Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.
Potty training in China is different.
Shakespeare says, “Every world’s a stage.”
In China, every corner is a potty. Or garden or gutter. In India as well.
As soon as kids become mobile or as soon as the parents can recognize signs that the baby is about to go, the parents aim the baby toward an appropriate target to, um, let go.
Done right parents can:
1. eliminate diaper rash and infections from diapers
2. save a ton of money on NOT buying diapers
3. can less-fill land fills with the disposables
4. not have to wash clothes so much
5. not need to teach kids to learn to pay attention to body signals
6. not see their big kids running around in soiled diapers
7. not have to change really stinky diapers.
Learning to go potty early doesn’t change the baby’s life nearly as much as it changes the lives of the parents.
The key, of course, is for the mommy or daddy to be sensitive to when the baby has to go and be ready to act.
And in any event, at some point the little guy has to learn how to clean up themselves once they have done their duty.
Going full circle, I wonder why they have open back ends in hospital gowns for big people.