Elimination Communication « Back to Group Discussions

[Jaimee]

I think we had a thread about this in the other forum... I'll try and track it down and post it here.  But I ran across this blog and thought some of you that were considering EC or tried it in the past might find it helpful: http://ecsimplified.com/.

ETA:   Here it is: http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1322760/elimination-communication

[seraf]

I have seen that site. It's pretty nice.

I'm getting Excited about ECing the new babe. This will be DPs first experience with ECing a newborn and she has read very little about it but takes my word on how great it is. I'm thrilled she is so open minded about it.

I have been accumulating EC supplies, I know I don't really need anything but I have done this enough to know what I like to have handy.

When are you planning to start? My older kids were ECd from birth, so that's all I know. I'm a rather incompetent diaperer at this point so birth it is for us.

[Viriditas]

I bought the EC simplified ebook. I really liked it! I feel much better prepared this time around. With DS, we did it for a couple months and it was going well, then we hit a potty pause and lost motivation. I also didn't really know what to look for in terms of his signals (or else he just wasn't a big signaler...his autism might have something to do with that).

We're trying again with this baby. Part of our decision is based on the fact that we live in an apartment with no washer and dryer. The laundry room is only a couple doors away, but it's coin op, so diapering will be more expensive and complicated. 

I've got a bunch of flat diapers that someone gave us for DS but we rarely used. I bought a Wonderwash portable washing machine, which I'm really excited about, and we're going to use that for diapers and hang them dry in the bathroom. I've heard that dedicated ECers catch almost all the poops from very early on, so I'm hoping that will be the case with us. :) We're planning to start from birth.

 

[Jaimee]

I plan to start right away, but do it part time.  So diapering, but offering the potty, being receptive to cues, etc.  If it goes really well I will go with the flow and do it more intensely.  I started with my second when he was 4 months and did it part time and he just potty trained at 20 months.  That's fine with me so I don't feel the need to go full time and potty train at a year unless baby decides that s/he is into it.

[mcacat]

I didn't start until about 5 months with my daughter but want to begin right away because it was such an amazing experience.  Does anyone have any newborn E/C tips?  I recall a lot of eliminating while nursing at the beginning, which may prove a little interesting :)

[Jaimee]

I know that some moms put diaperless baby on an absorbent towel/prefolds, waterproof mat, etc. while nursing and catch that way so you can learn when it's happening and baby will be more aware of eliminating when s/he doesn't have a diaper on, too.  Once you're confident in the timing you might actually find that baby is not eliminating while nursing, but say... pops off to eliminate and normally you would have switched breasts (or whatever) but instead you would know to put baby on the potty and then go back to nursing OR eliminates 1-2 minutes after finishing up nursing OR eliminates 5-10 minutes after nursing, etc.

I also discovered that ds was squirming around in his sleep b/c he needed to eliminate.  This went on for a couple months before I clued in and started pottying him at night.

Squirming in the baby carrier would be another elimination clue.

Seraf, any helpful tips?

Amy, it was our experience that we caught almost all poops as soon as we started ECing until he was older and mobility got in the way of his cuing.

[seraf]

I kept my babes on an open diaper and my kids usually stopped nursing or got a glazed look in their eyes when they needed to go. So I would hold them over a nearby potty, bowl or wet bucket. I didn't want them to think the nursing position was a potty position. For wake up pees I liked the toilet or sink.

I'm expecting early in the month, so I'll be back with stories fairly early in November.

Newborn EC really helped with nursing for me because I knew that fussin at the breast didn't mean they were done nursing.

[seraf]

Now that the babies are here, how is EC going for everyone?  

My little guy is 5 weeks old tomorrow. EC is going splendidly. He is a loud an clear signaler. We frequently have days where he is in the same diaper or training pants for 8 or more hours (with a folded wipe in the back to catch the escaping poo drips). Occasionally we will have many misses in a few short hours,usually evenings. We recently started using an elastic belt with the flats (used origami fold, but my flats are small and I can't tie them on anymore) and I can't believe I waited until now to make one.

Happy pottying. 

[Paigekitten]

Eowyn has clear signals, but I am so bad at EC I always miss it until after the fact. I tend to keep her in a prefold, so I can at least cue her as she goes.  I did get a potty bowl for the first time ( I LOVE the potty bowl!) and I made some split crotch pants, since it's a bit chilly and I can't just leave her in an unsnapped onsie like I did my first two.  I wish I had more long sleeved shirts so I could use the pants more, mostly she's in a gown with elastic at the bottom because that's what I have that's warm enough.  I have a newborn prefold belt on the way though, once that gets here the gowns won't be so awkward because I won't be dealing with getting the snappi on and off anymore.

[seraf]

Paigekitten, is your baby not leaking poop?  I can't put mine in split pants with nothing under because he leaks a drop of poo randomly.  We have been keeping the house around 70. We don't have many long sleeved shirts, either, but he seems comfortable in a t-shirt. I did make him a little wool t-shirt for when I think he's too cold. 

If you can make split pants you can make an elastic belt!  I made a few. They only take about 5 minutes to make. I can send you a link if you like. 

It doesn't sound like you're bad at EC at all. 

[IwannaBanRN]

I wanted to try EC when Levi was new but he leaks poo randomly. And Sera, I would love the link for split pants.

[Code Name Mama]

I've tried to catch once - and caught it! Woot! But I think it was luck. Ailia eliminates a LOT while sleeping - soooooo . . . what do you do with that?? I don't want to wake her up in order to hold her over something! Is that just a sleepy newborn thing?
And do you just hold baby over the sink to catch (breastmilk) poo? Will it clog the drain? (I know, I know, dumb question)

[Jaimee]

I really wanted to start immediately but the rougher than expected birth left me unable to function well so EC hasn't happened yet.  Hoping to start soon though... maybe in a week or so.

Dionna...  any potty time is good, so whatever doesn't make sense don't worry about (like maybe nighttime).  But I will say that it's easier to clean out a potty than change a diaper in the night.  And my babies don't stay asleep while getting changed anyway. With ds, I just kept a potty next to the bed on a waterproof mat.  I would bring the mat and potty up on the bed and just do it there, but if that grosses you out you could do it on the floor- it just involves more moving.  I know people who use the sink and don't have issues... the poop will break down easily.  I just don't prefer that.

[Viriditas]

We are kinda partially doing EC right now. I had planned to be more gung-ho about it from the beginning, but our first order of business was getting her latch fixed so the big scab on my nipple could heal, and I've really been feeling like I/we need as much sleep as possible overnight, so we've been using sposies at night. It's also hard to keep the whole house warm (we have crappy wall heaters in every room and no thermostat) so diaper-free time only happens in the bedroom.

We've caught a few pees and poops and we've been cueing her when we don't catch them. She's been fussy the last few days and is having reflux issues. I think this is interfering with her potty signals. I'm debating on spending money we don't have for a craniosacral treatment, and that might help. I'm really feeling relaxed about the whole thing and trying to learn her timing/signals without focusing too much on the potty right now. Once breastfeeding and digestion get ironed out a bit I think it will be easier to do the potty thing.

 

[Code Name Mama]

Caught 2 potties and I poo today!!
Tell me about signaling - when they go, what do you do? I've just been saying "you went potty!!"

[Jaimee]

Dionna- you want to introduce a noise associated with pee and poop or just potty in general.  The sound should be simple to make so that they can start mimicking it sooner than they could talk or sign.  Most people go with "pssssss" for pee.  We never had a separate signal for poop, but I think some people use a harder sound for contrast.  Ds never duplicated the sound, but it did seem to help cue him when I was pottying him at night.  He learned the sign later on and months later, the words pee, poop, and finally potty.

[Paigekitten]

Originally Posted by seraf 

Paigekitten, is your baby not leaking poop?  I can't put mine in split pants with nothing under because he leaks a drop of poo randomly.  We have been keeping the house around 70. We don't have many long sleeved shirts, either, but he seems comfortable in a t-shirt. I did make him a little wool t-shirt for when I think he's too cold. 

If you can make split pants you can make an elastic belt!  I made a few. They only take about 5 minutes to make. I can send you a link if you like. 

It doesn't sound like you're bad at EC at all. 

She had the skid mark thing going on for a while, but now she tends to get it all out in one go.  But I ALWAYS have back up on her, even if it's just a teeny tiny preemie prefold tucked into the waist band of the pants.  I'd get soaked if I didn't!

Originally Posted by IwannaBanRN 

I wanted to try EC when Levi was new but he leaks poo randomly. And Sera, I would love the link for split pants.

This is the pattern I used, just out of an old pair of yoga pants.  They are a little baggy, although the waist band fits her just fine.  I think I want to try make some wool or fleece ones too. I've tried sweater longies,but they turned out kinda funny.

Why does a belt sound harder to me then the pants? 

Originally Posted by Code Name Mama 

I've tried to catch once - and caught it! Woot! But I think it was luck. Ailia eliminates a LOT while sleeping - soooooo . . . what do you do with that?? I don't want to wake her up in order to hold her over something! Is that just a sleepy newborn thing?
And do you just hold baby over the sink to catch (breastmilk) poo? Will it clog the drain? (I know, I know, dumb question)

I just make the pss pss cue even if I'm not catching it. I have some waterproof mat on the bed, but at night I just put her in a diaper and cover 'cause I don't like to sit up if I don't have to.

I just rinse the breastmilk poo down the sink or rinse out the poopy potty and wipe out the sink with a wipe after, I can do it one handed while holding her, easy easy.

Here is Éowyn in her split crotch pants with training pants over them.  As I took this picture she pooped and got a little on the edge of the pants.  

I love these teeny training pants.  I only have a few, but if I had the money I'd get a bunch more.

[LiLStar]

Not totally commited to EC, but I'm not one to miss an opportunity when I see one. Sometimes when he's stirring in his sleep I can tell he needs to poo so I'll take him to the toilet. and if he's been asleep for a while and I go to change him and there's no poo, I figure he probably needs to go. Been catching a decent amount! I only catch pees if I'm lucky. And wow, does that boy have a fire hose! I don't think River was that..er.. forceful about his pee! lol. Earlier today I wasn't paying attention and he sprayed the wall behind the toilet! I like to call River over for potty time, in hopes that with big sister and baby brother both using the toilet, he'll get competitive and join in ;) 

[KayPea]

Just curious about the signals your babies are sending out. I did EC part time with DD because she did not signal for anything, ever. So we just cued her when we saw her go, then pottied anytime I would change her diaper, or I would use the bathroom, and use the cue sound, and she would usually go. But of course, this was when she was much older, because she had no signals, at least none that I ever caught on to. 

It looks like Oren is the same. Things have been too crazy around here to be gung-ho about ECing, but I've been making cue sounds and studying my guy when I know he's going, and he does nothing at all before eliminating, and then a bit of squirming while pooing, but nothing for peeing. He doesn't grunt, doesn't fuss, doesn't glaze, doesn't squirm in advance. What else should I be looking for?

[Code Name Mama]

Originally Posted by KayPea 

Just curious about the signals your babies are sending out. I did EC part time with DD because she did not signal for anything, ever. So we just cued her when we saw her go, then pottied anytime I would change her diaper, or I would use the bathroom, and use the cue sound, and she would usually go. But of course, this was when she was much older, because she had no signals, at least none that I ever caught on to. 

It looks like Oren is the same. Things have been too crazy around here to be gung-ho about ECing, but I've been making cue sounds and studying my guy when I know he's going, and he does nothing at all before eliminating, and then a bit of squirming while pooing, but nothing for peeing. He doesn't grunt, doesn't fuss, doesn't glaze, doesn't squirm in advance. What else should I be looking for?

Yeah I have the same question. The 3 times I've caught potty over the sink, Ailia didn't do *anything* beforehand. She does squirm and fuss a little before pooping, but I haven't been able to differentiate *that* squirming/fussing from other squirming/fussing.