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I know I'm not the only one practicing elimination communication out there, so let's pool our knowledge and share our best tips and tricks! (I'm thinking of you MightySapphire!)
Age/Length of Time EC: We started with Addie when she was 3 months; she's now 7 months, so we've been doing it for about 4 months now.
Your Technique: We put Addie on the potty on a schedule: before/after every nap, feeding, and outing she sits on the potty for up to 5 minutes. Her signals are really hard to read, so we (obviously) don't catch every pee/poop. We also don't cue her; we sing songs or read stories while she's on her potty to make it fun and do lots of positive praise (she LOVES when we clap our hands) when she goes or tries to go. We do not EC at night since she sleeps through the night and I have no clue when she wakes up to go to the bathroom.
Equipment/Cool Finds: We use this Baby Bjorn potty which is just the perfect size. It also has a high back and rounded "horn" in the front which was great for when she couldn't sit up by herself. I'm also looking into getting some training pants, but with all the options out there, I'm not sure where to even begin!
Successes/Failures: At first, I was the only one really into, which meant Addie only went on her potty only when I was home (mornings, nights, and weekends). She was going like once a day or less on her potty. Recently, our nanny and my husband have gotten a lot more involved, and that's made a huge difference. Addie's now going on the potty 5+ times a day, which is a great success for us! She also now recognizes what the potty is for, because she strains and tries to go when we put her on there, even if she just went in her diaper.
Looking Toward the Future/Questions: We're anticipating that Addie will be crawling any day now, so we're preparing for doing EC with a mobile baby. We're thinking about buying another potty for downstairs and we're hoping to switch to training pants in the next couple months for easier access.
Fun! Mr. DG was interested in doing this, but never got it together to try. Since he's the one at home with her, I'm going with the flow of what he wants. Thus, cloth diapers (which has worked out great), but no EC. It sounds like fun though!
Thanks, DG. :) It's been a really wonderful thing for us so far. Also, Mr. DG is such a cool dad! My husband had no clue about babies and typical schedules/developments, so when I told him about EC he was like, "Yeah, why not!" I don't think he ever would have been interested in it on his own, though, lol.
This is insane to me (in the best possible way). A 7-month-old using the potty?! Before crawling?! That's awesome! Thanks for the update on it.
@candicemcc: We've gotten a lot of that reaction, lol! But I think it's just because it's not really mainstream in the US. I'm hoping some other people (maybe international bees?) will chime in, too, so we can all hear about it from other perspectives!
Nice job, Addie! That's really encouraging. We're totally going to do this and have read up on it. We don't know anyone personallly who has done this and don't bring it up to other people b/c they will give us the weird looks..probably worst than cloth diapering backlash I got. Any reason why you started at 3 months and don't make the sound? Thanks for sharing your experiences...if all goes as intended, I'll be reporting here one day in the next few months!
I look forward to hearing more..... I'm def intrigued by it - but haven't really done any research :)
I was imagining holding Warren over the toilet and thinking about how tired my arms would get! And wondering how much pee I'd be cleaning up! :) (boys!)
@808bride: We've gotten some negative comments, but it's mostly just because it's not what most people are used to. I don't know anyone "in real life" who does EC either, but I was thinking about putting out an ad on Craigslist to see if I could get any interest in a local EC'ers group...
We decided to start at 3 months because Addie had more neck control by then. She could sit up supported, so I felt more comfortable putting her on the potty. We've talked about starting earlier with our next kid(s), maybe even at birth now that we're more comfortable with it. We don't cue or anything because it seemed to weird Addie out. She used to cry when we cued, lol, so now we just set her on there! We do sign her "potty" in ASL, though, so we kinda use a visual cue.
@jilian: I'm curious to see if anyone has done this with a boy. One of the books I read said to hold the boy's penis down so he doesn't pee everywhere. Lol!!!
One of my sorority sisters does it with a boy. That was actually where I first heard about it - but I just read her FB comments. Haven't really talked to her about it. I think she's the one that says she 'holds him over the potty' though which is what kinda freaked me out!
We just got a toys r us gift card in the mail today and I TOTALLY want to run out and buy the potty tomorrow - too bad it's 45 min away :)
Can you describe what you mean by cueing or not cueing?
What is the potty sign?
The potty we got was only like $25 at Babies R' Us, if that changes your mind. ;) Some people just hold their babies over the big potty, but it seemed kinda boring for Addie since she couldn't see me and didn't really know why she was being held like that at first.
Cueing is making a sound while your baby is going to the bathroom so he/she will associate that noise with the act of eliminating (kinda like how singing the same song every night before bedtime "cues" your baby that it's time to go to sleep). A lot of people just use whatever sounds comes natural to them, maybe a "pssssst" or "sssssss" sound for pee or a grunting noise for poop. Over time, your baby begins to wait for that noise (the "cue") to go to the bathroom. Obviously, though, you don't have to cue; we don't and it works just fine.
The ASL sign for potty is shown in this link (just look up "potty"). We only use the first half of the sign, where you wiggle your hand. It's easier, so hopefully it'll be one of the first signs Addie picks up on.
Anything to get rid of the diapers, I am on board for! Its not going to hurt my infant to learn what a potty is at a young age! I'm totally taking notes on this.....
This is the craziest thing I've ever heard of! But I love the idea of it. I wonder if there are cons to it?
Great to know it's working out for you! I think we might try something like this. I was talking to my mom about when we were potty trained and she said she started taking us to the bathroom around 6-7 months and that it took awhile since we were young, especially since she worked part time and my dad worked full time and the baby sitter wasn't a part of it. But in the meantime it was less diapers and the latest any of us were fully potty trained was a year and a half (there were 4 of us). Apparently in the books she was reading at the time they recommended this method of potty training and she was happy with it.
@Mrs. Spring: I'm just curious as to why you're using this method? I've never known anyone personally who has used it, so I'd love to hear your reasoning! :) Same goes for any other mothers who are doing it.
@ Mrs. Spring Thanks for all the helpful info. Truly! I told DH I had to go to the restroom at the store yesterday and he flashed the 'potty' sign at me since we just learned it yesterday. :) I am glad I'm not the only one who is relying on online support. Hope you do get a response from Craiglist ad.
@ Troubled Your personal story is encouraging. Thank you!
@hilsy85: BTW, I am planning to do infant potty training to teach good habits/associations from the get-go and b/c the kids are very capable of doing it in other nations. To me, it seems the compassionate thing to do to help children/babies understand/respond to their internal needs with action at a young age. According to the books, we have been customarily been delaying the potty-training unnecessarily with the advent of superduty disposable diapers.
@BRee It seems like the major challenge is that it's a lot of observation and easier for stay at home moms/dads. It helps if all caretakers are on board with consistency and that will be challenging if your baby is primarily in daycare. DH and I will trade off care, except for 1 day a week where we still have to figure something out for about 5 hours and I'll be home for the first 6 months so I'm thinking we may have a good shot at it.
@bree72: I've never heard of any cons. The most resistance I usually get is people saying that 1) we're pushing Addie into potty training and we should just let her do it at her own pace (but she really likes the potty, and I think she prefers not sitting in a soiled diaper) or 2) that EC is really training the parents, not training the baby (but we're "trained" to clean up her waste whether it's in diapers or on a potty; the potty is just a lot easier clean up). I think as long as you keep potty time and EC positive, it can be a really great experience and definitely not harmful to the baby.
@troubled: That's a very positive story! Thanks for sharing!
@hilsy85: I first heard about EC 2 years ago. At the time, my sister was potty training my (then 2.5 year old) nephew. At the time, potty training became this huge issue and she actually stopped and waited for another year to try again. I remember thinking that if she had just introduced him to the potty earlier (like I had read about with EC), she wouldn't have a 3.5 year old that was still in diapers. :/ He ended up getting fully potty trained at about 4, just in time to be enrolled in pre-school (which most places require kids to be potty trained before starting school).
Reading up on it, it seems children often have trouble switching from diapers to the potty, and it kinda makes sense. We teach our kids to go to the bathroom in their diapers, and then we later re-teach them that the potty is actually the correct place to go. It seems like an unneeded extra step, you know? Why not teach them to use the toilet in the first place?
@808bride: Lol at your husband using the potty sign! How cute!
@808bride: Personally, I think any potty time is good time, even part-time. Also, I'm really hoping MightySapphire chimes in because I'm pretty sure MightyBaby is in daycare and they only do EC part-time. Hopefully, she'll have some more insight on this!
@Mrs. Spring: This is SO interesting. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us! Having just come back from 3 days with my nephews, one of whom is 3-1/2 and screams when we sit him on the potty to try to poop, I thought to myself a million times "There has to be something easier...". And you're right, most kids only finally potty train because you can't go to big boy school if you poop your pants. That's what made my stepson finally do it. That and chocolate for bribes, LOL! I don't know anyone who's tried what you're doing, but it's so cool that it's working for you and your family, keep us updated, it may be something I'd like to try some day! The screaming and crying about sitting on a potty is just ridiculous, I'd love to skip that with my own kids one day ;)
@bakerella: Ugh, that's what I saw with my nephew and what made me think seriously about doing EC. Besides it being tough on the parents, I imagine it's got to be torture for little kids who really hate the potty and scream and cry every time they have to go!
I'm very intrigued by this and will definitely have to read up on it more and consider it when DH and I reach the point of having kids! Thanks for sharing!
Hi, I don't have any children yet but I read a blog and she documents using this process for her son! I had never heard of it before, but it actually seems like a good alternative, especially because you can still use diapers for overnight and long trips in the car. I have attached the link with the first page about the topic, but I think there is more information if you search her site. Hope this helps/is interesting!
http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/2009/06/communicating.html
Thanks for sharing your experience with us! I've become more and more interested in alternatives to disposable diapers for a while now- we have close friends who use cloth diapers at home, and I've also been interested in EC for about a year.
We're quite a ways off from children ourselves (we're waiting about 3-5 more years before we start trying) but with FI and I having so many friends having children, it's a conversation that has come up more than once.
Thankfully he seems to be willing to consider anything, and not having to buy an endless waste of diapers is certainly something I would enjoy :)
@hilsy85: I started looking at it after seeing my friend try to potty train her 2-1/2 year old. He's absolutely terrified of the toilet and likes his diaper but has started to hide when he's going in his diaper. Another coworker had a three year old girl who just would say no,no,no,no - doesn't seem scared but not at all willing.
I'm the oldest and don't remember anything like that for my sisters, instead I remember them being a bit too comfy with the potty and my dad always having to take the toilet apart. Two of them loved when they were toddlers to run in the bathroom and throw blocks in the toilet so they could press the handle and watch them spin as they flushed. So that's why I started looking into it and asking my mom because at 2 my sisters seemed to have very positive association with the toilet and my friends kid screams in fear if you mention the bathroom.
I was first introduced to EC awhile ago but didn't really think much about it until I saw an interview that another blog linked to for an interview with Mayim Bialik and her choice to EC. I found a copy of the video here when I did a Google search earlier today when I read this post. After I saw that interview I remember doing more research and finding the concept to be very smart. We'll be doing full time day care so I'm not sure if we'll be trying EC but I like the concept very much.
WOW!!
Thank you so so much for posting this @MrsSpring!! my husband is very much like yours (it sounds like) and will probably go with the flow if I suggest it to him for our first (due in April).
@808bride I hear ya on the backlash from cloth diapering...I know, for example, that at one of my showers I'll get a diaper cake and plastic diapers which is fine and I'm sure I'll appreciate them for days out on the town/etc but I am planning to cloth diaper as well. I actually recieved some bumgenius diapers (thanks @MrsDG for the info/help with that!) from my mom for Christmas. She cloth diapered me and my MIL did for my husband as well. I'm pretty bummed that there isn't a diaper service close to us-- haha but I'm planning to buy the attachments/washers so if I can't convince our cleaning lady to do it for some extra $ (she used to do it for some other families but hasn't in awhile) then I'll just do it on my own :P
@Sulli301: It is sooo easy to wash the diapers. I'm a wuss and I don't even mind doing it at all. In fact it is so soothing to stuff the diapers! The way we do things, we've eliminated any smell, so really the only tricky part is distracting a wiggly baby while rinsing the poop off the diaper. I bet you'll find that you'd rather do the diapers yourself so that you know they are cleaned correctly.
Also, it's not exactly EC, but cloth diapered babies on average potty train nearly a year earlier than plastic diapered babies. I'm not sure why but I think part of it is that they can feel the wetness more easily. Also I feel like I stay very in tune with when she's going to the bathroom so I can change her right away!
EC and cloth diapering go hand-in-hand, and lots of people do both!
@Mrs.DG wow, good to know! I don't mind cleaning but I am a wuss about smells! And that is true, I can be a bit of a control freak so maybe doing it myself would give me that "power".
I'd never heard of EC before today but I think it sounds amazing!
@MrsSpring
My husband just walked in the door from work (yes, late! We got about 10 inches since 8a.m....ohhh Northern Michigan!) and I quickly read over your post and he tilted his head to the side and said "Huh! Cool" so I guess it's a go to try :)
I've never heard of this (I'm not a mommy yet) but it is very interesting to me! I work on potty training with some of my clients (I'm a behavior therapist for kids on the autism spectrum) and just wanted to add some info. Generally when we are deciding (with a child's parents) whether or not a child is ready to be potty trained, we look for 3 signs: 1. the child is uncomfortable in a wet/full diaper (usually happens very early in typical children), 2. the child indicates in some way that he/she needs to "go", and 3. the child is "interested" in what is going on in the bathroom, wants to watch parents/siblings, etc. We do "potty training intensive" days where we are basically in the bathroom all day with the child, filling them up and rewarding them for successes. It's a system that can also work quite well for typical children, if anyone wants to hear more, feel free to let me know! 
@Mrs. Spring: This just makes perfect sense to me! Why teach a baby to go potty in a diaper and then all of a sudden say "No no" that's wrong you actually go potty here, in the toilet? I totally want to learn more about EC and was wondering if there were any books/resources you found to be helpful? I know my husband would be on board so I'd love to give it a try.
I've also had the backlash from CD with my SILs who all think it's wrong and nasty and one even said "why do you care about the environment so much?" and "our kids turned out fine". So if we decide to EC this information may stay between my husband and myself :), but honestly I don't see how it's forcing a child to do something it doesn't want to do or 'pushing it' because if started at such an early age how does the child really know any different? I actually see the normal way of potty training to be more forcing situation. Sigh...
I singlehandedly toilet trained the 2.5y.o boy I nannied for because I was sick of the nappies. He parents did not help at all, over the weekends they would stick him back in nappies, but eventually he caught on. It was a hard couple of weeks though, I cleaned so many poopy pants! yuck. Anything to make the process easier sounds like a good idea to me.
@Mrs. Spring: "Personally, I think any potty time is good time, even part-time." You're right!
Wishing we had done this (although I had never heard of it before this post) our son is 2 years old and potty training sure is a pain in the bottom lol
@Sulli301: Awesome that your husband seems open to it! Good luck!
@pansyshell: I'd be happy to share my resources! I read The Diaper-Free Baby and Infant Potty Training. I'd also recommend www.diaperfreebaby.com for more information.
Also, I'm super impressed by all the positive comments on thispost! It's really encouraging to hear so many people who are interested in EC. I hope some of you will soon be posting on this thread with your own success stories!
@Mrs. Spring: Thank you! I had looked into those books last night and was hoping you might have found them felpful. I'll have to check out the site!
I do not have children and plan on waiting a couple more years but I heard about EC last year and decided I want to eventually try it. I searched out information on EC and learned there are so many options.
@Mrs. Spring what do you have baby in on a regular basis? It sounds like you have her in a diaper but I know it is also popular to keep the baby naked on the bottom while doing EC as well, have you tried this? Do you use disposables or cloth?
I find this topic super interesting, thanks for sharing and encouraging others to share their experiences. What a great resource.
wow! at first i thought this was crazy, no offense, I had just never heard of it but i'm really likeing the idea and what you say makes since about them learning to go in their pants and then having to relearn to go in the toilet. My daughter was in diapers till she was 4 but not bc I was having a hard time training her but bc she was so skinny that I could not find any underwear that fit her. I'm going to talk to my husband about this with our daughter but I was wondering where you are finding underpants for the kids that young?
@slicey19: Addie is in disposable diapers most of the time, but we do diaper-free time pretty much every day. We do diaper-free time right after she has gone on the potty, so we haven't had any accidents... yet. :) I think it's good to give her a break, though, from diapers so her skin can breathe an she can move around with the restrictions of bulky diapers.
For others who might not know what we're talking about, there are a few different methods of EC. One method is to put baby on the potty on a schedule, like what we do. You basically put baby on the potty at the times she is most likely to need to go (before/after naps and meals or before going into/coming out of a car seat or baby carrier.
Another method is to follow the baby's cues as to when she needs to go. To figure out the baby's cues, you will often have several (or many!) diaper-free observation periods where you watch baby very carefully to see how he/she behaves right before going to the bathroom. The methods aren't exclusive, though, and you can mix and match to fit your comfort level or lifestyle.
Also, cloth diapers and EC are often used in conjunction since they have many of the same benefits and appeals: environmentally friendly families, families interested in potty training early, parents of babies with sensitive skin, parents raised in cultures where EC and cloth diapers are the norm, etc...
@bridemia0415: You probably won't be able to buy infant-sized training pants or underwear in the store; you'll probably have to buy online. Here's a couple websites that have been great resources so far for us:
http://continuum-family.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=11_49
You can also use just regular, single layer, pre-fold cloth diapers for training pants (since they'll absorb about the same amount), but maybe that wouldn't work for your daughter. :)
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