Elimination Communication - Page 3 « Back to Group Discussions

[seraf]

We change it up quite a bit.
 

Originally Posted by birdhappy85 

What do your babies wear on their bottoms most of the time if you're taking them to use the potty so often? I'm using snappi'd prefolds with covers right now and I'd imagine it would get really annoying to constantly take a diaper on and off to have them use the potty.

My current favorite is flat with a belt.  When we were at the in-laws I added a rectangular piece of wool outside the flat so our accidents were contained.  It's easy on and off.  I dress him like a normal baby when we go out, but I don't like all the layers and snaps, so I'm moving toward an alternative.

[seraf]

I caught a pee cue on video, so I thought I would post it.  He was just playing on the bed and about half way through he starts getting grumpy and kicking, that's how he tells me he needs to go when he's awake.

[Paigekitten]

Éowyn cues in a similar way, although she is arching her back whenever I try to take her potty now. Potty bowl, baby bjorn, sink, tub, toilet...:(  right now I'm just cuing her in her prefold and hoping she'll get over it.

She screams in her carseat nonstop, and I think it's because she pees in it and she hates sitting in a wet diaper.  I'm not sure what to do though besides pulling over every 10-20 minutes.

[seraf]

If he arches I just move to another receptacle and offer when he calms or carry a potty under him.  Sometimes I will nurse him above the potty or bathtub so he can relax and go.  The car is no fun.  We are finally having more calm car rides, but he is often dry in the car now.

[Code Name Mama]

OK, someone shake some sense into me. I've been nursing more than half the time during EC - she starts crying. Really crying and rooting, so I pop her on, she pees, and we're done. I do not want to start bad habits!! Is this just a newborn thing with the crying?

[Lula's Mom]

I do this a lot.  He will suddenly stop nursing while lying in my lap so I know he needs to pee or poop, but then once on the potty I think he feels that uncomfortable sensation of imminent elimination, and he will want to nurse.   It's more common that we nurse as he sits there for a while pooping; he is actually getting my 'pssst' cue and pees right away most of the time.

This is the 3rd child I have done EC with; with DS1 he was 6 months when we started and I don't remember if we nursed much on the potty.  Definitely with DS2, this was something we did a lot!  He's 27 months now and has been out of diapers since 16 months.  He goes to the toilet independently now and definitely doesn't demand nursing while he goes, so I don't think it's creating bad habits.  It's just getting a freaked-out newborn to relax enough to go! 

[Code Name Mama]

Originally Posted by Lula's Mom 

I do this a lot.  He will suddenly stop nursing while lying in my lap so I know he needs to pee or poop, but then once on the potty I think he feels that uncomfortable sensation of imminent elimination, and he will want to nurse.   It's more common that we nurse as he sits there for a while pooping; he is actually getting my 'pssst' cue and pees right away most of the time.

This is the 3rd child I have done EC with; with DS1 he was 6 months when we started and I don't remember if we nursed much on the potty.  Definitely with DS2, this was something we did a lot!  He's 27 months now and has been out of diapers since 16 months.  He goes to the toilet independently now and definitely doesn't demand nursing while he goes, so I don't think it's creating bad habits.  It's just getting a freaked-out newborn to relax enough to go! 

WHEW! I feel better hearing from someone who's BTDT!

[Paigekitten]

Originally Posted by Code Name Mama 

OK, someone shake some sense into me. I've been nursing more than half the time during EC - she starts crying. Really crying and rooting, so I pop her on, she pees, and we're done. I do not want to start bad habits!! Is this just a newborn thing with the crying?

I do this too.  I think it's just a newborn thing. 

[Jaimee]

When you all say you're nursing while baby is eliminating- how exactly are you doing that?  Are you nursing and holding baby over a receptacle some how?  Or are you nursing with baby diaperless on an absorbent surface like a prefold?  Yesterday I knew that he had to pee/poop, so I stopped nursing and put him over the potty.  I tried all sorts of different positions over the potty, but he just screamed and screamed.  So I've resorted to letting him lay diaperless on the changing mat with a prefold under him and over him and he pees that way frequently.  Any suggestions on getting him comfortable with the potty? 

[seraf]

Jamiee, I was still using a mixing bowl at that age. Just lifted his rump and slid it under. Angled just so that it was off his skin and protecting for whateveray come. Now if I nurse on the potty I sit on the floor with the potty on one side and facing behind me with the baby in the football hold. I could also do it with the lot tipped back under him in the. cradle hold. 

[Paigekitten]

Most often I nurse over a prefold and just cue, but I'll also tuck a potty bowl in my lap, or stand with her head in one hand keeping her latched and the other kind of supporting her bottom over the sink sometimes.

[Code Name Mama]

I nurse over the bathroom sink or the removable part of our potty chair. It's not incredibly comfortable over the sink. I can sit on the bed with the potty chair, which is a little better, but sometimes it's just easier to go stand over the sink

[Lula's Mom]

This is what I use for EC: comfy potty.  I use the white bowl and the blue ring, and toss out the base.  By the time my kids are ready for a potty they sit down on and use independently, the opening on this one is way too small for their butts and assorted boy parts to fit down in!  But the comfy bowl part is just right for ECing a baby younger than 6 mos, in my experience.  The butt fits down inside (sometimes you have to reseat a boy so the penis gets down too, I bet it's even better for a girl!)  and the baby can sit for a while without getting uncomfortable.  The bowl tapers down and is just the right size and shape for me to hold in my lap and nurse while he's on it.

Now, the reviews on it are terrible...  and they're not exactly untrue.   But I am obsessed with comfort  for my babes, and the blue foam ring makes for the cushiest potty around!  The problem is that if pee gets in between the ring and the bowl and is allowed to sit there, the ring will soak it up. It's like a sponge.  So after a while, you have a stinky ring!  I have found that if I rinse out the bowl and then wipe dry both the ring and the rim of the bowl where it sits, I don't have an issue.  I love this potty for ECing a little baby. 

As the baby gets to be about 6 mos and able to really sit up,  I use something like this seat (mine has handles) on the toilet.  And I use the sink a lot more once they stop wanting to nurse while pottying- with boys I just can't seem to get things aimed into the sink right while they're nursing! 

[Jaimee]

EC is going really well!  I can catch pee predictably after naps and feedings.  I've also caught all poop over the last few days.  What I'm struggling with is the timing between feedings and the next nap.  Sometimes he squirms or fusses, but mostly I have no idea and miss them.  How often do you LO's pee during active awake time?

Here's Avery (10 weeks) on the potty! 

[seraf]

Wait, there is time between feedings and naps? I think the boy feels crummy because he has slept most of the day today.

I think Shay goes 2 or 3 time per awake. Lol, we just saw star wars and he peed on the way in, fell asleep, woke up and peed, pooped about 20 minutes later, wet his pants on the way home and he's asleep again.

I'll try to pay better attention tomorrow and update.

[birdhappy85]

I don't know how I'd ever be able to EC because Sora pees all the time, even if it's just in little bursts. I was just wondering today if this is normal for a baby to pee so often? I'll change her diaper and it'll be wet again in a few minutes sometimes. Obviously if she's sleeping she goes longer without peeing but when she's awake, I'll be changing her every half hour sometimes. We've had her in disposables for a bit to use up her size 1's so when I do put cloth diapers on her, I've just started noticing how much more frequently I'm having to change the diapers (and that's after accounting for the fact that disposables soak up more pee and can be changed less often). Maybe she pees so frequently because she nurses on demand rather than on a schedule every three hours like other babies I know?

[Jaimee]

Avery was awake yesterday for several 2 hour stretches.  I think he goes about every 20-30 minutes.  I was so proud that he was wearing the same dry diaper from his wake up in the morning until about 4pm, but then I missed almost everything after that.  Part of it is that he was sitting with dh who doesn't really want to EC so lets him fuss a bit and then changes him later. 

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by birdhappy85 

I don't know how I'd ever be able to EC because Sora pees all the time, even if it's just in little bursts. I was just wondering today if this is normal for a baby to pee so often? I'll change her diaper and it'll be wet again in a few minutes sometimes. Obviously if she's sleeping she goes longer without peeing but when she's awake, I'll be changing her every half hour sometimes. We've had her in disposables for a bit to use up her size 1's so when I do put cloth diapers on her, I've just started noticing how much more frequently I'm having to change the diapers (and that's after accounting for the fact that disposables soak up more pee and can be changed less often). Maybe she pees so frequently because she nurses on demand rather than on a schedule every three hours like other babies I know?

Some babies do this and others hold it.  When I taught diapering 101 I used to talk about this b/c it affects what diapers work best.  If you have a frequent pee-er then the pee will soak in slowly and a variety of diapers will work fine, but a baby that holds and pees all at once needs a quick absorbing diaper that holds a good volume.  Any way, after ECing for a while babies learn to hold their pee longer.  They'll fuss first (usually) and wait for the potty (until they can't).  It's a process.  If you're interested in doing some EC, just try and catch a few of the predictable ones- after naps, maybe after feedings, when she's grunting, etc.  Any potty time is good!
 

[birdhappy85]

I'll attempt to catch something one of these days! I'm too intrigued to not at least try it out.  I feel kind of bad that Sora has been in primarily disposables for the past week or two and doesn't seem to like being in her cloths anymore because she can't bend her legs up to her chest in CD's like she likes to now. It's her favorite thing to be all scrunched up now; every kind of cloth diaper we have is too bulky for her to do that. *sigh* 

[Jaimee]

Originally Posted by birdhappy85 

...doesn't seem to like being in her cloths anymore because she can't bend her legs up to her chest in CD's like she likes to now. It's her favorite thing to be all scrunched up now; every kind of cloth diaper we have is too bulky for her to do that. *sigh* 

What diapers do you have?  If they are just super stuffed, you will be able to use slimmer/thinner inserts once you start catching pees more often.  If you're using prefolds, have you tried the twist folding technique- it's slimmer in the crotch allowing for easier movement.