[Pam_and_Abigail]

We started ec with dd2 at a week or two, and it went pretty well, but I find the amount of laundry overwhelming so I tend to use diapers as backup a lot (most of the time) My average is 1-3 pees caught in a day, every now and then a poop, last week I caught 6 pees in a day. Right now, she's got a bit of extra runny poop, so there's almost always a smudge in her diaper, meaning it would be quite messy to leave her diaper-less. But I am still driven and want to do this. She's 4 months right now, and I don't want to have her lose her awareness.
I want to hear how other families deal with laundry and the surplus work and how often they actually use diapers as backup.

 

[aquarianmom]

Thanks for posting this. I could have written it myself about EC with my 9 wk old.

 

[CDS]

wish I could help... I started her at 7.5mo and now fulltime within 2 months. We still miss 1 or 2 per day.. we don't mind cleaning up than doing laundry everyday

 

[kamesennin]

I don't know if this will help, but we EC full time and still use diapers. I put a diaper on dd just so it takes the stress off me, and we don't have to worry about getting poop on something that will take a lot of work to clean. Usually we use the same diaper all day long (no misses, or very few) and just change it at the end of the day. Baby's dry at night too, but I don't have to put a pad under her or anything, just her clothes and a diaper. Even if she does pee, it's only one and I can change it right away before any leaks. Plus, my mom refuses to hold dd if she doesn't have a diaper on, I just whisk her away when she signals.

Dd is 13 weeks and we've been doing this for a month. It takes some practice at first to get the diaper on and off, but we just use a velcro cover with a thin flatfold inside. Also, we don't have to worry about waterproofing the carseat when out and about. That's what we do....good luck!

 

[mom2owen1]

DS and I ec fulltime too and still use diapers as back up almost all the time. Other then nakey time, which is usually about an hour a day, and sleep time (he sleeps naked) he is in a diaper. We use disposables, which i guess are easier to get off then cloth??? I take his diaper off as i am walking him to the bathroom, or i will lay him on the bed, take of the dipe and into the bathroom we go. We have never had an accident from the bed to the potty.

he is usually dry at home. while we are out he doesn't like the potty so much.

We started ECing at 6 months, he is 7 months, 2 weeks now. Initally we were only going to EC during the day, but DS would have none of that! That night after our first EC day he was insistant on peeing, not in his dipe, at night too. I find that he sleeps much better without a diaper. he sleeps longer. in the time we have been going diaperless at night (guessing about 3 weeks) we have only had 1 pee in the bed. it was while he was nursing.

 

[Pam_and_Abigail]

Well, today is going really well. It's early afternoon here and I've caught three and missed only one! Her signalling isn't clear anymore - she used to fuss when she needed to pee, but she doesn't always do that anymore. However, I'm getting the hang of her habits, and she seems to respond well to my cueing.
I am just so afraid of diaper training her or having her lose her awareness. It's sometimes hard not to get uptight.
Thanks so much for the responses!

 

[kamesennin]

Hey, how's it going? My baby doesn't signal much anymore either (3 1/2 mo) so it's mostly timing and intuition. Usually if I have to pee she does too. I wish she would signal more but, maybe that comes later? I am still amazed that she pees when I take her because I'm not even sure why I am taking her to the potty. But this past week when we've been out, she hasn't wet one diaper (I do the "rip off the diaper as soon as possible deal")! Strange, and sort of freaky since she's so little. :LOL