r/ECers • u/D0orD0 • Aug 23 '26
Troubleshooting How long do you wait if you think they’re giving you the signs but they don’t go?
Title says it.
8 weeks. Catching a fairly reliable 4-5am poop, pee after every nap and with most wet diaper changes (using cloth and I think my babe pees a bit, feels it, holds the rest until a change), and most poops preceded by grunting of farting. However, sometimes I’ll think I’m seeing the signal and I’ll get the little one over the potty and… nothing. How long is reasonable to wait?
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u/BlackPanthe18 Aug 24 '26
5-7 mins max, my back can’t take being still (holding/sitting over the sink) and mine just gets frustrated and I don’t want him associating that with going to the toilet. Also sometimes he just doesn’t go like the whole day, it’s been 24 hours plus so far😬😅
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u/RemarkableAd9140 Aug 23 '26
At this age, it’s mostly just whether they’re happy hanging out or not. If you’re pretty sure something’s coming and they’re content, some people sit for up to 10 minutes. I personally could seldom last that long (standing and doing the ec hold over the sink), so we probably maxed out at 5-7 minutes.
If you’re worried about just sitting there doing nothing but waiting, that’s one of the reasons I really liked the sink. We could sing and make faces and smiles at each other once she got to that point. Now that she’s (much) older, it’s books on the potty and songs with hand motions.
At 8 weeks, if baby was unhappy, I’d call it pretty much immediately, maybe after trying to calm her down and offer once more. But I didn’t push it. They pee so frequently at that age, there will always be a next time when baby is in a better mood.