

I heard about a method/book called "potty training from birth". I haven't read the book nor plan to. I'm not much into reading books about pregnancy or parenting. I think they fill your head with false expectations and then you beat yourself up or worry when things don't pan out just like the book tells you.** (see disclaimer below).

So I was interested in what I heard: other cultures potty train much early than the United States. Here is a NY Times article if anybody wants to learn more. Yes, this article focuses on infants. And no, I would never ever in a million years potty train an infant. No desire. Looks way too time intensive and let's be honest it's a little creepy sounding.

But what about an 11month old in the crawling-early-walking-stage?

Could it simply be social pressures that tell you to wait until your child is 2-3 before attempting to potty train? My mom said all of us kids were potty trained by the time we were 18 months--and most of my peers as well. What ever happened to that? I know, I know...diapers are more absorbent, more comfortable, and cheaper nowadays, pediatricians say you shouldn't push your child, emotional battles, etc.

I wanted to see for myself. Can I potty train Amaryllis while in the crawling stage? If so, how hard will it be? She is at the ripe age of 11 months--a sponge--learning things so quickly, watching everything I do, mimicking, curious, and...

...here is the key: her toddler defiance & independence hasn't quite set in.

So I'm going to try.

Don't judge me--I'm not one of those weird hippie moms. I don't follow every parenting trend nor do I try and be cool by dismissing them all. I'm not a granola tree hugger or a penny pincher. I don't have gobs of free time. No hidden agenda. I swear I'm a normal, every-day suburban gal and I invite you to come with me on a potty-training experiment.

I'm going to keep these blog posts short because h-e-l-l-o. I'm a mom of a toddler, work part time, have a social life and other things to do then sit around and blog about potty training! However I know there are some of you who are interested so I'll give the blog a shot.

But seriously. Don't judge and if this blog abruptly ends and I feel like the whole potty training thing can wait awhile, then don't make me feel like a failure by asking me every time we meet how the potty training is going :)


***Disclaimer: I make an exception for a sleep training book called Healthy Habits, Happy Child which was recommended by a friend. It worked wonders for us and Amaryllis sleeps from 6pm-7:30am! That's 13.5 hours. Don't be jealous.