on TV now, alternative to nappies

bylromarha

http://www.itv-thismorning.co.uk/HealthArticle.aspx?fid=296&tid=2

Here's the This Morning take on it.

bylromarha

Just Googled Mara Lee, and it turns out she is the editor of Practical Parenting.

I guess there's one article she won't be putting in her magazine...and if she was talking negatively about reuseable nappies, I wonder how many reuseable agents will withdraw their advertising budget from her magazine? Lots I hope, as she still appears to subscribe to the environment agency report conclusions, the fool.

Alleycat

Thanks Bylromarha for that link. Though its made me really cross at how scathing that Mara Lee woman is. Such complete negativity and some of her comments were just plain rude.

Threadhead

I think one of the other things that makes "normal" society raise their eyebrows, is that the mother is a hypnotherapist. A lot of people (not me!) just think that is odd. We use baby sign language with our daughter (she's nearly 17 months) with a lot of success - but most people we have told about it seem to think it cant work.

I suppose, in short, what i am saying is - Anything a little bit different makes people suspicious.

Jay-Jay_4

Threadhead wrote:

I think one of the other things that makes "normal" society raise their eyebrows, is that the mother is a hypnotherapist. A lot of people (not me!) just think that is odd. We use baby sign language with our daughter (she's nearly 17 months) with a lot of success - but most people we have told about it seem to think it cant work.

I suppose, in short, what i am saying is - Anything a little bit different makes people suspicious.

I've succesfully used sign language with both of mine and agree that the general opinion is that it's a waste of time but that can be disproved when your baby tells you that it wants a drink or a yoghurt at 12 months of age without having to whinge, whine or cry.

My feelings on the nappy-free thing is that it seems to serve no purpose apart from being able to say "my child's out of nappies". I'd be happy to be advised otherwise though.

Alleycat

Well, theres less poo to scrape off the nappies, which is always a bonus. Plus I feel that by starting now when she is still pretty young (and hopefully relatively impressionable, lol!) she is getting the idea that the place to go to the loo is on the potty, to progress to the toilet when she is big enough.

I was umming and ahhing about doing it, but heard some very positive stories of others who have tried EC. The main push was watching my friend toilet training her nearly 3 year old. She has tried pretty much everything, has waited until she felt her dd was ready, putting her on the loo on the hour every hour (as per a lot of toilet training books/articles/advice from HV etc), sticker charts, sheer bribery etc but is still struggling. Her dd seems perfectly happy to wander about with a dirty nappy proclaiming "mummy, I did a poo"! She is getting desperate now as the nursery her dd is due to start in January have refused to take her until she is 'dry'. I just don't want to have to go through all that when by starting early and Jess getting the idea that poos and wees are done on a potty/toilet means I won't necessarily have to.

She is never forced to sit on the potty if she doesn't want to. If she isn't happy I take her off, pop a nappy on or leave her bare bummed for a while if its warm enough and try her again a bit later. We are really only doing this part-time due to busy life etc, but we are already seeing a difference. I usually sing songs to her, blow bubbles, look at a book etc.

Alley

HappySad

I remember an friend from my past saying that their baby sister used to wee on the potty. They used to make a sound when she weed and then just use this sound when they wanted her to wee over the potty.

As for signing. My son signed at 12months and it was great because he could say that he wanted a drink of water or milk or his dummy without crying for it. He is now 2years old and still uses the signs. We watch the CBeeBies "Something Special" and have learnt more signs together. He now signs and says the word at the same time.

I feel that being more in tuned with your baby is a great thing. If she wants to take her child to the potty when signs are showing then good for her. For me I would take the easy option for me and stick to nappies.

I am too much of a heavy sleeper and risk rolling over my son when he was a baby; so we put in striaght into a cot from birth. I feel that it must be so comforting for a new baby to sleep next to his parents rather than being in a separate cot. You get the natural warmth and company while you sleep.

jellyhead

i agree, it sounds great. splodge comes into our bed halfway through the night, usually he wants a bottle at 4am but he's been drinking half of it and last night he didn't have it at all, he just wanted a cuddle. i realise some people don't agree with that, i'm told 'you're making a rod for your own back' but if he wants a cuddle in the middle of the night he gets one. i sleep with my husband and can roll over and put my arm around him if i want to - why should my baby be lonely?

i had a migraine and slept heavily last night though (after taking pills), twice i awoke to find my mouth on baby's head and he has teeth marks!! can't believe how stupid i was, if i do take the pills again i'll sleep elsewhere, my husband will cuddle the baby.

Alleycat

Hi Jellyhead,

How old is splodge? Looks very cute in your avatar!

Alley

Lillibet_2

I have spent time in China where infant toilet training is the norm, I didn't see many young children with thier bums hanging out of their clothes though, as another poster saw! The parents just seemed to know when the babies needed to go & held them over a drain (or more commonly the local river! Yes, really, and it was the only source of water in the village too!) as needed. I didn't see any children with particually soiled clothes even though it was a desperately poor area (they wouldn't have been able to afford nappies even if they were available). I believe that to initally train the babies the parents used a cue sound (sushing & raspberries usually) when the child started to go and once the child associated the sound with going at around 3-4 months ogf age the parents could use the sound to instruct the child that it was time to go instead of waiting to catch it unexpctedley. It was actually very simple & effective, toddlers took care of their own toilet requirements themselves almost as soon as they could walk. However this is also a society where infants spend every second of their time with a family member, usually mum or grandmother and mostly in a sling or carry pack as babies, until they start school at 3 1/2, and "going out" is a twice daily occurance which is actually a break from working to collect the ingredients for the next meal or two, from a neighbouring farm or very basic local market where going to the loo in a gutter wouldn't be noitced anyway.

Can't say I fancied trying it with a newborn & will stick with nappies for a while yet!