You know what rocks? Not changing diapers. Honestly, if anyone ever has a choice of changing a diaper vs. not changing a diaper, no one is going to opt to wipe smeared poo off a wiggly butt of smelly doom. No one.
While my little isn’t entirely out of her diapers yet, most of the time she is more than ready and willing to pop in to the toilet when it’s time to go. So how did I know when to start potty training? Well, as soon as she could sit up, it just felt natural to let her start using the potty or toilet. This is has saved us from countless extra diapers.
In fact, there are a lot of benefits to starting your young babies on the potty with (what I now know as) Elimination Communication. It seems to be such a natural way to go. Many moms and dads are giving EC a go, and when interviewing some of them for an article, they all had a lot of incredibly positive things to say.
Here is what Elleni had to say of raising her little man using Elimination Communication in their journey.
I was browsing ideas on early potty training and I came across EC. I know I want to have more kids, and sooner then later, so the idea of two in diapers seemed daunting – financially and practically. The more I read the more natural it seemed. Nobody wants to soil them selves, and Kash showed us that from the day he came home by peeing on us every time we took his diaper off.
I didn’t start right away, though I’m sure I could have. I waited until Kash was eating solids and had his first ‘human’ poo. I spent a week or so watching his cues and noting when he would pee or poo. It was usually when he was eating, so I would keep him diaper free and wait for the face: ultimate concentration!
He needed extra support on the potty so at that time we would just hang out there together. Read books, play with toys and use the wipes container as our table. Poos were definitely easier to catch, but after some time of just revisiting the potty and using my cue sounds (pssss pee pee and ugh poo poo), pees became a very common thing! For the most part I was the sole EC’er in our house but as Kash become more confident so did my husband. We still use diaper, mostly when we’re out or at some one else’s home. Other wise he loves to cruise bulk free in his adorable tiny underwear! Misses still happen but meh! What’s a little baby pee on the carpet?
It’s a wonderful way to have your child in tune with his or her body. It is also a beautiful way for you to communicate with your infants, to let them know ‘hey I’m paying attention and you got this! ‘
Any tips for prospectively ECing parents?
Introduce the potty before its actually in use. We left it out for him to explore before the initial sit so he could get to know it. I also ready “The Diaper Free Baby,” which had a lot of great tips and strategies that encouraged me to continue of this journey.
Today on Green Moms Collective I’m sharing more about the benefits, realities, and tips with more of these supportively shared personal experiences from other parents who’ve tried Elimination Communication.
I encourage you to read it there, and share your own experiences to help others who might want to consider this toilet training method as well.
Good luck in whatever toileting adventures lay ahead of you! Sign up for my weekly mailing list to make sure you don’t miss any positive parenting posts, and follow along with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for even more inspiration, motivation and support.