- What is Elimination Communication? Elimination Communication (EC) is the practice of listening and responding to your baby's communication, regarding their elimination needs.
- What are typical cues that babies give? Babies cry, whine, fuss or use body language when they have to go. When they need to have a bowel movement, usually they will stop what they are doing and concentrate, stare off into space or look like they are pushing. As they get older you can teach them to use sign language (or your own made up signal), or a key word / sound.
- Why try EC? Using Elimination Communication strengthens parent / baby bonding, communication and the trust that you will respond their needs. It is also better for our environment, decreasing the amount of diapers being dumped into landfills. Using EC is a more natural parenting choice, it helps decrease being overly dependent on disposable diapers for years (up to four or five years in some cases). This method helps babies and children increase their self-awareness and muscle control, and decreases the struggles that parents may face when training their children at a later age. And best of all, it saves lots and lots of money.
- Isn't it time consuming? Yes, practicing EC is time consuming, but you can practice on a full or part time basis, depending on your availability. Personally, we still keep our son in cloth diapers most of the time, but we try to respond quickly when he tells us he needs to go.
- Isn't this just training the parent? If responding to my child's needs is training me, then yes it is. Just as I would feed him if he was hungry, bathe him regularly or let him sleep if he was tired, I respond when he has to use the potty.
- Do I have to go without diapers? No, you can practice EC with or without diapers. Like I mentioned above, we use diapers with our son most of the time. Mostly we use cloth diapers, unless he has diarrhea or if we are going to be in the car running around everywhere . It is best to use cloth diapers so that babies will feel it when they are wet or soiled and they can associate this feeling with their own elimination process. You can use diapers full or part time, or not at all. The new cloth diapers do not even require a separate cover. And, there are also washable or flushable, biodegradable diaper liners available, so that you don't have to do much extra work to clean the diapers. I just rinse them before I wash them.
- Isn't it messy? Dealing with dirty diapers and diapers that have leaked onto clothing and bedding is a lot more messy than placing your child on the toilet and wiping them with toilet paper. Most of the time we do not even have to use a wet wipe afterward. In fact, parents who practice EC come into a lot less contact with waste matter than those who just change the diapers all of the time.
- Don't experts warn against early potty training? Yes, in the past early potty training was associated with strict practices and punishment, which led to a lot of problems with abuse. Using EC is a very gentle process, which never uses punishment. We are aware that accidents can and will happen. When they do, we just clean them up and go on with our day.
- How do I get started? Give baby an opportunity to pee immediately after a nap, or upon waking in the morning. This is the best way to get started, and reinforce the process for you and your baby. Check out our products page for books, potties, cloth diapers and more.
