CAN I STILL START IF MY BABY IS 6 MONTHS OR OLDER?
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The good news is that if this method resonates, if it sounds right for you and your baby, yes, it is fine to give it a try (despite all the scare tactics to the contrary). Although the first and most effective window of learning ends around age 4-5 months, other windows of learning open at different times during a child's development. For example, many babies are again ready for toilet learning around the age of 8-12 months, 18 months and/or 24 months. Since each child is unique, there is no way to know for sure when your baby will again be receptive to toilet learning once she is older than 5 months.
The current trendy philosophy is to wait until baby self-trains at the age of 2 years or older, implying that there is absolutely nothing a parent can or should do about toilet learning until that time. This is absolutely false! And while it is true that many two-year-olds self-train, it is certainly not the case with all babies. Many never self-train at all. Indeed, parents and daycare staff are devastated to find themselves still diapering children at 4 and 5 years of age.
One way to look at IPT is as a sort of insurance policy in that you know that your baby will gain elimination awareness and control at or before the age of 24-30 months. It is not a contest to see who can toilet train their baby at the youngest age. Rather, it is about communication, responsiveness and personal beliefs. It is a lifestyle choice.
If your baby is 6 months or older, you'll need to make some modifications to the traditional infant potty training (IPT) method. It is usually (but not always) harder to start with a mobile baby who has been "trained" to go in a diaper or who wears disposables and does not associate the feeling of wetness with elimination.
