Anyone Tried Elimination Communication (Potty Training Child Right from Birth)?

I agree with Nicole! Thanks for putting it like should be. BS! Let babies be babies. They're only this age for so long, why rush into toilet training?

Hi S.,

Well, guess I'm going to be the lone voice here. I did not learn about EC until my daughter was about 4 months old, and dove in head first when she was about 4.5 months old. We've been doing it ever since.

Ok, first... to address some of the comments by other moms.

1) You do NOT have to sit and stare at your child all day long only waiting for them to pee or poop. You learn your babys cues for when they are tired and hungry...learning the cues for when they are going to eliminate is no different.

2) No, infants do not "control" when they go. That is not the point of EC. The POINT of EC is that infants have a SENSE of when they go. They feel the urge and then nature take it's course. However, by teaching them to go in their diapers they loose that body awareness and then we have to reteach that later and then get frustrated when they are too interested in doing other things to pay attention to what their bodies are telling them. The POINT of EC is to not have your infant raise their little hand and say 'Mommy, I have to use the bathroom', but rather help them keep that body awareness so eventually the whole potty learning process will be more reasonable and easy for everyone.

The thing to keep in mind with EC is you do not have to go at it 100%. We don't, and many people don't. However, there are many people who do. I know one mom who did it full on. She and her daughter were very diligent about it and at 18 months her daughter has NO accidents during the day or night and wears big girl panties.

EC is about learning your baby. Learning their routines. In the beginning timing will be a big factor to help you learn your babies cues. Most moms rely heavily on timing for quite awhile as they learn their baby and get into the routine of EC. By timing I mean, actually paying attention to when your baby pees or poos. Most of the time they go more often in the morning and then it lengthens out in the afternoon. Eventually I learned that if my daughter suddenly started crying for seemingly no reason... she had to go to the bathroom. I would take her, she would go and then she was happy again!

One of the things about EC is it teaches your child that you will help them. They learn that they have needs and you will help meet those needs. It can be another bonding experience. (If you haven't guessed, EC is a big thing with attachment parenting. Those people who do not agree with attachment parenting most likely will not agree with EC on many levels.)

I have found it to be an easy and enjoyable thing for my family. My daughter is now 17 months old. She WILL tell us when she has to go potty. She does have many "dry" nights and dry days. We don't do it 100% of the time. We did for awhile, but then some life circumstances got in the way. But that's ok. I know when we decide it is time to 100% potty learn, that it won't be something completely foreign to her. She will know what the potty is for, she already has body awareness and I anticipate it will go much easier.

Does EC produce a 6 month old who goes in the potty all the time? No. It does improve the bond and communication between parent and child and help teach your child that you will be there to help them meet their needs.

I have to say...when started EC we saved so much on diapers! There are days I can reuse one diaper until I just can't close it any longer!

I found it very helpful to teach the ASL sign for "toilet". As you may already know kids can manipulate their hands before they can form words. I began teaching my daughter sign language at 6 months. It has been a life saver! She is able to tell us what she needs even if she doesn't know how to say the word. And no, it has not delayed her verbal communication in any way. She has a fairly large vocabulary. Not as big as some, but she is also learning 2 spoken languages as my husband is not American.

When I started I took a few days to really pay attention to my daughters peeing and pooping patterns. I found that she went poo first thing in the AM. So, that is actually where I started. I just started with the morning poo. She would get up, have her milk, and then we would go to the bathroom and she would poo in the potty. It amazed my husband. After awhile I found I didn't get her to the potty right away, she would wait. Not indefinetely of course...but a few minutes.

I then went on to tackle pees. I found these a little more difficult. But we eventually got in a routine for those as well.

I will say, emerging skills can throw everything OFF in a big way. They get WAY more interested in mastering whatever it is they are learning to pay attention to what their body is saying to them. You will have days where you think "WHY did I EVER do this!" But it passes and everything goes back to normal. Walking was a big one for us. My daughter was not interested in the potty for a good month when she was first walking. But then, all went back to normal.

There are some support groups online you can find through the diaper free baby website. I would highly recommend reading that book. It is very helpful and encouraging and non-threatening. It does not make you feel like your a bad mommy if you don't do EC all the time. It lays out the options, tips that have worked for other moms, things that haven't. It's a valuable resource.

Now at 17 months, we take potty time as a learning time as well. Sometimes it takes my daughter a minute or so to relax enough to pee or poo. So, we read a book, or count, or practice colors. It's a good way to slow down in the day and just "be" with your child. So, that argument of it not allowing you to play with your child and enjoy them.... bunk. ;-)

There is so much more I could say about EC, but I feel I've taken up so much of your time already. Please, feel free to e-mail if you have any more questions. ____@____.com

I think EC is a wonderful thing. Babies are born knowing more then we give them credit for. When I learned that and started helping my daughter meet ALL her needs, she was more content and happy. It was like she said "FINALLY MOM!" Babies are born with the instinct to NOT soil themselves. If they weren't...why do they cry when they were wet or soiled???? It's only when they are OLDER after we have taught them to wet and soil themselves that they feel "attached" to their pee and poo and will be resistant to going in the potty.

Congratulations on your baby boy! What a wonderful time for you. Again, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

My friend did this and it worked really well for them.. I just don't have the patience, but I might change my mind when my son turns 3 and isn't potty trained.. not that that's happened, but you never know...

From what I understand it's about following their cues, they don't necessarily hold it or anything, you just watch and learn from what they are doing. My friend basically never had to clean up a poopy diaper cause she could tell.. and so she just wiped him. It saved her money and time..

Anyway... PM me and I can get you her email.. she'd be happy to lend some ideas I'm sure.

I have heard about it.. and even seen a TV show about it..

I stay home and I dont know how I would have the time to sit there and look at the babies face adn look for signs of potty needs..

I would rather use my time to play with the baby and potty train them when they are over 2 and can talk..

By the way potty training when the child is ready can be done in 1 or2 days..

Hey girl! Is this who I think it is? I've run into SO many people I know on here, it's crazy. Anyway, I don't know anyone who's done this, but I've read a little about it. It's true that the baby can't possibly control elimination when they are an infant, but I think the people who do it just start out putting the baby on the pot every 1/2 hour to hour and figure out what the baby's cues are that way. It does seem like it would save money on diapers, but it costs you so much time! I would so much rather NOT be in the bathroom all day long. In the beginning, it's much nicer to have a restful atmosphere to bond, nurse, snuggle, sing, etc. It would be too overwhelming for me to try this. Anyway, just my opinion. See you Sunday!

I love the response by Renee H! I second everything she said. With my second child I did EC from the very beginning. I would recommend a website theecstore.com They have great stuff. I got the Potty Bowl and it worked much better than the bigger pottys at first. Their tiny butt fits in there without falling in. I would even get two, one for night to keep by the bed and another for around the house.
Also I would just lay her on a prefold and loosely wrap it around her crotch without securing it and then wrap in a blanket or whatever. It stayed long enough to either catch a missed pee or use the potty.
If you wear your son in a carrier he will instinctively not want to soil you. If he starts getting fussy try to potty him. The only time my daughters ever peed or pooped on me was when I tried to convince myself they didn't have to go yet. Try offering the potty if you get the thought that they might have to go. They usually will.
My second is 18 months and not completely pottying, but she goes on the potty many times a day. She raises quite a fuss if I don't let her go potty when I change her diaper. And she pees everytime!
I also taught her the ASL sign for toilet (Google it)That worked great when she couldn't speak yet.
Now she is starting to tell me when her diaper is soiled so I can change her right away. I use cloth diapers without a cover because you can tell right away if you missed a pee. And no my furniture doesn't smell like a toilet. As long as you are attentive to your son, he isn't going to be wet, but less than a minute, before you know to change him.
Once my daughter was a few months old I used the Baby Bjorn Little Potty. That works great for the car a various places around the house. Put it where he can see it while he plays and he may start to crawl over to it or point when he has to go.
Once she could climb up on things I got the Baby Bjorn Potty Seat. I love this seat because she hates to be held behind her back while on the potty so I needed something very secure so she wouldn't fall off. It has contoured sides so it hugs the child more than just a flat seat.
There is a yahoo group Ann Arbor DFB you could join. They could help support you. There are other Yahoo groups, too.
I have said a whole lot more than I had planned on, but I hope it helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

I think this is total BS to be honest. Children cannot control when they pee/poop until about 18 mos.

i totally agree with what renee h said. we have been practicing ec since my daughter was 3 months old (she's 14 months now).
highlighting points:
developmental stages do throw things off, as well as new foods or travelling
we use cloth diapers and love opening up a dry diaper, much easier to wash the wipes instead of a poopy diaper
we use a little potty seat and she poops in it every morning. she enjoys sitting there and reading books or brushing her doll's hair. we have a small box of books and things that sit next to the potty for her.
many of our friends are doing ec and every single family has been successful!! it's all varying degrees, but it does work.
i am slow to wake up in the morning, but i fly right out of bed when my daugher tells me she needs to go. we have been using sign language with her since 3 months, also and have been amazed at her ability to communicate. she also has an extremely large vocal vocabulary.
check out the resources and the support of other parents practicing ec.

best wishes to you. this is another amazing way to communicate and build a trusting relationship with your child. congratulations and blessings!

I say if you want to try it then you go ahead. I have never heard about it. I really don't believe it from what I am reading about it. I have 2 daughters my first was in diapers till 18 months and then potty trained herself pretty much. I dont think you need to do the EC to have your child potty trained at an early age. The little girl I watch was trained at 18 months also. I think it depends on the child. I just think when you baby is first born you will want to spend time like others have said cuddling and connecting. The other thing to think about is you will be attached for at least the firsl 1 1/2 years 24-7. If you want to go out with hubby and need a babysitter I am not sure a babysitter is going to know the pee/poop sign of a 2 month old. It is the same with nursing. I nursed my girls but always gave a bottle once in a while so I had my freedom also. Well I am done blabbering. Good Luck with what ever you choose to do.

Hi S.,
I kind of agree with Nicole but if you want to try it, go ahead.
Chris

Hello,
I would recommend the following book

Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene (Paperback)
by Ingrid Bauer (Author)

The book is great even if you don't decide to do it. I tried diaper free and I had some success with it. My daughter (17 months) is not diaper free yet, but hopefully by the time she is 2.