Our newborn taught us EC...

[newpapa]

Hi, I'm new here. Wanted to share our story and maybe get some advice and feedback moving forward.

So we had our baby back in December.
The first week or two was pretty normal in terms of a new baby. Of course, I say 'normal' based on what we've read or heard from our friends. family etc... We are first time parents.

Anyways, a few times per day our baby would just freak out. She'd kick her legs up and down  and straighten out and stiffen up, and it would go on and on for a while. Eventually, she'd calm down, but it took a long time. 

We started to ask around and the answer was the same everywhere... Gas and reflux. Our friends tell us gas. The Doc said it's gas etc...everyone said gas. Give her Oval, Give her Gripwater they'd say....

Anyways - after a few more days of this I started to take her to her change table the moment she started getting upset, and take her diaper off. Immediately, she'd do #1 and then minutes later #2.

This went on for another week and that's when I started to researching EC. I bought nearly all the books for my Kindle and read through them all. It's funny. About 3 months before she was born, we got an email going around about EC and how someone we knew was going to attempt this. It was being sent between a bunch of moms and preggers that thought it was the funniest and weirdest thing ever... Sure, good luck we all said..

But then comes my daughter, and in a nutshell, she was telling us from day one when she had to go.

Would she go in her diapers at all? Sure - if we let her cry and get extremely upset - but for the most part, she didn't want to. 

After reading the books, I started making cueing sounds. Sure enough - she started to go, every time.

Since then, we've moved on to going in the sink, and just yesterday we got a baby born potty. 

I tried holding her over the potty yesterday and she didn't like it, but the sink or toilet, no problem.

So where do we go from here? She's now 7 weeks old and I haven't changed a poppy diaper in over 5 weeks. SHe's happy when I'm holding her, but unfortunately, I'm not going to be here 7 days a week, 12 hours a day to hold her every time.

She will pee in her diaper overnight and will pee in her diaper during naps, but if she's awake, forget about it.

Anyways - looking for advice and suggestions. After reading the books, we're both pretty committed to sticking with it and giving this a go. Heck, it would be great to have a potty trained baby in under a year.

Do you think we can do this part-time and be successful?

I've read some of the criticisms of EC, and that scares me a bit. I don't want to cause her an undue stress of feeling she can't go in her diaper. Unfortunately, since literally the first few days she has refused to do so.

Any other suggestions moving forward?

Thanks
New Papa

[porcelina]

Congratulations to you for listening to your baby and figuring it out! Our baby also taught us about EC. I had also heard of it before, and thought it would be ridiculous. Well, after a horrible diaper rash that wouldn't go away for over two weeks at only 4 weeks old, we started EC as well. In our case, we didn't do it for pee, though, just poop. I am soo glad we did it.

Anyway, I would just give it time with the new potty. Keep holding baby over/setting your baby on there and trying from time to time, but don't push it if there is no interest. She will eventually accept it, most likely, as she gets older and more comfortable, and has more head control. She probably still really likes the security of your arms.

I have gone back to school and have baby with a babysitter about 12 hours a week now (baby now 4.5 months). She had never done it before, but was totally willing to do EC (and has done it successfully)! So, I don't know what your plans are in terms of care -- when you say you can't be there, does that mean going back to work? If so, hopefully you can find someone willing to do it. Also, as they get older, they are better at consolidating-- going fewer times but more quantity. In our case, poop is at pretty predictable times. I've heard same is true for pee, though we don't try to catch all the pee and our baby just pees in the diaper much of the time (we're not doing cloth for now...).

I would also just say, don't expect that your child will be potty trained at an extremely early age. From what I hear, there can be regressions and so forth. But, most likely, she will be potty trained before age 2, if she follows what other EC babies have done. I think if you just follow her cues, and go at your pace, as you are doing now, and don't stress about it/try to follow a certain schedule, you will all be happier for it.

Congratulations on your baby! And good for you for following her cues!! Good luck moving forward.

[marinak1977]

Hi there, congratulations on your little one!
DS also taught us EC, I have heard about it, but wasn't sure if it was going to work. But DS wanted to pee during diaper changes only and we started cueing him. We ended up ECing part time and using cloth diapers for other times. I think we introduced the little potty when DS was about 3 months or so, he didn't like it at first, but we kept offering, and then holding him over the bathtub if he refused. Eventually he accepted the potty. Now at 14 months he's making a transition to full time EC (his choice) and even potties at daycare
I'm so amazed at it and so glad that we listened to him.

[heatherr30]

Wow that is amazing that your LO is so vocal about needing to be pottied.  If I were her babysitter and I knew she was screaming because she needed to be pottied, I would take her.  If she is screaming anyone in their right mind would do this simple step to comfort her, you don't even have to mention EC just tell them that if she is screaming and not hungry it may be that she wants to pee or poop with her diaper off. 

One crazy thing I have heard of though is that in some states babies under 2 aren't allowed to be on the potty in DC.  So you might want to look into this and if it is true for your state, see if you can find a compromise--ie DC taking her diaper off and putting her on a prefold so she can go on the changing table.   

I also heard some criticisms of EC so with my first child DD I did not consider doing it.  After PT DD at age 2 I now know that these criticisms are ridiculous.  Yes some babies cry because they do not want to go in their diaper.  Other babies don't mind.  Yes they find it easier to go when you give them the cue sound but ultimately every baby will go in their diaper if you don't attend to their needs.  Whether they cry in the meantime or just go is probably more up to personality than whether you are doing EC with them--you can read this forum and find proof that not every baby reacts to EC in the same way just as not every baby reacts to diapers in the same way. My DS cries when he needs to poo, and holding him a good squatting position without a diaper on helps him push.  I suspect it would have helped DD too, we used to do all sorts of leg exercises with her and rub her tummy trying to help her poop but I never thought of taking her diaper off. 

As for positions I also don't like pottying my DS on the potty, he is 4 weeks old and I find him too floppy and aiming is difficult... I either squat on the floor and hold him over a big basin, or I sit behind him holding him over the toilet (facing the tank).  My DS prefers using the potty with him.  I think everyone should be encouraged to do whatever is comfortable for them and LO so I would make a few suggestions to DC and let them do whatever seems best.

[heatherr30]

Wow that is amazing that your LO is so vocal about needing to be pottied.  If I were her babysitter and I knew she was screaming because she needed to be pottied, I would take her.  If she is screaming anyone in their right mind would do this simple step to comfort her, you don't even have to mention EC just tell them that if she is screaming and not hungry it may be that she wants to pee or poop with her diaper off. 

One crazy thing I have heard of though is that in some states babies under 2 aren't allowed to be on the potty in DC.  So you might want to look into this and if it is true for your state, see if you can find a compromise--ie DC taking her diaper off and putting her on a prefold so she can go on the changing table.   

I also heard some criticisms of EC so with my first child DD I did not consider doing it.  After PT DD at age 2 I now know that these criticisms are ridiculous.  Yes some babies cry because they do not want to go in their diaper.  Other babies don't mind.  Yes they find it easier to go when you give them the cue sound but ultimately every baby will go in their diaper if you don't attend to their needs.  Whether they cry in the meantime or just go is probably more up to personality than whether you are doing EC with them--you can read this forum and find proof that not every baby reacts to EC in the same way just as not every baby reacts to diapers in the same way. My DS cries when he needs to poo, and holding him a good squatting position without a diaper on helps him push.  I suspect it would have helped DD too, we used to do all sorts of leg exercises with her and rub her tummy trying to help her poop but I never thought of taking her diaper off. She cried all the same even though we never did EC.

As for positions I also don't like pottying my DS on the potty, he is 4 weeks old and I find him too floppy and aiming is difficult... I either squat on the floor and hold him over a big basin, or I sit behind him holding him over the toilet (facing the tank).  My DH prefers using the potty with him.  I think everyone should be encouraged to do whatever is comfortable for them so I would make a few suggestions to DC and let them do whatever seems best.

[heatherr30]

oops i had to delete this post after pushing submit twice