Babies can use the potty!

We’re excited to bring you the next blog by our fab Potty Training Expert and children’s nurse – Rebecca Mottram…

Many parents are surprised to learn that in much of the world, babies don’t rely on nappies in the way we do. Instead, caregivers use a responsive approach sometimes called baby pottying, or natural infant hygiene. This simply means helping babies use a potty some of the time, often from birth, in a way that supports communication, connection, and independence.

While it may sound surprising, this approach is clearly supported by child development science and can actually help make potty training a smoother process when the time comes. 

What is baby pottying?

Baby pottying is not about expecting babies to be “potty trained”. It’s about offering gentle, routine-based opportunities to become familiar with using a potty alongside the use of nappies as needed.

Most babies show clear signals when they are about to wee or poo, such as the classic “poo face”, or getting wriggly or fussy.  By learning to recognise these signals yourself, you can help your baby use a potty when they need to go.

Human beings are not designed to wee and poo while lying down. The ideal position is squatting which allows the bladder and bowel to fully empty. Helping your baby get into the best position not only aids the healthy development of their bladder and bowels but research shows it helps prevent constipation, alleviates colic and reduces overall fussiness.

Benefits of helping your baby use a potty

Helping your baby use a potty some of the time helps them develop skills as they go along at their own pace. In this way, it’s very much aligned with how your child will be learning other things like talking and walking. Baby pottying has a number of key benefits:

·       Promotes healthy bladder and bowel function

·       Helps prevent constipation and digestive discomfort

·       Encourages early communication skills

·       Supports physical development and coordination

·       Fosters confidence and independence

·       Reduces reliance on nappies over time

·       Aligns with sustainability goals and eco-conscious practice

But perhaps most importantly - it can be a moment of shared connection, just like feeding, cuddling, or nappy changing.

“We started just once a day after naps and to my surprise, it worked! Now it’s just something we do, like story time or snack time.” – Lewis, parent

This kind of feedback is common. Once you start to see how easy it is, helping your baby use the potty sometimes can be a positive, low-pressure part of daily life.

It’s good for the environment too!

Most disposable nappies and wipes are made of synthetic materials which take approximately 500 years to biodegrade. By the time your child is two, you could have sent an average of 4,000 nappies to landfill! This is a pretty horrifying number considering how many babies there are.

Of course, brands like Pura are helping to change that with products made from plant-based materials that are much better for the planet. So even while you're still using nappies, you can feel good knowing you're making a more sustainable choice.

And if every baby in the UK used a potty just once a week, we could save about 14,000 tonnes of nappy waste from landfill in just three years. So imagine the impact of combining earlier potty training and more eco-friendly nappies: that could really make a difference! Did you know that Pura is also tackling the nappy waste problem with nappy recycling too?

When to start

Believe it or not, babies show awareness of their bodily functions like weeing and pooing from day one. In fact, before a baby is even 6 months of age, they are capable of communicating that they have a full bladder and bowels to you non-verbally, waking up when they need to poo and even learning to associate a sound or cue with pooing and weeing.

Just as learning to walk starts when they first learn to lift up their own head, learning to use a toilet independently starts from their very first poo and wee.

So, if you’re thinking about when to start, you can start anytime from birth. It can be done either some or all the time and you can still use nappies as a backup.

What babies can learn between 0–18 months

Even in their first year, many babies can:

·       Show signs that they need to wee or poo (e.g. wriggling, going quiet, grunting)

·       Associate a regular time (e.g. after naps or feeds) with using a potty

·       Respond to gentle cue words or sounds (like “psss” or “wee-wee”)

·       Sit on a potty with support and begin to understand what it’s for

Helping babies develop familiarity with toileting before they stop using nappies makes stopping nappies when it’s time to potty train much easier and less stressful for everyone.

Top 5 tips for baby pottying

Here are my top 5 tips to help you:

1. Let your baby hear a pee by keeping a little water in the bottom of the potty (and it will also stop poo sticking).

2. Pack a basket of the things you need and keep it nearby (change of nappy, wipes, potty cleaner, a bin).

3. Move popper vests out of the way to one side, or over the shoulder, to stop them dipping in the potty, or turn a vest into a long t-shirt by cutting off the bottom with scissors.

4. If your baby uses the potty at night, put a cloth in the potty to avoids spills in the dark.

 5. Tell your friends - and don’t be afraid to be doing something different from other parents. The main reason other parents aren’t doing it is because they don’t yet know about it. You could be the person that makes a difference by sharing what you know. 

Even just one potty opportunity per day, if your setting can manage it, can make a real difference. The key is consistency, not intensity.

Want to learn more?

As a children’s nurse and researcher, my approach is based on child development science and responsive care. You can find more information, research links, and practical videos at rebeccamottram.com, or follow me on follow me on Instagram or YouTube  for tips, tools, and encouragement.