Have you heard of Elimination Communication toilet training? Here’s a quick explainer...
The thought of potty training before your baby is even able to walk might sound wild, or even like a joke, but for some families, toilet training their babies from birth or soon after is normal, and even expected. In many countries around the world, and for some parents in the UK, babies learning not to rely on nappies just makes sense. Often called Elimination Communication, we’ve gathered some information about it here, so you can decide if it is (or really, really isn’t) right for your family.
There are many reasons people choose to toilet train their babies at a younger age than we might expect. It could be due to a lack of access to nappies, or washing facilities, or to reduce the cost and environmental impact of using disposable nappies.
Can it really be time to think about a potty? Yes, and it's not as scary as it sounds!
It might feel bizarre to see the words ‘potty training’ while your baby is still so small, but advice from ERIC (the UK’s children’s bladder and bowel charity) has recently been updated and now encourages parents to think about ‘potty learning’ from the time their baby can sit up on their own. Here's what you need to know now about this approach which is based on clinical evidence and research compiled by ERIC and their partners.
Potty training is one of the areas of parenting which feels incredibly important, and can be quite daunting. There is a mountain of information out there being shared online, by friends and family and by professionals. The quality of advice, and research, can vary enormously and can also become outdated quickly as new research is carried out.
Imaginative play encompasses learning from just about everywhere
For some time now, your child has been learning about themselves, other people and potentially beings from other worlds. It is becoming easier for them to take on the most amazing imaginative superhuman powers, transforming themselves smoothly into a completely new being in no time at all.
This all happens as they've mastered language, social and cognitive skills, which mean they can play imaginatively for longer stretches of time – sometimes maybe even playing the same game across a few days.
Why everyday chats are great for your toddler’s speech
Learning new words is complicated and involves social, sensory, cognitive, language (and sometimes even physical) skills coming together to support learning. You and other people who are important to your toddler have an important part to play in this learning and these are some of the things we know will help.
Joint attention – or both looking at and talking about the same thing
Moving from words to sentences – what does your toddler need to know (and how can you help)?
Your toddler is beginning to use short sentences when they talk; they might use three or four words – which probably makes understanding what they’re telling you a bit easier! But, as you’ll know if you’ve learnt a new language as an adult, there’s much more to talking than simply knowing the words. So, what does your toddler need to master as they move from words to sentences?
The basics of language terminology and grammar
Strong hands and fingers – how everyday activities support fine motor skills
The vast array of products and toys available for your toddler can be confusing – do they need new things to develop their fine motor skills? The ideas on your activities tab will give you suggestions that are perfect for your toddler – but we thought it might be helpful to highlight some of the simple, everyday things that help develop co-ordination and control.
When we talk about fine motor control, we are talking about being able to co-ordinate movements made with the smaller muscles in our body. But, like so much of development, this control depends on other aspects.
Playing together doesn’t always look like it... especially when you’re looking at toddlers!
Have you noticed your toddler watching other children, copying them but not really getting involved or interacting with the other child? You might even have found that older siblings, or friend’s children, feel frustrated and don’t want to be copied – but your toddler doesn’t seem to want to change how they're playing. This is, in fact, an important stage of your toddler learning how to play with others, called parallel play... and here’s what you need to know about it.
Parallel play is a stage in the development of learning to play with others which was described in 1932 by American sociologist and researcher Mildred Parten.
My toddler’s biting – what should I do?
Many toddlers bite; it might be a one off, or it might happen several times. Either way, if your toddler bites it can feel awful for you – none of us want our child to be responsible for another child being hurt. So, what might be behind a bite and how can you support your toddler in refraining from doing it?
Biting can be one of those subjects that parents avoid talking with other parents about, but if you tell a friend you were horrified when your toddler bit another child at your favourite parent group – you might well find they’ve been there too!
Emotions – innate or constructed – what can you do when scientists don’t agree?
Sometimes the science of child development is presented to us as if researchers agree, but often there is debate about how we understand our children’s learning and development. One area where there is some disagreement is about if we’re born with a core set of emotions or if they are made as a result of our experiences. The question is an interesting one, and the good news is that these different understandings share similar ideas about how we can support our children.
The classic view of emotion
