Anyone EC or plan to?

[Molck]

DH really wants (me) to try this, and I plan to though I'm a little intimidated. Anyone else BTDT or in the same boat as me?

[NatureMama3]

I did some lazy EC with my son after 10 months of age. I do think it helped him train himself sooner/easier.

If I didn't have two older ones with ADHD I would absolutely do it from the start.

[msjodi]

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't know what EC or BTDT means?

[lovingmommyhood]

We *sort of* ECd with DS2. When he was 5 months I got tired of cleaning poopy cloth diapers so any time we'd hear him grunt we'd put him on the toilet. He has been doing it ever since and at some point (I don't remember when) he started telling us when he had to go. He now goes every day in his bjorn potty.

I haven't tried doing this with peeing but he does wear absorbant underwear around the house.

[NatureMama3]

EC= Elimination Communication (there's a subforum for it under diapering)
BTDT= Been there done that

[Molck]

Originally Posted by lovingmommyhood

We *sort of* ECd with DS2. When he was 5 months I got tired of cleaning poopy cloth diapers so any time we'd hear him grunt we'd put him on the toilet. He has been doing it ever since and at some point (I don't remember when) he started telling us when he had to go. He now goes every day in his bjorn potty.

I haven't tried doing this with peeing but he does wear absorbant underwear around the house.

I hadn't thought about trying it just for poops. That sounds less intimidating, somehow. What kind of diapers were you using? How hard is it to get them off in time?

[lovingmommyhood]

Originally Posted by Molck

I hadn't thought about trying it just for poops. That sounds less intimidating, somehow. What kind of diapers were you using? How hard is it to get them off in time?

We used fuzzibunz and bumgenius pocket diapers. We never had trouble getting them off in time but that may just be because DS has very obvious cues. Grunting, red face. He was completely breastfed so the poops were very soft but it took him a few seconds at least to work it up.

I have been very pleased with the way it's worked out. DS2 is finally (haha) pooping on the toilet now so I haven't changed a poopy diaper in months!

OH ETA: DS also got used to pooping twice a day at first, once in the morning & once at night. Now he just goes in the morning. That way it wasn't a worry when we were out in public.

This is the potty we have, but in red.

[sierralily]

we did this wiith dd after she was 12months old... so it doesn't really count i guess i bet it would be difficult at first with a newborn!

have you seen the dvd "birth as we know it"

in the extras there is a interview with a mo specifically about EC. you should get a copy of the dvd and check it out....

[Molck]

Originally Posted by sierralily

we did this wiith dd after she was 12months old... so it doesn't really count i guess i bet it would be difficult at first with a newborn!

have you seen the dvd "birth as we know it"

in the extras there is a interview with a mo specifically about EC. you should get a copy of the dvd and check it out....

I haven't seen it, but I'll try to find a copy. Thanks!

[theatermom]

I'm seriously considering it this time around. I've always cloth diapered (I still remember how excited I was the day that my shipment of prefolds and wraps arrived in the mail when I was preggo w/ds#1 -- ), but I'm interested in doing a combination of EC and CD this time around. I'm a little hesitant to go all out with it, even though once my kiddos hit 2 yrs, they tend to not wear diapers at home except at night. Ds#1 was using the toilet consistently by 2.5, ds#2 by his 2nd birthday, and ds#3 is nearly there at 2yrs 3months. I understand that EC'd babes, on average, are consistent earlier than that.

I know that I just need to read more about it, like I did with CD years ago.

[Intertwined]

I did just poops for Noah and Izzy (and started with Hannah after 12 months) and it was hit or miss with so many little ones. It's one of the crunchy things I have to let go and not allow myself to feel guilty about, even though I think it's "best". Sort of how I think raising my own animals and growing my own veggies is best...it's just not practical for me at this point.

I might try again with the new babe. I haven't decided!

[NatureMama3]

Here's a great book on it (I'd give it to you but it's already been given):

Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene

[Molck]

Originally Posted by NatureMama3

Here's a great book on it (I'd give it to you but it's already been given):

Diaper Free: The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene

And my Amazon list grows... I do plan to get at least one EC book before this babe comes, though. I'll look into this one. Thanks!

[UnskulinMama]

We did part time EC with Riley from about 3 months on. Our whole downstairs living area (except the kitchen) is carpeted, so I really couldn't go full-out and do much naked-butt time or anything like that... but even so, we just put him on the potty at every diaper change and within a few days he was peeing on cue. About a week after that he was pooping on it too. There was this great period of time where I didn't have to change a poopy diaper for a week at a time, it was awesome! He didn't show any signs when he needed to go though, no obvious grunting or anything...

Unfortunately, he was VERY mobile very early and as soon as he could stand unassisted (5 months holding on to chairs) he started refusing to sit on the potty. He walked at 7.5 months and we had absolutely NO luck with EC from then until he was about 15 months old and the novelty of mobility had worn off (some ). At this point I don't know that it's really EC anymore, but he's starting to tell us when he needs to go or when he's just gone. But that could just be the reese's pieces he's been getting when he does it... : Yeah um, obviously I'm not the EC poster child, but hey, we tried!

[clutterbug]

I thought about trying it with DS but never did...the pee thing seemed so challenging, I had no idea how to figure out when he was going to pee! But doing it for poops appeals to me...I have tried that with DS now and all it's done is make him leery of the potty (hmm, like you might be when mommy interrupts your poop to scoop you up, whisk you to the bathroom, strip you down and sit you on a potty to finish, LOL!). But I think if we started really early they would just accept it as the norm and go with it.

[1babysmom]

We did VERY part-time inconsistent EC'ing with DD starting around 8 months (the first time she pooped in the potty was 3 months, but that was just by chance). We only did it on some days, where I just let her run around naked or diaperless, and sometimes we'd go a couple weeks in between days. I'd always hold her over the potty...we didn't have a little one, but even when we got one she wanted the big potty so I finally just got one of those potty seats. We'd sign "potty" (just used the sign for toilet) whenever she sat on the potty and then started REALLY signing whenever she'd actually go. Anyway, she's been "poopy" potty learned since 10 months old (tells us when she needs to). She has only pooped in a diaper twice since then (around 12 months) and it was only because we were out and I was too nervous to take the tiny little kiddo into a public restroom. She's almost 23 months now and has been able to go diaperless all day (telling me when she has to poop or pee) since about 16 months at the latest. So it's been nice, as far as cloth diapers go! LOL

We'll probably do it just as casually with the next one.

ETA- DD was one of those babies who NEVER cued when she was going to pee. NEVER.

[UnskulinMama]

Originally Posted by bluepetals

.I have tried that with DS now and all it's done is make him leery of the potty (hmm, like you might be when mommy interrupts your poop to scoop you up, whisk you to the bathroom, strip you down and sit you on a potty to finish, LOL!). But I think if we started really early they would just accept it as the norm and go with it.

This is why EC is important to me and the reason why we'll do it again, even if it's still only half-way and not 100% successful... Of course it would be lovely to have a child out of diapers at 12 or 15 months but even when that's not a reality I still think it's a really healthy thing to try and help a kid stay in tune with their bodily functions. Instead of teaching them, essentially, to ignore all the sensations until they're 2 or 3 years old.

[smeisnotapirate]

I'd love to try, and I'm going to try if having baby #1 doesn't make me totally insane. We're doing a cloth diaper service, so if we can EC, life would be sooooo much easier and cheaper!

[majormajor]

we (did i just type we? i mean *I*) did a version of EC with DD starting at 12 months. totally laid back, just putting her on the potty when she woke up dry or had been dry for a few hours. then we totally stopped over thanksgiving-new years because we were traveling so much, DD got really sick (bronchitis AND an ear infection!). we started again in Jan and she was totally out of diapers within a week. she really took to the potty of her own initiative when i gave her cookies for going.

so, i plan to start the same thing with this one, only maybe even earlier. i must say, it was nice to have a potty trained 17 month old. we saved a fortune on diapers! (we used sposies and will with this one.)

[Tizzy]

We started EC'ing with DS when he was 4 months old I think it was. Things were going GREAT! We didn't change a poopy diaper for almost 2 months straight and caught 80% of the wet ones too!
Then he got Roseola, started crawling and cut 8 teeth in 2 months and he's now on a potty strike. I'm really kind of disappointed, but we keep giving him the opportunity and sometimes he does go, sometimes he doesn't.

I'm thinking we may start back with catching pee's after naps and go from there.
It would be nice to have him at least halfway again by the time the new baby comes we'll see!

I do plan to start the new baby right away and be more consistent. I'm afraid breaking in our friends and family was more stressful than anything. They made a HUGE deal out of it.