Starting at 3 months, questions!

[mamatobe08]

I EC'd my older DS but didn't start until he was 10 months old. My life is crazy right now, but I really feel like I need to do EC. I feel like a guilty mama when I hear him fussing(because he has to pee/poo or because he is wet), and I just let him go in his diaper. But obviously, doing it at 3 months will be different than it was at 10 months.

So how do I get started? Just take him at changing time? Do I just give him a minute and then cue if he starts to go? I never did "cues" with DS1, I just said "let's go potty" and if he did, I would explain to him what was going on("oh! you're peeing in the potty!")

Do they just get fussy and restless when they need to go(after learning the cues and such)? How do they cue YOU if you're not aware it's time?

In the car, you can still cue them and they will(usually) go in their diaper, right? I'm just imagining being on a trip by myself with both kids and the baby starts crying so my 2 year old starts screaming lol. We do travel occassionally. I guess I'm just fearing the idea that this is something I can't just start and stop. I have to be in it for the long haul. But I'm ok with that, because I am so amazed seeing other stories. And I have noticed cues this time around that I never was aware of with my first.

I do already change him as soon as he pees. He's in prefolds coverless every day at home. I love that I'm doing something to keep him comfy, but I love the idea of EC.

[nstewart]

I started with DS at 2.5 months, so I can tell you what I did and hopefully some of it will be of some value to you!

I started out by just giving DS naked time for a few hours a day, and cuing when he peed.  I would also cue if I noticed him peeing in his diaper (we also did prefolds with no cover) which was easy because I carried/held him a lot.  After a few weeks I started cuing him to pee based on timing and sort of at "prime times" such as on waking and about 10 mins after breastfeeding. (DS doesn't signal pees, or at least not that I've been able to figure out after much effort!)  I would pee him over the sink or over the toilet by holding onto his thighs and sitting behind him or supporting his back with my arms.

Poops were always easier because DS's cues were really clear, so I just sat on the potty with him between my legs, holding onto his thighs when he had to go.  We started having very few poop misses right away.  I would always cue while he was going on the potty.

We did (and do) part-time EC.  Maybe your DC would be different, but DS has no problem peeing in his diaper if I forget or if we're out of the house or on the road.  He does NOT like to poop in his diaper and will protest to that, but since he usually poops first thing in the morning (or sometimes at his 6am feeding) and then after eating sometimes, it's only been an issue once in the last 2 months or so (we were driving in the car and I didn't figure out what the problem was until too late).

You should do as much or as little EC as works for your family at the time.  It changes day by day, week by week.  If DS isn't up to it, I don't force anything. If he wants to pee in the sink and doesn't want to go near the potty, we pee in the sink.  I do know how you feel, I was worried about starting and it being inconvenient or taking over my life, but now I can't imagine NOT doing EC and it's just become a way of life in our family that feels so natural and right!

Good luck! 

[mamatobe08]

Thank you for all the ideas! I have only cued him maybe 5 times before, but today he was just SCREAMING and I couldn't figure it out. I kinda thought maybe he had to go, but my 2 year old was getting into trouble so I had to put him down for a second. I came back and he had peed! So maybe he is catching on already?!? I don't know, but I'm going to try to cue him the next time that happens!

[Greenlea]

I am curious as well.  My son is 3mths as well and I have caught two pees - but that was only because I held him over the potty right after breastfeeding.  Is that the best way to start - just after eating? 

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

Like Nikki, we do EC part-time.

I started with DS at 4 months, and we used the Baby Bjorn Little Potty. I noticed that DS peed a lot in the mornings, so I started plopping him on the potty right after he woke up - I think I made a catch the second day, and cued when he peed. He caught on really fast and generally now if I put him on the toilet (we use a toddler toilet seat insert on the regular toilet) he will pee.

Also like Nikki's LO, I've never found that DS has a problem using his diaper - if he needs to go and I don't catch him, he'll use the diaper. Some days he will hold on for a little while, and it's quite common for us to have dry diapers most of the day once the morning floodgates close. And poop he will generally look at me and make grunting noises. Our only poop missed at this point are twice when I've been on the phone when he needed to go.

I really like this balance of diapers + EC. I know myself - I am a bit of a daydreamer and not very good at reading cues (DH is much better) so full time EC would be a huge challenge for us. But this route works out very well and while he may not be diaper-free any time soon, at least he knows what the toilet is for, and I'm saving his sensitive skin some wettings!