Diaper free with #2 from birth

[sgmom]

I'm having a hard time finding articles/stories on this. My daughter will be 20 months old when baby #2 is born, and I don't expect her to be out of diapers by then.

Do any of you have experience with this? Any tips or advice? Is this even possible?

[FullMetalMom]

[orangefoot]

Do you mean diapering the older child whilst ECing the newborn?

I don't see why that would be a problem at all. I expect that once you get tuned into the little one you may start seeing cues in your older child and then all move towards EC together. The golden rules can be used with any age child and the thing to keep in mind is that EC takes up less time than diapering.

One poop in a potty is a quick wipe up of a tiny bit of poop on a tiny bottom not a massive explosion of poop inside a nappy that ends up in all sorts of places that are tricky to clean.

[sgmom]

My 15 month old has been using the potty since she was 4.5 months old, but is not even at stage 1 yet, so I'm concerned that going diaper free with a newborn while still EC'ing her, might be too much.

Although I am kind of hoping that watching the baby pee in the potty might encourage my older child to use it more... wishful thinking? LOL

[hrsmom]

It depends on what you mean by "diaper free"!!! I'm sure you can make anything work. I think diaper back up might come in handy, though!

[sgmom]

I mean diaper free! At least until he/she can roll around, or during times when I'll be unable to potty him/her (like in the car or out on shopping trips). I'm hoping that by then, my current child will be more or less able to stay dry with my help during the day.

[pixiepunk]

i think you can definitely make it work if you are motivated to, but don't stress yourself out.

my youngest pretty much lived in a snappi'd prefold the first few months. in those first few months i wear baby most of the time, and i knew it'd stress me out to have to be washing carriers all the time. but whenever we had time to just sit and relax, or when she was happy to be put down in a bouncy seat, i always took the diaper off.

i think it also depends on the baby - mine gave much clearer signals when she was wearing a diaper, so it actually made EC easier and we caught more when i kept her bum covered. if she was already naked her signals were much more subtle - she really hated to pee in her diaper/be wet, so for us diapers were a great EC tool.

[sgmom]

Originally Posted by pixiepunk

i think it also depends on the baby - mine gave much clearer signals when she was wearing a diaper, so it actually made EC easier and we caught more when i kept her bum covered. if she was already naked her signals were much more subtle - she really hated to pee in her diaper/be wet, so for us diapers were a great EC tool.

I often wonder if babies who have been left diaperless are easier to read when wearing diapers because they haven't become used to the sensation of wetting one.

[emmaegbert]

my current baby had lots of nakey time from birth and was diaperless except for times like the car from 2m until she got mobile. Now at 8m she doesn't really care if her diaper is wet. (cloth). I mean, of course I change her as soon as I am aware that she is wet, but she doesn't alert me or complain.

My son was diapered (with ample nakey time, but not ECed) from birth. He HATED to have a wet or dirty diaper. He asked to be changed as soon as he could communicate it, and never pooped in his diaper any more by 18m even w/out me knowing any of the "rules" of EC.

I really think kids are different- we do our best as parents to support them, etc, but some of it is just what it is...

I think what PPs are saying is probably important- you should make it work for you, not worry if you are doing things perfectly! My kids are 4 1/2 years apart so this really isn't an issue I've personally dealt with.

[dogretro]

DD just turned 20 mos and is probably not at stage one, either. That is where they are mostly dry w/ moms help, right? If so, NOT. She does not care about peeing her pants, but she is totally ready to be graduated otherwise. She knows what it feels like to have to pee, has told us before she has to pee, can tell us after she pees, etc. I am making much more of an effort to get her closer to grad b/c #2 is coming when dd will be turning 2. I am doing training pants w/ pull-on cover and baby legs or wool long johns when home to encourage me to take her more often. I have had two in diapers, both pt ecing, so that is not what is driving me this time. Honestly, dd smells bad. Her diapers STINK after she pees in them (I have stripped them before & it's not that ~ it's the combo of the cotton and her apparently rank pee, lol) & her privates STINK after only one day! It's gross. I'm tired of smelling her nastiness, lol, so she needs to pee in the pot!!!

I am also tired of the super long drying time for her dipes in the dryer. If I can help her get down to even half the number of wet pants per day that she has now it would be a HUGE improvement. Forget the newborn threads, I think we need a "toddler ec" thread!!! Help keep each other motivated when the end seems so close and yet so far away..

Omg, I have to start this whole process over again in a few months.. SG, I think we both need a hug

[dogretro]

Originally Posted by sgmom

I often wonder if babies who have been left diaperless are easier to read when wearing diapers because they haven't become used to the sensation of wetting one.

Probably.

[sgmom]

Kids are most definitely different. Mine was EC'ed since 4.5 months old and is just now (at 15.5 months) starting to show signals of elimination. She doesn't warn me if she needs to go, nor does she tell me if she already went in her diaper, but DURING an elimination, she's starting to become very obvious.

I'm really hoping this one hates diapers. Cause mine sure doesn't. LOL!