Some Divided on Potty Training Technique

NEW YORK: U.S. and British mothers have taken inspiration from African and Asian mothers in potty training their babies early.

African and Asian women carry their babies all day and instinctively know when it is time to hold their infants away from them so they can relieve themselves, reported the Sunday Telegraph.

However, pediatric experts, child psychologists and some mothers are divided over the practice of "infant potty training" -- also known as elimination communication, or EC.

"EC should always be gentle, non-coercive, and based on babies' interests and needs," Christine Gross-Loh, a mother who has used the technique. "Just as babies fuss because they are hungry or tired, they also indicate when they are about to go to the bathroom -- EC is not about the result (potty training) but about the process of communicating with your baby about a basic need."

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a professor emeritus of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and author of "Toilet Training: The Brazelton Way," recommends parents let their children decide when to be diaper free.