Old Dog... new tricks?

[Treeof3]

I am due with #4 in January and am once again considering EC. I hadn't heard anything about it with baby #1. I read up and was ready to go gangbusters with #2. But she had horrific reflux and I screamed alllllll the time and was generally miserable. I gave up trying to EC in favor of trying to figure out what our bigger issue was. (dairy/soy allergy) #3 I figured I was too busy homeschooling etc for try EC. But now he is 2.5 and I am entering the potty training phase for the 3rd time. Ugh. Which brings me here to ask if this old dog can learn a new trick?

My oldest is 8.5, #2 is now 6. I am busy and distracted a lot. I will wear the baby a lot while schooling the other two (we don't unschool - more formal but not traditional) so I would *think* I could get some cues, but on the other hand, I feel like I have a lot of chaos in my day that may make this a futile attempt especially with my toddler being, well, a toddler and trying to make sure he doesn't destroy my house while I am helping his older brother learn division... The flip side is that we are home a LOT where its OK to pee all over whoever is nearby, lol! (which my toddler currently does)

Should I just chalk it up to something "I always wanted to try"? Or do you think I should give it a go? If you think I should try, what are my best bets for success? Can enlisting the help of my baby-junkie older kids aid our attempt?

Thanks for your insight!

[Carlyle]

I'd just try at the "easy" times...give it a go any time that you're already changing a diaper, right as/after the baby wakes up, and about 10 minutes after nursing. Maybe also try anytime the baby is suddenly fussy for no other reason you can figure out (if you have time). And don't worry about doing any more than that! Unless it's so ridiculously easy for you that you want to (which could happen, depending on your baby)

[kdhfly]

I would definitely give it a try, especially the easy times stated above. I'm ec'ing my second, but I will say I had to do a bit of a mindset change. For example, when she was smaller and I put her on her tummy, she would often fuss. In my head I would think, "oh, she just doesn't like being on her tummy," but in reality, those fusses were because being on her tummy squished her bladder and made her need to pee. Also, when she gets restless in the wrap/carrier, I have to remind myself that it's probably because she needs to pee, not necessarily because she's tired of being carried, etc.

I love doing EC though! I feel like I know her so well, and I love that I have another parenting tool to deal with a crying baby. It was shocking to me early on how often a fuss meant the need to pee or poop. We didn't really start until 3 months or so. If we have another one I would LOVE to start earlier because it's so much fun. My daughter is almost 8 months, and we're nowhere near perfect on the catches. In fact, I'm not sure we've had any in the last 24 hours (of course, in the last 3 weeks she's started sitting, crawling, and pulling up, so her brain is a little busy).

I think in at least one of the books Diaper Free Baby or Infant Potty Training Basics they talk about older siblings helping with the potty. In fact, sometimes they're even better than a parent because they aren't as distracted as a parent might be.

[Treeof3]

Thanks ladies! I'll probably try to get my hands on one of those books again to 'fuel' me so that I can shift my thinking. I know that my kids will think its fun and I can see dd being even better at it than me. Course that may be good bonding for her and her new sib too.

[Carlyle]

Originally Posted by Treeof3

Thanks ladies! I'll probably try to get my hands on one of those books again to 'fuel' me so that I can shift my thinking. I know that my kids will think its fun and I can see dd being even better at it than me. Course that may be good bonding for her and her new sib too.

Yay! "Diaper Free Baby" by CHristine Gross-Loh is a good take on part-time ec in my opinion. Have fun and let us know how it goes!

[sgmom]

The question of "should I, or shouldn't I", and "Full time or part time" was a pretty easy one for me to answer. My daughter (ec'ed full time since 4 months) was 22 months when my son was born. I wanted to go 100% diaper free with him, but that wasn't possible without messes and loss of my sanity. He's now 5.5 months old, and I just take him whenever I think he needs to go, as well as on routine (immediately upon awakening, a few minutes after eating, etc). I also offer at any time during the day when I think he needs to go (ie. if he's dry after 45-60 minutes, and I have a minute to take him to the bathroom), and if I have the time, during diaper changes. 

It's nowhere near as much work as you would think. We cloth diaper inbetween, or go naked if he's just emptied out. 

And that's a great book!!