Elimination Communication: Potty Training from Birth, Honestly

The method at a glance

Starting ageMost often from birth to 6 months. You can also start later.
How longYears. Children are often fully out of nappies around 2 years.
Parent's roleReads the baby's signals and timing. It takes a lot of time and works best with the same carer.
RewardsNone. A baby does not need rewards.
ResearchSeveral studies from Asia and Europe, including the first randomised trial from Sweden (2026). Quality is still weak, and none found harm.

What is elimination communication

Elimination communication rests on a simple idea: even a baby shows when they need to pee or poo. The parent learns to read these signals and holds the baby over the potty in time.

Parents in many cultures around the world do something similar. The core is always the same:

the parent watches the baby's rhythm and signals,
offers the potty at predictable moments, mainly after waking up and after feeds,
makes a short sound that the baby links with peeing,
no rewards and no punishment.

Some families go fully nappy free. Others keep using nappies and offer the potty only now and then.

How potty training from birth works in practice

Watching. For a few days you notice when your baby pees and poos. It is often after waking up and a little while after a feed.
Signals. Every baby shows it differently: wriggling, frowning, stopping feeding or going still.
Offering. At that moment you undress your baby and hold them safely over the potty. You make your short sound.
Calm. If nothing happens, that is fine. You try next time.
After that. As your child grows, they start to show the need themselves. Full independence still comes in the toddler years.

Honestly: a baby does not learn anything alone in a few days. When a one-week-old baby is called “trained”, it is mainly the parent who is responding.

What the research says about elimination communication

The best-known study is Duong et al. (2013). It compared children in Vietnam, where potty training starts from birth, with children in Sweden. The Vietnamese children could fully empty their bladder at around 9 months, the Swedish children only at around 36 months. By 24 months, 98% of the Vietnamese children were done, while in Sweden only 5% had started with the potty by then.

But it compares two countries where families live very different lives. Since then more studies have appeared: the first randomised trial from Sweden (2026, 271 babies) and a review of 21 studies (2025). None found harm. But the Swedish trial did not confirm that the potty from infancy helps with colic or constipation. The AAFP (2019) review for family doctors says the method has not been well studied yet. Toilet training research is weak overall, and no method has strong evidence over the others (AHRQ 2006).

One thing comes up in every source: this is mainly training for the parent. The parent learns the timing, which is why it takes so much time and the same person with the child.

Two claims about nappies worth checking

“Nappies teach a baby to pee in a nappy”

It is often said that a baby in nappies loses a natural instinct, which then has to be unlearned at the most stubborn age. It sounds logical. So far it is mainly claimed by supporters of the method. A first small study from 2025 (23 toddlers) found that children give fewer signals in a disposable nappy. It did not show that they lose an instinct.

“Nappies lead to shame”

There is also a claim that sitting in a full nappy leads to shame about one's own body. There is no support in research for this. A calm, respectful approach to a child's body is a good idea. But parents who use nappies have no reason to feel guilty.

Who baby potty training suits, and who it does not

It can suit you when you are at home a lot with your baby, you enjoy watching them and you have the calm for it. It works best when the same person looks after the baby.

It is hard when you go back to work or your baby goes to nursery. Nobody there has time for one baby's signals. And if it wears you out, simply stop. You will not spoil anything.

A realistic part-time version works for almost everyone: the potty only in the morning after waking up and after feeds, nappies the rest of the day. That alone makes the potty a normal thing for your child. If your child is already a toddler, the potty readiness quiz can help.

I am not a paediatrician. I write from studies and from what I see among toddlers. Night is a different chapter: a dry night cannot be trained, it comes by itself. When your child is older, you can gently encourage them.

What I would keep

watching the baby's rhythm and signals
the potty after waking up and after feeds
a calm, respectful approach to the child's body
the part-time version, nappies the rest of the day without guilt
a miss is information, not failure

What I would leave out

calling a baby a few days old “trained”
guilt for parents who use nappies
scare talk about nappy shame
pushing to be nappy free at any cost
paid courses and gadgets

From preschool

In a room full of toddlers I cannot tell which child started over a potty as a baby and which one in nappies. They all learn it.

Frequently asked questions

Does elimination communication work?

It can. In Vietnam (Duong 2013), 98% of children trained from birth were done by age 2, while in Sweden only 5% had started by then. The first randomised trial from Sweden (2026) found no harm. But a US review for doctors (AAFP 2019) says the method has not been well studied yet. A lot depends on the parent's time and patience.

When should you start potty training from birth?

Most families start between birth and 6 months, but you can also start later. You can also start part-time, for example with the potty in the morning after waking up.

Is baby potty training the same as elimination communication?

Mostly, yes. In elimination communication the parent reads the baby's signals and offers the potty. Parents in many cultures do something similar.

Can elimination communication work with a job and nursery?

The full version is hard, because it takes a lot of time and the same carer. The part-time version can: the potty in the morning and after feeds at home, nappies during the day.

Is night part of elimination communication?

No. A dry night cannot be trained, it comes by itself. When your child is older, you can gently encourage them.

I am not a paediatrician or a child psychologist. If your child has tummy pain, holds in poop or you see blood in pee or poop, please see a doctor. Here you get an honest overview of the method with sources. We sell you nothing and the choice is yours.

Elimination communication: can you potty train from birth?