Try to make sure the baby is comfortable on the potty
That is the objective for the first few months. The pipí and cacca are not predictable, but both come often, so you will still have some success. You will also learn how to deal with both pipí – our son is a boy and the pipí goes everywhere, it still happens.
The baby is not able to associate yet the potta with the going to the bathroom, but towards the third month, you will see that he kind of gets it! And he is comfy on the potta, he likes to hang on there with you, smiles at you…
Be brave!
It is not easy to try, the baby is so small, and there is so much to do. Any time you try, you are being very brave!
Do not give up: some (many) days you will have zero success.
Make it a part of your routine : after a nap: you change the diaper, put him on the potty. After he has eaten, you change the diaper, put him on the potty. If you use the reusable diapers, it is worth to use some more (you have to wash them anyway, one more does not make a difference) and learn with him how things work :) If you use disposable diapers, you can check him often anyways, aided by those fancy lines that show you if the diaper is wet or not. If it is not, it is a great opportunity to try to make him pee! If it is, well, you can still try and change the diaper!
Set your rules
You need this time to set up the way you will be doing this – and that means, how you will survive the lack of hygiene in the bathroom due to your partner ideas, or yours, and the difficulty of putting in place a good cleaning system for the reusable diapers, baby clothes, yourself, and all the surfaces involved.
A little example: at the beginning I was a bit "scared" of all the trying, while Jay used with bravery the shower as a training area for stand-up potty training. We had a few "wins" that way, but I was a bit paranoid with the cleaning and we decided to stop with that, and start with the potty. That process was important, though, because we felt more comfortable with him being naked, in our arms, with us holding him so that outputs would go where we wanted: this is not easy at all! Especially if you have a boy!
Set-up a good way to clean the surfaces and the potta
Keep in mind that you will use a lot of soap, your hands will become very dry, and you will have to assess how to fix the baby in a secure position after changing him. I like to change the baby and immediately wash my hands, before putting his clothes back on, but that is not possible when the baby begins moving around! And they start very early, so better to be prepared – might be ok to put diaper back on, and move him, wash hands, and then pick him back up and put the rest of the clothes on.
Does the type of potty matter?
For small children, the best potta we could find looking around blogs and online shops is the one we got, available in red or blue... Here goes a "good" photo:
Since there is no back support, it is easier to use for the first few months (in our case, we used it up until 9 months aprox). Totaly worth it to have, as it is also small and portable, so if the kid does not like to be on it you can entertain them by touring around the house or outdoors.
Watch for alternative use: kids are great at finding them (might add examples of it just to get your sympathy!)