Nighttime ECing

[miami mommy]

Hi!

I just started EC a couple weeks ago with my 5 mo DS and it's fantastic! I can't believe how easily he took to it, it's almost like he was waiting for me to help him out all along. Of course, everything isn't perfect with our EC, but I'm just overjoyed that I'm having quite a few catches everyday so quickly after starting.

The only thing I'm having a hard time with is a game plan for nighttime. He wakes up every couple or few hours during the night and I used to just nurse him back to sleep. Now that we're doing EC, I'm wondering if he really just wants me to give him a pottytunity. He can hold his pee for up to a few hours and when I put him on the potty after 3 hrs of sleep last night he had a good sized pee. The only problem is that sometimes putting him on the potty when he's barely awake and desperately tired wakes him further and he makes the saddest cry. He does nurse back to sleep after he's done, but I hate hearing him cry! So is it better to just let him go in his diaper at night like I did before EC, or should I give him pottytunities and risk upsetting him? Or is there a better way? What does everyone else do?

Thanks!

[blackbird2]

We've nursed through all nighttime pees - meaning I nurse him while also holding him over a container/sitting him on the potty - for the same reason. He doesn't want to wake up fully, but if I don't let him pee it takes him longer to settle down (basically wakes himself back up over and over until he can't hold it anymore and pees whereever). That said, he also doesn't need to pee everytime he nurses at night, and that's where the communication/trial and error/reading body language/intuition comes in.

At this point my DS is 21 months and our nighttime routine is pretty relaxed. We use no back up and he pees once in the night.

I'm not sure what would be best for your family, but there are lots of options to choose from ...
-pee in the diaper
-cue him to pee in the diaper if you think he needs to go and change him
-give him the opportunity when you feel like you're getting a really strong signal/he's having trouble nursing back to sleep
-guage night by night which response you feel is right
-try to read his signals and give frequent opportunities
etc

ps. I was afraid at first that nursing him while pottying would encourage him to pee on me when nursing in general, but that was not the case. I guess with the cue and the position he's held in for one or the other it's clear enough.

[Carlyle]

After a few weeks of night-time ec, my dd and I got into a great routine where I would first offer to nurse. If she nursed and went back to sleep, no problem. If she was popping on and off the boob, then it meant she needed to pee. It was a failsafe cue. And my dd was not a daytime cue-er! Good luck

[miami mommy]

Excellent suggestions! Thanks! Last night my DS was popping on and off the boob and sure enough, he needed to poo! He fell back asleep easily after that.