help for a newbie please?

[alivia]

I just had dd#3 and would so love to EC this time. I had the best intentions with both dd1 and dd2, but honestly, I've always found the whole process pretty overwhelming and a little confusing. With dd3 (now 10 days old), I'm home a LOT more than I was with the other two and will be for the rest of the summer. Plus, she keeps getting a heat rash, esp in her diaper area, so she's been diaperless most of the time since she was born. It's beginning to not seem so overwhelming.

Now please don't laugh (or worse take offense) but I've had dogs all my adult life, and on an intuitive level, this seems similar to puppy house training. I am at this point supposed to be trying to associate a sound with the potty action, yes? (Similar to taking a puppy outside and saying, "Potty" or such when they go is what I'm thinking.)

So would it be best to use the same sound for pee & poop or two different words? From a long-term perspective, I imagine sitting her on the potty one day down the road and making the sound *before* she goes, yes? So would it be better to have one sound at that point, not two?

And I'm trying to learn to anticipate when she will go potty, right? I'm noticing that when she quits nursing but is still latched that she's often gearing up to go potty. Or when she's nursing but then gets fussy out of the blue. And of course (like the puppy, haha) as soon as she wakes up. Any other typical signs to watch for?

And finally, I know she'll outgrow laying on a prefold at some point and if I can keep up with this, we'll need different equipment. But like what? A little potty to keep nearby? I'm curious what the natural progression is like when you EC from newborn age.

I know there are a couple books out there that address all of this - I've read them way back with my first. But I help run a CSA and grow for it, plus help my husband with a bread business, and I'm tandem nursing an 18 m.o. and newborn together. I *wish* I had time to eat, sleep and poop, let alone read a book! I need the ultra short course.

Thanks for any answers you can provide. All of my children thus far have been very prone to bad diaper rashes, especially after starting solids. I'd love to bypass that issue altogether this time, as well as the extra laundry.

[isabchi]

I will invest or doing yourself some waterproof pads, or lanolanized wool blankets tolay to baby there. Another idea is have potties seats or bowl available around the house, car, and some tupperware container with lid in diaperbag when will work an the CSA and other errands. Also babywearing helps quiete a bit to have you and the baby in tune.

[jenrett]

I'll try to help! I'm ECing a 3.5 week old, but I've been doing a lot of research/asking on the boards!

First, let me say, that I totally agree that it's like puppy training. I mean, you wouldn't rub you baby's nose in his poop, of course (and actually, I don't agree with that method of house training a puppy!) but in terms of using your intuition and learning to read cues (even the subtle ones, like when your dog comes over and puts her head on your lap - does she want a pet or to pee? It depends on the look in her eyes!)

I think you're right on with the way you are approaching EC. I don't know for sure if you want one or two cues, but I think that most people just use one cue, at least at first. I do, and my theory is that I don't know for sure if DS is going to poo or pee, but most of the times, he pees.

Yes, you'll need a little potty at some point - like when she can sit. You can also get a tiny potty from the continuum family website that is designed for infants. I ordered one, but don't have it yet - but it looks like it's designed to be convenient for holding an infant over, or sort of setting them "on", but you are still holding them of course.

It sounds like you are on the right track. I agree with PP that babywearing does help, but I also find it frustrating to have to take the infant in and out of the sling all the time! But, I find that if DS gets fussy in the sling, he probably has to pee.

Good luck!