let's post our BEST ec tricks for new mamas! - Page 6

[shaylan]

i totally forgot about the flannel pillowcase thing.... that makes a lot more sense now that i think about it. thanks!

[juliav]

We just started EC (my daughter is 3.5 months) so many of you probably already use these, but I don't think I saw them in this thread... my little tip is babylegs. We live in a cold climate so I can't leave her completely nakie on the bottom. This way her bum can be nakie when we're hanging out around the house, but her legs are covered and she's warm.

[sunny_27713]

early success with ec

i just found this thread and it sure is wonderful to read all the tips!

at about 3 weeks of age, every time after i fed my baby girl, i took her to the bathroom and held her close and closed her feet under a receptacle and said "Can you pee" and waited till she peed and then gave her positive feedback. then slowly as soon as i said pee or potty, she would try on her own to do it after two months, i started putting her on the infant potty - baby bjorn (ofcourse holding her and supporting her neck) and now she goes to potty exactly twice a day after her morning feeding and late afternoon and I am able to catch all her potties in that. i also catch most of her pees. she still goes in her cloth diapers after her last feeds since she falls asleep and i dont have the hear to wake her, but this way we save a ton of diapers. i haven't got the courage to fully go diaperless YET, but this has been working great so far - so for moms who are a bit worried on fullly taking the plunge, you can still do this method and slowly wean off the diapers.
she also chatters and babbles back while on the potty since i am up close, so it fun communication time for us as well.

[Erlaine]

Originally Posted by juliav

We just started EC (my daughter is 3.5 months) so many of you probably already use these, but I don't think I saw them in this thread... my little tip is babylegs. We live in a cold climate so I can't leave her completely nakie on the bottom. This way her bum can be nakie when we're hanging out around the house, but her legs are covered and she's warm.

Babylegs are awesome!!! I wish we had 10 more pairs. I'll be sad when she's too big for them in a year or two. But then I will use them as armwarmers

[jrabbit]

my 5 year old still wears her baby legs - and so do i! arm-warmers mostly, because they only cover my calves.

my 9 year old wears them occasionally, but she's not as attached to them as dd2.

i haven't tried them on dd3 yet ... maybe tomorrow!

[GAjenn]

9 months old- she poops every morning while I brush my teeth after breakfast. She is entertained by my brushing and funny faces. I just wasn’t giving her enough time on the potty. We have not had a poop miss in 3 weeks! Of course you have to wait until they can sit up on their own. I also let her tear up a piece of toilet paper and we sing made up potty songs.

If it is just “tt” I count to 3 and say SHHHHHHH and we potty together.

When you get a signal, don’t try to finish your task. You really do have to stop and take them to the potty.

Sometimes you will have frustrating days that make you want to analyze every move you made to see what went wrong…..just let it roll and know that it will pick back up soon. No guilt

In the face of criticism from others: I stress that we are NEVER NEGATIVE about misses. I think that is what they are afraid of, like EC is some strange abuse. It also seems like a pride issue, like you are saying you are a better parent or your kid is smarter. Whatever is said, hang in there; you know what is best for your baby!

I like our BBLP for on the go, but we love her graco potty! The bucket is easier to clean and the padding is softer on her bum. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=2266240

In the bathroom in public places I put the BBLP in the stroller seat for her while I’m on the real potty. Or just let her use it in the car.

Before she was crawling I let her wear gowns for easy access, sometimes with a pair of my socks pulled up to her thighs. Funny looking, but functional

I LOVE this thread!

[RockPeak]

Tee Gowns, Potty Walks, etc.

This thread is sooo helpful!

Our tips/tricks:

Unless the grandparents show up, we don't use onesies. When we go out, we use T-shirt Gowns (we bought ours at www.theecstore.com), which are long tee shirts that last through toddlerhood. They work well with the carseat, as they can be pulled around the legs before buckling. They keep bub at a nice temperature, too.

Also, for times when you have that "potty feeling":
Instead of waiting a few minutes for bub to toilet, limit the visit to 30 seconds at most, then take a "potty walk" for 1-2 minutes and return to the toilet. This reduces potty boredom for both parents and bubs, and encourages bub's direct response to offering the potty by either going toilet or clearly refusung.

I'm also putting in another vote for the Ziploc storage containers. The lids make them ultra portable for car trips, especially the ones where you're on a schedule and don't have the time or place to empty the potty (i.e., weather demands an in-car-only pottying). A rubberband around it makes it non-slip, too.

And I found that sleeping with bub belly-to-belly with me lying on my back helped reduce night-time misses because lying prone puts pressure on his bladder and he'll start to wiggle a lot and try to prop his bum up to relieve the pressure. Rarely got peed on, and had a much more pleasant night's rest.

[Mamahaloca]

release assistance

Originally Posted by minneapplegirl

I did EC part time with my son and started with my daughter at 4 days old. My tip is that when sometimes baby needs a little help in getting the poo moving- give them a wipe. Stimulates the urge to go.

I also notice that my daughter (4 weeks old) does this leg straightening thing between poo releases. I hold her front facing over the toilet with her back resting on my legs. I try to hold her relaxed so she feels free to move how she needs to.

Oh! And as far as the number of poo releases my son never went over 3 but so far my daughter has taught me a lesson to wait until she cues me that she is done. Does anyone else count or is that just me?

I found that doing a digestion massage (clockwise tummy circles) with a slight emphasis on the descending colon (left side) helps get the poo flowing again after the initial release. My bubba is 4 1/2 months and 20+lbs now... HEAVY! so we practice standing on the sink or stretching while I hold him with my left arm across his chest and barely lift him off his toes and rub his belly. He starts squirming again and I know he's ready to go again. As soon as I lower his bum into the sink or on the BBLP(on the counter) he releases again and thats usually the rest of it. He has 2 major BMs a day - 1st thing in morning and around 2pm. Usually about 3 releases per pottytunity but the last is more like juicy fart bubbles.

LOVE this sticky!

Please see my thread "transitions?"
:::

[leakingllama]

Not sure if this has been submitted or not already, but for traveling:

I put a prefold in the potty when traveling. That way, if I have to potty in the car on the side of the road or something, I don't have to worry about dumping the potty - I just put the prefold into the wet bag and go. No covered bowl required

[MrsWhite]

this thread is awesome!

The only tip I have is that you can make babylegs out of knee-high socks. Cut off the foot part and hem.

[mrscline]

I've got one!

I love the little newborn gowns; so much, in fact, that I cut off the bottom elastic and the wrists so that I could get a few more months out of them (the Gerber brand gowns are really stretchy and I think will fit into toddlerhood!).
I found that the bottom elastic works great as a diaper belt! It is just the right size without being too tight. You could even tie a knot or stitch it to make it smaller if you needed to.
Also, the gowns are way easier to potty in without the bottom elastic