How to know when he's "done"?!?!

[SilaMarila]

We have been doing EC with DS part time since 6mo and he is now 9mo (though I am really trying to be more consistent with it) and he has done great. Not a lot of peeing in the potty but he does do most of his pooping in the potty. BUT, I can not seem to figure out when he is done pooping in the potty!

He starts communicating that he wants to go so I take him to the potty and poops what seems to be a good amount. I wait until he starts flailing and squirming that he does not want to be on the potty anymore. It seems he is done but NO! About the time I flush and get him wiped, but before he has a diaper/clothes on, he goes AGAIN! ON THE FLOOR!!! And so begins the process of removing poop from the carpet...today this happened twice - why I am posting! I do not want to clean poop out of the carpet/mop it off the floor any more and DH freaks out about it!

HELP how do I know he is done??? Why is he doing this? Can't he get his poop out all at once? I really wait and wait until it seems he is not going to go any more - he gets impatient with me. We have only used the big potty but I think I am going to get him a little potty and maybe he will like that better. THANKS!

[sapphire_chan]

First off introduce the idea of "all done". It's fantastic to be able to just wait until they tell you they've finished. (Ask "all done?" right before taking him off. Then he'll come to associate "all done" (or finished or whatever you want to use) with getting off the potty.)

Second, how about taking him off when you think he's done, wiping him, walking around a bit, and putting him back on? The act of wiping stimulates the bowels to act if there's more to come. And being moved about will also help the rest of the poop move on through.

Thirdly, he's likely in between poops when he doesn't look like he's pooping. When the goofy poop-face relaxes and he's ready to play on the pot.

[Lineymom]

I have a 9mo and have been ecing for almost 2 months. I bet the little potty would help. I 2nd the all done" too. She is not signing or saying it yet but she knows what it means and will ignore me if she isn't done but reach for me if she is.

I think having the bblp sat in the living room w/ her toys and books helps a lot. I usually keep the books out of reach until I sit her on the potty, so they are new to her at potty time. Not that we don't have surprises and misses....