Tag Archives: Elimination Communication

When Elimination Communication Backfires

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As great as ECing is, I have to admit that, there are times when you just want your baby to go in their diaper. When it’s all going well, this, can be, confusing to your little one. Yesterday I was talking to a friend about ECing and I started thinking of the incidents we’ve had with BiP where ECing has actually backfired.

Not under the table!
BiP has made good use of gardens and fields, which is not really embarrassing until she poops (rather than pee’s, as you wrongly assumed) under the table in the garden whilst having aperitif at a friends house!

Poop, a car park and a sandal!
About 6 weeks into ECing BiP we were out in a posh village and she was fussing and being totally “off” when it clicked what she wanted to poop! I tried cueing her to go in her diaper but this just enraged her further so we decided to head back to the car. I whipped off BiP’s diaper and held her in the bucket hold between the cars and she instantly pooped! Just as I was about to get a bottle of water out of the car to wash away the mess the couple who were parked next to us returned!!! Before I could say “Attention!” (“watch out” in French) the lady stepped in it! I was mortified! (Now, before anyone says anything, the streets in France are decorated in dog poop so personally, I would rather step in breastfed baby poop than dog poop!)  I then vowed to travel with a potty in the car from that day on!

Hey! The potty sucks but this rug will do!
Recently BiP decided that the potty was uncomfortable at Grandma’s and pulled herself up on to the coffee table and promptly peed on the rug. During diaper free time at home she chooses to get off the potty and pee on the tiles and then proceed to slip and fall … or if she does actually poop in her diaper it becomes a huge ordeal with her crying her eyes out even when she has been changed.

So, whilst I love ECing it certainly has its downfalls! I am hoping that when she starts walking things will be easier but I am sure I will have more stories to tell!

Potty Power – My Favourite ECing Tools!

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It’s no secret that I love Elimination Communication – I was so excited today when I read Emily’s post on how she had stated her ECing journey with her gorgeous 5 month old baby girl ! It made me think about our ECing adventure and how it has taken leaps and bounds over the last 6 months so I thought I would share some of my favourite ECing tools that I have found to be invaluable (and great fun).

ECing at 3 months
We started off with a cheap potty from IKEA
I placed it on BiP’s changing table and would hold her facing away from me so I could support her back.  I quickly learnt that placing a tissue in the bottom was incredibly useful. The tissue would help identify if she had peed and, if she pooped, it was much easier to clean as breastfed baby poops tend to have a certain gluey texture to them and would be a pain to clean out!

BiP's favourite potty

ECing at 6 months
As time went on, BiP was keen to try and sit on her potty without my help and the IKEA potty was just a bit too high so I went searching for another potty. I came across this funny duck potty, the beak squeaks and she can hold on to the handles. It was an instant hit!

ECing at almost 9 months
BiP has now progressed to the toilet, I have a small toilet insert which she now loves using.

She looks so proud when she sits on the toilet – I usually let her look at magazines or books during her potty time. Best part is the clean up is just a wipe and a flush! I chose this toilet seat as its small and sits ON the toilet seat rather than under the seat which makes it more hygienic and easier to pull  out when you need to use it.

And finally!
The success of our ECing adventure to-date has largely depended on our desire to make it easy and enjoyable. Occasionally BiP will arch her back, signalling she doesn’t want to do this right now, and we give it a break.  Once she got the hang of going in the potty I stopped making a big fuss of her going (it felt a bit odd congratulating her on going to the bathroom where she should) so now I just say “doesn’t that feel better?” You don’t need to spend a fortune on fancy ECing products, unless you want to. There are plenty of regular potty training accessories on the market that work even for tiny babies!

BTW! We still use diapers!!

Elimination Communication for Everyone

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I have to admit that I am obsessed with Elimination Communication (EC). It is an ancient practice of natural infant hygiene – sometimes called  infant potty training or potty whispering I prefer just to call it ECing.  Many people find the concept interesting, perhaps wacky and ultimately don’t even bother trying it because it seems like hard work!

You don’t have to throw away your diaper’s!
In order to start ECing your baby you do not have to commit to a period of time where your house is full of puddles (or worse) nor do you sit there waiting for your baby to pee. On the contratry – there are different levels of  ECing commitment to suit everyone:

  • Full Time ECing is for hardcore families who endeavour to catch every pee or poop and keep their babies diaper free
  • Part Time ECing is for families who catch some pees and poops but keep their babies in a diaper most of the time
  • Occasional ECing is for families who catch what they can, when then can

How can I try out ECing my baby?
Most babies need to pee upon waking  or 10-15minutes after a feed or a drink, so you can either put them on a potty, or hold them over a bowl or the toilet. Make a cueing sound (psst psst is a popular one) and give them a couple of minutes. Usually, if you’ve timed it right they will go. If your baby objects stop! You don’t really have to buy any equipment to EC your baby – a few companies have developed EC friendly products but I personally manage with a cheap potty, and now and insert for the toilet (the garden works too!)

As times goes on you will start to get into a rhythm with your baby and instinctively know when to take them to the potty. You may notice they become fidgety or, in some cases make a lot of noise, straining etc … I know with BabyinProvence it was easy to detect when she wanted to poop and would, more often than not, wait until I got her diaper off and put her on the potty to go.

The fundamental point of ECing is to make it managable and enjoyable for you and your baby. It should not hinder your life. For more information visit

REMEMBER! It’s about the catches not the misses!