EASY START GUIDE: PART 2 OF 4
One of the most common questions parents have when starting baby pottying is: How do you know when your baby needs to go?
Before weeing or pooing, many babies show small changes in their behaviour, body language, or sounds. These are known as baby pottying signals.
Learning to recognise these signals is a key part of baby pottying (also known as elimination communication, EC). By noticing these cues, parents can offer the potty at the right moment and begin building communication around toileting.
Yes! Many parents are able to pick up on their babies signals, and babies are often more aware of their bodily functions than we realise. There is a huge variety in the way that babies signal, so it’s key that you learn your baby’s unique signals just before they do a wee or poo. Common signals include:
Energy change: sudden fussiness or stillness
Crying
Squirming or wriggling
Grimace or concentration face
Grunting or bearing down
Arching back
Grabbing groin area
Blowing raspberries
Trying to escape the highchair, carrier, etc.
Do Babies Really Signal Before They Wee?
Observation Time: Learning Your Baby’s Signals
One of the best ways to recognise your baby’s signals is simply to spend some time observing what they do before they wee or poo.
It can be tempting to skip this step and go straight to offering the potty. But taking a little time to watch your baby first can make baby pottying feel much easier and more natural.
Observation time doesn’t need to be a formal session where you’re watching your baby constantly. Instead, you can build it into your normal playtime.
Try spending around 20–30 minutes observing your baby once or twice a day until you start to notice patterns. Many babies go more frequently:
in the morning
sometime after lunch
around bath time
These can be helpful times to start observing.
Not every baby signals in the same way, and signals can change as babies grow. Some babies show very clear cues, while others are more subtle. With a little observation and time, many parents can recognise their baby’s patterns and rhythms.
Your Next Steps to Start Pottying Your Baby
PART 1
Get Started With Baby Pottying
PART 2
What Are My Babies Signals?
YOU ARE HERE
PART 3
How To Hold Your Baby: Potty Positions.
PART 4
Cueing: Sound Association.
Download my easy-start information as an offline PDF guide to print and share with your loved ones!
Included: benefits, what age to start, potty positions, when baby needs to go and common signals.
Let’s make this ancient wisdom feel second nature again.
Access The Full Baby Pottying Course
ESSENTIALS
POTTY PRO
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What You’ll Learn
The philosophy behind baby pottying, exploring global traditions, historical shifts, and the beliefs that shaped modern potty training.
The science of pottying, from bladder and bowel development, to what the research says about “readiness,” muscle control and long-term health.
Clear guidance to get started, including when to begin, how to spot signals, natural timings, positioning, cueing and building a daily rhythm.
How to navigate real life, with guidance on nighttime, out-and-about pottying, childcare, siblings and busy family life.
Supporting your baby’s development, covering capability stages, fostering independence, temperament differences and going nappy-free.
Troubleshooting common hurdles, including potty pauses, resistance, missed catches, illness, developmental leaps and feeling overwhelmed.
Product Recommendations
Whilst you don’t need any special products to get started with, check out the products that have helped me along the journey.
