Potty Training Made Easy with the Baby Signs® Program

Potty Training Made Easy with the Baby Signs® Program, developed by child language and psychology experts Dr. Linda Acredolo and Dr. Susan Goodwyn, will be on shelves beginning in February 2008. The program will make it possible for parents to start and finish potty training by age 2—a full year or more earlier than they probably thought possible—while taking much of the guess-work and anxiety out of the process.

Some startling statistics about the current state of potty training in the U.S. that the new program seeks to change:

•       The average age at which American children complete potty training is at an all-time historical high.

•       The average American potty training age is more than double that of over four-dozen countries worldwide.

•       American parents with children as old as 4 years continue to struggle with potty training their child.

•       Disposable diaper companies have recently introduced a huge size 7 diaper to the market, making it easier for parents to delay training even longer

When the Baby Signs® movement first took hold in 1996, formerly frustrated families everywhere rejoiced at the simple program that made everyday life both easier and more satisfying for parents and babies alike.  Along with the proven general benefits of signing such as decreased emotional frustration and faster verbal development, potty training with the Baby Signs® Program motivates babies to take an active role in their own training, thereby increasing their sense of “ownership” and decreasing feelings of resentment at having something imposed on them.

“Parents wait to train because they can, not because it’s better for their child. With the introduction of the less labor-intensive disposable diaper in the early 1960’s, a major incentive to complete training was eliminated, “said Dr. Susan Goodwyn. “At the same time, diaper companies actively promoted a ‘modern approach’ to potty training whereby parents were advised to wait to start training until their child was ready. The result was a change in the cultural psyche that made it socially acceptable to delay training and, of course, higher profits for diaper companies—but it doesn’t end there.”

What’s the big deal with waiting to potty train?

•       Emotional issues: When parents delay potty training until after 2, they are unknowingly setting themselves up for a power struggle because as babies get older, they want to make more and more decisions on their own. This natural progression towards independence is healthy, but it often sets the stage for a battle of wills when it comes to potty training. These battles can result in a lot of frustration and potentially damage parent-child relationships. In addition, late potty training is more likely to result in lowered self-esteem when children get the message that “only babies wear diapers,” not “big kids.”

•       Environmental consequences: Completing training by age 2 eliminates 1500 to 3000 disposable diapers per child. Cloth diapers are equally problematic to the environment due to the water and chemicals required for cleaning.

•       Child Health Issues: Postponing training until age 4 means an extra 2 years of sitting in urine and feces—which, in turn, translates into 2 more years of the potential for diaper rashes and other diaper-related infections.

•       Additional expenses: Completing training by age 2 means a cost savings of $600 to $1200.

“The ultimate goal of the program is to change the way American parents look at potty training,” said Dr. Linda Acredolo. We want parents to be able to approach this once-dreaded process with a more positive, can-do attitude and ease babies’ frustration by allowing for better communication and fun while learning, all in a whole new, more environmentally and child-health-friendly timeline.”

About Dr. Acredolo and Dr. Goodwyn

Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn have conducted over 25 years of scientific research in the field of infant development. Together, they have co-authored numerous publications in leading child development research journals and have written three best-selling books for parents: “Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk,” “Baby Minds: Brain-Building Games Your Baby Will Love,” and “Baby Hearts: A Guide to Giving Your Child and Emotional Head-Start.”

Linda Acredolo, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Davis, is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of child development. Linda is a fellow of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. Susan Goodwyn, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Child Development at California State University, Stanislaus, received her Masters of Science with First Honors from the University of London and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Goodwyn is considered an expert in the field of child language development and has an outstanding research record, having served as Project Director and Co-Principle Investigator for several longitudinal research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Kellogg Foundation.

About the Baby Signs® Program

In 1982, Drs. Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn discovered that babies were spontaneously using simple gestures to represent words they were not yet able to say. They might sniff for “flower,” pant for “dog,” or flap their arms for “bird.” What would happen, Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn wondered, if parents just helped the process along?

Thus began a major breakthrough in infant-parent communication called the Baby Signs® Program—a natural baby sign language that allows babies and their parents to use simple signs to communicate important things—like being hungry or thirsty, hot or cold, afraid or sad—often a full year before babies could otherwise speak.

Through two decades of research, much of it funded by the National Institutes of Health, Drs. Acredolo and Goodwyn have demonstrated that their Baby Signs® Program has dramatic benefits, including decreasing frustration for babies and parents, enriching the parent-child bond, boosting emotional development, helping babies talk sooner—even raising IQ.

The Baby Signs® Program is the now world's leading sign language program for hearing babies. It's the only program created by child development experts specifically for babies and proven through scientific research to provide positive benefits for babies. Based on American Sign Language but flexible to fit the needs of all families, the Baby Signs® Program offers a full range of classes and products for parents and babies and offers trainings for Early Childhood Educators and classroom resource kits for Child Development Centers.

From the doctors who sparked a grassroots parenting phenomenon over a decade ago with their bestseller “Baby Signs: How to Talk With Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk,” comes a new program that will change the way Americans take on one of the most daunting challenges faced by parents and children: POTTY TRAINING.