A co-worker who wrote a story a few months back about people who toilet-train their newborns mentioned it to me the other day. "Are you going to try it with Abby?" she asked. Why, yes, I said. Right after I sprout wings and fly.
The theory behind the newborn potty-training is that people who live in Third-World nations don't have the luxury of diapers, so they learn the signals the baby gives when it needs to go piddle and take evasive action, presumably by putting the kid over whatever passes for a toilet in their home.
My feeling is that's all well and good if you live in a mud hut. Misread the signals a couple times and all you have to do is shovel some dirt over the stain on the floor. But I will gladly pay for diapers if it means preserving both the carpets in the home, and, frankly, our sanity. There are enough uncertainties with a newborn. Teach them to toilet train? Super! Now, where did I put that hammer so I can also bash myself in the knee?
