I had a question posted in the comments section of an earlier blog, so I thought I'd answer it here. It was about elimination communication (EC for short).
I was reading Cindy's blog one day about how she got into doing EC with Harper, and like her, I pooh-poohed the idea, until I read more about it. Here's the basic idea:
Animals are born with the innate desire NOT to sit in their own waste. Just look around nature and you'll see. Human babies are the only ones taught to do so. Before the advent of disposable diapers a lot of babies were potty trained prior to 2 years of age. My own grandfather's mother claimed that he was potty trained at 3 months (they just hung him out the window).
Human babies are conditioned to sit in their own waste in diapers, and then we marvel at how hard it is to train them NOT to go in their diapers after they have done it for a year or two! If you start early (prior to 6 months is ideal but you can even start later) you can learn their cues as to when they need to go and just take them to the potty. You just have to watch them, and it can take a while to learn, but they will let you know when they need to go, believe it or not! We've been doing this with Max since he was about 3-4 weeks old, and it's actually pretty fun! You don't have to do it all the time, even. Cloth diapering helps, because you can know when they've gone sooner, and they can feel when they're wet. This way they don't get used to sitting in it.
Some people do EC with the intent of going completely diaper-free, and some just use it as a tool to make true potty-training easier when the time comes. Nay-sayers say it's not training the kid, but the parent, but don't we have to learn our babies' cues for hunger, tiredness, etc.? This is no different. It just takes attachment parenting to a whole new level, and I'm for that! I like it because I'm getting to know Max even better, it cuts down on diaper changes, reduces blowouts (that alone was enough for me) and the chance for diaper rash. It's also fun to hear people's reactions...most are amazed when they hear about it, and even more so if they get to see him in action!
I'm sure I'm leaving lots of stuff out, but this is the basic idea. For more info, visit http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/, or check out the book by the same name by Christine Gross-Loh. Good stuff.
2 years on Bright Line Eating - Update
4 years ago
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ReplyDelete(This is Jen, by the way)
ReplyDeleteFascinating! My mom used cloth diapers with me --and said she loved it. It *is* more environmentally friendly, and your idea here about knowing when to change them sooner is a salient point indeed.
Harper is an awesome name, BTW. Boy or girl?
My question is this: when do you know to put Max on the potty? I know nothing about babies...do they poop on a schedule? He looks so cute on his little toilet thingy. :)
Hey Jen,
ReplyDeleteMy friend Cindy's little Harper is a boy and he is so sweet! Harper is her maiden name and I like that they used it for him.
To answer your question, all babies are different, but after watching Max, we know that he starts to softly grunt or pass gas if he needs to go poo. Those are pretty easy to catch. Although he doesn't have a set schedule for poo, he usually goes first thng in the morning for sure. Pees are harder to catch, you have to combine how long it's been since he last went and his cues. It's really a timing thing. (Babies pee on average every 10 to 20 minutes when they're younger, and they go longer in between as they get older) He will usually go after he wakes up, or after he eats, and he will fidget or sometimes even go "Hey!" (I swear that's really what he does...hilarious) Interestingly enough, babies, like adults, seldom use the bathroom while in a deep sleep!