Diaperless Baby (E.C.)?

Question

I have just had my second child (Josh) & was intregued by an artical on "elimination control"
I would love to hear from moms (or dads) who practice this for tips / experiences on how to do it? at home, when out,car journeys, on vacation ect...
I would love to try it but dont see that it would be practical.
Any advice please?

Answer 1

Hello! I started EC with my fourth child when he was 7 weeks old. I wanted to try it for several reasons:

1. my first child had severe "potty phobia" when we first showed it to him. We didn't use any pressure, but for some reason he was scared. He didn't learn to use the potty until he was 38 months! I wanted a more gradual, easier method.

2. I was sick of changing diapers after 3 kids. I was ready to give EC a try for the novelty of it.

3. Sensitive skin. I liked the no diaper rash benefit for my baby.

I didn't really know if it could actually work, but after reading all the articles I could find (very few at that time!) I figured it couldn't hurt!



I LOVED it, my baby LOVED it, and we definitely benefitted from it. When he was entering the 2yo "independent" stage, the potty was never a struggle for him. It was part of his daily routine. We could fight over whether he got to wear a tank top in winter, or his heavy coat and mittens outside in summer, or whether or not cookies were an OK breakfast food, but the potty was just a "given" to him.



I am enjoying EC again, this time with my baby girl. People say it's "parent training" and I ask why is this a "bad thing?" I am trained to know when my baby is hungry, and feed her. I am trained how to soothe her when she is tired and cranky. I am trained in how to change a diaper, and how to scrape poo out of every crack and crevice so she doesn't get a rash... I just prefer to try and "catch" the poo in a potty instead! I will freely admit, I am a well-trained parent (as I would hope any loving parent is, regardless of their diapering/EC choices)!



As far as it being "practical" I know it's not for everyone, but I feel if I can make it work with 4 kids and a baby, it can be adapted to fit almost any situation! It's not an "all or nothing" type of deal, and it can even be done part-time by parents who work outside the home!



To get started I recommend taking the diaper off for a few hours when you have some time to observe. Use a waterproof pad if it will help you be more relaxed. Watch your baby, see if you can notice any signs he gives off before he goes. Boys will often have a slight erection just before peeing. If you think "He probably needs to go now" try holding him over the potty or a bucket. He might surprise you!



Whenever he goes, make a "cue noise" like "Psss!" or use a cue word you are comfy with. Soon he will associate the feeling of peeing with the sound or word. He will more readily "release" his bladder when hearing the cue sound, though he will not be ready to hold his bladder for any extended time for a while yet.

Answer 2

Training the parent to take the baby to the potty is better than training the parent to change a diaper! It is wonderful when children and their parents have such great communication.



If you want to start EC with your child, a good time to start is when you know they will pee - after waking. Take them to the potty when they awake, or anytime they have been dry for longer than usual. EVentually they will associate the potty with eliminating, without pressure.



EC does not need to be messy, there is no reason you can't use diapers! But once you get into the swing of it , you might like not using diapers! So nice and free for the baby :)

Answer 3

"Elimination communication" is the usual term used. I believe that article was kind of sketchy and inaccurate in its details.



I have practiced EC with my son since he was 8 weeks old, and I lead our local Diaper-Free Baby group. (http://www.diaperbaby.org is a good resource, by the way).



No way would I change a thing, it has worked out GREAT for us. My son was out of diapers at 15 months, and at 2.5 years old I can't remember the last time he had an accident. He uses the potty on his own. I compare this with all of my friends who didn't use EC, and they all have 3, 4, and even 5 year olds still in diapers with huge complexes about pooping in the potty, wet the bed if not in Pull-ups....it's a REAL nightmare.



It's a little more work at the beginning, but let me tell you, changing the diapers of a kid who can walk is a way bigger and nastier task than I have ever taken on. I have changed maybe 20 poopy diapers at most since my son was 8 weeks old, whereas my friends have changed THOUSANDS. My son has no weird complexes about pottying, it's just a normal part of his life.



I wrote an article about practicing EC part-time, that's what we did for the first year. I was a working mom (still am), and it's entirely possible to work and have a life and still practice EC. You don't have to sit and stare at your baby all day, obsessed with every pee and poop. Your baby doesn't have to be diaperless, either, thought it does help to offer diaper-free time during the day to observe elimination frequency.



Check out my article about doing part-time EC, it's also a good way to get started if you're not sure how to go about it:

http://www.viviente.com/2005/10/how_to_do_parttime_pottytraini_1.html



Hope that helps, good luck!

Laura

Answer 4

I'm doing this with my 3rd child (since 6 weeks old; now 9 months).



I love it! He soon began fussing for me to take him to the toilet. He will begin 'pushing' the pee out when I hold him over the toilet.



He's not diaperless (I have two other children to run after :) ) but he does use less diapers! :D



I wish I had known about it for my first two.



Don't listen to people who haven't given it a good college try. It's not an all or nothing deal. Even if you only do it when the baby wakes up from naps, it does wonders in speeding up the process by which the baby can acknowledge his/her own bodily functions. It's amazing and marvelous to witness how young a baby can be and still be so cognizant of bodily functions.

Answer 5

EC (elimination Communication) involves listening to your child.



I've been practicing this method with my daughter since she was born (over 2 years now) and she has been wearing training pants since she was about 20 months (because mommy was a chicken about misses before that and kept diapers on). She was consistently dry at night by 9 months and consistently pooping in the toilet by 6 months.



My friend's 1.5 month old son was spending 30-45 minutes farting in a diaper before pooping and sometimes his poops were pretty spaced out. I tried holding him over the potty one day after some gas and he had a huge poop right away and was so much more comfortable than the day before in his diaper. His mom has noticed a much happier child now that she holds him over the potty when his 'gassy time' comes each day.



There may be some intuition involved, but knowing your child needs to go to the washroom isn't much different than knowing when your child needs to breastfeed.



Give EC a try! You may love it like we did, or just save a diaper or two per day.



There are some excellent resources on line as well as a Yahoo group devoted to the topic (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eliminationcommunication/)



Good Luck!

Answer 6

We've been practicing elimination communication for the past 4 months. It's been awesome. My now 9 mo old is dry through the night and has on average maybe one miss a day. When we go out we babywear, he merely wiggles when he needs to go. TIming has a lot to do with things too, and I've also noticed that rubbing his eyes is actually a sign that he needs to pee, rarely that he's tired.



I knew EC was for us when he was just a newborn. He'd fuss the second his diaper was wet (in retrospect, maybe he was fussing to let us knew we had to go BEFORE he went??), he'd wait until his dipe was off to poop.



If anyone wants to try I'd give 'er a whirl upon wakening and a few minutes after a big feed. Jus thold your babe over the tub, a potty, sink, bush, wherever and encourage a pee with a gentle "pssss" sound. Any skeptics- go ahead, prove it wrong- TRY IT!!

Answer 7

EC, in my experience, stands for "Elimination Communication", not "Elimination Control". The emphasis here is the Communication part.



Most people are easily able to tell when their newborn needs to have a bowel movement due to all the grunting and squirming generally involved. There are signals for having to pee also. Signals for both vary for each baby.



People who practice EC do so for many different reasons, some of which include having increased closeness/communication with their child, believing that children should not sit in their own waste, believing that diapers are a less-clean and less respectful way of caring for a child's elimination needs, wanting to avoid the difficulties of traditional potty training (the age for which, at least in the U.S., is going up and up and up thanks to ultra absorbent disposible diapers), wanting to save money on diapers or time and effort washing cloth diapers. . . the list goes on and on.



It's true that EC is not always convenient or easy. But then, neither are diapers or traditional potty training. I look at it this way: I can work with my child regarding her elimination needs now, or I can put it off a few years and in the meantime spend a lot of money and time cleaning poop off my child's butt.



People also practice EC in a variety of different ways. Some are truly diaper-free from birth, inside and outside the home. This is probably not very many people. Some people use disposibles, some cloth, some training pants, some special EC clothing, and MOST probably a combination of some or all of these things depending on the baby's age and the situation. We personally use disposibles, cloth, trainers and naked time. We take her out in disposibles but try to use cloth or trainers or nakey-butt at home. There is no hard and fast rule about how to do EC.



I strongly recommend joining the Yahoo Elimination Communication Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eliminationcommunication) if you'd like to meet TONS of people who practice EC, in lots of different ways, and with children of lots of different ages.



Congratulations on your new baby and good luck no matter what you choose regardng EC! :)



Suzy

Mama to DD Eun-Bi (03/15/2006)

EC'd from 10 weeks

Answer 8

I've heard from many people who have tried it that you have to be completely commited to cleaning up a lot of messes. The concept or E.C. was developed by people in countries where they generally live outside, so mess is not really a big problem. However, if you do decide to stick with it you can purchase a portable potty seat. I think they sell them at most stores in the camping section. Good luck to you, I myself would not have the patience for it. Diapers are so much easier, and children seem to potty train themselves, when they are ready. You can take a child to a potty but you can't make them pee. That part is up to them.

Answer 9

I have done EC with both of my sons... they're four and one years old now... and I can't imagine how people *don't* do it! Once you get the hang of it, it's faster, easier, cheaper, cleaner, and far less work than conventional diapering. Sure, there's a learning curve, but there's usually a learning curve when something's worth doing!



I know our culture has all these barriers up about why diapers are better... but once you start really, really looking at the idea of wrapping your precious baby up in plastic all day, EC starts looking better and better.



I know moms who work fulltime who do this, moms who stay at home, dads, grandparents... it's not nearly as hard as it sounds, and the rewards are incredible. Finishing up with, of course, *never* having to deal with potty-training a toddler! What's not to love about that? =)

Answer 10

We used this with our third son in 1979 and he turned out just fine, lol. After using diapers with the first two, we wanted to try something else and much preferred EC (also called infant potty training, trickle treat and natural infant hygiene).Here are some links for more info:



www.TimL.com/ipt

www.pottywhisperer.com



I highly recommend EC to anyone who wants to give it a try. It doesn't have to be overly time comsuming since you can make just a few potty visits a day if this is what fits your schedule.



Cheers,

Laurie

Answer 11

I have known people who did it. I never did it with an infant, but did use some of what I learned from my friends when potty training my girls at an older age.



Some people do EC at home full time and then when they go out they use diapers. I know many moms who have carried a small potty with them wherever they went as well.

Answer 12

I have used EC with my daughter with great success! we were late-starters, starting at 7 months. She is 23 months old now, and has not worn a (cloth) diaper since before she was 18 months old. She is in undies 24 hours a day! I have also discovered that she is intolerant to wheat, zucchini, and butternut squash, and this is something I would never have known had I not discovered EC. I love EC!!!

Check out http://www.pottywhisperer.com for more info on how to get started

Answer 13

EC is GREAT! I didn't think it would work either, then my 2 week old got an awful diaper rash and I took her diaper off for the whole day. That day she peed in the potty 4 times! I would recommend reading "Infant Potty Training" by Laurie Boucke and/or Diaper Free by Ingrid Bauer.

Enjoy!

Answer 14

I don't practice EC myself, but I've known people who do. One thing to keep in mind, is that EC doesn't have to be all or nothing. You could potty your baby at home, but do diapers when out (I know one mom who does this).



Check out the links for some good articles and a discussion board where people can help you.

Answer 15

From what I have hear of EC it is just a way to train the parents into seeing the signs of when the baby is going to go.

My only concern is that if the family has a history of bladder/kidney problems; if there is a history, the child may begin to develop bladder infections upon potty training.

Also remember to keep fluid levels up as some parents will limit liquids in order to control when the child goes.

Good luck!

Answer 16

We have been very successful with ECing our baby.



We have been doing it since he was about 2-3 weeks old and now that he is 9 months old, we very, very rarely have to clean poo off of his little tushie because he goes willingly in the potty, and we catch 75-90% of his pees in the potty too.



Even if we don't hit 100% I know that he will transition to using the potty comfortably and easily when he is ready too, because I have never asked him to ignore the icky feeling of going to the potty in his pants.



I would never go back. Ever.

Answer 17

I am a pediatric RN nursing instructor. I read about EC while I was pregnant and it all made sense to me. I now teach my nursing students and other medical professionals (including my pediatrician) about this gentle way of listening to your baby's needs. My son has been in training pants since 11 weeks. He does most of his pees and almost all his poops in the potty place. I DO NOT HAVE TO CHANGE DIRTY DIAPERS. Most importantly, my baby knows he does not have to poop in his pants. For more information, see diaperfreebaby.org. My favorite book is Infant Potty Training. You can buy it at amazon.com.

Answer 18

I'm doing this part time with my 8.5 month old. It is very obvious that she is communicating with me to let me know when she needs to eliminate. The smile on her face when I get it right and she can go pee in the potty instead of in her diaper is worth the bit of extra attention I need to give.

I got a bit lax on it (she was less interested once she started to crawl) and she has developed a rash again. So, I've tried to become more consistent in getting her to the potty and her rash is clearing up.

It's a great way to be closer to your baby, let them know you are listening to their needs, and save on diapers a bit too! LOL It doesn't have to be unpleasant for either of you.

Answer 19

Try reading 'the potty project'. There are internet websites. I sort of tried it on my daughter. I wasn't consistant with it so it didn't work. She's only 15 months old and I sort of started it around 3 months old.



I'm sure it works but it would take A LOT of time.

Answer 20

I read an article in parent's magazine about it and it wasn't something I'd want to commit to, but some parents do. I guess it's the society we live in that makes that way of thinking strange, compared to other societies that practice it naturally. I personally couldn't do it- my daughter is a stealth pooper and I never have any idea when it's about to come out!

Answer 21

It's important to understand exactly what needs to be done and in what order to have your child fully potty trained. Check out this method http://pottytraining.toptips.org

Answer 22

never tried it but apparently if you become aware of your child's signs of pooping & peeing (grunting, or whatever they choose to do) that's what you use as your cue to take them to the bathroom.



I've heard that you can be quite successful with it! If I had the patience & had I have heard of it BEFORE my son was born, I'd have tried it on him...with this new one coming, I don't know if I'd have the time to do it.



Good luck & let us know how it works out for ya!

merlin the cat

Answer 23

I am doing elimination communication with my 3 month old baby. I started reluctantly because my older daughter had rash issues for the entire time until she was potty trained. We tried literally everything we could think of to solve her rash issues, but nothing ever worked until those stupid diapers were gone. My baby was starting to have the same issues, and because I didn't want another 2 years dealing with rashes, I decided I needed to look at something besides conventional diapering. For me, it was out of necessity to do EC.



I thought that EC would be difficult and messy, but I found that my daughter will cry and fuss before she has to eliminate. I discovered that by chance one day when she was laying naked on a prefold diaper and she cried right before she peed. I started paying close attention to see if she did that every time-- and she did! Once I discovered that, I started offering the potty before I tried other means to soothe her cry. Now that we've been doing EC for about 6 weeks, I'm better able to distinguish her cries and I can tell the difference between them, based on not only her cries but her body language as well.



One thing that you do with EC is you begin associating a sound with going to the potty. We use a "pssss" kind of a sound, which is really common with families who practice EC with their children. When we were first starting, I made the sound only as she was peeing so she would begin to correlate that sound with elimination. After a couple weeks, I started making the sound as soon as I took her to the potty. She now will go immediately after I make that sound, assuming I'm reading her signals correctly, that is! The only downside is now I associate that sound with peeing as well, and I really have to kegel to make sure I don't go, too!



We do try to potty while out and about, but I'm not as diligent about watching her signals to make sure we always get to the potty on time. That, and I am a little embarrassed about EC'ing in front of other people. But I do take her potty in public restrooms all the time, and I try to keep her dry as much as possible. We have managed to have several outing where she has stayed dry the entire time we're out, thanks to her clear signals and my diligence to respond to her cues immediately.



I don't think it would be any more difficult to EC on vacation, as long as you're paying attention and responding to cues in a reasonable manner. Anything can be a potty if you need it to be. If you're in the great outdoors, EVERYthing's a potty!



EC is not potty training the parents. It's all about learning how to communicate with one another to take care of the baby's needs. I see it like I see feeding my baby-- she tells me when she's hungry, so I feed her. She also tells me when she needs to eliminate, and I need to respond to that as well.



I found that EC wasn't as difficult as I originally envisioned. I needed to take my baby's diaper off quite often anyway, so this just came along naturally. Even though I was a reluctant starter, I now enjoy EC and plan to do it with any future child I have, even if their skin is totally healthy!



The BEST thing about EC-- my 2 year old is potty trained, and because her little sister pees on the potty, she is not at all interested in peeing in a diaper anymore. I think she may have reverted to wearing diapers if her sister was peeing in diapers all the time, but she thinks it's pretty cool that baby sister pees on the potty. She actually will pee in lil' sis's potty bowl or backward on the potty because that's how lil' sis does it.



I highly recommend anyone interested in EC to read "Infant Potty Training." It is my EC bible and I refer to it often. I also love the website www.diaperfreebaby.org, and there is a great yahoo group on eliminaton communication with hundreds of other parents doing EC with their children. It's great to know you're not alone out there. I don't know anyone at all who has done EC in real life, so the support is nice, even if it's only from people you've never actually met.

Answer 24

It's common practice in China. They make infant clothes without little "bottoms" in them.

Not for me, though. Too messy.

Answer 25

I've never even heard of it. If you can, let me know where I could read the artical.

Answer 26

I've read about that, too, and saw a piece on TV about it. I cannot see how it would be practical. I can't wait to see what Moms who have tried it say. Maybe my thinking is all wrong.

Answer 27

I think the whole thing is nothing other than a direct result of someone having nothing but time to think up asinine things, and the result, diaperless babies. What's next?

Answer 28

what exactly is elimination control-more details please