i'm not an experienced EC'er yet, but we just started recently with our 10-month old. i think EC sounds more overwhelming than it actually is. approach it as part-time as you need to. here is how we got started- you might approach it in a similar way, since starting ec with a toddler is quite different than with a newborn.
my son has been in cloth diapers since about 2 weeks. we used some pocket diapers, some fitteds, and some prefolds. since starting EC, we've been using mostly the prefolds, because they feel "wetter" when wet. we save the pocket dipes for nighttime use, or if i run out of prefolds, i'll put a hemp/flannel/cotton insert into the pocket diaper, but not in the pocket itself- this way the cotton/flannel/whatever feels wet against their skin. so far though, alden doesn't seem to mind being wet/poopy. we are concentrating on changing his diaper really, really often when he is in diapers- we are mostly not using covers, so we notice when he is wet almost right away. i also found some little training pants/bloomers/undies at a thrift store, we use these if we don't think a poop is in the near future.
i bought 2 potties, similar to the bblp's, because my boy doesn't seem to like being in-arms to pee at all. for the potty, we are concentrating on just catching the morning wake-up pee for now. we catch that one everyday. just sit him on the potty when he wakes up, he starts to pee within a minute. as he's peeing, we say "pss pss pss, go pee-pee, pss pss pss go pee-pee in the potty" at first he didn't seem to notice that he was even peeing, but now he looks down at himself peeing, then looks at me with a big smile. i don't really congratulate him a lot, but instead say something like "you went pee-pee in the potty, now your bum feels nice and clean and dry. it nice to have a dry bum! let's go play!" or something similar.
the rest of the day for us depends on how hectic things are. i babysit 2 or 3 other toddlers, aged between 12 and 19 months, so things at my house are chaotic. i can't always let him go diaper-free because i don't have undivided attention for him. (he'd pee on the floor, and the other babes would get into it, yuk). but on days when i only have 1 other kiddo to look after, we do diaper free time, and i just try to pay attention to him. sometimes i notice that he gets a bit of an erection and we catch a pee on the potty. other times i miss his cues (if he has any?) and he pees on the floor. when this happens, i just cue him, and say our regular "pss pss pss go pee-pee" as he is peeing.
and i'm keeping a bit of a log- i write down what time he wakes up, when he pees, when he nurses/eats/naps, and what he is doing when i notice him peeing- anything that i think might be a cue, if he is sitting, standing, or crawling, or if i was holding him and he got squirmy, etc. at this point, we just want to learn his cues/timing as best we can, and we want him to re-learn what it feels like to pee, and what it feels like to be dry, and to associate peeing with the cue. its ok for us if he pees on the floor, so long as he is learning the cue- soon, when he makes that association, we'll be able to put him on the potty and cue him when we think he needs to go. i don't like to sit him on the potty and try to wait for a pee because it seems hard to keep him entertained for long, and i don't want him to resent potty time, you know? once he starts peeing when we cue him (if he needs to), then we'll use the actual potty more. i have hardwood floors in living room so we do our diaper-free time there.
i am having no luck at all with poops. even if i watch him like a hawk, i can't seem to see any PRE-poop cues. he just gives a grunt and its over already, but at least if i know right away and can change him so he doesn't have to sit in it i guess. maybe as he starts eating more solids (he's still mostly breastfed, not that interested in much food yet) things will change and he'll do more grunting or something? we'll wait and see.
i think the best thing to do is to start slowly. don't worry too much about the actual potty. you can try making one catch a day, or two, (after waking is the easiest for us). when it is convenient, and when you have the time to give him undivided attention, go diaper-free, and you might have some extra catches. look for cues, and "cue" him when he goes. when you're busy and can't give him undivided attention, try out prefolds or fitted diapers (without a cover) or training pants or whatever. try to change him right away when he wets, and try keeping a log of pee times, feedings, naps, etc. this will help you learn his routines, even if you can't observe any cues he might have. you can always EC based just on timing rather than cues anyways. be patient and easy-going. i think that for us, catching this one pee a day consistently is fantastic. sometimes we catch 2 or even 3 a day, which is a bonus. but the best part of ECing for us isnt the catches, it is the new look on my son's face when he pees, and knows he is peeing- that awareness that is coming back is so good to see!
good luck!
p.s. i'm not sure what potty to choose, or you might want to skip the potty and try a toilet-seat reducer... experienced EC'ers will have sone advice on that
