tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218215652328409330.post5633957545950311323..comments2024-02-25T04:19:51.451-06:00Comments on Connected Mom: EC: Overcoming First ImpressionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218215652328409330.post-86796738302476230642010-09-30T00:12:46.517-05:002010-09-30T00:12:46.517-05:00Your story sounds a lot like ours. We had made th...Your story sounds a lot like ours. We had made the switch to cloth diapers when our youngest was 14 months old, and he is one of the rare ones that gets very rashy from cloth. I had already invested hundreds of dollars in cloth diapers and did NOT want to switch back to disposables. My only alternative was to let baby "air out" as much as possible. Starting when baby was around 15 months old, I began to let baby go diaper free at home during the day. I watched him like a hawk looking for cues and misssed them every single time. After several days of mopping up puddles of urine, I had the brilliant idea of just sitting baby on the toilet (with a seat adapter) and trying to catch pees randomly. I was still on maternity leave at that point, so the time commitment was not a problem. For the first few days I would sit him on the toilet every 15-20 minutes and let him spend a few minutes there. I would make the pshhh sound and encourage him to go pee. With each success I would clap my hands and praise his efforts. Over the next few weeks, baby would go longer and longer stretches between pees. He is now 19 months old, and has gone up to 3 hours between pees. Our usual routine is to offer potty breaks every hour or so. If I forget, and he needs to go, he will come up to me and whimper or stomp his feet. He wears regular underwear during the day and is in cloth diapers for naptime and at bedtime. Since he wears diapers so infrequently, we no longer have problems with diaper rash. <br /><br />The poop catching was a whole other story. It took at least two months of EC before I caught one of his poops in the toilet. He always seemed to have a bowel movement shortly after waking up from his nap or first thing in the morning. It finally clicked that I should offer a potty break after lunch (just before nursing him to sleep for his nap). So simple, yet brilliant! (At least I think so.) Now we offer potty breaks after each meal and let him sit for up to five minutes so he has ample time to "finish". Also, for some reason, he seems to need privacy when he makes a bowel movement. If I stand there and watch, he will not "go", but if I stand in the hallway, just out of site, I hear him grunting and then the telltale plop plops into the toilet. <br /><br />I have to say that I agree with EC being similar to learning breastfeeding. The first few weeks (or months, in my case)are very challenging and time consuming, but then it gets easier and you can't imagine doing things any other way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218215652328409330.post-68661239466166304652010-09-24T12:36:56.803-05:002010-09-24T12:36:56.803-05:00Hi, I have put my story on facebook but you can em...Hi, I have put my story on facebook but you can email me at eliminationcommunication@yahoo.com for my "cues, signals, tips, etc" that I learned. Perhaps you will find it interesting?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218215652328409330.post-68926167698904425082010-09-12T20:14:01.579-05:002010-09-12T20:14:01.579-05:00You sound just like us! "I am pretty crunchy...You sound just like us! "I am pretty crunchy, I thought to myself but I am not THAT crunchy." Except my husband and I both felt that way. Then our son started Montessori, and we started toileting at 22 months. Everyone said, "you're having a difficult time because you're starting too early." And we said, "no, it's because we started too late." He was an independent toileter by 27.5 months. With our second, we have been sitting her on the toilet since she was 3 or 4 months old. She is now 7 months old and pees pretty successfully and has bowel movements on the toilet frequently. This came in super handy when we were out with no diapers left (oops) and she was about to start pooping into her last one. We ran back into the restaurant where she successfully used the toilet. I try to tell all my friends who still have younger babes and toddlers to start early! It would have saved us a lot with our son and is going really well with our daughter. :)Imperfect Supermomhttp://imperfectsupermom.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218215652328409330.post-53299239309414222842010-07-30T21:44:07.238-05:002010-07-30T21:44:07.238-05:00Jenn:
We've had a few accidents but nothing b...Jenn:<br /><br />We've had a few accidents but nothing big, all pee. To be honest my husband only let me try when I allowed him to by a chemical spot cleaner "non of that all natural non toxic hippie stuff! I don't want fecal matter in my carpet". <br /><br />when we do have accidents I simply take note of the signs, make the association sound, and (if I am not in the middle of something else) take him to the potty to further the association. <br /><br />It honestly doesn't happen often because i am starting to suspect that he's holding his elimination and waiting to be diapered. He can stay clean and dry for hours and will then soak a diaper within minutes. <br /><br />I have read that this is totally normal for a late starter. <br /><br />Anon:<br /><br />Thank you for your comment, I really tried to bring the practice of EC out from behind all the stigma attached to it. I think the reason it seams to impossible to us is because we do not see it done in our culture very often. <br /><br />Good luck to you if you choose to give it a try!Julian@connectedmomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12934165855070000724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218215652328409330.post-74584567177038534572010-07-28T22:16:44.640-05:002010-07-28T22:16:44.640-05:00Great article! I have heard of this but thought it...Great article! I have heard of this but thought it was pretty extreme. You make it sound pretty reasonable and sensible, and DOABLE! Thanks for sharing your experience.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5218215652328409330.post-45416283312301234312010-07-28T09:55:16.719-05:002010-07-28T09:55:16.719-05:00love this! I really hadn't considered EC, bec...love this! I really hadn't considered EC, because it sounded so time-consuming and messy.<br /><br />Can I ask what it was like in terms of "accidents" and what not the first few days? Do you just try to catch them in time and note the signs for next time?Jennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06056576922589061600noreply@blogger.com