[beebs]

i can never find the words to explain EC to people when they ask why we're "training" DD so early. I guess I want to say something like "We're not training her to eliminate - she's always known how to do that. We're just helping her stay clean. I view PT as really "training" kids how to go to find the bathroom, pull down their pants, go, wipe clean, and re-dress themselves. It's training in the mechanics of the whole routine. Babies already know how to eliminate and have known that from birth, but their awareness may have been suppressed at an early age. So I don't expect my DD to be able to do the whole routine before she's ready, but she has always been ready and aware of her elimination needs."

Wordy, but does this make sense? Hard to remember when the time comes to actually say it, though!

 

[Walkin' Mama]

The subject of ec invariably comes up whever we spend > 30 min. with someone b/c one of us takes dd to the potty with us instead of going alone, or asking to change her diaper someplace more comfortable. I make it a point in the explanation to tell them that we're not training her - she's training us to recognize her cues and know when to take her. Their confusion is then often replaced with curiousity.

 

[nadia105]

I always have a hard time explaining exactly what it is too. Most people are very intrigued when they find out what we have been doing, but they probably think we're a little nuts. When they stop and think about it, though, it usually make sense: if they know they have to go and you know they have to go, why wait for them to do it in their pants?

 

[rubelin]

I equate ECing to nursing on demand, you just pay attention to when baby needs to go (using whatever method works for you, timing, cues and/or intuition) and offer an appropriate receptacle (potty, toilet, cloth, diaper,etc) Kinda like Nadia said, why wait and have to clean it up. Ialso add in how babies are aware of elimination from birth and that full-time diapering makes them lose this awareness and need to be retaught it when they are "potty-trained". We just prefer to help them to never lose this awareness in the first place

 

[rumi]

people see me in the public restrooms and exclaim, is she potty trained already??
i've just started saying, we never really diaper trained her.

r