Lesson 2: Why Should You Potty Your Baby?

There are so many benefits, I’m going to run through my top ten. And by the way, these are perfect to show to a partner or family-member who may be a little more on the sceptical side! Check out the download underneath this video for a printable summary.

1/ Build a deeper connection

Parents who practice baby pottying report a profound bond from the communication they build with their babies. It encourages parents to be aware of and respond to one of babies' most basic needs.

2/ Develop babies’ communication

At around six months, babies can still distinguish between the sounds of all human languages. But by about ten months, their brains begin tuning into the language they hear every day, losing sensitivity to unfamiliar sounds. And this is the same with their toilet needs: if we validate and respond to their awareness, those neural pathways are strengthened. If those signals are ignored, the baby learns that those sensations aren’t important and will begin to tune them out.

3/ Reduce fussiness and crying

Excessive unexplained crying is not a universal infant behaviour. Cultures that give close, attentive caregiving, which includes baby pottying, report less crying. 

4/ Reduce colic

Numerous parents report that baby pottying has a positive influence on their babies’ digestion. Humans are designed to poo in a squat: Sitting in this position straightens out the passage that stools pass through and relaxes the pelvic floor muscles, which results in less straining and complete emptying of the bowel. This reduces the risk of trapped stools and tummy discomfort that leads to inconsolable crying.

One parent’s experience from The Diaper Free Baby:

“Since my baby was born, she really struggled with bowel movements. We had thought she was constipated, but really she just has a hard time going when she has a bowel movement.

She would cry two or three times a day. We tried all sorts of things—I rubbed her stomach, pushed her little legs up on her stomach, everything. Nothing solved it but EC'ing her in the in-arms position.”

-AMYLYNNE, MOM TO MEREDITH, 4 MONTHS

5/ Encourage positive body awareness

Responding to toilet cues reinforces that all of a baby’s bodily sensations are valid, not just some.  Seeing and experiencing a part of their body that’s usually wrapped in a nappy supports healthy body awareness, instead of associating that area only with mess or discomfort when they need cleaning up.

6/ Quicker potty independence

Supporting babies’ natural awareness and introducing the potty gradually helps toileting feel routine rather than imposed. In contrast, introducing toilet training later—at a time when toddlers are asserting independence—can increase resistance, withholding poo, and power struggles around the potty.

7/ Cost & environmental benefits

The cheapest and most environmental nappies are the ones you never need to buy. Practicing baby pottying you can save, per child:

• Around 5,000 nappies going into landfill

• £750 in nappies

8/ Supports breastfeeding

Sometimes babies are unsettled and fussy at the breast, or ‘pop’ on and off. You may assume that the baby has finished feeding, or that you might have a latch or supply issue. But sometimes, they simply need to wee or poo and they don’t want to go in their nappy, or on you! Feeding activates the baby’s digestive system and pooing during a feed is really normal in the early days. When you offer the potty before, during or right after a feed, you’re helping your baby stay comfortable so they can feed more calmly and fully.

One parent’s experience from The Diaper Free Baby:

“Both of my children popped on and off the breast during nursing sessions. With the first, I thought it was a milk-supply problem, so I even tried pumping and giving her bottles. With my second, when she did the exact same thing, it finally occurred to me to take her to the bathroom-and then she was satisfied.

Lots of babies pop on and off the breast at this age, and their moms are told it's a nursing issue. In my experience, it was an EC signal.”

-KEILA, MOM TO HELEN, 27 MONTHS, AND JANE, 8 MONTHS

9/ Less nappy rash

Ever since children began to wear nappies, nappy rash has been one of the most common skin disorders of infancy. Most infants will suffer from a significant nappy rash at least once before they are toilet trained.

10/ More hygienic

Pottying allows the baby's skin to breathe without being wrapped up 24/7. Parents and babies do not need to be in contact with waste, reducing the risk of transmitting disease, bacteria and parasites found in human faeces. For girls, it helps prevent faeces entering the vagina, reducing the risk of bacterial infections.

One parent’s experience from The Diaper Free Baby:

“Our baby had a UTI, which the doctor told us was most likely from a poopy diaper. No matter how diligently we cleaned her and how immediately we changed her, this could still happen.

To add insult to injury, the antibiotics that she needed completely changed her rhythms; she was pooping constantly and developed a horrible red, raw diaper rash from all the pooping and wiping and the diapers.

When we finally started EC, she looked at me as if she were saying, "What took you so long?" and promptly pooped in the toilet. Suddenly there was no big clean up, no anguishing over ‘cracks and crevices’ —just a little toilet paper and a flush.”

-THEMBI, MOM TO NINA, 10 MONTHS

As you read through these benefits, I encourage you to notice which ones matter most to you—what first drew you to baby pottying?

It can be really interesting to come back to those thoughts after practising for a while, and see if your motivations shift over time—mine certainly did. What began as wanting to use fewer disposable nappies quickly became something much richer and more meaningful.

1. Bauer, I. (2001). Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene.

2. Kruger AC, Konner M. Who responds to crying? Maternal care and allocare among the !Kung. Human Nature 2010;21:309–29.

3. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS), 2022. Nappy rash: background information – prevalence. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Available at: https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/nappy-rash/background-information/prevalence. (Accessed: 29/01/26)

4. Gross-Loh, C., 2007. The Diaper-Free Baby: The Natural Toilet Training Alternative. ISBN 9780061229701.