Anyone going to do EC?

[sere234]

I've been looking in to Elimination Communication (or Natural Infant Hygiene) for a while. Right now I'm reading Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer. This is my go to book for my 2:00 in the morning go-to-the-bathroom-then-eat-cause-I'm-starving time!!!

Anyone already try EC or going to? Love to hear what you think about it!

[AnneCordelia]

Diaper Free is a great book! I hope you love it! My sister and best friend both did elimination communication with their little ones. They raved about it and, I have to say, I was really impressed with how well it all went! I live just down the street from my sis and my neice was really good! It got to the point where, at 6 or 7 months old, she would get angry if we were away from her potty when she had to poop...she definately preferred pooping on the potty to in a diaper (duh) and would get mad if we weren't nearby HER toilet.

I am excited to hear about how this goes for you! My sis tells me that she heard many good experiences here at mothering, so I hope you check out the EC board here (if you haven't already!).

Myself, I'm too addicted to cloth diapers and, admittedly, I'm as lazy as I can be in good conscience...and EC isn't for the lazy.

[nikity]

you know, when i first heard about it -- i thought it was a totally bonkers idea. but now...i've become seriously interested. i just think the whole thing is fascinating. is that the best book to get? b/c if so, i'm going to order it.

[sere234]

It's a really good book so far! Pretty detailed but also interesting enough to WANT to read!!

[rissierae]

Oh yes. Diaper Free is the only book I read, and I read it twice! I love EC, I couldn't imagine doing anything else. Once you get used to it, it really just gets to be second nature, as I would imagine changing diapers would be. When I've had to change my nephew's diaper - I've felt like I don't know what I'm doing, and that I need 5 hands! Just because I'm not used to it. So it just depends on what you get used to doing, people who diaper can diaper fast and people who ec can do it fast and easily. Before I had my ds, so many people (like my mom and sister) doubted that I would have any success with it, or that it would be way to much work. They have admitted that I've proved them wrong, now my sister does it with her newest lo .

Anyway, my point is, when my dh and I started doing it with our ds at 3 days old, we had basically no support, knew no-one who did it personally, and it all came very naturally to us. So don't worry, if you want to do it, just do it .

[Just1More]

I did it with my first one. I could take her out in public for hours in panties by 6 months old. She would also sleep on my bed in panties, wake up and nurse for 30+ minutes, and THEN I'd take her to the potty. Rare was the day she would have an "accident."

I read Diaper Free, too. Good book.

My second one was colicky and didn't want to play the ec game, although he would go when we took him for quite a while. When he was really fussy, sometimes it worked to take him. When he was about a week old and we were going to give him his first bath, he was squirming and fussy. I immediately recognized the signs and took him...and he went! No prep work whatsover! He was trying to tell me! I was so excited!

My third one was hard to do because my dh deployed shortly after she was born and I traveled a lot. When we were home and I could take her, she would go for more if she had, too. When she was tiny, she would even often be dry. She will still go when I take her, but I'm not very good at reading her cues, and it's hard for me to be consistent.

I'll try again with this baby, though I suspect I'll have a hard time sticking to it...I'll have 4 children 5 and under!

[reneeisorym]

We're going to give it a shot. I'm still going to use diapers, but take them to use the potty as often as we can. I like the idea of getting used to the toilet early on so they aren't traumatized by the idea of sitting on it when it's time to switch to regular underwear/panties.

[bohemama]

hmmm this thread has definitely piqued my interest! I'm going to give that Diaper Free book a read...how cool would a diaper free baby be!!

[teamsalem]

I EC'd my daughter for 6 mos. I started at about 5 mos and she picked it up right away. I was potty training my son at the time, so I just pottied them together. Basically, once she started walking, though, she refused to sit on the potty anymore. I couldn't get her back to it. Now she is 23 mos and she is asking for the potty on occasion and using it successfully. I think she will be easy to potty train but I'm not sure EC'ing made any difference with that.

I wish I could try it again with this baby, but I'm thinking that I'll be too busy this time. 3 kids 4 and under.

[triscuitsmom]

I had no idea what EC was when I had my first son. When he was 8-9 months old I stopped fighting him for diaper changes and just let him potty in the big toilet (I'd hold him). I started looking and realized that there were lots of people doing it and it used to be what everyone did. We did it very part time, just whenever he wanted to and finally he hit a point where he was just *done* with diapers. He hated them. So DP and I basically just made the potties available and told him that's what we were doing now and he was out of diapers day and night cold turkey of his own choice at just barely 18 months.

We've be part time ECing Frog since he was born. He'll be 19 months when this baby gets here and I have no idea how many diapers we'll be using at that point with him.

We plan on ECing at least part time with this little one as well. It really is so natural and intuitive... much like breastfeeding is once you get past the early days