So. Never ever thought I'd be writing a post like this. (what never? no never!*) But, thanks to my friend Amy who asked to learn more about this whole craziness, I decided to write a post on it. It should be mentioned that Amy was actually the one who convinced me to try cloth diapers in the first place thanks to this post! Thanks Amy!
And, feel free to skip this post entirely if 1) you no longer have children in diapers 2) you have no children or 3) you find this whole topic gross (but keep in mind this was my attitude before I started!)
When we were meeting with our doula group to decide if a doula was right for us, we were "subjected" to more "earthy/crunchy" propaganda. I listened politely but swore up and down that I would never use a cloth diaper and definitely not ever try to use EC (elimination communication) with my children. Were they NUTS? Sure, I'd listen politely and carefully pass around the diaper using just the tips of two of my fingers but, seriously, who did these doulas think we were? We surely weren't that crunchy.
Apparently, I was the one who was/is nuts.
One of my sorority sisters (my grandbaby) had a baby in December and she started trying EC soon after her daughter was born. It apparently worked for her. It made me think, 1) that she was crazy 2) that maybe we could do it and 3) that it was too late to start with C but we could possibly, just maybe, look into it with our next one.
All that changed after C went #2 in the bathtub 3 nights in a row. Keeping in mind my doula's (she EC'd her last two kids) and my friend's experiences, I thought it wouldn't be bad to implement one aspect of EC--put the child on the potty before bathtime as warm water usually causes a BM of some kind. Just implementing one aspect wouldn't make me nuts and crunchy, would it? Surely this experiment would never last!
I put C on it the first night and, to my amazement, off she went. It was like she was born to poo on a toilet. Exciting stuff. The next day, anytime I thought she was thinking about passing a #2, I'd whip off her diaper and put her on the comode. And, amazingly, she went every time (save the one time we were in the "family restroom" with Mimi at the mall--but she did try very hard when she was on it!). Soon, she even started going #1! C has gone for hours without a wet or dirty diaper.
The trick to remember is that you are not training your child to hold it all in but, rather, you are training yourself to learn his/her potty cues and then acting on them quickly. I think it is fun to try and get her to go and to not have to change a dirty wet diaper is a huge bonus. As long as you keep an open and flexible mind about it, you'll be fine. There are a lot of parents who want to get their baby diaper free and get too stressed out and then their baby gets stressed out and then the whole thing is a mess, including their house (because most likely, there will be a few misses!)!
And, feel free to skip this post entirely if 1) you no longer have children in diapers 2) you have no children or 3) you find this whole topic gross (but keep in mind this was my attitude before I started!)
When we were meeting with our doula group to decide if a doula was right for us, we were "subjected" to more "earthy/crunchy" propaganda. I listened politely but swore up and down that I would never use a cloth diaper and definitely not ever try to use EC (elimination communication) with my children. Were they NUTS? Sure, I'd listen politely and carefully pass around the diaper using just the tips of two of my fingers but, seriously, who did these doulas think we were? We surely weren't that crunchy.
Apparently, I was the one who was/is nuts.
One of my sorority sisters (my grandbaby) had a baby in December and she started trying EC soon after her daughter was born. It apparently worked for her. It made me think, 1) that she was crazy 2) that maybe we could do it and 3) that it was too late to start with C but we could possibly, just maybe, look into it with our next one.
All that changed after C went #2 in the bathtub 3 nights in a row. Keeping in mind my doula's (she EC'd her last two kids) and my friend's experiences, I thought it wouldn't be bad to implement one aspect of EC--put the child on the potty before bathtime as warm water usually causes a BM of some kind. Just implementing one aspect wouldn't make me nuts and crunchy, would it? Surely this experiment would never last!
I put C on it the first night and, to my amazement, off she went. It was like she was born to poo on a toilet. Exciting stuff. The next day, anytime I thought she was thinking about passing a #2, I'd whip off her diaper and put her on the comode. And, amazingly, she went every time (save the one time we were in the "family restroom" with Mimi at the mall--but she did try very hard when she was on it!). Soon, she even started going #1! C has gone for hours without a wet or dirty diaper.
The trick to remember is that you are not training your child to hold it all in but, rather, you are training yourself to learn his/her potty cues and then acting on them quickly. I think it is fun to try and get her to go and to not have to change a dirty wet diaper is a huge bonus. As long as you keep an open and flexible mind about it, you'll be fine. There are a lot of parents who want to get their baby diaper free and get too stressed out and then their baby gets stressed out and then the whole thing is a mess, including their house (because most likely, there will be a few misses!)!
I haven't read much more on ECing but I do have the following books on reserve at the library. I am by no means an expert on this method of pottying but, if you do a google search for "elimination communication" or "diaper free", you'll find out a lot more! Also, feel free to click on any of the following books for more information about them. These are the books that I will be getting soon.
*From the Simpson's (I also NEVER ever thought I'd quote a line from the Simpsons. J is having an effect on me)
2 people think...:
wow, interesting, I've never even heard of that!
Now, this sounds interesting for a working mom...seems like I would have to rely on my babysitter (i.e. mother in law) to do this a majority of the day. BOO!
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