Only in America: When potty training precedes walking and talking

Hip parents are training their babies to go diaper-free — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

When potty training precedes walking and talking
(Image credit: Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
Samantha Rollins
By Samantha Rollins
last updated

To avoid using diapers, eco-friendly New York City parents are training babies to poop and pee while they hold them over bowls and toilets. "Elimination communication" requires parents to study weeks-old babies' cues when they're about to go, and train them to go on command with a verbal sound such as "ssss." Not only are diapers saved, one parent said, Mom and Dad are "more in tune with what their kids' needs are."

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Samantha Rollins
Samantha Rollins

Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.

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