Tag Archives: Diaper Free

Elimination Communication is for Everyone!

#ECchatThis post was original written for “The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms” last May.

I stumbled upon Elimination Communication (EC) when I was pregnant. The minute I realised that there was an alternative to years of changing diapers I was sold. Ironically EC is considered to be a controversial stance in infant hygiene although it is far from new and it is practiced by billions all over the world. They don’t have diapers in most countries outside the industrialized world!

Not everyone will understand!

When I mentioned EC to my friends the usual response was “What?” and some had  fairly strong views on the subject:

babies are not aware enough to understand what’s going on

children should not be potty trained until they are old enough to be interested in it

or my favourite “I simply don’t have time to sit around watching my baby for signs that it needs to pee”.

Even my pediatrician told me that babies are incontinent until the age of 18months at the earliest.

What is Elimination Communication (EC)?

Described as a toilet training practice, “Elimination Communication (EC) is when a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant’s need to eliminate waste”

Basically, you tune into the rhythm of your baby’s need to pee or poop – usually babies need to eliminate 10 minutes after a feed or upon waking so that’s when you whip off their diaper and put them on the potty, over a bowl, over the toilet, in the garden – whatever works for you.

Isn’t it just potty training?

Yes and no. Babies are born with the instinct not to soil themselves and we actuallytrain them to pee and poop in a diaper and then we un-train them to go in the potty/toilet years later.

Through EC your baby starts to become aware of their need to eliminate and will start to let you know when they need to go.

So, when did we start Elimination Communication?

We started EC when Baby in Provence (BiP) was 3 months old. I bought a potty and held her over it 10 minutes after her last feed which was roughly about the time when she would usually pee.

I cued her by making the sound “Psst-psst” and a minute later she peed. I was sold. The day I caught her first poop in the potty I was elated. So was she! She hated being wet so it was a win win!

We take each day as it comes. It is not a competition. I don’t get upset about the misses. We celebrate each catch in the beginning and go with that. Some days BiP never makes it to the potty and that is absolutely fine. Life is stressful enough without adding to it.

What are the benefits of EC?

There are loads of benefits to EC. Too many to list here. For us it was simple. BiP hated being wet so she screamed everytime she peed so we went through masses of diapers so through EC we saved the crying and the diapers! It is much cleaner when they poop. We still have the same tube of diaper rash cream from when she was born as she almost never has diaper rash. I’ve read that it can help prevent UTI’s, thrush and other skin problems. Also the traditional method of potty training will be a stage you will probably sail through.

What are the downsides?

Like everything there are downsides! Once BiP got used to the feeling of pooping outside her diaper she would go crazy if I was missing her signal to go. If I did miss a poop she would cry inconsolably whilst I cleaned her up.

One time we were out and she refused to go in her diaper so I cued her in a car park – she pooped and was happy – I wasn’t. If your baby decides that they want to go when the diaper is off you can face problems when you are out.

Elimination Communication for Everyone

Everyone can do EC. It’s not exclusively for stay at home mothers. You can practice it full time, part time or occasionally – there are no hard and fast rules. It has to be something you can fit into your everyday life.  I do encourage everyone to try it before they knock it. Now we’ve been doing it for 1 year and I can’t imagine having done anything differently.

 

Are you interested in practising Elimination Communication? Are you ECing your baby? What tips can you share?

Why I hate cloth diapers.

When I was pregnant with BiP I contemplated cloth diapering … then I thought about it and decided that if we were going to practice Elimination Communication then maybe we’d be better off just skipping the whole cloth diapering thing. In all honesty I am not sure how much more environmentally friendly they are – ok shoot me … yes, disposable diapers clog landfills but cloth diapers use gallons of water and electricity – in many cases, the jury is out on what is better for your baby’s butt.

 

Flip cloth diapers

My fluff stash

But do you wear paper panties?
No, I don’t wear paper panties but, quite frankly, BiP knows the difference which is why she now prefers to pee in the toilet at 13m. I am not a hardcore ECer – I practice it when I can and the fact of the matter is, cloth diapers are more of a hindrance than a help.

The guilt
I feel guilty on so many levels.

1 – that I didn’t start cloth diapering sooner (we started at 9months)
2 – at the financial investment that I made in the whole system
3 – that I hate using them so much that I force myself to use them

The love affair that never happened is over.
Forget the laundry – that’s not an issue … I actually LOVE doing laundry (I just hate putting it away) I just find them too bulky and too hard to take off. I did try to love them but the love affair never happened.

Yes, I guess I am an eco-terrorist but cut me some slack – BiP looks like she will be diaper free in a few months and at the moment our diaper consumption is enough to make Pampers cry.

They ARE super cute, they are adorable – but I don’t plan to traditionally potty train so I know I won’t make the best use out of them!

Long story short they are boxed up and ready to be shipped to a new home to someone who will most likely have a lot more fun with them than I did!

Anyone else failed at cloth diapering?

 

 

Elimination Communication in Macy’s NYC?

Macy's New York City

We are on a family holiday to New York and, as you do, we hit the shops! My husband was watching BiP as I went in search of some new, breastfeeding friendly clothes (I’ll save that for another post) when I heard “Ameena, come quick! You HAVE to see this! Now THAT is hardcore Elimination Communication!”  “What?”  I thought, we are on the 3rd floor of Macy’s in downtown NYC, he was outside the fitting rooms next to Starbucks so what on earth was he talking about?

Amidst the flurry of shop assistants yelling and screaming there was a mother holding her baby over some Starbucks napkins. The baby peed. The grandmother arrived with more napkins and then the baby pooped! The shop assistants screamed “You can’t do that here! That’s disgusting! Call security!” I could not stop laughing. It was hilarious. The mother and the grandmother were ignoring the attention (they were from the Far East and clearly tourists). The grandmother picked up the soiled napkins and headed for the Starbucks bin – another drama ensued!

So, how do you practice Elimination Communication in a department store? Unless you plan to take your baby to the bathroom I suggest you don’t but I guess other’s think otherwise!

When Elimination Communication Backfires: Potty Pause

“Potty Pauses” are a normal part of Elimination Communication particularly when your baby is hitting new developmental milestones such as crawling, standing, walking etc … Like anything, there are always drawbacks, setbacks and times when it just backfires! Recently we have been having a serious potty pause to the point that I wonder if I have any wisdom to share anymore! I have 2 options; to cry or to share some of our recent distasters and hopefully some of you will laugh with me!

Ok, I wear Birki's and yes, that's BiP's pee on her sock AND my foot! (excuse the lack of pedicure)

What’s a Potty Pause?
“Potty Pauses” are when your Elimination Commuication efforts with your baby grind to a halt! You’ve had weeks of straight sailing; catching pee’s and poops as if your tiny baby is already potty trained and then it stops! Overnight all your efforts are no longer going down the toilet (well, potty) they are going everywhere else!

When the floor just isn’t good enough
Standing up and peeing in the bath is a common favourite and that’s ok – peeing on MY feet has become a favourite that I don’t love that much but I guess I’m lucky to have come this far without being peed on!

Diaper Free Time on the Terrace
Spring in Provence is warm so BiP runs around outdoors diaper free with a potty within easy reach. She misses and that’s fine when it’s a pee – until she decides that she is going to pee on dolly. Poor dolly. I’m OK with this for now – I’m not so cool when it’s a poop – and yes, we’ve had poops. TIP: Keep a watering can close to hand!

Poor dolly!

When a dog becomes your best EC friend (warning this is NOT for the squeamish)
Just today BiP was playing in the garden playing with the dog and wanted to poop. I whipped off her diaper and held her in the bucket hold and she went. Just as I was cleaning her up I turned around to see that the dog had eaten her poop *gag* OMG! I was almost sick. Damn dog won’t eat the rice she drops on the floor but he will eat that *YUCK!*

 

SO, there you have it, the glamour of EC backfiring royally! I swear if that dog DARES to lick BiP’s face he’s going straight to the taxidermists!

Any EC backfiring stories you’d care to share?

Diaper Free Oops!

Now the weather is warmer in Provence I have decided to let BiP spend a lot of her days diaper free.

However, I’ve been missing a few of her signs to go to the potty which are pretty obvious; she walks over to me and starts fussing, a minute later she pee’s.

Elimination Communication MishapI got it this time when she peed on her feet and my shoe! Thankfully I have tiled floors but still! Guess this is could be filed under When ECing Backfires!

What are your recent diaper free oops’?

 

Five tips on how to start ECing your baby

Today I received an email from a friend who wanted to know how to get started with Elimination Communication. For many ECing seems like a time consuming and daunting process when it doesn’t have to be!

Here are my five tips on how to get started:

1. Put your baby on the potty at every diaper change – many babies won’t go in their diaper once its wet unless they really have to. After a while they will associate the potty with the diaper change and might even wait until you change them to go. If your baby objects, (arches their back, cries, kicks etc) put the potty away and try again later.

 

2. Make potty time fun – keep toys or books to hand when you put you baby on the potty. BiP’s personal favourites are board books and hand puppets. Sing songs or read a story between cueing “psst – psst” to help them relax and enjoy being on the potty. Maybe even try a fun potty. Give them time. Personally I recommend starting with 2-3 minutes, sometimes longer, after a while they will go within seconds of being put on the potty.

 

3.  Make it part of their routine – most babies need to pee upon waking so try putting them on the potty at regular intervals; after naps, after meals, 10-15 mins after a feed etc … NOTE: Most babies tend to pee more in the mornings than the afternoons so bear that in mind when getting started.

 

4.  Take your baby to the bathroom with you – put your baby on the potty when you go to the bathroom. Narrate the process (obviously to what extent you do this is a personal preference and I will leave that to your discretion!)

 

5.  Relax! A lot of people put pressure on themselves to succeed from the very first time they put their baby on the potty. It’s not always that simple and you will have a lot of misses before you have any catches. Don’t worry about reading signs or signals – that will come.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask!