When it came to toilet training, one mom didn’t hang about.
A California woman has been branded “abusive” for potty-training her infant daughter — but she says it’s kinder than letting her newborn sit in a dirty diaper all day.
Just eight weeks after giving birth to Aya, Alexis Abdelaziz started teaching her how to use the loo. This is around 16 months earlier than most children learn.
In an essay for Newsweek, Abdelaziz defended her decision, saying: “Potty-training immediately made sense to me because I did not want my daughter sitting in her stool all day. I feel that it’s more hygienic and respectful for her to signal to me. If I find that this form of communication is ever putting my daughter in discomfort, I will stop, but as of now, I believe that she loves it.”
Aya, who is now five months old, consistently waves her hand at her mother to signal that she needs to go to the bathroom.
Most children begin potty training between 18 and 24 months, but many may not begin until as young as three years old in some cases.
More details from AWM:
Alexis first began potty training the infant by placing her over a bucket. Although the process has been challenging for the young mother, she claims that she “hasn’t stopped once” and will not give up the process until her daughter, Aya, can use the bathroom independently like a big girl.
“Every day, she gets more consistent with it and understands it better,” the young mom said.
Alexis takes her daughter to the toilet at regular times throughout the day. Her program includes bringing Aya to the potty when she wakes up, after each feeding, and before they leave the house or go to bed.
“Typically, I will ask her if she needs to go to the toilet and show her a card of a toilet, and then I will take her to the toilet,” Alexis said.
According to Mayo Clinic, if parents teach their children to go to the toilet too early, the training can take longer.
Despite the recommended age to dispose of the diapers, Abdelaziz has sworn by her parenting technique. She used something called the elimination communication technique, which is based on the idea that children use sign language to tell parents when to go to the bathroom.
The mother-of-one has trained her toddler consistently and successfully, who now uses baby sign language to signal when to go to the bathroom.