My first was horrible. Not only was I learning what to do, but she is deaf and the communication was just not there. She did finally figure out what she was supposed to do, but we also later learned that she has neurological problems that delayed messages to her brain. So her biggest problem was getting to the bathroom fast enough once her brain got the message that she needed to go! I say all this to let you know that I understand having children that have other issues surrounding their potty training.

My second born, and only son, was one of those that potty trained himself. I can take very little credit for this one. He decided around his second birthday that going potty on yourself was disgusting. He cried if he ever had an accident. So I have had one of these too.

My third, we did the whole wait-until-your-ready philosophy. Ugh! She is 8 years old now and we are still working on it. I do have to admit that I think she has some autistic-type behaviors that have contributed to this, but I also think that if I had started earlier she would have had a better chance of figuring things out a little earlier. This child needed detailed instructions EVERY time she used the potty. (And she still has her chart in the bathroom.) Using the potty is baby steps for her. First it was going IN the potty. Next it was learning to wipe oneself. After that was mastered we moved on to flushing. Finally we moved onto washing hands. It was a real process!

So when the fourth child was born, I was determined to do a better job! I got to thinking . . . when you want to break a toddler’s habits you do it at age 1. If you want to say bye-bye to the pacifier, you make it disappear around 12 mo. If you want to transition from a bottle to sippy cup, you do it at 12 mo. Why? Well a child’s memory isn’t fully developed yet, so they easily forget these habits and it makes transition easier for everyone. But just waiting six months and you have a hard habit to break. So I figured I could potty train at 12 mo too! Why get them into a habit of going potty in their pants? A habit that would become acceptable and comfortable.

So at 12 mo, I introduced my baby to the potty chair. At home we let her run around naked and when she started dripping, we ran her to the potty to finish her business. If anything landed in the potty, she got a reward (we have used M&M’s, choc chips, goldfish, and stickers). It only took 2 months for her to really get the hang of it. She was still having accidents but she was trying to get to the potty. I have to note in here that we also used cloth diapers on this child, which I think helped. The wetness was truly wet and encouraged a great dislike for being wet. By 18 months she was potty trained. Very few accidents, if any. She could hold it until we got to the potty, even at the store. We do still carry a portable potty in the car for those emergencies when there isn’t a nearby potty. Now she does have moments of regression, but not physically. Just by choice. Just recently we had a lot of company over and she started peeing on the floor. But it wasn’t because she was too busy to notice. She noticed and wanted everyone else to notice too! Ugh! But on these regressions, it never takes much to get her back in the act. I also want to note, that this is not parent training. I do not take her to the bathroom on a schedule. I do not ask her if she needs to go all day long. She tells me when she needs to go. And now at age 2, she can tell me what she needs to do in the potty.

So many people ask me how I got my toddler so well potty trained, so I thought I would share my stories. I hope I gave you some ideas. If your child is already past that 12 month stage – don’t fret! Consistency is key and try to keep frustration at a minimum. And let them feel wet! Pull-ups create a drier environment and make it comfortable for the child to go potty on themselves. We use pull-ups only when in town to reduce embarrassment issues, but we only go to town twice a week. I tried using the cloth diapers in town, but found it really difficult to put them on and off quickly in public restrooms.

Today I am going to discuss why I choose cloth over disposable diapers. We didn’t step off into “cloth land” until our fourth child arrived, but wish I would have done it sooner. I will admit that I use disposable the first few weeks of life due to the fact that they need very frequent diaper changes and that lovely meconium. Plus you are adjusting to this new life, so why bother with washing cloth diapers too? Just my opinion.

But with a breastfed baby, washing diapers is easy! I keep a pail next to the changing area and toss them in there. At the end of the day I run them thru the wash. The trickiest part of using cloth diapers in not messing up the PH, which would cause diaper rash. But using a mild soap usual fixes this. I make my own homemade laundry detergent and it always did a fantastic job. Periodically I would pour a little vinegar in there to kill the ammonia smell. I also used a homemade diaper wipe solution to keep the bacteria down. Of course you can use this if you are using disposables too!

If you buy a high quality diaper you will be able to use them thru more than one child. You don’t save a lot of money if you have to buy a new set of diapers every time you have another baby. But if you can reuse them, then you save a bunch of money. Plus think of all the landfills that aren’t getting full of those stinky diapers!

Another thing cloth was great for was potty training. The child learns to dislike being wet and thus potty trains earlier. I recommend introducing your child to the potty at 12 months old. It takes dedication, but it is so worth it! My now 22 mo old rarely has an accident. By 14 mo she knew what she was supposed to do, it just took some training (and some bribery, aka M&M’s) to curb the accidents.

There are many cloth diaper choices that it can seem overwhelming. I only sell one brand as it is the brand I have the most experience with. I don’t want to sell something that I don’t know much about. Diaper Swappers and Diaper Pin are great places to start your research. The diapers All Things Granola sells are Ariana Clothesline, made by a stay-at-home mom. I found the elastic to last. I used the hemp diapers and found them to be very absorbent. I also have two of her new fleece covered diapers to try out with the next baby. At first I bought a bunch of used diapers from varying brands. Some had pitiful elastic, some had velcro (yuck), some leaked all over, and some were just too bulky.

So don’t be scared to step off into the world of cloth diapers. They are fun too – you can pick all kinds of colors or patterns. And feel free to ask questions.

In a air tight container add:

1/2 cup distilled water

1 t Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Castile Liquid Soap

6 drops of Young Living Tea Tree (Melaleuca) Oil

Mix and add your cloth wipes. This recipe also works if you are making disposable wipes from paper towels.

The Lavender smells good and kills bacteria. The Tea Tree is anti-fungal and kills the yeast. It works great!