Advice for having other family member do EC with my baby?

[mayanbutterfly]

I've been working on EC with my baby since she was 9 months old after reading two books about being Diaper Free.  Reciently we decided to just stop putting any diapers on her and it working really well!  She's gone almost 3 days with no accidents.  I want to keep this up with her, however my husband and I are going to go to college in the fall and we're going to have his parents watch her while we're at class.  Can anyone give me advice on how they can keep doing EC with her?

They're open to the idea, but also a little freaked out maybe by a 1 year old not wearing a diaper!  (But I really don't want her to wear a diaper while she's with them.)

Thanks for any suggestions!

[nstewart]

What if you were to get or make her some training pants?  They'd have a bit of protection in the event of a miss (which is more likely to happen with them than with you as they're new to EC) but DD wouldn't be in diapers which can create a lack of attention (for me at least).  I've made trainers for DS and they're super easy to sew or you can buy them various places online.  I used the pattern from http://www.ladderhilldesign.com and purchased materials from http://www.kidsinthegarden.com.

I think that it is also important for you to make them understand that if they have a miss it is not a failure and to keep it low pressure and of course to go over the basics with them and your own "technique" with DD.  Show them the hold you use, give them the opportunity to practise when you are around, etc.

I think it's great that they are willing to participate!

[mayanbutterfly]

Ok, thanks!  That sounds good!

Originally Posted by nstewart 

What if you were to get or make her some training pants?  They'd have a bit of protection in the event of a miss (which is more likely to happen with them than with you as they're new to EC) but DD wouldn't be in diapers which can create a lack of attention (for me at least).  I've made trainers for DS and they're super easy to sew or you can buy them various places online.  I used the pattern from http://www.ladderhilldesign.com and purchased materials from http://www.kidsinthegarden.com.

I think that it is also important for you to make them understand that if they have a miss it is not a failure and to keep it low pressure and of course to go over the basics with them and your own "technique" with DD.  Show them the hold you use, give them the opportunity to practise when you are around, etc.

I think it's great that they are willing to participate!

[AndreaOlson]

Originally Posted by mayanbutterfly 

 Can anyone give me advice on how they can keep doing EC with her?

They're open to the idea, but also a little freaked out maybe by a 1 year old not wearing a diaper!  (But I really don't want her to wear a diaper while she's with them.)

Thanks for any suggestions!

Good for all of you! My suggestion is to make a little 'caregivers guide' for them and demonstrate how to potty, what a signal looks like, and what to say in case of a miss (accident), mis-guess (they offer potty but baby doesn't need to go), and catch (discourage praise). Write down baby's signals and write down some more generic times they can offer the potty (after a nap, during a diaper change if they do end up using them, when taken out of a carseat, etc.).

And remember some babies signal louder when in a diaper. ;) Ours does! So with caregivers I keep him CD'd and he yells out for it.

Andrea

Mother of DS 11 mos.

EC Simplified

Edited by AndreaOlson - 8/19/11 at 11:51am

[vireoes]

My in-laws helped out with EC or DD for 2 months while they visited.  The hardest part for them was on picking up her cues.  They would tend to dismiss them as fussiness and try to distract her with playing or singing instead of taking her to the potty.  It took a long time for them to adjust their mindset to try her on the potty first because she is rarely fussy for any reason other than needing to use the potty.  If they are open to it, going diaper free is a great way to get them cued into you baby quickly otherwise everyone just has to have patience as they learn.  Also keep in mind what potty positions you are using if your folks are older, since some can be more taxing on the adult than others.  Best of luck.