Elimination Communication

Kiyomi - posted on 11/18/2008

Well so far I have managed to get Audrey to poop in the potty twice, but not get her to pee. I have tried sitting her on the potty, but no luck yet. I haven't noticed yet when she is going to pee, but I am still looking for signs.

Robyn - posted on 11/18/2008

KIYOMI: I first started EC with my son when he turned 2 months old, although some parents may start right after birth and still others wait until their child may even be a toddler - it's totally up to you! Now that my son's about 13 weeks old, I've only managed to catch one poop on his potty, but LOTS of pees! Some parents find poops easier to catch because they notice their child grunting, passing gas, etc., although I'm the opposite - I tend to only catch my sons' pees! ANd his signals are soooo subtle that by the time i notice he needs to pee his already starting! So right now I'm mostly relying on timing (every 20 minutes or more in the morning), and doing it right after naps, during/after feeding, before/after baths, etc. Using cloth diapers really helps because then you notice when your child is doing his thing, which helps your understand what his "signals" are, when, and how many.... It's just a matter of keeping on top of it - of course every day there ARE lots of misses. You may also chose evenings because your baby will probably we less prone to eliminate later in the day. The best resource I've found so far is "THE DIAPER FREE BABY" by CHRISTINE GROSS-LOH, $16 US & $20 CDN - although I just borrowed my copy from the local library. You can also check out:
http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/index.php?...
[or]
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-dia...
That's where I put my foot in the door. Good luck to you!

Robyn - posted on 11/18/2008

Sorry it's taken so long to post a reply! "Elimination Communication" is the practice of communicating with your baby from a young age to know when she's signaling you that she is about to pee/poop, and by learning her signals you are able to help assist her with using the potty/toilet or such. You use this form of communication with help assist your child to learn to potty herself without the use/full-time use of diapers. EC is not meant to "potty-train" your child, but more to form a bond with your child and help her become more comfortable with her body - with the added benefit of being out of diapers sooner!

Kiyomi - posted on 11/16/2008

Well congrats. I haven't had to patience to try this with Audrey. She is three months old and it usually takes her a while to poop, so I know when that is coming, but she gets startled easily and so stops pushing. So I am still trying to figure out how to get this to work with her. Any tips?

Kristen - posted on 11/16/2008

never heard of it...personally i prefer to communicate! haha! I'm sure that's not what it means though!

Nicki - posted on 11/16/2008

what elimination communication?