Elimination Communication AMA

dena613

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 7:47 am

What's the reason for doing so?

Are you saving on diapers? Do you not put her in diapers? Did she wear size NB underwear? Laugh

Do you hold her in the air and just wait for her to eliminate? I've never seen newborn size potties, and babies can not control their body enough to sit up (or eliminate)
How in the world does that work?

dena613

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:00 am

I'm sorry this will upset people, I'm sorry op.
I looked up only a few pages of your previous posts to get a feel for what kind of person you are if you're trying this. (Is that against rules?)
I didn't get a feel for who you are, other than that your a mommy of a young baby(ies?)...

But you posted in August that your husband changed diapers because he feels bad for baby to be in filth, and he tends to change most diapers.

So which one is it?

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:10 am

amother [ Caramel ] wrote:

What would you say to people who say "EC doesn't train the baby it trains the parents"?

100%! EC absolutely trains the parents. Eliminating is a natural, biological occurance. Most parents train their babies to eliminate in a diaper. By training ourselves in the methods of EC- to notice our babies' cues- we can respond accordingly and help them do it in a potty.
Communication goes both ways and we need to teach ourselves how to do it effectively.

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:20 am

dena613 wrote:

What's the reason for doing so?

Are you saving on diapers? Do you not put her in diapers? Did she wear size NB underwear? Laugh

Haha we actually do use disposable diapers as a backup. There is a company that makes NB size underwear, but because we don't catch 100% of the time, we use diapers. We are saving- we use way less and will be finished with them sooner.
The same company makes baby sized potties. It's called Go Diaper free.
The incredible thing is that babies can control their elimination. They can control it more with age, of course. By teaching ourselves to listen to their cues, we can hold them on the potty and allow them to eliminate on it.

amother

Anemone

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:25 am

SG18 wrote:

The reason is mainly out of respect for my child. She communicates (all babies do, if we pay attention) and I respond by helping her potty.

can u share how u started on thisjourney
what does communication look like when a baby has #2?
what if ur baby is out all day at babysitter and only does EC at night- does that defeat the purpose?
is this system for SAHM?

dena613

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:30 am

I assume communication means grunting, pushing, squeezing face...

How do babies communicate urination?

Babies in diapers aren't being "trained" to make in diapers , to respond to ops earlier post. They just eliminate naturally. No training.

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:33 am

dena613 wrote:

I found that post, to remind myself of it. I said changing diapers instead of EC to fit in a little. It was new to me, I was new here, and I wasn't comfortable sharing something radically different in this space. It wasn't completely honest, which I hope can be forgiven. I meant taking care of baby's elimination needs. At that point, my husband did the majority of the pottying when he was home.
My baby does wear diapers, as a backup. While she communicates, this is a work in progress for me and my husband. We have missed a few poops (I say that because, while she tried to communicate, we didn't catch on until it was "too late") and we've changed her diaper immediately when it happened.
This is early "potty training." Due to life, we aren't able to be completely on it all of the time.

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:40 am

amother [ Anemone ] wrote:

I found a video on YouTube about it, before I was even pregnant, which led me to a site called Go Diaper Free. I decided to try it and it worked out really well.
#2 is usually a grunting/straining sound, but can be different for different babies. It's also changed over time.
Part time EC works as well! It creates a familiarity with the potty and will make full time potty training happen earlier.
Additionally, it creates that communication, which is the most important part.

amother

Aster

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:42 am

What’s the benefit of it? It seems like instead of being busy with potty training for 2 weeks in toddlerhood, it’s a chore for you for many months in the newborn stage.
What is the reason why people choose this?

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:46 am

dena613 wrote:

They also make a noise for that.

So that's the thing- everything we teach our babies is a kind of training. We can call it teaching instead, if training doesn't sound right to you.
When natural elimination occurs, we teach our baby where that occurs. Most people teach their babies that this happens in a diaper. Later, they have to unteach this, by teaching them that it happens in the potty.
I skipped this step by teaching that it happens in the potty. Yes, sometimes we use the diaper, but the potty is the best place for natural elimination to occur.
Of course, I've recently had to teach my child that we use a different potty now (a minimizer on the toilet).

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:47 am

dena613 wrote:

I totally hear. Thanks for explaining! No problem!
No need for forgiveness!
I was just confused.

I hope you'll forgive me for looking up your posts. I know people here really don't like it.

No worries! I understand why it could have been misleading.

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:50 am

SuperWify wrote:

How did your husband feel when you initially proposed the idea?

At first, he (and I) thought it sounded cool but unrealistic. Then, we actually fostered a puppy that was completely potty trained and 8 weeks. And it made sense to both of us that if a dog could do this, a human baby could as well (obviously, without the walking part).
Once I gave birth, I kinda forgot about it, but the day after she was born, he was super into it and really got us both doing it.
It was nice for him, because while I was breastfeeding, he was able to bond with baby by doing this.
Now, he tells everyone he meets that she's potty trained 😂
He told the mechanic the other day. He's very proud and wants everyone to know that it's doable.

amother

Sunflower

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:51 am

I’ve read a lot about this and want to do this for my next baby iyh. I love the idea, kudos for you to carry through,

Im curious how does this work at night when baby is little? Also at what age do you think your child will be fully trained? And does that include night training too?

SG18

Fri, Mar 11 2022, 8:51 am

amother [ Aster ] wrote:

There are a lot of benefits, but off the bat- it doesn't take more effort than changing a diaper. In fact, changing a poopy diaper is much more time consuming. And don't get me started on blowouts- I've only had to deal with a few, and I don't know how anyone handles them often.
I choose to do this because it creates a strong communication with my child. Just like I feed her when she's hungry, put her to sleep when she's tired, clothe her when she's cold- I assist her in pottying when she needs to go.
I know she doesn't like eliminating in her diaper- she gets distressed if we don't change her. I know a lot of babies this age, and have seen them making noises, then crying, then finally getting quiet when they realize they need to go in their diapers. So I do it because I want to help her in this way, as well.