Meet the super-smart baby boy who potty trained himself at just 5 -months-old

UK: A proud couple claims their baby boy has successfully potty trained himself - at just five months old.

Little Alexander Oniciuc, who is too young to walk, still wears a nappy but has not used it for eight weeks, his parents say.

He is starting to talk and shouts whenever he needs to go to the toilet.

His mum Raluca and dad Finn have recognised his call and they then plonk him on his potty and leave him to it.

The couple say that Alex, who was born last October, is following older sister Izabella, now three, who learned to go on her own aged six months.

The NHS parenting guidelines say most toddlers should be reliably potty trained by the age of three although it usually takes until the age of four for 'accidents' to stop altogether.

Raluca, who runs an online design business, said: "I know everyone says 'they grow up so fast', but this is getting ridiculous.

"I think he's already had enough of being a baby.

"We're saving a fortune on nappies. I still buy them, but use one a day - just in case.

"He's not had any accidents for months now. He's my little miracle.

"I'd love him to go in his nappy as it is tiring having to lift him all the time.

"Just the other day we were in the park and he started making loud noises because he needed to go.

"He didn't stop until I carried him home and onto his potty. Then he fell asleep.

"It's incredible, but my life would be a lot easier if he would just go in his nappy - like most babies his age."

"Apparently, boys develop slower than girls, but Alex seems to be learning faster than his big sister.

"Izabella grew up quickly, but Alex is about a month ahead.

"About a month ago he started putting words together like 'hello dada' and 'hey look.'

"He's no longer interested in crawling and has even started to walk holding onto the sofa."

Raluca and Finn, a chauffeur from Luton, Bedfordshire, played Mozart to Izabella when she was still in the womb.

 

Shortly after her birth in September 2011, they read stories to her and at six months old she started making the noise "boo boo" when she needed to go to the loo.

Raluca's pregnancy with Izabella was incident-free but with Alex she developed gestational diabetes at 24 weeks where there is too much glucose in the blood.

She recalled: "It was horrible. I spent the whole time paranoid I was going to miscarry or Alex would arrive stillborn.

"I was put on a special diet, medication and insulin injections too."

Alex was born at 38 weeks after a planned C-section at Luton and Dunstable University Hospital and was well enough to go home two days later.

Mum-of-two Raluca added: "Right from the start he seemed very independent.

"He was holding his head up and rolling over just two days after birth. My parents were here and very shocked."

Like Izabella, Raluca said Alex would scream when he needed the loo but at five months old he completely stopped going unless she lifted him onto a potty.

Raluca added: "It's a shame they've grown up so quickly.

"I'd quite like the chance to be a mum and look after them, but they seem hell bent on doing it by themselves.

"I've even tried to ignore Alex when he starts making noises for me to take him to the potty in the hope he'll just go in his nappy, just to give me something to do.

"But he literally won't go unless I take him. It's incredible really."