Can you full time EC with no cues?

[DevaMajka]

Either ds doesn't cue, or he does and I'm oblivious. Could easily be either. lol
I could never tell with ds1 either.

We EC part time, just offering the potty when I think of it. Now, I *could* be subconsciously noticing some cue from him, but he pees in dipes much more often than in the potty.

Any tips? Is it possible if I'm clueless about his cues?

[pixiepunk]

i don't think FT EC is about never having a miss, that's just not possible when you're actually living life, kwim? but i think it's definitely possible without clear signaling, by going on timing. i think the easiest way to do this is to try to find a couple of days that are fairly typical in terms of when you wake up and eat and sleep and such (ie, don't do it when you're at your in-laws for christmas) and when you don't have a lot of other stuff on your plate. and put baby in a coverless diaper and keep a log. note the time everytime he pees or poos, in diaper or in potty. also when he sleeps and eats. most kids have a reasonably discernable pattern after a couple of days of observation - like maybe upon waking, 30 minutes later, an hour later, nurse, nap, upon waking, an hour later.... whatever. each baby is different but there's usually some type of pattern that emerges once you examine it.

once you realize the patterns, then it becomes easy after a while to fit in pottying opportunities at the times he's likely to need to go. well, you know, most of them - there are obviously times it's just not always possible. i did this with my DS, who wasn't signaling anymore by the time i started EC w/him (around 6 months) but we caught a lot based on timing (and as time went on, my intuition got really good too, which has always been my most reliable EC tool)

[DevaMajka]

That's a good idea! I'm going try this some day soon. I doubt I'll ever actually "full time" EC unless it just happens very easily. (with ds1 I got frustrated too easily- this time I've vowed to be really laid back about it).
But it would be nice to have a few more catches during the day. (at the very least know how often to check his diaper so he doesn't ever sit in a wet diaper.)

I don't think ds minds going in his diaper, but I think he enjoys sitting on the potty too.
My MIL thinks that EC is the coolest thing ever, and is really really supportive of it! Of course, I think her hope is for him to be potty trained by 1yo. lol. I don't care when he's trained, it's just a fun thing for us to do, kwim?

[theboysmama]

it is totally possible to full time ec w/out obvious cues.
dd will fuss AFTER she has gone and every once in a while will squak and go when I take her but most of the time it is based on timing. When she was really little I kept her in a diaper and would pee her every time I changed her. When I switched to pull ups I offered a lot more bcs it was so much easier than removing the whole diaper system just to put it back on/off/on/off again. If I were to do it again I would use waterproof pull up pants right from the start. I ordered my from www.sassycloth.com and she will make them for any size.
I never did a chart I just take dd when she wakes up, before we get in the car, when we get out of the car, before she goes to sleep, if she is fussy, if it has been a while (you will figure out how much time that is for your child, dd's times vary. In the mornings if it has been 1/2 hr it has been too long but in the afternoons I will take her after a couple of hours.) For us we have way less misses when we are out and about than when we r at home. I think it is bcs I take her when she gets in and out of her seat. I also bring several changes of clothes, a wet bag, pre-folds, and a bblp every where I go and it works for us. Good luck. and have fun.

[sgmom]

When my daughter was little, I could scream out from a completely different room to my husband that she needs to pee and to please put her on the potty. Intuition for sure plays a role. If you think they might need to pee, drop EVERYTHING to potty them. I don't even know how many times the idea crossed my mind that I should "Stop washing the dishes and pee her", only to have a very fresh hot diaper after "finishing just one more dish".

Focus on the most likely times (first thing in the morning, after meals/naps, before/after bath, etc), and don't worry about the middle times. Some catches are better than none, imo!

[Plummeting]

Absolutely. DD never cued once she was past the itty bitty baby stage. When she was really tiny I could tell just because she'd get a lot more active all the sudden. Once she was 5 or 6 months old, she never cued. She was still what people would consider completely potty trained by 17 months.

[sapphire_chan]

Something I didn't see mentioned in my skimming, with doing timing, you might start to see cues more often (read: at all ) because you'll be alert to your baby closer to when they're going most times they go.

Fun timing tip--if you have a miss because the baby peed before the "usual" time, there may be poop to come.