Hi! I gave a talk to
Hackney mums and dads at the Nappuccino at Hackney Central Library last Friday about my practice of BLPT (Baby-Led Potty Training). I wanted to
share my experience of this technique with other parents first-hand to raise
awareness of it and help change the cultural norms around babies wearing
nappies 100% of the time.
To my surprise, a
show of hands revealed that around 40% of the folks there had heard of BLPT in
some form and several people were already interested in trying it. One participant
even said that her mum had done BLPT with her when she was a baby! Others had
never even heard of it and were interested to hear something new. Everyone
seemed impressed at the basic messages of BLPT as a huge waste-reducer for
environmental friendliness, no big and sudden change of message when the child
reaches an age where it seems they should no longer wear a nappy, and it costs
nothing-100% free to do!
I wanted to post
some of the questions that I got asked as it’s likely that they will be relevant
to other parents so here goes and I hope that you will find this helpful:
Q: Where do I start
with BLPT?
A: The whole
practice starts with nappy-free time. If you do some nappy-free time each day
it gives you a chance to observe your baby’s signals and what they naturally do
around when they pee or poo. They may give a small cry, or squirm or make a
particular face or go very still. This will help you to tune into your baby’s
toilet needs when they are dressed and gets the baby used to the causal nature
of peeing making them feel wet and so on. Disposable nappies in particular are
very effective at wicking the moisture away from a child’s skin so in nappies they
may not have a sense that they have peed at all. BLPT doesn’t just foster a
line of communication between parent and child about toilet needs it helps the
child to be responsive to their own body. This is my main reason for practicing
BLPT.
Q: Do you use sounds
to help the child understand what to do?
A: Absolutely. Once
you hold the baby in position over the potty, you make a ‘cueing’ sound: a
‘ssss’ or ‘ssshhhh’ for a pee and a grunt for a poo. My mom was pretty
mortified when I told her about the grunting, but she gave it a go and was very
pleased with herself when it worked. Some people run the tap as the sound of
running water can help. BLPT also goes really well with a sign language
practice so that once children start signing back (typically from 9-14 months),
they can simply make the potty sign to tell you they need to go. Creating communication
around their toilet needs will naturally become a 2-way process once you are in
the habit of using the potty with your baby. They’ll tell you if they want to
go or not! You can get free baby sign videos on YouTube but do be aware that
British Sign Language is different from American Sign Language, so make sure
you are doing the one you want to practice. It’s a nice thing to do with your
baby anyhow.
Q: Do you find that
you spend hours and hours holding the baby over the potty?
A: In the early months,
you’re at home a lot anyway. When the baby is so small, the BLPT relies on the
reflex of the child’s reacting to the sensation of fresh air. This is why
babies often pee once you have removed their nappy for a change. Instead of
doing the double dab (particularly for little boys), removing the nappy to let
cool air in and then holding it back over so you don’t get pee in your face, you
can pop the kid on the potty and catch it in there. It is not the idea to
simply hold the baby in position for as long as it takes them to go. Sing a few
songs to your baby to help them (and you) relax and if it comes, it comes. It
takes practice! The curiosity to give it a try will mean you don’t perceive it
as time-consuming, rather as just another activity that you do with your child
as part of your routine.
Q: What do you do
about night-time?
A: There are
different approaches. Some people prefer not to do night-time BLPT and dry
nights are among the last things to fall into place with a lot of kids. If you
do want to do BLPT at night, just lie the baby on a sheepskin or soaker pad and
when the baby wakes to feed, use the occasion for a potty moment. Day or night,
a pattern emerges for your child’s natural preferences and these patterns will
change as the baby grows. Like with most things with children, it’s best not to
take a rigid approach but to do what works for you and be flexible.
Q: How does it work
if you are sending your child to nursery?
A: You have to bear
in mind when you set out to do BLPT that it is not the cultural norm and so
nurseries are unlikely to make provision for this preference, particularly with
very young babies. If your child starts nursery or other childcare once you
have already established a BLPT practice, you could advocate for your key
worker to include this in your child’s routine. You never know, the childcare
professional may already have experience of BLPT or similar. Stranger things
have happened and you don’t know if you don’t ask! In any case, you could keep
nappy-free time and offering the potty at a couple of times consistently, perhaps
at the beginning and end of the day, to keep BLPT in the mix. It’s your child
and your practice so you have to navigate the situation as you think best and
be realistic.
Q: Where can I learn
more about this?
A: I learned about
BLPT after we experienced a friend taking her (pre-verbal) 18 month old to the
loo when he told her he needed to go. We were totally astonished and she filled
us in- it’s not witchcraft, it’s Elimination Communication! (That’s what they
call it in the US.)
I read a book by
Ingrid Bauer that I was handed down by my sister when I got pregnant (my sister
had it handed down among many other pregnancy books and had never read it). I
then asked my friend who had done EC/BLPT for a tip and she recommended reading
and contacting Andrea Olsen. I have recently heard about Amber Hatch through
the Real Nappy Network and she is a UK-based practitioner who has a book out.
So there’s plenty of info out there if you’d like to know more.
I can be contacted
via Hilary at Real Nappies for London if you have questions. If you’d like to come and
chat with me in person I will be doing a
little talk at the next Hackney Nappuccino, (run by the Hackney Real Nappy Network) on Fri 23 Oct October 10.30-12 Hackney Central Library with BLPT talk at 11am.
Julie Rose Bower
Julie Rose Bower
